The humidity in Vegas was about the only problem with the last few days of last minute chores, packing and list checking. The norm is that one never appears to perspire in the desert – it evaporates/dries instantly. The last few weeks of off and on rain and cloud cover have created a steam room effect. Last minute yard work, drip water system check, and loading the truck were a bitch for this kid. First – I don’t do sunshine, second – heat makes me physically ill if I can’t get out of it, third – mix the two together and it’s ‘ughsville’ to the max. But I managed to get it done.
On the subject of perspiration and dry air, when I was in Aruba last year, one of my co-workers exclaimed that they couldn’t stop perspiring there and they didn’t perspire in Vegas. We had a small tete te tete when I said, “Of course you do.”
“No I don’t. I never sweat in Vegas.”
When I followed up with the fact that a person’s body perspires all the time, to some degree, and in the desert the perspiration dries immediately off the flesh and that’s why it goes unnoticed, I got an emphatic. “No! I do not sweat in the desert.”
I sarcastically retorted, “Ok. You don’t. But the rest of the world does.”
Well enough of sweat. Kayanna arrived on Saturday as scheduled. I got little girl hugs and kisses and we headed for home. We finished the last of truck loading and called for pizza delivery from Red Rock Pizza. Yummy ‘chicken pesto’ for Kayanna and me…scary pepperoni for Ryan (ugh on pepperoni and sausage). I even got a two hour nap while they played computer games. The last minute this and last minute that turned into longer than a few minutes and we finally got on the road around 9 p.m.
I prefer driving at night, goes with the draculaette lifestyle I guess. So Saturday night slipped away with me wishing I could just hyperspace us through the Salt Lake City Slow Down. I hate that part of the trip. The speed limit is 65 MPH and the city seems to go on forever. Plus Salt Lake is close to the halfway mark of my trip. Once I’m past it – either way – it feels like I crossed a monumental milestone.
I was still in Utah when light started creeping over the horizon. Hello dark glasses! I was tired but by now the ‘demon from hell’ had surfaced and I was never going to stop. It always happens this way. I do pull over, take breaks, even try to close my eyes and see if I can sleep but it never works. So I just settle in, crank up the music, suck down the coffee, and keep on wheeling. And man do I love that truck. It handles like a caddy when it’s fully loaded with camping gear and eating up the highway at 85 and 90.
My traveling buddies watched a dvd on the laptop for the first few hours of the trip and slept after that. Ryan woke up at almost every gas stop but Kayanna was in Sandwoman Land until I finally called her out of it when we hit Dillon MT. We were about three hours out of Missoula then and we stopped for food and gas.
Fourteen hours after we left Vegas – almost 1,000 miles later – I was checking into a hotel, calling my sis, Vickie, and preparing to crash – stick a fork in me. I drifted off to sleep and when I woke up a few hours later, the road noise had left my brain and I felt almost normal for a slightly ragged drac-ette. My little entourage and me headed for Vickie’s place and steak dinner. A few hours of relaxation, great food, a Michelob Ultra, and the last few days caught up with me. I was too pooped to pop. Back to the hotel, more sleep, and it’s a new day. Campsite day. Somewhere close to 200 miles more to go, road hopping with Vickie as she’s taking her own rig, and we’ll be setting up tents, kicking back, and languishing in the great american get-a-way. Fresh air, no electricity – other than the bathhouse – campfires, pine trees sighing in the breeze, swimming and fishing, and best of all…family to share it with.