The weekend began on a perfect note. Sunshine, warm temperatures, great for a cookout or a day at the beach. There was a little sprinkle here or there on Sunday, but today, Labor Day, it rained. Heavy rain, light rain, gushers, pools and puddles all day long. I rolled up the hoses, put them away, and we decided to take a little road trip into Maine.

The nation’s last big travel holiday of the summer was coming to a close but what do vacationers do on their last morning when it pours? They cut vacations short and head for home. All of them, I think, were on the road. Cars with bikes, cars pulling trailers, cars toting canoes and kayaks on top, campers, and trucks were all heading south. For once in my life we were going the right way on Labor Day.

The northbound side of I-95 was practically empty. Not so for those poor folks heading south. As far as the eye could see for many miles, it was stop and go traffic.

Travel in New England was expected to top the national average, the heaviest traffic in the last 5 years. A scary prediction from the U.S. Travel Association forecasts Labor Day-like traffic will become commonplace on highways in the United States, adversely affecting the economy and our way of life. Sixteen key interstate corridors across the U.S. were studied and from the information I gathered, the area closest to us (Hartford to Boston I-84) will not suffer daily bumper to bumper traffic until 2041. Whew! Let’s hope we use the time to find solutions.