I Used Cruise Control On I-84 from Middlebury to Newtown Today

That's a tumbleweed, and that's how I felt driving along I-84 between Waterbury and Danbury this morning. I, like many others, fall into the high-risk category. I don't leave the house unless it's absolutely necessary. So, grudgingly, I drove to my doctor's for a necessary appointment.

I noticed it as soon as I got on 84 West at Exit 18 in Waterbury, wow, I said to myself, traffic is a lot lighter than normal for 9AM on a Wednesday. By the time I passed 17 in Middlebury and headed up the big hill towards Southbury, I thought about it. Maybe I should try to see how far I could go if I just put the cruise control on. I felt like Kramer for a minute on that test ride to see how far the vehicle would go on empty.

Maybe you're thinking, big deal Dave, I use my cruise control on 84 all the time. Well, I don't, especially at 9AM on a weekday.

I made it all the way to Exit 11 in Newtown, that's gotta be a record, right? I've never gone that far on I-84 thru that stretch without hitting my brakes at least once in the past 14 years that I've been driving to Brookfield.

My destination was off of Exit 2, My appointment was with my Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Gray, he recently moved offices from Hospital Ave in downtown over to Old Ridgebury Road. Beautiful new practice by the way. My appointment went well, but I was more interested in trying to break my new world record on the way home. I decided to wait to turn on the cruise control until after I got past the Rt. 7 interchange going Eastbound.

I made it all the way to Exit 18 in Waterbury. I almost had to hit the brakes twice along the way, but I broke my own record. I took my mask, Purell, and gloves, so even though I did have to leave the house, I felt safe. I know Ethan wrote an article about his suggested drives to clear your head during this very scary time. I thought I would pass along my perspective in case you haven't been able to go out like me. We're so aware of the invisible danger all around us, but you can still enjoy these little things and discoveries safely. What have you noticed that's different?