Like a Bat Out of Hell

I could add 2,400 more driving miles to the Road Trip, but they aren't the kind of miles worthy of the now defunct adventure. The trip was more expedition than adventure.

At 6:50 PM Friday night, Mr.T and I left Haddonfield, NJ and made a beeline for Phoenix. Exactly, and I mean exactly, 36 hours later, at 3:50 AM PST on Sunday morning, we arrived. We travelled the whole way on just four highways (76 W to 70 W to 44 SW to 40 W), rarely exceeded the speed of traffic, and rarely stopped. Our longest break was 30 minutes for breakfast at Bob Evans on Saturday morning. Otherwise, we only stopped to get gas and relieve our highly caffeinated bladders.

Mr.T and I were driving machines. After the first 6 hours through Pennsylvania, we got into a routine of driving and napping; the twin bed we were transporting became an oasis so comfortable that we decided to motor straight through. First, Mr.T would drive 200 miles. Then I would drive 200 miles, fill up the tank and repeat the process. After each driving stint we'd climb into the back, nap for as long as possible and then slap ourselves awake to prepare

for the next stint.

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Conversation, as is the Tao of Mr.T, was kept to a minimum, primarily focused on speed, mileage, the status of LWV, and our repeated desire to just be "home". A normal exchange would go something like this:

ME: Wow, I can't believe what great time we're making. We're getting 17.8 MPG, averaging 71 MPH and Sake says we should arrive around 5AM if we drive straight through. It'll be great to be back and have all of Sunday to rest up.

Mr.T: Right on.

We had each brought bags of snacks and sweets to accompany the Red Bulls, Monsters, Dr. Peppers and water. We noshed on Doritos, bananas, Cheeze Its, melting chocolate snaps and a whole tray of mom's Rice Krispie Treats. Just the kind of fuel needed to push on and on as well as to cause sugar high headaches and wreak havoc with our digestive tracks.

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Because of the lack of air conditioning, we had been concerned about the blistering that daylight would bring. But on Saturday, the sun never rose. At dawn, and through most of the day, the skies were overcast with intermittent drizzles. The weather couldn't have been more accommodating. Just another in a long list of things that have worked out perfectly during my travels.

The LWV was also a driving machine. We bought it for $6,300 and hope to sell it here for as much as possible. If we lose less than $1,500 on the deal, it will have been more cost effective than either renting a U-Haul or paying for shipping. Perhaps we'll even make money on the deal. If the future buyer of LWV understood just how efficient and dependable it is, they'd know they were getting a great deal.

And then we were home. A real bed and a real sleep awaited us. TreasonPal did not await us. She had assumed we would be getting back during the day on Sunday and had skipped out to Scottsdale with the pups for an overnight with TreasonBikerBro. Thanks for the homecoming TP!

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After the respite, I straggled over to my apartment complex and found out I could move in a day early...but that's a story for another post.

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It's great to be home.