I had plans. Not just regular plans but BIG Super Bowl plans. I had a menu planned and even decorations to be hung in honor of both teams, although I think Brad would have put the ixnay on the blue, green and orange Christmas lights that I wanted to adorn the outside of the house.
And then, all my plans were upended by the Weather Channel and Todd Youkobian who were both warning me of inclement weather beginning Sunday night. Dang it, sometime I hate going to Plan B.
My original plan was to leave Little Rock bright and early Monday morning to head towards the West Coast. We've traveled the route via I-40 so many times, that we can do it in our sleep. But lo and behold, Mother Nature was bringing large amounts of snow to our I-40 route and this Southern girl does not drive in snow. So, Plan B included leaving one day early AND taking a new route.
We left Little Rock around 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning in the rain and by the time we arrived in Benton (30 minutes), I was ready to scream. It wasn't just raining, it was pouring. By the time we hit Dallas, it was sleeting. I was headed to I-20 but Brad called the Highway Patrol and they warned him of ice and accidents on I-20 so we headed further south to I-10 towards Austin. At 5:45, I pulled into a Drury Inn in Austin and practically kissed the ground. I was done.
After a quick dinner, I fell asleep around 7:30 while Cole was watching the Super Bowl while on the phone with Spencer. So thankful those two love each other.
Cole and I didn't get on the road until 8:45 a.m. on Monday but I was fine with that; I was taking a route that I was completely unfamiliar with so a little extra time was just what I needed. Plus, I had a book on tape (that I rented from Cracker Barrel) so I was really looking forward to the drive.
Siri took us on a rural route from I-35 to I-10 and I LOVED it. One of these days, Brad and I are going to tour the US in an RV and when we do, we will definitely take this route. Such quaint towns and amazing looking vineyards!
We were rocking along in the middle of nowhere, Texas, when I came to a town and my inner voice said, "You better stop and go potty and fill up with gas." Do any of you have that annoying voice or is it just me? And, if you have that voice, do you give it credence or ignore it? Well, I ignored mine and kept on trucking. Big mistake.
About 15 minutes after I passed the last town, my bladder began reminding me that I had consumed a 40 oz. Sonic pineapple lime slush and 64 oz. of ice water. No problem, I thought. I will stop at the next town. Only problem, the next town did not have any facilities. Or the next town. Or the next. Oh boy.
Twenty-seven miles later, I am starting to panic. My bladder is threatening to burst and my GPS is telling me that the next facilities are still 30 minutes away. Cole is telling me to pull over and go on the side of the road but we're in Texas which means that those little scrub bushes are housing bugs that are bigger than my arm and deadlier than a Black Mamba. In other words, NO WAY am I pulling over! So I keep driving, and driving, and driving. Finally, I top the crest of a hill and there it is. TADAAAA! A REST STOP! Forget that I don't stop at Rest Stop's because of my knowledge of serial killers or perverts or people that have Hungarian Body Rot. I squealed to a stop and did the "duck walk" to the bathroom. I was prepared to pull someone out of the bathroom so that I could use it but thankfully, I was alone. Ahhhhhhhhh.
Back in the car, I made a promise to Cole and to myself. No more ignoring that little voice.
After driving through freezing fog (whoever heard of that?) and crazy traffic in El Paso, Texas and then having a Border Stop where they asked me if I was an illegal citizen (blondish red hair and freckles?), we finally stopped in Lordsburg, NM where they boast amazing hiking trails and a "Shakespeare Ghost Town". All I care about is a clean and comfortable bed and the fact that we are only eight or nine hours from the condo.
Brad sent me this beautiful picture from the mountain this morning.
Hope you all have a good night's sleep and have safe travels tomorrow, wherever you are.
"If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's."
~Romans 14:8
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