11 PM Central time Tuesday evening and I’ve just parked and gotten settled for the evening. I’ve stopped at a parking area off I-40 in Texas just West of Amarillo. Made good progress today. Looking at the map, it looks like I will be able to make it to the RV Park tomorrow barring any unforseen circumstances.
Sasha decided she wanted to sleep outside the trailer. Hoping scorpions don’t bug her. This close the the freeway I am guessing that we wouldn’t see any rattlers, but my confidence was low enough in that guess that I lit my way with a flashlight looking for snakes and I wasn’t willing to take her into the 6-10″ grass/weeds for her to do her business, especially in the dark. Maybe tomorrow I will don my snake boots and walk her a few feet in to see if she will go otherwise we will drive down the road a bit to find a place to top off the fuel tank and let her walk for a bit before we hit the road in earnest.
It is breezy here tonight and looking at radar it looks like there are storms to the west just south of the free way. Can’t tell from the radar what direction they are traveling. That in addition to being so close to the freeway it could be a very “interesting” evening trying to sleep.
Will close with a few I am thankful for’s from today.
I am thankful that/for:
- A good night’s sleep last night enabling me to drive a number of hours today.
- Gimley (name given to my truck) didn’t give up today even when I pushed him too hard and he nearly overheated.
- Sage advice from Rob: Don’t drive so damn fast while hauling a fully loaded 30′ trailer through the mountains (or at all for that matter) and Gimley won’t overheat (and you’ll be safer).
- The driver that was kind enough (out of self preservation most likely) to hit his/her breaks when I realized the Service station was a left exit and not a right exit so I did a quick signal, check, and go (I really needed fuel at that point).
- Hershey and Sasha rode well again today.
- Love and well wishes from friends and family.
- Just enough laptop battery juice to post this.
Seeking Simplicity 
Hi Cary,
I appreciate your concern about rattle snakes. There is some good news: most dogs and some cats survive their rattlesnake bites.
Some more good news: rattlesnakes will avoid humans if given a choice.
I lived and extensively hiked in the “rattlesnake-ville” mountains and desert behind Los Angeles, California.
My neighbors for over 15 years included the Western, Diamondback, Panamint , Southwestern Speckled, Mohave Desert Sidewinder, the Colorado Desert Sidewinder, Mojave and Red Diamond varieties. My deal with my neighbors was that I did not mess with them and they did not mess with me. Neither violated this agreement, and neither side came to any harm.
Wearing your snake boots – or any heavy boot – is a great 1st step. The vibration of you walking is transmitted along the ground to the snakes, and they will do everything that they can to get out of your way. Most often, you won’t even know that they are there.
You will want to learn how to visually identify the specific rattle snake varieties in your area. Each variety has its own version of venom.
Safe travels guy! Pete DeWitt
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