Dallas: Crossing through the middle of it in rush-hour traffic stimulates the brain cells. -- Dallas skyline photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Ashes to ashes. Dust to rust. Oil those brains. Before they rust. — From A. Nonny Mouse Writes Again by J. Prelutsky
Working crossword puzzles and riding roller coasters are both supposed to be good for the brain. The first one stimulates the thinking muscles and the second one provides a quick shot of adrenalin to jolt the brain awake.
Even though it's essential to keep one's eyes on the road, one still can't help noticing Texas' famous bluebonnets growing wild alongside Dallas' many freeways. -- Photo by Pat Bean
I came up with another way to enrich those little gray cells yesterday. I drove my RV from my oldest daughter’s home in Rowlett to Irving to have lunch with my grandson. Irving, by the way, is the real home of the Dallas Cowboys.
The round-trip journey took me through the heart of downtown Dallas, beneath underpasses and overpasses stacked up to five lanes high, and across seven lanes of one-way traffic near where Interstate 30 and Interstate 35E meet up. I entered 35’s bumper-to-bumper traffic in the right lane and exited, just a few miles down the road, from the far left lane.
The trip had to have exercised and jolted my brain enough to erase at least the couple of years I aged on the cross-town journey.
Strangely, however, I don’t mind the occasional road trip like this. Such an experience lets me know I can still cope with the modern world. It also makes me appreciate all that much more the rural, little-traveled scenic byways I carefully select for most of my travels.
What gave my soul another delight this time was that the shoulders of the busy freeways were often alive with patches of bluebonnets. They were the first I’ve seen this season.
You are a braver soul than I. Not even bluebonnets, which are one of my favorite sights ever, could compensate for a drive like that for me. I’m finding that although I know I am where I need and want to be here in NM, I am having gasps of bluebonnet withdrawal about now. Thanks for the photo!
Ah, yes, Pat, the Mismaster is indeed challenging. I can almost always get to where I want to go when I’m going north but somehow always miss the exit I’m looking for when going south. ‘Tis exciting, indeed! Sam
OK, that was supposed to be “Mixmaster.” Never hit “send” before you proofread! LOL Sam
That was courageous of you! I tend to avoid any type of city traffic (even the interstate, at times) if possible. I can see how it might be good exercise for the brain, meeting both elements.
The bluebonnets are beautiful.
Hey my hometown. I used to drive through Downtown Dallas at least twice a week because my Grandmother lived in Oak Cliff. She passed a few years back so I don’t find myself down there as much.