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Friday, May 15, 2009

One day before my roadtrip

My van is packed. I have my maps, books, cameras, laptop, and rechargable batteries, my clothes, sleeping bag, cot, camp shower bag, water bottles, trailmix. I'm still missing one of my Asolo hiking boots.

I'm even packing my .38 for personal safety. I hope I don't have to use it. The only states in which my Concealed Carry Permit is void is Illinois and Wisconsin. All other states will recognize my Arizona permit. I don't plan on carrying my weapon except at night and then only in the van. I won't really carry a weapon until I'm back West in South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana.

I deposited my check today and took Sadie with me to try out the reclining passenger seatin the van for her. She seemed to like it, although her butt was higher than her head as she lay down with her head facing down and forward. She seems to prefer sitting up like a person so that she can see the road ahead of her.

I have my route pretty much planned although exact road numbers aren't available. I'll be stopping enough to pee and exercise and can recheck the roads then. Too much planning is overkill as there are always detours, weather emergencies, etc. I plan on using US highways and little interstate until I reach Illinois.

I want to leave at sunrise Saturday. As soon as I leave AZ and enter NM I already lose an hour. I loose another hour in West Texas. My first night will be near Roswell, NM. There are plenty of alien RV sites there. The drive the next morning is going to be pretty across West Texas and the Staked Plains, toward Wichita Falls and the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma. This, too will be new territory for me.

Sunday night--Apache OK and 460 miles. I may not make this stretch as that's a lot of miles in the heat. I hope the tornadoes from yesterday have left. I do not like tornadic weather. I want to stop at the Apache museum there and walk around just to pretend I'm a resettled Apache. I could spend the night at Fort Sill.

Monday night--Winfield, KS. This should be a pretty drive across gentle hills. This will be backroad driving, and I'll stop at historical markers or roadside attractions. Tony already knows I'm coming. We will have breakfast together the next day. Or lunch...it all depends on him as he works second shift. I still haven't heard from Judy. She lives about 65 miles east of Tony in another small Kansas town. She may still be in Boston tending to her new grandson.

Tuesday--Columbia, MO. I haven't heard from AJ yet. If he can't make it I'll drive from Winsfield, KS due east on Highway 54, crossing through the Ozarks. That should be nice. I've never been to that part of the state. I hope it's not as economically depressed as the southeastern portion of the state that I drove through three years ago.

From Columbia it's still 400 miles from Crown Point, IN. I should be there Wednesday or Thursday. I will need a nice sleep after this drive. I hope Sadie doesn't drive me nuts. The van is going to smell like dog and be full of dog hair by then!

I'm already curious about what sights will be inspiring, what sights will be depressing, what sights will prove to be great surprises and what sights will be places I'd wish I'd have by-passed.

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