This was my day:
Google sez that's 715 miles, which is prolly pretty close. But it took me 12 hours to do the trip, which included two stops of at least an hour apiece to eat... and two refueling stops... so I guess we're good.
Just briefly... we left P-Ville at oh-dark-fifteen...which is to say 0615 hrs (yes, really)... which was actually somewhat bright out, even though the sun hadn't come up yet. A lil over two hours later we dropped in to see Occasional Readers Tom and Carol in Amarillo (you've met them before - they're wonderful people) where we were treated to wonderful conversation and... get this!... home-made beignets and Cafe du Monde brand coffee and chicory. I'm not a breakfast guy but I sure did a lot o' damage to those beignets... Thank you, Carol!
So we were on our way after about an hour and the trip was largely unremarkable except for a SWARM of cops beginning about 35 miles west of OKC, lasting all the way through the city and for about 70 miles east of there. I really thought the bastards had me when I topped a hill doing a little over 80 mph in a 70 mph zone and there sat a state trooper in the median in an SUV. I backed off (but no brake lights, thank ya very much) and looked in my rear view mirror to see him pulling into traffic. He came hard but never turned on his lights... he just followed me and the group of cars I was in for ten freaking miles... and that is NO exaggeration.
I swear to The Deity At Hand: I saw more cops today in a little over 100 miles than I've seen in P-Ville for the last three years, and I have a cop that lives one block east of me and another one that lives one block west. I see those guys EVERY day, so that should tell ya sumthin'. Those Okie cops were in SUVs, cruisers, unmarked cars, and prolly black helicopters, too. Bastards.
So... we're holed up in the Air Force Inn at Little Rock Airplane Patch, which is one of the prettiest bases I've ever seen. I pulled into town at 1930 hrs local, so I got to see a good bit of the base in daylight and it is impressive: immaculately maintained, very leafy and green, with a lot o' birds and other critters (including a raccoon who I saw foraging in the trash can not eight from me as I drank a couple o' beers and had my evening cigar).
The inn facilities are up to the usual USAF standards, to wit:
All this for only 55 Yankee Dollars. Such a deal!
More as inter-tubes become available.
Google sez that's 715 miles, which is prolly pretty close. But it took me 12 hours to do the trip, which included two stops of at least an hour apiece to eat... and two refueling stops... so I guess we're good.
Just briefly... we left P-Ville at oh-dark-fifteen...which is to say 0615 hrs (yes, really)... which was actually somewhat bright out, even though the sun hadn't come up yet. A lil over two hours later we dropped in to see Occasional Readers Tom and Carol in Amarillo (you've met them before - they're wonderful people) where we were treated to wonderful conversation and... get this!... home-made beignets and Cafe du Monde brand coffee and chicory. I'm not a breakfast guy but I sure did a lot o' damage to those beignets... Thank you, Carol!
So we were on our way after about an hour and the trip was largely unremarkable except for a SWARM of cops beginning about 35 miles west of OKC, lasting all the way through the city and for about 70 miles east of there. I really thought the bastards had me when I topped a hill doing a little over 80 mph in a 70 mph zone and there sat a state trooper in the median in an SUV. I backed off (but no brake lights, thank ya very much) and looked in my rear view mirror to see him pulling into traffic. He came hard but never turned on his lights... he just followed me and the group of cars I was in for ten freaking miles... and that is NO exaggeration.
I swear to The Deity At Hand: I saw more cops today in a little over 100 miles than I've seen in P-Ville for the last three years, and I have a cop that lives one block east of me and another one that lives one block west. I see those guys EVERY day, so that should tell ya sumthin'. Those Okie cops were in SUVs, cruisers, unmarked cars, and prolly black helicopters, too. Bastards.
So... we're holed up in the Air Force Inn at Little Rock Airplane Patch, which is one of the prettiest bases I've ever seen. I pulled into town at 1930 hrs local, so I got to see a good bit of the base in daylight and it is impressive: immaculately maintained, very leafy and green, with a lot o' birds and other critters (including a raccoon who I saw foraging in the trash can not eight from me as I drank a couple o' beers and had my evening cigar).
The inn facilities are up to the usual USAF standards, to wit:
 |
| The sitting room, which hasn't been sat in. |
 |
| (Cheesy mePhone pics) |
All this for only 55 Yankee Dollars. Such a deal!
More as inter-tubes become available.
Ah, the siren call of the open road. Sounds like you're enjoying yourself. Keep on keepin' on!
ReplyDeleteWe ARE enjoying this... except for the unexplained pain in my right shoulder this morning. We're not as young as we used to be.
DeleteSounds like you made some good time and had a good time too. Don't forget to smell the roses along the way.
ReplyDeleteGood advice, Lou. I plan to smell a lot o' flowers on the way back home, assuming I can overcome my not-so-latent Type A behavior.
DeleteLets see, 715 miles with TWO ONE HOUR stops? IIRC when I made the 720mi drive in college from Baton Rouge to my home in Illinois the fastest I EVER made it was 12 hours @90mph and NO stops except for gas. Just how fast were you driving, Buck? LOL.
ReplyDeleteI rarely exceeded 85 mph, Virgil. But I was pretty consistent at 80, after OKC.
DeleteJust using my limited brain function and not writing anything down, I make it that you averaged a little more than seventy empeaitches.
ReplyDeleteThat's not difficult when everyone else is doing the same and you have cruise control.
The only difficulty I have with driving for so long is with monkey butt, which is why I don't much care for long plane rides, either.
Drive safe.
We did some motoring, Skip. But safely.
DeleteIs that a fire sprinkler over the pillows? Crude jokes disabled :-)
ReplyDeleteI saw a TV show where I-40/I-35 junction has tons of contraband every hour, and it's like fishing for sand bass, as you throw a hook and immediately catch another mule. Your New Mexico plates probably got them excited, until all the NSA data came back on you, hee...
I wondered about that sprinkler head, Christiane, and I had a few crude thoughts of my very own. ;-)
DeleteThat thing about NSA data? I noticed that ALL those Okie cops had big-ass monitors in their vehicles and there's NO doubt in my military mind that they ran plate numbers. That might be the best answer as to why I wasn't pulled over.
Ah so this is the answer to my e-mail question. Safe driving Buck; you'll get there when you get there...
ReplyDeleteI amplified this in my response to yer e-mail, Kris.
DeleteI love a road trip and your accommodations are sweet. Tall traveling, though.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was a long drive and the return trip will likely be longer. I love it, though!
Delete