Thursday June 9, 2005 7:18 AM CDT - AmeriSuites, Okla. City, OK

Howard is still sleeping, but I'll get him up in a few minutes to go down for breakfast ... we left Mac's at noon on yesterday, and arrived in Okla. City about 02:30 last night ... we did it in four legs, so each of us drove two two-hour shifts, or about 120 miles on each leg ... the weather was perfect, and the truck has a very good A/C ... the only thing missing would be cruise control, and my right knee is really tired from being pressed against the dashboard for so long ... had a good soak in the tub before retiring.

Sorry I haven't been as regular about this journal the past few days, but there's just been Too Much to do ... we're going to try for 3 days and 2 nights, instead of the original 4 days and three knights ... the next overnight will skip Memphis for Nashville, and then skip Knoxville to go straight to DC ... doing 11-12 hours of driving each day instead of 7-8 should do it.

12:06 PM CDT - 40 miles east of Okla. City, OK

We went back to the room after breakfast and slept for another hour ... we just made the 11:00 checkout, and got caught in a cloudburst while trying to load the truck ... the skies are clearing up, but there's bad weather all over the central plains according to The Weather Channel.

double trailers ... it takes a Very Long Time to pass or be passed by one of them. :-)

6:44 PM - Exit 20 in Arkansas

Well, quite the adventure ... we stopped at the Welcome Center just across the state line from Oklahoma ... it was raining, and Howard left the headlights on ... wouldn't have been a problem, except that I spent over an hour trying to get money to Kirsten via Western Union on-line using Orion and the cell phone ... by the time we got back, the battery was dead.

Called AAA, they said, "We don't do trucks" ... called the 800 number for U-Haul, and they said, "It'll cost you extra, but anyone can jump you." Called AAA again, they said they'd be there in 45 minutes, but I showed a stranger who'd missed hs turn in Little Rock how to get back on the road to Tucson via Oklahoma City to Dallas, which was the way he was headed.

So ... now we're at the truck stop for supper, and 5 hours still to drive to Memphis ... already made reservations for $58.00 at AAA discount ... they have high-speed internet, but need a Ethernet card (they supply the cable), so I'll just use the cell phone again.

Bought a pair of sunglasses 'cause the ones I brought keep falling off my face ... broke my silvered Ray-Bans a few months ago, and didn't have $85 for a new pair (besides, the don't make the half­ silvered lenses any more), so got some for $6 that *look* like Ray-Bans ... gold frames, but they're just to get me back to DC.

Ordered a turkey on whole wheat and onion rings ... haven't been able to get a ginger ale since we left New Mexico, and they were hard to find there.