As Yogi Berra might say, nobody travels on the day before Thanksgiving because the roads are too crowded. Fortunately, I'm that nobody. My plan is to survey the progress of pre-holiday travel from my secure perch on Baltimore Street in downtown Baltimore.

Using the various resources at my disposal, I hope to provide updates through  the day on travel in the mid-Atlantic region. Helping out will be Michael Schwartzberg, a Pikesville resident who willl be providing updates on his journey to the worst possible destination (Long Island) at the worst possible time (ths afternoon) under the worst possible circumstances (transporting two young boys).

OK, I exaggerate, but not much.

An 11 a.m. check of Baltimore  traffic shows no particular problems, but trouble is already brewing on Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia, where the traffic.com jam-o-meter is already registering 8 on a scale of 10. Southbound travelers would be well-advised to consider taking U.S. 301 through Southern Maryland, even though Waldorf is an ordeal under the best of circumstances.

Here's a tip that Bill Snitcher of Linthicum offered last year for ggetting around the worst of the Waldorf traffic: "From the north side of town just stay on Route 5 South (Mattawoman-Beantown Road). When Route 5 makes a sharp left toward St. Mary's County, just stay straight on St. Charles Parkway. Follow that till the end and you'll merge back onto U.S. 301 just north of La Plata. You will bypass the entire Waldorf commercial district. Most of it is wide-open highway."

He estimates that it will save about 10 minutes compared wiith staying on U.S. 301.