Neko
Dear Diary . . .
So...a bit more about the trip home, and then it will be back to business as usual around here...in other words, entries every week or so!
Do you have any idea of how hard it is to drive away from your fiance knowing that it will be another 5 months before you might see him again? Yeah, it was tough, but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
So I got on the road, and because I was able to send text messages to Josh's e-mail, and he could reply to them, we were able to stay in contact until he got on his plane. Obviously, we were both quite worried for the other person, me because he was flying, and Josh, because I was driving in crappy weather and I had 1800 miles to go.
Crappy weather doesn't even begin to cover it, it was pissing down rain from the Vancouver until shortly before the border with Oregon. I could only go about 50 miles before taking a break...that's how intense the driving was.
The roads are poor to begin with, it was getting to be time for rush hour through Seattle, and there were a plethora (neener) of large trucks on the road, which makes things rather dicey because they throw up huge amounts of spray as you follow or go past.
So driving about 300 miles at 50 miles per spurt put me WAY behind my timetable, and by the time I SHOULD have been approaching the California border, I was only just getting into Portland.
At least the weather had cleared for a bit in Southern Washington, and I found a great pack of cars to run with. Those who drive frequently know what I'm talking about; you often find a bunch of trustworthy drivers who are going the same speed you are, and who are vigilant and aware drivers. It makes things much easier and you can relax a little.
So having found a great pack, I was a bit aggravated that my chipmunk-sized bladder forced me to pull over into a rest area shortly before the border, but I knew that it would be a distance before the next rest area, so I stopped and did what I needed to do, then got back on the road.
I decided to take the 205 which loops around Portland...even though it is a longer distance, it is a safer bit of road than the I-5 in that area. The only part I don't like is right as you go past the downtown area, there's a dicey area where the road goes around a mountain, and the lanes get narrower and in traffic, it can be a problem.
But I figured that at midnight, with the low levels of traffic, it would be fine, so off I went. Well, wouldn't you know it, the rain had started back up, and through my slapping wipers, I could see as I came around that mountain bend that there were cop lights ahead of me. So I slowed down, and folks, this is just one more instance of my angels flying with me...remember that pack of cars I was traveling with? Well, three of them were involved in an accident with a 4th car that hadn't been with us, and one of the other cars was parked at the fast lane side of the freeway.
Yep. If my bladder hadn't cried out for relief, I might have been involved in that accident.
The same thing happened again in Northern California involving a truck. As you drive a long distance, you pass trucks and then you pull over to pee or eat, and when you get going again, there they are, doing a Tortoise to your Hare.
I had just passed a bright yellow truck right before I stopped for some gas, and after I had gotten back on the road, just about 10 miles down the road was a accident involving a jacknifed truck. Guess which truck? Yep. The yellow one. Since traffic was heavy and the rain was hard, everyone had been going 55, and staying pretty set because there was no where to go. Had I stayed on the road, I might have been involved too.
Believe me, until I got out of the rain sometime around Sacramento, I was one careful Rosie! I wouldn't do to go get engaged, and then have something tragic happen, now would it?
In fact, I didn't truly speed up until the next morning, when I was on the I-10 outside of Indio. I found a rabbit to follow, and we were doing something like 87 in a 70 zone. I was staying well back from him, and around 15 miles outside of Blythe, the rabbit in the landcruiser decided to speed up a bit to over 90.
Now, knowing that the CHP often stakes out places about 10-20 miles outside of a town, I thought he was being silly to speed up, so I figured that I would back off a bit to about 82 just in case. As I was doing that, and moving to the slow lane, *FLASH!* there was a CHP in the middle of the median.
By the time I went past, he was already moving to go after the rabbit! So I backed it down a wee bit more, and just puttered along with the other cars in that area until I got over the border to Arizona.
Once on home turf, I went as fast as I could, though stopping for a stretch and a rest put me right in the heart of Phoenix rush hour traffic. But I just went with the flow; there had already been too many instances of annoyances which had turned out to be blessing in disguise for me to question being stuck for an hour!
Josh had already reached his home and we were able to text regularly after that, so he felt better with those assurances of my continued safety, and it was with great relief that I pulled into my place later that evening...safe and somewhat sound.
Y'all, I am STILL knackered from that trip! Knackered in the proper meaning, in that they should send for the glue makers and put me outta my misery. I swear, from here on in, I will never do such a trip again. I will go 600 miles maximum a day, and stop for a proper rest in between.
Oh, and here's the other sad truth of this trip...I gained 10 pounds! ARRRGGGHHH! So if the truth is told, my weight is back up to over 170, and I am wailing and gnashing my teeth in agony. My size 12's are tight, and I can't even THINK about wearing my 10's! So drastic measures are being called for, and I will be resuming my raw diet soon...I just have to get my mind set for it, and I will be fine.
With only about three weeks before my 50th, I want to be under 160 again, and that's going to take some doing...it's not impossible, but it will be a challenge. I suppose I should announce it publicly, and therefore make myself accountable...so here it is. I am hereby telling everyone that my fat ass needs to drop about 12 pounds before the 13th of December, and I WILL do it.
There, I feel better, don't you?
Next entry will be about my new love, Jason Mraz.
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Engagement Picture - 2009-11-21
Kamloops - 2009-11-20
What I Did on my November Vacation - 2009-11-19
So Happy Together - 2009-11-13
