Abandon on the run: Scenes from Route 301 in southern Virginia

As much as I try to be positive, I have to admit it's no fun driving on I-95 anywhere north of Washington D.C. Mile after mile of ripped-up congested pavement through every northeastern metropolis takes its toll on the eccentric roadside traveller. South of DC, 95 becomes much more placid and leisurely. Trouble is, it's also pretty boring. We kept seeing cool, old abandoned road sites on Route 301, which parallels a good stretch of 95 in southern Virginia. 301 is a road not unlike Route 66 and other pre-Interstate main drags. We were able to get off 95 and keep pretty much keep to our schedule by taking 301, enjoying some spectacular forsaken gas stations, motor courts, billboards and signs along the way. One thing about the busy northeast: if a gas station goes out of business, it might go vacant for a year or so, but soon enough, someone is renovating it into a Starbucks or a U-Stor-It. In other regions of the U.S., abandoned places stay abandoned seemingly for all eternity, where 6-foot weeds overtake them and old rusted signs creak back and forth in the breeze. I love places like this...old ghosts rotting away under sunny blue skies. Long live decay.