I didn’t get all of my packing done last night. I worked until I was so punch drunk I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be doing. I finally decided — with some prompting from OC (on the phone) – to get some sleep and hit it fresh in the morning. I slept. No, I over slept . So I came charging from my room ready to do battle … and for some reason I had left the vacuum cleaner right at the end of the hallway. I whacked it with my little toe and neatly — okay, bloodily — removed the toenail. Not a good start.
I finished packing in very good time. Then I went to the post office to mail several of the boxes to my sister – and the line stretched from breakfast to lunch. Finally, packages mailed, I charged home to pack the car. I figured that would take a lifetime, but the neighbor guy came over and did it in minutes.  After the car was packed I showered, put on clean clothes, turned in my keys, and hit the open road. It was 1 p.m. — much later then I had planned to leave.
I made up a bit of time in the vast flatness that is Arizona. The road is straight from horizon the horizon, so I just stepped down on the gas pedal. There was another fellow in an even bigger hurry than I. I was going 90 m.p.h. and he shot past me like I was standing still. His haste made me rethink mine and I slowed down. Even so, I passed him a couple of miles later and he was standing still — he’d stopped to look at some pretty blue flashing lights.Â
 Right now I am in a motel just outside Salt Lake City, Utah — halfway to Spokane. It was a long drive — 7.5 hours — and much of the route was being repaved, so we were routed to single file lines rolling too slow. For a goodly portion of the drive into Salt Lake we actually traveled on the shoulder of the road. Mile after mile — over an hour — of driving on the “wake up” strip. My hands tingled from all the vibration in the steering wheel — and we won’t even talk about the noise …..  Driving in Salt Lake itself is actually a joy. Even during rush hour the 10 lane freeway doesn’t get crowded. The drivers were very courteous, too. It was almost surreal.
After I checked into the motel — even before I unpacked the car –I went down the block to Applebee’s and had my only bite of food in almost 9 hours. I ordered a steak, and ate like a vacuum cleaner. I am not certain I didn’t munch the napkin.
Now I’m going to bed.
Good-nighzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…………