Meet Virginia

To get across the Chesapeake Bay bridge and tunnel, you have to arrange a shuttle through the bridge police, then wait around until they send a maintenance employee with a pickup to shuttle you across. (For which you have to pay the standard $12 car toll, which I find a little silly, but whatever.)

I was being driven across the immense bridge when a truck with a camper shell with Virginia plates passed us in the fast lane. It was plastered with bigoted bumper stickers, literally flying a full sized confederate flag, and the license plate was WHITEP. Yeah, the confederate flag is just about history and heritage.

I was literally speechless for a couple beats, then said to the driver, "Okay, I have to say something. What kind of fucking jackass flies a confederate flag and gets plates that say WHITEP?" The driver, who was African-American, was quiet for a couple beats, then said, "Yeah... we've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go." So, so, true.

And what the fuck is wrong with Virginia DMV, issuing those plates?

The ride continues to be great. In Onley, VA now, and expect to be in Ocean City, MD tonight. Ocean City both puts me back on the water for a while, and might sound familiar to some of you: it's the eastern terminus of US highway 50.

Virginia, except for the ignorant racist cracker in the truck, has been nice to ride in, though I am looking forward to getting back to the northern states.