Miles driven- 688
Miles to go- 1598
McDonald’s visited- too many to count
Lesson of the day- Be thankful for McDonald's because it's always busy keeping the US employed and it's a great haven from thunder storms.
Monday morning, we started at around 10:30 AM and left Johnson City, TN where we stayed our first night in the camper. The drive was rather calm and there wasn’t much to see. Most of our time was spent singing and sleeping and as Josh pointed out, road trips are where one can truly develop their singing voice. Thank goodness no one heard us because we have a long way to go before we start sounding like vocal virtuosos. One interesting thing that I did see on the drive is that the interstate I-40 passing through Tennessee has just as many advertisements for “Adult Superstores” as it does for gas stations. What else can you do when you’re bored with hunting and eating at Mickey Dee’s?
We didn’t get to see anything in Nashville or Memphis as we’d planned because the rain outside was making it rather difficult to navigate on the freeway and the few times we did stop we were met by some shady characters so we thought it best to pass on through. Our last stop before leaving Tennessee was at a McDonald’s where we had the pleasure of meeting General Wayne Wright and Phillip and Eva Stiles.
They visit the local McDonald's about once a day to grab a bite to eat and just relax and they quickly struck up a conversation with Josh while I frantically tried to send off a homework assignment (I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about any projects but the on road but the one project I did drop off is now lost and technology has managed to find every which way to delay me sending an electronic copy….). Wayne and Phillip were chatting away telling us about their lives and sharing some of their own traveling experiences. It was great to meet such nice locals and that brief break from driving was a welcome relief.
After that great experience came the drive from hell… well at least in my opinion. Our goal for the day was to make it to Oklahoma City but that plan was quickly put to bed when Mother Nature decided to thrust us into the middle of a storm. Passing through Arkansas, the rain really picked up and that’s when shit got real. What had once been manageable rain turned into pouring rain coming straight at our car. Dante’s poor wipers could barely clear the windshield and the Big Rig Truckers flying past us at 70-80 mph made it impossible to navigate the road. The car’s light did nothing to light up the road ahead, the only time we got a good view of the highway was when a huge lightning bolt brightened the sky.
The last two miles until Atkins, AR were some of the scariest I’ve experienced while driving. I don’t think I’ve ever been more thankful to see the golden arches of McDonald’s than I was that night. Josh has driven like a champ and we felt relived to be off the road. We pulled into the parking lot and got settled for bed; the rain outside was pouring pretty hard but I managed to fall asleep. It was only 45 minutes or so later that I awoke to our RV rocking from side to side and hearing lightning crashing outside. I thought Josh was the one making the car shake but I realized it was the gusts of wind that were hitting the car. I was too scared to sleep in the bed above the driver cockpit because I had these images of a huge tornado coming through and flipping the RV. I called Josh’s parents and they checked the weather forecast for us and thankfully, they told us we were at the tail end of some “severe weather” that was passing through Oklahoma and Arkansas. The rain eventually died down and I felt safer but I hope I never have to deal with a storm like that ever again.
Just a few days away from being back in California and I cannot wait to be back home, away from Big Rigs and thunder storms!
Miles to go- 1598
McDonald’s visited- too many to count
Lesson of the day- Be thankful for McDonald's because it's always busy keeping the US employed and it's a great haven from thunder storms.
Monday morning, we started at around 10:30 AM and left Johnson City, TN where we stayed our first night in the camper. The drive was rather calm and there wasn’t much to see. Most of our time was spent singing and sleeping and as Josh pointed out, road trips are where one can truly develop their singing voice. Thank goodness no one heard us because we have a long way to go before we start sounding like vocal virtuosos. One interesting thing that I did see on the drive is that the interstate I-40 passing through Tennessee has just as many advertisements for “Adult Superstores” as it does for gas stations. What else can you do when you’re bored with hunting and eating at Mickey Dee’s?
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| Gen. Wayne Wright (right) |
We didn’t get to see anything in Nashville or Memphis as we’d planned because the rain outside was making it rather difficult to navigate on the freeway and the few times we did stop we were met by some shady characters so we thought it best to pass on through. Our last stop before leaving Tennessee was at a McDonald’s where we had the pleasure of meeting General Wayne Wright and Phillip and Eva Stiles.
 | |
| Phillip and Eva Stiles |
After that great experience came the drive from hell… well at least in my opinion. Our goal for the day was to make it to Oklahoma City but that plan was quickly put to bed when Mother Nature decided to thrust us into the middle of a storm. Passing through Arkansas, the rain really picked up and that’s when shit got real. What had once been manageable rain turned into pouring rain coming straight at our car. Dante’s poor wipers could barely clear the windshield and the Big Rig Truckers flying past us at 70-80 mph made it impossible to navigate the road. The car’s light did nothing to light up the road ahead, the only time we got a good view of the highway was when a huge lightning bolt brightened the sky.
The last two miles until Atkins, AR were some of the scariest I’ve experienced while driving. I don’t think I’ve ever been more thankful to see the golden arches of McDonald’s than I was that night. Josh has driven like a champ and we felt relived to be off the road. We pulled into the parking lot and got settled for bed; the rain outside was pouring pretty hard but I managed to fall asleep. It was only 45 minutes or so later that I awoke to our RV rocking from side to side and hearing lightning crashing outside. I thought Josh was the one making the car shake but I realized it was the gusts of wind that were hitting the car. I was too scared to sleep in the bed above the driver cockpit because I had these images of a huge tornado coming through and flipping the RV. I called Josh’s parents and they checked the weather forecast for us and thankfully, they told us we were at the tail end of some “severe weather” that was passing through Oklahoma and Arkansas. The rain eventually died down and I felt safer but I hope I never have to deal with a storm like that ever again.
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| Thanks McDonald's for saving us! |
Just a few days away from being back in California and I cannot wait to be back home, away from Big Rigs and thunder storms!
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| One of the many seen driving through Tennessee |
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| This was the chaos we saw while driving in the storm. It was AWFUL! |
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