Friday, June 8, 2007

Interlude - J's Road Sign Mania






















[written by J]
As promised in an earlier blog, it is time for a diversion that I call J's road sign mania. But before we get to the road signs, let me expound on the disappointment I felt when I didn't see a sign telling us that we entered the Central time zone. I checked the receipts for our lunch and gas in Indiana (at what seemed like the first exit with any services since Kentucky and it was halfway through the state), I noticed that the lunch receipt said 10:30 AM and the gas receipt said 12PM. We ate at a Wendy's so obviously we weren't in there for an hour and a half. The gas station was right next door to the Wendy's. Is it possible that the time-zone line was between the Wendy's and the gas station? We may never know.

Now onto the road sign mania. I have always been fascinated by road signs, especially state route signs which vary from state to state. For example, Virginia has a shield for primary state route signs and a circle for county roads and North Carolina has a diamond. Because we are visiting so many states, I thought it would be fun to observe and analyze the various state route signs along the way. Granted, I came up with the idea in Kentucky so West Virginia's analysis will have to wait until the return trip. Let me say, it's been an unimaginative bunch so far.

Kentucky - circle
Pretty blah. Due to the state's obsession with horses, perhaps a horsehead would have made a more imaginative design.
Indiana - square with Indiana on top
Wow. Creativity at its finest.

Illinois - square with Illinois on top
Did they cheat off of Indiana's test?

Missouri - we have yet to see one in our travels around St. Louis but we should see some on the way to Minneapolis. I do give Missouri bonus points for this fun interstate sign that is near our hotel. This is a perfect example of what H calls "condensing."

That's all for now. I will give another report probably tomorrow. In other news, GO CAVS (Cleveland not UVA)!!!!!!

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