Oh, I know I've been caught in it many times....the ride across the Poconos can be a pain in that respect; seems like a long haul between Rt 80 and Gouldsboro for instance when it's not. But Route 6 from Milford to Hawley can be a real drag and it's a two lane!. Worst time was on 81 just beyond Clarks Summit in a snow squall which prompted a feeling of suspension as I drove forward but the falling flakes made it seem as if I were standing still by sight but moving by feeling the motion of the car....weird at best. Long days behind the wheel can do it for sure especially after dark or on stretches you frequently travel. It is a fact and factor and cannot be denied but must be recognized and dealt with.
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Henry6 said "Highway Hypnosis," which is exactly what I was trying to describe. I remember reading about it, but at the time I posted, I couldn't remember exactly what they called it. Supposedly it gets worse with odd hours, and sleep deprivation.
It can happen anytime. The more repetitious, the more boring, the more likely you will get mesmerised. And I suppose tiredness and fatigue may increase its chance of happening. I always rap those who don't read the instructions so I am rapping myself after yesterday's finding that the manual to my 2007 Saturn Aura has a heading and graph about Highway Hypnosis! So it is nothing new.
Highway Hypnosis has been with us ever since roads were built. According to WikiPedia, the first occurrence in print of the term "road hypnosis" occurred in 1921. FWIW, the Lincoln Highway, America's first transcontinental highway, was largely completed in 1913, a total of 3,389 miles spanning Times Square in NYC to San Francisco, CA, and traversing 13 states. The roadway was one of the first competitors to the railroads, which dominated travel and freight traffic in that era.
RJ Emery near Santa Fe, NM
Mr. Emery, do you live near Bound Brook by any chance?
Firelock76 Mr. Emery, do you live near Bound Brook by any chance?
Yes. Why do you ask?
HA! I KNEW it! Coming from New Jersey as I do the place all those 'roads you mentioned such as CNJ, LV, and the others only came together, or within the same neighborhood so to speak, was Bound Brook. It used to be called "railfan Heaven", considering all the 'roads and assorted action.
I've seen some old railfan films shot years ago at Bound Brook. It must have been quite the place to be.
Firelock76 HA! I KNEW it! Coming from New Jersey as I do the place all those 'roads you mentioned such as CNJ, LV, and the others only came together, or within the same neighborhood so to speak, was Bound Brook. It used to be called "railfan Heaven", considering all the 'roads and assorted action. I've seen some old railfan films shot years ago at Bound Brook. It must have been quite the place to be.
HA! I KNEW it! Coming from New Jersey as I do the place all those 'roads you mentioned such as CNJ, LV, and the others only came together, or within the same neighborhood so to speak, was Bound Brook. It used to be called "railfan Heaven", considering all the 'roads and assorted action. I've seen some old railfan films shot years ago at Bound Brook. It must have been quite the place to be.
I do miss the pre-Conrail but not necessarily the pre-NJ Transit days. Yes, lots of action and diesel power. I date back to just after WW II, when steam was still to be seen and the B&O's Capitol Limited ran on the CNJ tracks to Jersey City. With the coal trains on the Reading, Lehigh Valley and CNJ, and the Valley's flagship passenger trains, there never was a boring moment.
On the Gladstone Branch, I remember the Lackawanna's MUs with cow catcher front, and PRR's Princeton Dinky, as well as the K4's pulling The Broker to the Jersey Shore. On the PRR mainline, Congressionals and Clockers ran alongside long freights pulled by P5 box cabs. But the world changes, and we must move on.
Yes, the world changes, but not always for the better. Grrrrrrrr....
Thanks for sharing your memories Mr. Emery! Wish I could have been there,
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