Road trip diary - Part 2.

Figuring out this lap top. Gotta get me one of these things, but I miss the mouse. Got to the Holiday Inn in Harriman yesterday, and then to Mushy's place, and sat in front of his computer, but just couldn't function. Too worn out after that drive. I'll post something from there next week when I'm visiting again, between hiking and shooting and booze-ups.

I left Killeen at 1:30 Wednesday morning, and the drive during the night was great. Stopped just north of Waco and gassed up at a Wal Mart that always has the cheapest gas around ($2.70 for regular this time). By the time the sun came up, just after about 6:15 AM, was rolling past Texarkana on I-30.

Shit! I just realized all the pictures I saved to this friggin' things desktop have vanished. Probably lost in the void. Well, I had a nice set of shots of the sun coming up over I-30 near Texarkana, and shots of the scenery along the highway as I went along, but now they are probably lost for good. Not in the recycle bin ether. Feel clueless. Shit! I guess I don't really want one of these friggin' things anyway. I'll see what I can do to recover the pictures tomorrow.

Anyway, the trip was long and exhausting, but the excitement of getting to Harriman and seeing my buddy Mushy and his beautiful wife Judy kept me alert and awake. The road all the way to Little Rock was familiar to me, from many a canoe trip to the Ozarks, but the stretch from little Rock on through Memphis and Nashville was new. It was also about the most boring stretch of road (LR to Memphis particularly). Once I got into eastern Tennessee, the scenery started getting much nicer and there were state park signs everywhere. Andy Jackson this-n-that, or Davy Crockett took a dump here, State Historic Park. etc. I was in love!

The history teacher in me always loves these trips back east. Hell, almost everything I talk about in class flashes by me on the highway, but I never have the time to stop and check any of it out. This was even more true today, as I headed north up through Virginia. This time it was Antietam Battlefield, or crossing the James River, or the Potomac, or Stonewall Jackson shatt here, State Park. One of these days...

Anyway, I got myself situated in the hotel and called Mushy, and he came and got me. It was a huge blast to finally meet this guy. He drove up to the front of the hotel in his pickup and jumped out and shook my hand. I told him that I had a little something in the car that I needed to transfer to his vehicle. Didn't want to drive up to my cousin's place with the AK in the trunk. Figured he could play with it while I was in PA fishing with my cousin.

It was bizarre at first to actually be talking in the flesh to this dude that I've grown to love from reading his blog, and from the emails we have shared , particularly in the last few months. There was a little awkwardness at first, but that was soon washed a way as we sat in Ruby Tuesday's, eating dinner, laughing and joking. And you know, of course, we both took pictures. It was wild to have these people that I've been seeing in pictures on my computer for almost a year come alive in front of me.

I'd brought a few gifts from Texas (a few things my squeeze picked up at the Alamo last week, and a few things that I made specially for the two of them), and they were very appreciative. It's always fun to do that, and see the look on peoples faces. It was fun to see the look on his face when I pulled the AKM out of its bag and showed it to him. He'd already taken me down to the basement and showed me his collection. He's got a very nice M-1 Garand, and some cool old western stuff.

Can't wait to get him out and let him shoot that AKM. For about two weeks there, I was thinking seriously about giving it to him. He's been a wonderful and close friend of mine, especially in the last few months, and there's a feeling deep inside me that I'll never really be able to fully repay him. But he's too easy going to acknowledge it, and wouldn't have accepted such a gift. Anyway, after a few weeks I thought to myself "Are you fuckin" crazy?", and I came up with something else. Gave him something more personal that I'd made myself. Figured that would mean more to him anyway.

Well, all that stuff is finished with, and now it's down to having fun and growing closer to this guy for whom I've developed a huge amount of respect, who seems to share at least some of these feelings, and who has become something very much like my big brother. I always wanted one of those as a kid growing up, and now I have two! Bob, my cousin here in Williamsport (my other big brother), is a lot like Mushy, only the Yankee version. Similar age and experience. I'd bet they'd get along fine, and the three of us together would be a tough team to beat.

The plan is for me to sleep in tomorrow, try to ketch up on some blog reading, and then in the afternoon, weather permitting, Bob and I will take his boat out on the Susquehanna and do some fishing. We're supposed to go out Saturday with a friend of ours from our trips to Canada and fish a local lake on that guys boat. Bob's lovely wife Linda is cooking lasagna for us tomorrow, so I should be able to keep this full feeling going throughout the trip. Sunday will be spent looking at the new grand baby

Early Monday morning, I'll make that drive back down to Mushy and Judy's place, and the fun will commence. We'll have three or four days to tire of each other, and then I'll drive home. Man, this trip is gonna beat my ass, bit I'm lovin' every minute of it. Goin' to bed now. We'lll talk later. Cheers.