Day 1 - “I was supposed to leave yesterday but it felt as if a million things went awry. I drove to Marshfield, WI for work, 150 miles away, and didn’t get done until after 2pm! My exhaust broke, coolant problems persisted and reverse gear on Gretta(the Jetta) wouldn’t work. Then, the washing machine sewer line plugged! So, I opted to leave at 5.30AM this morning, It was pouring rain all morning and the pounding exhaust note from my car escalated until the SD border. Stopped in Worthington and asked several shops to patch the exhaust up for me -no go- should call it “Worthlesston”. Finally arrived in Sioux Falls and kept my head low as I blabbered through downtown. Hyvee was a sight for sore eyes, I bought the perfect can to fix my problem - asparagus spears! Yum! Although they make your pee smell like…asparagus. A quick stop at ace for some clamps, tape and a tarp and I was on my way to a nice, dry parking garage to fix the hole in my exhaust piping. A cop checked me out, but gave me no trouble… Saw the most amazing cumulus clouds. Bucked the wind like mad…”
Day 2 - “…Woke up early from the Big Lake Campground in MO and avoided the $8 camping fee. Drove to St. Joseph and decided to attend church (after going the wrong way on a ONE WAY). Went to a huge Baptist church close to the interstate. The message was about what music God likes -not- Palm Sunday like I had hoped. No one said ‘hi’ to me, but I took a dump in their bathrooms.
Went through KC and then west toward Wichita. Took scenic highway to avoid toll road and was held up by a large semi accident. Continued down I35 through Oklahoma City, it was very sunny and warm. I am camped about an hour and a half south of Oklahoma City at a lake and no one is around, very peaceful. Gretta ran well today, but I just discovered that she is leaking gas again, oh well - got 30MPG!”
Day 3 - “Woke to a beautiful sunrise today, bathed in the lake and set off for Ft. Worth. I caught a large beetle yesterday and put him in a ziplock. He started chewing through the bag so I left it outside last night. He hadn’t made it through so I put it back in the trunk. Stopped at a hole in the wall donut shop on my way out of Marietta. A very charming old guy sold me a fritter and a glazed donut - Delicious! Drove to Ft. Worth, straight to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. What a great tour! There were a bunch of cackling bank tellers in my group.
Arthur was just a few miles away with my MR2 hood - so easy - strapped it to the roof with no problems. Opened the trunk to find the beetle had escaped! Searched the trunk but couldn’t find him. Caught him clawing desperately at the back window in the car. Nearly was killed by it when I was getting it out.” (This was a very traumatic experience for me. The beetle was gargantuan! And after safely escorting him out of my car he flew away! I couldn’t believe it….Thing was like a B-52 bomber!)
“Drove east and listened to ‘Texarkana’ by R.E.M. as I drove through Texarkana. Now I’ve spent the worst 35 bucks ever. I am at the most divey motel in the world. The whole place feels as though it’s crawling. The toilet teeters dangerously. I refuse to use it for safety reasons. The shower rings don’t even match. I even found a heroin spoon under the mattress. I can’t wait to leave this place, so much for a hot shower.
p.s. I also broke the water fountain at the Texas Visitors Center - and the people at the Bureau were super nice.
p.p.s I just counted, there are 5 different style/color shower rings on the curtain.”
Day 4 - “I was very glad to see the morning light today. I didn’t sleep well. I washed up and gathered my things at around 7AM. To my assurance there were 2 squad cars parked outside solving some domestic dispute as I walked out. I grabbed my pliers and bent the heroin spoon all to hell and threw it back under the mattress - Take that! I was crabby and disgusted most of my drive through AR…Grew very tired of driving in the afternoon and was really on the verge of insanity. Then, I came to West Point, IA and used the library bathroom and asked the librarian about camping. Delightful place just outside of town. It’s very windy and cool. It’ll be 1000 times better than last night. Went for a little jog exploring around. Found the playground and for a short time I honestly felt like a little kid again. Must have been all the time in the car.”
Day 5 - “Very blustery night last night. I woke up very early due to the cold. Broke camp quickly and snuggled into my car. By way of the radio, I found out that it had dipped to 22 degrees - nearly 40 degrees difference from yesterday! Drove north towards Davenport, stopped in a small town to get some water for the car, then took a short nap in a church parking lot. Woke myself up with my own snoring several times,…I am very tired. Drove to the John Deere Pavilion in Moline, IL… Bought some napkins and popcorn for John in the gift shop…I got back on the interstate and made the arduous journey to Des Moines. It was obnoxiously windy I was so tired and felt dirty. My hair hurt, my hoodie was stained with peach juice, and my teeth felt like they were growing their own coral reef. Was relieved to get to Kate’s. Showered up and had fish sticks, potatoes, and corn. Sat and talked until bedtime, the place looks great! Mom and Kent are supposedly coming tomorrow with the piano!?”
Day 6 - “Woke up at about 9AM and putzed around until it was time to leave. Started Gretta only to discover that my water pump was frozen solid! I had refilled the coolant system exclusively with water and hadn’t anticipated the cold. Kate was away at work, so I pulled ‘er into the garage and warmed it up with…Viola! Charcoal. Stunk up the garage a bit, but finally got things unfrozen. Stole some of Mavis’ antifreeze and left a ten on the counter. Took off late for Decorah, drove like mad and was only 10 min later than I had hoped. LutherTour rocked! Nora showed me the whole place, even gave me a yogurt. I climbed the Martin Luther statue. What fun! Laughed and had a good time, but I stayed only a short while. Then drove like mad…Put on about 3000 miles. Gretta is in need of true TLC.”
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