Avoiding Atlanta

Thank you all for your helpful replies. My husband and I hit Atlanta at midnight on the 28th. Traffic was still an issue but not so bad that we worried we would not be able to make the necessary lane changes in time for our chosen exits. Once through Atlanta, we stopped for a few hours sleep in a Wal-Mart parking lot. We were back on the road as the sun was coming up on the 29th. We made the trip across Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and just over the state line into Texas by bed time. We spent a few very restful hours of sleep at the Welcome Center and then headed on the Austin on the 30. The trip was uneventful except for the condition of the roads. We live in North Carolina where gas prices are high. A part of the tax we pay on gas goes to keep our state's roads in reasonable repair. On our trip, we passed through South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Although road conditions in North Carolina are far from perfect, South Carolina roads were worse. Georgia's roads were on a par with South Carolina's but Alabama's were worse, Mississippi's worse than Alabama's but without a doubt Louisiana's roads were a whole new level of bad. Coming through Shreveport, the roads were so bad that the windshield wiper on the passenger side of our big rig rattled loose from the motor and stopped working all together. As it was raining at the time, we were very concerned that the other one would give up the ghost too. We got lucky and had the issue addresses when we got to my dad's house. I have not seen roads in such grave disrepair since I visited East Germany just after the wall came down. Things were almost as bad as road conditions in the former Yugoslavia during the war.

On our return trip, we stopped just short of Atlanta and hit town at 6:00 a.m. the following morning. Traffic was still an issue but not as heavy as it was at midnight on the 28th. It took about half an hour to clear the city. We are grateful so many of you helped us with your suggestions.

Thank you all,
Shelley