Sacajawea!

Do you think you could navigate the interstate system in this country if there were no signs?

I find interstate travel extremely boring, but I do like some of the signs that point you in a general direction. Most times the signs are specific: names of cities attached to a particular exit. But sometimes the road planning people really want to give you the big picture—like the sign toward Pittsburgh on the PA turnpike that says “Ohio and West.” West. Just stay on this road and you will be West, whatever or wherever that is.

There’s another one near Buffalo that points to Canada. Just Canada. A whole country opened up before you, once you cross this bridge.

Today I drove to the L.L. Bean store in Columbia, MD and home again. Coming home you see the signs for I-95—Towson and New York. When you hop on I-70 for a very short stretch, there’s a sign telling you how far it is to St. Louis, Denver, and Cove Fort (which I had to look up. It’s in Utah, and that’s where I-70 ends).

And that’s what you’ve got to love about the interstate thing—getting on a road and knowing that, if you just pointed your car in particular direction, you could go anywhere.