Don’t ever take Interstate-90 when you are supposed to take Interstate-94. I was attending a wedding celebration this weekend in Libertyville, Illinois (northern suburb of Chicago). I took I-90 and instead ended up in Rockford! (A city far, far, far west of Chicago and Libertyville).
In the city I-90 and I-94 are the same highway, so being a city boy, I thought they continued being the same highway north of the city. However, they don’t. They split apart just south of where I live.
I hop onto I-90, and merrily drive along for an hour and a half. I notice that there aren’t any exits. “That’s weird.” I think. “There should be some exits around here. I’ll just get off at the next exit and check a map at a gas station. I get off at the Belvidere Oasis. And to my shock, I went 65 miles IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.
I hereby declare that ALL Oasises should have a turnaround. How many times did people look at the map in the Oasis, only to realize they were going the WRONG WAY? This Oasis, like all other Oasises, does not have a turnaround. They force you back right onto that same highway of wrong directionedness. When on this highway, outside the city of Rockford, there are NO EXITS. It’s a one way path to Rockford. They don’t want you getting distracted and maybe going somewhere else.
I finally got to Rockford and took the first exit, figuring I would be able to go over the expressway and turn right back on it going the other direction. Uh no. That would only make sense. Instead Rockford gave me the delight of sticking me on I-39 with no exit ramps in sight. Then again, if I only brought a map with me, I should have been alright.
Lessons learned (granted, they are obvious):
1) ALWAYS travel with a map
2) Don’t pick your highways based on feel
3) Plan your entire route beforehand
They meet up again up here.. I’ve run into the exact same problem.
Also, in my firefox tab.. the title of the page is cutoff at “It’s really bad when you get high…”
Sparx, your second comment made me LLOL.
You were almost in my neighborhood! Just a few more exits and you would have been at my house, where you can easily turn around and go back the other way.
And sparx, I just checked google maps, I-90 and I-94 do merge back up in Wisconsin! HOW CRAZY IS THAT?! Those two highways have to be the most sneakiest highways in the nation. Merging together and then unmerging and then merging again and then unmerging! Sheesh!
Not as sneaky as these interstate highways http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/hawaii01.htm .. I think they come out in Idaho.
I often merge and un-merge on 90/94 on my way to and from my mom’s place in northern Wisconsin. It’s pretty messed up (they are sneaky roads), but I’ve never ended up in Rockford. 🙂
The funny thing is that Rockford is like the place that nobody wants to ever go to. Sorry Rockford readers, but your town truly has a bad rap. Nobody wants to end up in Rockford. wamp wamp waaaaaaah. Sparx, that would be really confusing if the highways from Idaho are the ones in Hawaii. Aren’t those two states like in totally different areas (sarcastically said). Maybe the Idaho highways are linked to Hawaii in some sort of chaotic inflation, where thermalized regions have different effective physical constants, dimensionality and particle content.
I have this theory.. it involves Hot Wheels type ramps and loops and those spinny things that grab the side of the car and speed you up.
OH WOW! I <3 Hot Wheels. I recently got one of those ramps and spinny things for my birthday (i’m not 8 years old). I’m gonna somehow artfully install it in my hallway as a super cool, yet functional, decoration.