Finally and Thankfully on the Road

It is now 4ish AM Monday morning and I am in Joilet IL.

I am just getting settled for the morning to get some sleep after a long day and a long grueling week trying to get ready to leave.

Rather than list the things that didn’t go as planned or went wrong, I’d rather list the things I am thankful for.  I just spent the nearly two hours straight listing different things I am thankful for one right after another.  No way am I going to try to remember and record them now, but I will try to stay awake long enough to list a few.

I am thankful for/that:

• The help Rachel (my eldest daugter) gave in helping prepare the house for my departure.
• Rob stopped by Saturday and improved the security of the load on the truck’s ladder rack.
• My glasses didn’t get wet when I was so exhausted I forgot I was even wearing them when I started to shower Saturday night.
• I didn’t fall down any of the four times I slipped on wet pavement in my crocks on Saturday (geeze, you would think I would get smart and change into tennis shoes after the first or second time).
• The rain helped motivate me get stuff sitting out into the trailer when I was tired.
• My body recovered by Sunday morning so I could getup and work all day again, then drive three hours.
• Large mocha latte, soy, no whip double shot of expresso.
• It was my crocks I was wearing when I stepped in the paint I didn’t realize I spilled and not my tennis shoes.
• There was cat litter right next to the spilled paint I was able to easily toss on the spilled paint to help soak it up.
• I had put the cat litter on the spilled paint before Sasha decided to lay in that very spot.
• The paint coated pieces of cat litter are spread throughout sasha’s coat making it less obvious than if it were in all clumped in one spot.
• The house and garage is 98% clean – just some minor cleaning left to do in the kitchen and the clothes dryer.
• The turkeys found new homes Sunday.
• Kira and Maurey (our two outdoor cats) will find new homes today.
• Dad took the truck cap so I don’t need to worry about finding a home for it.
• Mom and Dad stopped by to say good bye.
• Mark and Rob stopped by and helped me hookup (dad helped too while he was there).
• Got the trailer’s fridge going on propane (forgot to check running it on propane prior to being ready to leave).
• Identified that I could not see the back of the trailer on the right side so I could modify my driving accordingly (minimal/no passing – just stay in the right lane).
• Hershey used the catbox to do his business while we were going down the road.
• Sasha did not do her business in the truck.
• Hershey’s claws did not reach my skin as I was pulling him from my shoulders while going down the road (condition of shirt TBD).
• I was able to keep Hershey in his place in the truck with the above exception.
• Sasha road very well.
• The hitch didn’t break lose on any of those massive Chicago highway bumps we hit (much less anything else such as an axle – those were huge bumps).
• Hershey stopped crying abound the MI/IN border and then only cried when we hit bumps.
• Leaving so late, traffic was very light through Indiana and Chicago – I don’t ever remember driving through there with it that light.
• I was able to milk enough battery juice out of my phone and mophee to get me to Joilet for the night.
• Nothing fell, toppled or otherwise relocated itself in the trailer.
• Although I noted evidence my concern about the possibility that the trailer’s siding might fly off driving down the road, it didn’t.
• Walmart is open 24 hours and let’s tired RV drivers park in their well lit parking lot.
• Walmart carries liquid nails, screws, and caulk.
• My screw drivers, utility blade, calk gun, gloves were all readily accessible.
• I care more about function than aesthetics (my caulk job looks like crap).
• I was not accosted while performing the repair.
• Sasha walked on a leash with no issue to do her business after the trailer repair was complete.
• The Walmart we are at seems to be at least a mile or two from the prison we drove by.
• Police cruiser that sped by and the police sirens all sound like that activity of concern was some distance away.
• It did not rain Sunday and this morning and the temperature was and is quite comfortable.
• I am tired enough Sasha’s snoring shouldn’t keep me awake.
• Hershey seems to have forgiven me for not letting him be on my lap while driving
• I was able to stay awake to do this blog.

I expect to do another entry tonight when I stop driving for the day and will upload some photos then.