Saturday, September 18, 2021

Dear Diary...

 

We drove for 12,000 miles on Interstate 80 across Nebraska today.  We were going east, the wind was out of the south at about 90 miles per hour, with higher gusts.  It kinda sucked.  But, to make up for that, the road surface for much of those 12,000 went: thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump... I could go on, but you get the idea.  It was a bit like driving over an endless ribbon of speed bumps.  The approximately 8 1/2 miles of decent road had loads of truck traffic - it is a major E/W thoroughfare for big trucks.

The gas prices along this route are between 40 and 50¢ cheaper than in the Black Hills.  That is because... well, I can't think of any good reason why the gas prices are always so much higher in the Black Hills.  After just over 12,000 miles, we turned south... into a direct head wind.  I slowed down a few miles per hour, hoping everything on the roof would hold together.  So far, so good.  I am amazed and a bit impressed with the holding power of Gorilla Tape and FlexTape.

We did stop for fuel at a Flying J in North Platte, Nebraska.  I intentionally pick this as a gas stop because they have RV lanes.  There was an RV in one lane with no one around it (probably inside shopping), and a car in the other lane with a woman wanting to put air in her tires.  Yes, you can get that same air on the other side so you wouldn't be parked in an RV lane.  It is not Flying J's fault that they are frequented with stupid people.  There are just so many stupid people.  I pulled to the car lanes at a slight diagonal so I'd be able to get our circus train out... it was the only pump at the car lanes that could accommodate our length (at a diagonal).  It was also the slowest fuel pump I've ever seen: it took 22 minutes to put 25 gallons in the motorhome.  And, we were on a bit of a time crunch, since I had made reservations for an RV site at a place in Kansas.  This will be our longest travel day on the trip home, so it was fun to waste some of that time in a Flying J.  With stupid people.

Joan tells me I have to look on the bright side.  And, to not exaggerate.  Today, she told me a million times.  Easy for her, since she is not piloting this circus train down 12,000 miles of crap road.  She handles navigation duties, telling me where I might find fuel and how far it is to the next rest area.  Even though we are in our motorhome, I still need a rest area for a parking place big enough so I can stop and walk back to our bathroom to pee.  And there's a bright side: I didn't have to come face-to-face with anyone except Joan and Rufus.

Rufus is a great comfort and a stress reliever.  While he spends more time on Joan's lap than mine, I did get a turn today...


I used to put a foam cushion on my lap where he could sit, but he is too big for that these days.  Laying down, he just clears under the steering wheel.  Plus, he's a good boy.

Ruf really enjoyed last night's RV park - he sniffed the grass and walked all around.  Not sure how he'll feel about this one tonight, where it is large, loose gravel.  We put our jacks down, and by the time I had done water and electric, the passenger side had settled.  We have stayed in this one before, so we had some idea what to expect, but the pickin's are a bit thin in this part of Kansas.  It is hot and windy here (pulled in around 5:00), so I'll wait until dusk to see if Rufus wants to go for a walk.  I wouldn't blame him if he looks out and says, "I don't think so, Pops."  Even so, he is a good boy.

The a/c is on, there are some TV channels to be had over the air, and my back gets to rest for a bit.  We'll get up tomorrow and do more of the same... but hopefully stop for two nights.


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