Tom Germond
Rating the rest areas
By TOM GERMOND
| Article published on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 |
|
 |
I thank South Carolina from the bottom of my bladder for its fine Interstate rest areas.
Call me a frequent visitor.
Nearly every year since 1994, I have driven to Virginia to visit my brother, enjoy the fall foliage and tour the area.
Interstate 95 takes me through north Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. I bet I’ve stopped at every rest area between here and Richmond at least twice.
South Carolina is king of the rest areas because they have five for northbound Interstate 95 road warriors, including a welcome center, and six for southbound road warriors.
It takes me about 2 1/2 hours to get through South Carolina on I-95, and because the rest areas are strategically placed along the way, I only have to get off the highway if I need gas.
Travel advisory: Gas was inexpensive in Florence, S.C., compared to other areas, but your life, liberty and pursuit of happiness is in jeopardy when you pull into the convenience store where I stopped for fuel. Trucks, SUVs, Smokey and the bandits – you name it; everybody stops there.
Think war zone.
Nevertheless, I like using South Carolina rest areas because, generally speaking, you can get in and out of them quickly. Same goes for North Carolina rest areas.
Georgia? Not bad, but I’m not in the best of spirits traveling along I-95 through Georgia because the state has been working on the highway since the barricade was invented, and it probably will continue to work on it until I’m too old to drive. For about 29 miles between Brunswick and Savannah, the speed limit is reduced. You see all types of equipment, cones and men working, but will the construction ever end?
John Henry could build a highway faster.
That brings me to Florida. OK, if you are on I-95 between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, you’ll find a couple of rest areas. My problem is that there aren’t enough rest areas between Orlando and St. Augustine.
What nincompoop-cheapskate-pencil pusher came up with the idea to create a rest area along I-4 near Deland that has no facilities? What good does it do anyone?
The Florida Department of Transportation says it strives to provide “safe, secure and comfortable rest stops for Florida travelers.”
What’s so comfortable about stopping at a rest area with no facilities? Are they designed to give motorists passing by the area something to joke about?
“Tee-hee, look at that poor, desperate tourist having to tinkle in the woods.”
Take the jaws of life to your wallet, DOT, and at least give us some portable toilets.
Down the road, near Polk City, the rest area comes with a warning “venomous snakes in the area.”
Obviously, there must have been an incident. Curious to know what kind of snake it was and where it was spotted. The DOT didn’t get back to me on this. I hope the snake wasn’t swimming in the toilet. Think about that the next time you visit one of our rest areas.
Adding to the intrigue is an exhibit at the rest area that illustrates the type of venomous snakes that can be found in Florida.
Who needs tourist attractions to entrain tourists? Just send them to the rest areas, especially if you want to scare the bejabbers out of them.
These days, I’m more scared about nonvenomous snakes in the rest areas.
Hope there’s no Burmese pythons.
Tom Germond is executive editor of Tampa Bay Newspapers.
|
Article published on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009
Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved. |
