7/1/07
2:30 PM – It took most of the day, but we finally were able to leave Macomb heading to Jackson, MS. Steve came over about 8:30 this morning to eat breakfast with us and take Carl to Bushnell to pick-up his truck. He had some general maintenance completed along with repairing the front fenders…they are now black instead of red.


They returned about 11 AM and we still had to clean out the truck and get everything packed up for the next couple of weeks. Bill brought the Grandchildren by on their way to Spring Lake so we were able to hug them all goodbye. I’m going to miss them while we are gone, so was especially happy to see them before we left town. We also went by to see Crissy and drop off a big bowl of homemade tapioca pudding I made for the Grandchildren last night. I guess it was amazing we were able to leave when we did.

First Stop – We stopped at a VERY small fuel stop right outside St. Louis in Woodriver, IL. I jumped out of the truck and hurried into the store and just beat another woman to the ladies room, thank goodness!

Next Stop – We drove for about another hour to the first rest area we came to so Phoenix could get out of the truck and stretch her legs. On our way back to the truck she met a little Yorkie puppy traveling with a guy that went around to festivals selling lemonade. The minute they got out of their truck she noticed the puppy. It was interesting to see her notice another dog since she didn’t even look at other dogs when we went to the Heritage Day parade last weekend…even when they barked. The only animal that got her attention at the parade was the group of Llamas.

10:25 PM – No time to stop for food today. (Note to self: Should have eaten lunch before we left home.) We need to be in Jackson, MS by 8 AM in the morning. It looks like we will be lucky to get their by 3 or 4 AM. Hope we get to stop again today!

11:00 PM – We stopped at a small fuel stop in Sunset, AR. We thought we could walk Phoenix for the last time today, but the lot was too muddy so it just wasn’t worth it. We went inside to get some snacks to help Carl stay awake a little longer. When we walked in the door the guy said, “good morning” and I thought it was already after midnight. It felt like it.

2:30 AM – We still have a couple hours until we get to Jackson but all of us need sleep, especially Carl. We decided to stop at a truck stop in Winona, MS to get a little rest before continuing our trip.

7/2/07
6:00 AM – Way too early for any of us, but our appointment is at 8 this morning and Carl is never late! I went ahead and got up to go inside and water my hair and brush my teeth before we left. I learned riding with Carl to never miss an opportunity to eat or use the bathroom, they are few and far between.

7:40 AM – We arrived to pick-up our load in plenty of time. When we started to turn into the yard the gate was closed and locked, so we had to park on the side of a very narrow road with lots of traffic. Carl had been there before and thought it was strange they weren’t there yet, in the past they were there by 7 AM. At 8 AM I told him I thought he should call someone – just in case the guy that ran the yard had died over the weekend. The only reason I thought was a good enough excuse for not being there on time after I had to get up at 6 AM with just 3 ½ hours of sleep. Good thing he called because the person that scheduled the appointment forgot to tell him we were going to be there this morning. It took him until almost 9 AM to get there, but had us loaded and on our way to the truck stop for fuel and a shower by 11 AM – 2 hours earlier than Carl had hoped they would be finished. The load is smaller than he normally gets when he picks up light poles from this yard. Even though it goes to 11 separate locations, some places are only receiving 1 or 2 poles. By the time we get them all off we will have driven over 5,100 miles. I will be posting pictures and stories as much as possible throughout the trip. Check back often for updates on where we are and where we have been.

11:35 AM – Carl just finished filling up the fuel tanks and cleaning the windows and mirrors. It took 178 gallons and $476.93 later – oh well, at least we get a free shower with a fill-up.

2:00 PM – Lunch finally!!! We stopped at the TA truck stop in Tallulah, LA. It stopped POURING rain just in time or we had planned to skipped it and go on to the next one after it quit. We even lucked up and got the first park closest to the building. Things got even luckier after lunch. On our way out after lunch I stopped at the ladies room. While waiting for me to come out, Carl looked over at the ATM machine and saw someone had left a $20 bill. When we were walking across the parking lot to the truck he asked me how my free lunch tasted. I thought he meant because he paid for it and I was confused because he usually pays for it, this was nothing new. Then he told me how he had found a $20 bill, exactly the amount he had given to the waitress for lunch and a tip. This is the second time this week he has found money. The first time he found a $5 bill on the edge of a parking lot next to the road. He couldn’t decide if someone had dropped it or if it flew out of a car window.

Later Today– On our way to Little Rock, AR we drove through a very small town called Transylvania, LA. As we drove right past their Post Office I wished I had the DVD’s, I made of Austin’s home movies, ready to mail to Benita. It would have been cool if they were postmarked from Transylvania…HAA HAA HAA HAAAAAA

We also drove through an area right before we crossed into AR with an absolutely beautiful lake along the roadside, Lake Providence. All along the bank just inside the water were the most amazing trees. We think they were Cyprus, but what I liked about them was how the trunk near the water was so wide and became very narrow towards the top.



4:30 PM – We made it to AR. As we came up to turn onto US 82 just across the road was the Mississippi River.


We stopped at a VERY DIRTY little fuel stop. It reminded me of Headley’s in Clanton, AL, only with more stuff and more DIRT. I went in while Carl made a few phone calls. Everything was so dusty I had to wipe the dust off my candy bar onto my pants. While in the ladies room I stepped on a mosquito to keep it from landing on my leg. Carl was trying to set up deliveries and get directions to the next couple of stops. He is hoping to get them off on the 4th so we can continue driving to Colorado with no lay over for the holiday. Wish us luck!

7:00 PM – We have arrived in Little Rock, AR. It has been raining off and on most of the day and or course started pouring right before we got stopped. We are delivering light poles at the Little Rock National Airport at 7:30 in the morning and it is just a couple of exit up Interstate 440 from where we are spending the night. It is just a fuel stop, but there is a MacDonald’s across the street. We walked over in the rain to get a hamburger and had to wade through ankle deep puddles to get there. Of course I splashed water up the back of my pant legs and froze to death in the restaurant. I am hoping for Egg MacMuffins in the morning…if I can talk Carl in to walking over to get them before we leave. It hasn’t stopped raining yet, but we aren’t far from the door to the fuel stop.

9:30 PM – We have finished eating, walking Phoenix, organizing paper work, and getting our trip information ready to post to this blog. We are all EXHAUSTED and ready for bed. Goodnight!