| My family decided to brave the state's highway | | | | Perfect. It isn't perfect, but it is real!Somehow by |
| system one recent Thanksgiving by traveling the | | | | following signs -- there are places in New Jersey |
| New Jersey Turnpike south to my sister's house off | | | | where signs will get you where you are going -- we |
| of Exit 7A. We started on Exit 18, knowing full well | | | | arrived at my sister's home. We shared our stories of |
| that we would hit some traffic before we arrived at | | | | accident scenes witnessed, a detour taken, and a |
| her home some 70 miles later. Little did we know | | | | town admired. The highway madness of earlier that |
| that our trip would be a bit of an adventure: not the | | | | day soon faded away as we enjoyed the company |
| type we would have liked to participated in either.It | | | | of family and our Thanksgiving feast.In the early |
| was shortly after the noon hour when our car | | | | evening we decided to take our tired children and |
| passed through the EZPass booth. We soon found | | | | head home. Traffic was much lighter and it moved |
| ourselves traveling past Newark Liberty Airport and | | | | quickly. Heading north on the New Jersey Turnpike, |
| the "bucolic beauty" of industrial Linden, NJ. Choosing | | | | we decided to exit the road and travel north on the |
| the car-only lanes seemed most sensible; with | | | | Garden State Parkway, which would bring us closer |
| enough big rigs and buses on the road we didn't | | | | to our home. What had been a two hour trip down |
| want to subject our midsize car to the wake of a | | | | was looking like a 75 minute sprint home. Everything |
| tandem trailer whooshing on by. Soon after making | | | | was clear and seemed uneventful. How soon that |
| that decision we noticed brake lights more than one | | | | would change.We noticed in the vicinity of the Union |
| mile down the road and a helicopter hovering | | | | tolls that traffic was slowing down. At first, we |
| overhead. Uh oh, this did not look good.As we arrived | | | | chalked it up to the usual bobbing and weaving one |
| near the stopped traffic, police cars and emergency | | | | must do in order to find the correct toll lane. |
| vehicles screamed by along the shoulder. Within ten | | | | However, as we made the approach to the tolls we |
| minutes we were upon the scene: a green minivan | | | | looked over to the southbound lane and saw the all |
| had gone off the road and flipped on its side. We | | | | too familiar scenery of emergency vehicles. Not |
| didn't want to stare too closely but it did look like as | | | | again.This time the scene seemed even more horrific. |
| if a small tree was sticking out of the windshield. We | | | | Pulled off the road just south of the toll booths was |
| all said a prayer for the inhabitants and were thanking | | | | a public transit bus. A police officer stood outside |
| God that the rescue workers were already there | | | | shining a light through the broken passenger windows. |
| doing what they do best. Moments later the traffic | | | | We could see all the windows were blown out by a |
| broke and we found ourselves once again heading | | | | fire that appeared to have consumed the bus. None |
| south on the turnpike with not a little bit of thanks to | | | | of us wanted to imagine what happened; we simply |
| God on our part that we were safe.Holiday travel in | | | | grimaced and said yet another prayer to Almighty |
| New Jersey is fun. Okay, barely tolerable is more like | | | | God for mercy.The remainder of the trip home found |
| it. If you have family more than 25 miles away, more | | | | our car engulfed in silence. |
| than likely you will be on one of the major roadways | | | | Looking back, I certainly can give thanks for not |
| at some point in your trip. It seemed, at times, that | | | | being involved in any one of the three accidents. We |
| the entire New Jersey populace was going where we | | | | don't know if any produced fatalities, but we do |
| were going. I only hoped that my sister had a large | | | | know that lives were changed that day. Whether |
| enough turkey for everyone.By Exit 8A, traffic had | | | | people were speeding, cut off, falling asleep behind |
| slowed again so we decided to exit the turnpike and | | | | the wheel, or for whatever other reason the |
| follow Route 130 south. Not a great choice as Route | | | | accident happened, we will never know. Quite frankly, |
| 130 is a four lane roadway desperately needing more | | | | it no longer mattered.What we do know is this: even |
| lanes and less traffic lights. Still, we felt that it beat | | | | under the best conditions and in the best weather, |
| the turnpike parking lot syndrome.Near Cranbury we | | | | road trips cannot be taken for granted. New Jersey |
| began to experience deja vu all over again as the | | | | roads are crowded, but serious accidents occur all |
| saying goes. Stopped traffic. Sirens. Emergency | | | | over the country. That is why our family prays for |
| vehicles spotted in front of us. The entire highway | | | | traveling mercies before we take an extended trip |
| closed and traffic rerouted. Unlike the previous | | | | and why we are quick to hold victims up in prayer |
| accident, we weren't going to witness the rescue | | | | when we come upon an accident scene. |
| attempt. So, we said some more prayers for the | | | | Life is too precious to do anything less.This article |
| victims, exited Route 130, and found ourselves | | | | originally appeared on Townstead.com, a defunct site |
| following other cars through the town of Cranbury.At | | | | managed by Matt Keegan. It was part of his "Life in |
| this point, we were in unfamiliar territory, but I didn't | | | | New Jersey" series of articles.Matthew Keegan is the |
| mind it. Cranbury is a lovely historic town that seems | | | | owner of a successful article writing, web design, and |
| set in the mid-19th century. Nothing is new, | | | | marketing business based in North Carolina, USA. He |
| everything is preserved. If you must be detoured | | | | manages several sites including the Corporate Flight |
| somewhere in New Jersey, this town is the place to | | | | Attendant Community and the Aviation Employment |
| visit. Tastefully decked out in Christmas splendor, | | | | Board. Please visit The Article Writer to review |
| Cranbury looks nicer than Walgreen's town of | | | | selections from his portfolio. |