My son decided he needed a different place to call home. He was born here so he is the rare "Native." Left Florida noon Thursday. Blew through Atlanta a little after 8, man you guys drive crazy across 8 lanes after dark. Not a blinker in sight. Push on into the night. About Nashville we were both done so even though I am not very bright, we did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, very nice but $125/ night is a little much for about 7 hours in a box. Got out on the interstate at O'dark thirty and slap into BTB traffic for an hour, good thing I had the 3 "S's" out of the way. Roll on all kinds of crazy on the road and then the rain came from Nashville to St. Louis. I could write a book why I hate St. Louis and this trip was no different. The "Google directions" had absolutely no errors except the exit for Kansas City is to the right, not left. U-turn in the rain and run into BTB traffic for an hour until an illegal exit into the hood and back in the right direction heading west. I had told my son how much I hate St. Louis and now he hates it too. On west to Kansas City rolling miles, I like KC. Oops, apparently nobody wants to pay a $3 toll so close down most of the highway to get off. Not enough to turn me against KC. Rolling west toward Denver, I like Denver (even though last time my sneakers filled with 6 inches of slush in June). My son asked "Why do you keep calling it 'The Great Wide Open?' " After the first 300 miles he knew. Almost made it to Denver, but at Colby, staying at another Holiday Inn Express seemed like a good idea at the time. I thought I had a case of road crazy when I saw about a thousand red lights flashing in unison way out in the distance. Giant wind farm like something out of a science fiction movie. Record for shortest stay, about 5 hours but another 3 S's and on west. Old boy in a dually Ford diesel P/U blew by at about 85 and I noticed his front bumper flairing was flapping wildly. "Not good, I thought," musta not stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night. About 2 seconds later the flairing wedged ibetween the tire and fender, cut into his tire and shredded it, sending him into the concrete wall first and then bank shot him over into the semi I had been pacing myself behind for a couple hundred miles, causing the driver to light up the tires on his rig and smoking up about a square block. At 75 mph (the speed limit) this was "exciting." After rolling my sphincter down from my throat to where it belongs, westward. I had a return plane ticket for 5:20 pm so I wasn't going to make the last 70 miles to Colorado Springs where my son has family (one of my ex-wives). We parted ways at the airport and "just like that, we was gone." So I missed the September Lakeland show (Sal gave an excellent report and I couldn't have saved them from themselves) for the first time in 20 years, traveled almost 4,000 miles in 56 hours and am home where I'd rather be than any place on the planet. Slept 9 ½ hours, got the 4 S's out of the way (thanks honey) and will be on the couch for the rest of the day. That's the last road trip for this lifetime, I hope. At 60 "A man's got to know his limitations" and I have lived to tell a little about it. Joe
Glad you're back!
