{Yawn}...Are we done yet?

I haven’t written in a few days because It’s been, as Jack would say, RUFF! My whole sleeping experience( or should I say lack of sleeping) began in Texas and you can glimpse a little of what I had to deal with from my notes below…

“It is a well-known fact among truckers that at one time I-40 through Arkansas was the worst stretch of road in the entire country. In the past few years, Arkansas has done a stellar job of road repair and maintenance and has redeemed itself. I've found the replacement and can honestly say it has surpassed its predecessor exponentially.

Once my tour of duty was complete, I stayed up for a few hours talking shop with Beth and playing games on the PC. Not long after, I went to sleep. When I next awoke, I found myself in midair! Let me tell you, weightlessness is a most unusual state to awaken in. I’ve done it several times and once my body realizes my mind knows we’re in midair, every muscle and tendon tightens because you don’t know what surface you’re going to hit next. You could hit the bulkhead in the back of the cab (as has happened), you could hit the hard ABS plastic of the upper bunk or you could hit the floor and Lord knows how many things you’ll bounce off of before you finally reach it! I-20 across Louisiana is so pocked full of holes and potholes and dips and bumps it barely resembles a road. There are smoother roads on the Moon! I’m serious, I’ve seen the footage of the Lunar Rover…”

Eventually, my sleeplessness in Shreveport ended and I dozed. I took over driving in Tallulah, MS more tired than when I lay down. I had a short night (9hr drive) so that helped. We got home around 3a.m. dropped Jack off at the house and off to Wal-Mart (I’m even too tired to get into the politics on that one. Suffice it to say, we are no big fans of Wal-Mart and their Wal-Martitization of the country and it’s effects on the rest of the globe). Who knew that there was a Wal-Mart that wasn’t open 24-7! We were shocked when we got there and they were closed. Even more so to find out they didn’t open till 9a.m.!! We went back home and later out to the Mall. With all the weight I lost, I’m having to replace my wardrobe. I got some nice stuff (thanks to Beth for saving me from myself on several occasions and for her stylish input elsewhere). We finished up about noon-thirty and left. Next stop, liquor store. I was out of Jack and Beth wanted to get some Maker’s Mark to try and since the trip to New Orleans is on the books, I got a pint of Southern Comfort. We recently learned SoCo originated in New Orleans and we wanted to check it out. In a word, NICE. We got a pint and finished it over the rest of that day mixing different drinks and ingredients.

By now, I had been up for almost 24 hours and that combined with the alcohol, I was out like a light. I slept on the couch for a few hours while Beth watched TV. Beth went to bed when I woke up and I made some coffee. I’m still in work mode; one more trip to go. I guess that catches me up.

Now I’m sitting at a shipper in Dalton, GA. Our loads not ready so I wanted to get this online before I got too far behind and loose hope and/or interest. We’re on our way to Modesto, CA. Ah well, still better than the Northwest but there’s a wicked icy-weather system moving across the mid-section of the country even reaching down into Dallas, TX. We’re going to drop down and ride I-10 across but however you look at it, I’m glad we have our warm underroos with us!
This is it! Final lap before our cruise. I can’t wait to be loaded and on the way back to Georgia. Maybe thoughts of that warm Caribbean sun will thaw me out before we get back. With cold like this, who knows, maybe it’ll snow in Panama. Naaahhhhhhh. At least I hope not, I’m not ready to swallow my pride just yet.