My driving shift started at the Road Ranger rest stop where gas was 2.19 and the weather was dreary with drizzle. I hoped to top my last shift in 2004 where we headed back from a holiday drive to Florida via Hilton Head, South Carolina. Ohio State played in the Fiesta Bowl against Kansas State and we listened to it on the drive back home. Brad drove and I was supposed to sleep but did not due to the game. Once the game was over with Ohio State winning 35 to 28, it was my turn to drive. I lasted 15 minutes in the middle of the night. I was delirious and Brad had to drive again. Three o'clock in the morning, Brad pulled over and we slept in a hotel parking lot. That didn't last long as a fight broke out in the hotel parking lot after the bar closed. It is stressful to drive a long ways, especially during the holiday season. The hands, shoulders, back and hamstrings tighten up.
Ober started today's leg on two cups of bad coffee. After driving 192 miles for the first two and half hours, we switched. I make it a half hour and we cheered. He settled in for a nap and my eyes got heavy after another half hour. Traffic got busy as well and Ober stirred from his nervous slumber. We picnicked and I continued on to Miami, Oklahoma, yelling at truckers camping out in the left lane. I logged 150 miles, for 2 1/2 hours making it to a tourist rest stop in Miami, Oklahoma.
We passed the time driving by flipping through the Rand McNally road atlas guessing the state nicknames, populations, largest cities and state capitals with the states we have driven through so far. I worked on my basic math skills calculating the mileage with my pinky (2 joints equal 30+ miles). After picking up tourist guides in Miami, we talked about Oklahoma City and driving further as we are making good time. Today's dilemma is most restaurants are closed on Sundays. We reconsidered eating in OKC and then drive further. Still, many restaurants are closed on Sunday in OK , too, but We settled on Iron Star Urban Barbecue. Going old school helped us save on our data usage and kept Brad entertained.
Whoa. We drove 741 miles. Iron Star Urban Barbecue here we come.
