Day 14 - Feb 28 - The beginning of the end

While we were grateful to have a place to stay last night, it was a little creepy sleeping in the garage of the Mamou Police Department. I awoke several times during the night and found myself staring at the bumper of the police car that was up on jacks. It took me a moment to realize where I was.

We took off fairly early and stopped at a convenience store that served breakfast. The only thing on the menu was biscuits. I ordered a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. There was a round disc of something that resembled eggs, but if I didn't know what it was to begin with, I might not have been able to figure it out. The bacon was fried in french fry oil. My arteries hardened exponentially as I ate it. About half way through I couldn't take it anymore and gave it to Bryan. He'll eat anything. Won't you, Bryan?

It was a lovely day's ride. For most of the day, we rode a lonely country road. Since it was Sunday, there wasn't much traffic, and the road itself was decent, though there was no shoulder. We passed dozens and dozens of crawfish farms. They harvest the mudbugs with the most interesting contraption that looks sort of like a boat, but has four small wheels on it. It's hard to explain and, unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of one.

                                                                 (A crawfish farm)

Speaking of photos, I've tried to post photos for several days now, without success. A post is normally about 7 kilobytes of information. Photos increase it to 5 megabytes. When I have virtually no cell signal, I can't post to the blog with all of the photos attached. So I've been having to remove the photos in order to post with weak signals. Sorry.

There weren't many places to stop today to rest. We rode 25 miles in the morning without a break. It was too far for me, so my knees were hurting before noon, and we had 37 more miles to ride. We finally stopped for lunch at a diner attached to a convenience store. We got there during the after-church crush, so when we told the waitress (a young girl) that we were starving and were ready to order, she said, "Good luck, there's quite a few tickets ahead of you." It wasn't very encouraging, and we did wait quite awhile for the food to arrive.

After lunch, we had another 20 miles left to ride to make it to DeRidder, where we had planned to stay for the night. There were three choices of campgrounds, but we decided to stay in the one furthest along the route, which was in town, because it's supposed to rain tomorrow and we wanted to be within walking distance of places to hang out while it rained.

As it turned out, the RV park in town isn't really near anything to speak of, and it's really foul. I'm writing this post from the "washateria." I was going to take a shower, even though the bathroom is disgusting, since I didn't have one last night, but a woman who just came out said there was no hot water. Nice. I'm tired and filthy and there's no hot water in the scuzzy bathroom. Now what?

                                                        (A Smartcar can pull that!?)

But I'm getting ahead of myself. After lunch, the guys took off, and I struggled to finish the last 20 miles by myself. I'd already done 42, and I was tired. Moreover, the hills returned about 5 miles before lunch and got worse after lunch. Up and down I went. The weather had warmed up, too, but I had made a bad decision after lunch to leave on my long cold-weather tights and a long-sleeved shirt, so I was soon sweating profusely and had run out of water. And wouldn't you know there wasn't a store or anything for the next 20 miles so that I could change clothes. With about 5 miles to go, I pulled into a convenience store that was closed for the day and noticed that my back tire was almost flat. My right tire had been hissing and spitting some after lunch, too, so I was terrified that both were going to go flat at the same time. I had only one spare tube. Fortunately, the right front stopped spitting and didn't go flat. I pumped up the rear one, hoping that I could limp into town, and it held, but is now totally flat. Ryan was sweet enough to come looking for me after I texted him that I was having trouble. He is such a wonderful person (Momma Hasty, you did such a good job with him!). He then rode to the Evil Empire and bought me some extra tubes and a spare tire.

So here's the meaning of the title for today's post: While Ryan, Bryan and Mike ran to Walmart (principally to get beer, although they discovered that no one in town sells alcohol on Sunday), I decided that I'm not going to finish the trip. For many reasons. Carol left two days ago, and we haven't heard from her. Dave only intended on riding a week or so, and will be leaving the group in the near future. While I adore Ryan, Bryan and Mike, they are guys in their early twenties. I can't begin to hang with them day after day and do the miles we'll need to do through Texas and beyond. I'm already holding them back, as I am now the weakest link. At some point, though I'm not sure when, they will want to do more than I am capable of doing. Either they will stay with me and grow weary of my slower pace, or they will move on, and I will be alone. I would like to think that I am strong enough mentally and physically to finish the trip alone, but I know that I'm not. Nor do I want to do the trip alone. That's why I advertised to begin with. But my reality is -- or at least what I feel confident it will become -- that I will be on my own at some point. And I may or may not be at a place where I can easily go home.

Once we leave DeRidder, we will enter Texas in 15 miles. Ryan has an aunt in Hempstead, TX, and we've been planning on staying with her when we get there. I will either pack up and come home from there, or Dave and I will cut down to Houston, where he lives, and he will help me pack up and come home. I haven't decided yet which one to do. Either way, I will be riding for at least 4 more days (I think). And I will have done more than 600 miles. It's not 2500 miles, but it's still a respectable distance.

So, friends, wish me four fun days. I need to have some fun for a change. I suppose if I had some fun, I might change my mind about leaving. Right now, all I can think about is my home, my cats, my warm bed, my hot tub, my friends, and my mom (not necessarily in that order). I am tired and cold and dirty and sad and miss my home. Perhaps I'll figure something out tomorrow while it's raining. Wish me a dry night, at least. There's nothing worse than waking up in a soggy sleeping bag.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Day 13 - Feb 27 - Happy birthday to me

It was so nice to wake up in a bed. I was warm and dry and had slept reasonably well. I could not, however, manage to "sleep in." But since I was sharing a room with Carol, I laid there for awhile, contemplating the universe -- or at least my universe -- and continued to do so most of the day. I will share some of those thoughts later in this post.

We had agreed last night to do a short day today, so we weren't in much of a hurry to get started. Carol, on the other hand, wanted to move on, so she left early. We haven't seen her since. The rest of us -- Bryan, Mike and Dave -- rode a little off-route to find breakfast and to visit the Evil Empire. By the time we left Walmart, the sun was out and it was warming quickly. However, we soon discovered that we were going to have to fight a headwind today. It wasn't extreme, but it was annoying nonetheless.

My scary moment came as we got out of town and I heard the dreaded hiss of air escaping from my right front tire. I thought I was going to have my first flat tire, which I am prepared to service, but it's never fun and is time-consuming. However, before I left home, I replaced the tubes with Slime tubes, which is a brand of tubes that, when punctured, theoretically seals the puncture with a green goo. Not very many people in the bicycling community favor these tubes, but mine worked. It hissed for a few rotations and spit green goo out the hole in the tire, but then it stopped hissing and spitting, and I rolled on. My biggest fear was that I had slit the tire, rather than merely punctured it. That's a whole different story and requires a new tire (not just a new tube), which I do not have. I meant to pick up a spare at Walmart, but forgot about it. I will need to to that at some point.

Our destination for the day was Mamou, LA, so it was a fairly short day at only 32 miles. However, the only known place to stay was an RV park just north of town. When we got there, it was a sorry excuse for a place to stay. There was no bathroom of any kind and only a spigot for running water. We were not going to pay to stay there. So off we rode to the town center of Mamou, looking for an alternative. It was 3:00 pm, so we needed to find something soon. Since it was Saturday, city hall was closed. We contemplated walking across the street to a huge church and trying to beg a patch of lawn to camp on, but since tomorrow is Sunday, we didn't hold much hope for accommodations.

The only hotel in town was $100 and even split four ways was too pricey for some, so we decided to find the police department and see if someone there would befriend us. Ever so sweetly, I informed the dispatcher that we were traveling through town and needed a place to camp. The city park was under water from recent rains, so she wasn't able to help us out. I must have looked pathetic, because she called me back inside a few minutes later and told me that the chief of police had authorized us to camp in the impound yard out back or, if the ground was too wet, in the maintenance room where they repair the patrol cars. Delighted, and oh-so-thankful, we rolled our bikes through the police station and into the courtroom in the back (I'll do my best to attach photos. You'll have to see it to believe it.), on our way to the maintenance room. Just at that moment, Ryan rode up, having ridden 75 miles from Simmesport to catch up to us.

                                                         (Mamou Police Department)

                                         (The courtroom in the rear of the police department)

                                                 (Of course there's a bible at the podium!)

                                              (The police department's interrogation room)

                  (Inside the interrogation room!  Confess or they will exercise you until you do!)

I'm now writing this post from the dais, while we hang out in the courtroom, waiting for bedtime, before retiring outside to what is, in actually, a garage. It even has a patrol car up on jacks, undergoing a rear brake job.

                                               (That strip of plastic is my bed for the night)

                                             (So glad it didn't fall while I was sleeping next to it)

Previously, we had dinner at a place around the corner called Frenchies. No one was adventurous enough to try a Cajun dish, opting instead for a chicken sandwich or fried shrimp. I had some rather tasty catfish for my birthday dinner. It was yummy. Thanks, Dave (or guys; I'm not sure who paid for it)!

We have a long day tomorrow -- 63 miles. We're going to DeRidder, LA. It's supposed to rain Monday, so we're hoping the campground there will be nice enough that we can take a day off and remain relatively dry. Of course, we never know what we're going to find until we get there -- like today. So wish us luck in finding a nice place to hang out.

I spent most of my riding time today reflecting on my life, and more particularly my current circumstances. I can't say that I discovered anything profound. But upon reflection, I will make these observations about this trip: (1) however far I make it on this journey, I will always be glad that I did it -- whatever it is that I ultimately did; (2) while a recumbent trike has some distinct advantages over a traditional bike style, I would not choose it again, because it is cumbersome and ultimately too uncomfortable to ride when the roads are in serious disrepair, as they have been on this trip; (3) if I had it to do over, I would save more money and stay in more motels/hotels; camping in the cold is for the birds; (4) the physical aspect of this trip is not really my problem; it's the mental aspect -- too much hardship and adversity all at one time; (5) except for the people driving the damn cars, everyone we've met has been fabulous -- just super nice people and very generous; (6) I'm thankful that all of us in this group are so compatible; we're all of different ages and backgrounds, but we have a commonality that suits us as a group; (7) I'm thankful that my life's circumstances are such that I could make this journey, however long or short it may be; and (8) I'm thankful to have the support of so many people; your encouragement means so much.

These are not all of my thoughts for the day, only the ones I could remember while I wrote this. Perhaps I will share more later.

So happy birthday to me! Talk at you later.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Day 12 - Feb 26 - Hell on Earth

As I mentioned in my last post, we stayed at a city park last night under a huge pavilion. Some of us laid out on top of a long table that had been constructed under the pavilion. It wasn't as cold last night as it has been, so I actually slept warmly -- when I slept. A train came by several times during the night, blowing its horn loudly. Also, there was a stray dog at the park. He was a sweet dog -- very playful -- but became annoying after a few minutes. He chewed on EVERYTHING: branches, plastic spoons, wrappers, you name it. At one point, Ryan found him chewing on a scull from some animal long dead, so I have dubbed the dog "Scull." He disappeared just as we all went to bed, but then re-appeared in the middle of the night and started terrorizing us. Around 2 am, he pulled Ryan's helmet off the table and chewed it to pieces before we could realize what he was chewing on. He also pulled a bag out of Dave's pannier and chewed on it and its contents.

                                                                            (Scull)

We all knew it was going to rain today. We just didn't know how much. Ryan wanted to take a day off and stay at the park, which he did. Everyone else elected to ride to Washington, LA, which was going to be a 57 mile day. When we left, it was about 53 degrees. It started sprinkling almost immediately and did so off and on for most of the morning.

At mid-morning, we stopped at a country store and didn't want to leave, because it was so dreary out.

But we finally managed to rally ourselves and took off. It soon began to rain in earnest. Not a downpour, but a steady drizzle. And the temperature began to drop as the day progressed. By 1:30, we were cold and damp, so we stopped at a combo gas station/restaurant/lounge. I had probably the best fried chicken I've had in many, many years -- and not just because I was cold and damp. It was just that good. After lunch, I spent several minutes warming up under the hand dryer in the ladies' room. Yes, I know, I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time in ladies' bathrooms, but they are functional on so many levels. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to survive.

Once again we found it difficult to leave the warmth and dryness of the building. While we were eating, it began to rain steadily. Since we had another 20 miles to go, we finally mustered the will to hit the road. We had decided while eating to take a short-cut, which was not part of the established route. We've realized from past experience that the powers that be chose the route they chose for a reason, and rejected the shortcuts for a reason. Nevertheless, we wanted to trim 6 miles off our day's ride. The shortcut was great until the last 5 miles or so. We had also decided at lunch to go to Opelousas, instead of Washington, because we believed it would have a better choice of motels. Thus, while we shaved 6 miles off our route to Washington, we added it back to reach Opelousas. Which is when the trouble began. 

The road we had been on had been fairly nice with a decent shoulder to ride on. Once we got to Washington, the shoulder disappeared and the road turned to a broken, pot-holed, washboard mess. Since my bike is so wide, if I straddle the white line on the right side of the road, then my left wheel rides down the pot-hole strip made by the right tires of the cars. With water on the road, I couldn't see the potholes, so my average speed, which had been a consistent 13 mph, dropped to a miserable 8 or 9 mph, and I just jarred my way down the road. I prayed that I didn't blow out a tire, or worse, a rim. Either would have been ride-ending for me and would have stranded me in the middle of nowhere. Meanwhile, the traffic increased ten-fold, and the drivers made a game of trying to splash me with pot-hole water. So the last five miles was in a constant rain, about 45 degrees, on a road from hell with evil drivers. I was literally crying, especially since I had lost sight of everyone else.

Eventually, I found myself in downtown Opelousas and started riding down the sidewalk because the traffic was so bad. I finally stopped in front of town hall and discovered that Mike had left me a voicemail, saying that he and Carol had gotten two rooms at the Budget Inn. But I didn't know where that was, so I went inside town hall and discovered that I had overshot them by two miles or so. Now I'm soaking wet, because the rain had soaked through my rain gear and into my clothes underneath. My hands were absolutely frozen solid, as I had on polypropylene gloves that were soaking wet.

By the time I found the motel, I was in the beginning stages of hypothermia. I rushed inside the room, stripped off my rain gear, stuck my hands up to the heater, and started sobbing. Mike sweetly tried to console me, then began dragging my gear inside. As soon as Carol jumped out of the shower, I jumped in and cried a river.

I managed to find some dry clothes, so I'm warm now, but I will NEVER ride in the rain again. Thankfully, tomorrow is supposed to be sunny for my birthday. I'm not sure what we're doing, though, since everyone's still recovering from the day. So stay tuned as to my whereabouts tomorrow. And wish me a restful night's sleep.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Day 11 - Feb 25 - A nice day

I had burrowed myself so far down in my sleeping bag last night that I didn't realize when the sun came up. By the time I awoke it was 7:10 am. That's late! We all knew it was going to be a short day riding, so we had discussed sleeping in, but I was sure everyone else had already gotten up and packed up their stuff. Not so. Only a few had ventured out of their tents. It froze last night, so there was a coating of ice on everything, including our tents. By 7 am, it had started to melt and was dripping into our tents as condensation. That was most everyone's incentive to get up and out. Thankfully, we could convene indoors in a laundry/restroom building at the RV park where it was warm. There was a Stop 'n Rob next door, so we got large cups of coffee and hung out, waiting for the ice to thaw and the sun to dry out our tents and gear.

                                   (From left: Carol and Rosie, Me, Ryan, Bryan, Dave, and Mike)

It warmed up quickly, so we packed up and took off for Simmesport, LA., which was only 27 miles away - a thankfully short riding day. The sun was out. There was little, if any, breeze. And the terrain was flat. After we left Morganza, we rode along the Morganza Spillway, which was a pretty vast body of water. Thereafter, we passed mostly cow pastures and fallow fields.

                                                                (Morganza spillway)

It's always interesting to stop in a local grocery store or convenience store, which we do several times every day. Someone is usually intrigued by my bike and starts chatting me/us up. They are ALWAYS amazed at how far we've come and at our intended destination. We usually pull away with someone telling another person at the store what we're up to. So far, everyone has been very, very nice.

                                                     (I love to shop among the wildlife)

                                                                  (Typical scenery)

                                                   (A post office in the middle of nowhere)

We got to Simmesport around 1 pm and did a little grocery shopping, then we went to a restaurant and ate lunch -- all 6 of us. The city park we're staying at tonight was just down the road, but we had to call town hall to get them to unlock the restrooms and turn on the water. They were very speedy in both regards and even sent someone to clean the restrooms, though I'm using the word "clean" loosely, since the restrooms are pretty dilapidated to begin with. But, hey, it's free. I'm trying not to be such a snob about it all, but it's hard, since I've had a lifestyle to which I've become accustomed. And this ain't it!

                                                         (Ryan playing his harmonica)

We're sitting around now, eating dinner, watching the sun set. It's getting colder and colder, but it's not supposed to be as cold tonight as it was last night. Actually, it's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I'm not sure what we're going to do -- hang out here or ride in the rain. If we move on, our next stop will be Washington, LA, which is 57 miles away -- so a long way. We'll be staying at Willie's Washington Campground. Sounds nice, doesn't it?

Okay, my hands are icebergs typing this post, but I'm going to try to attach photos to this post. I hope it works. In fact, I have extremely sketchy cell service, so I'm not sure I'm even going to be able to post tonight, but we'll see. Wish me luck.

Talk at you tomorrow. Goodnight.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Day 10 - Feb 24 - Across the Mississippi River

What an incredible Bed and Breakfast Mike and I stayed in last night. I soaked my legs in a hot bath and took ibuprofen before I went to bed. What a glorious night's sleep I had. Whatever muscle strain I had in my leg is completely gone. And my knees feel great, too. I like it!

It was hard to leave the comfort of the B & B. It rained last night, and Carol said it hailed where she was, but it never did snow. The sun came out pretty early in the morning, but Mike and I took our time getting on the road. There was another bicyclist staying there named Dave (not the Dave who is joining our group today). He started in Jacksonville, FL, and is doing what is sometimes referred to as a credit card tour. He stays in hotels/motels every night, which is expensive, but, oh, so nice. I'm so jealous. If I could do that, then there's no question that I would make it to California, barring some injury or sudden act of God (or attack by a serial killer or rabid pit bull or whatever).

I finally got to meet Dave, our newest member, and his wife, Pat, who drove him from Houston to ride with us for a week or two. It's nice to put a face with a name. He and Mike and I rode together for awhile and then we hopped a ferry across the mighty Mississippi. It was a pretty ride.

                                                                      (Sara's Bayou)

                                                                (Waiting on the ferry)

                                    (Mike and Dave on the ferry across the Mississippi River)

                                                            (The mighty Mississippi!)

The road from the ferry dock to Morganza, LA, where we're staying tonight, was the worst we've been on yet. At one point, I hit a pothole so deep that both of my panniers flew off the rack and, of course, landed in a mud hole. I think my IQ dropped a few points from the brain damage I incurred on that road. It was SO bumpy. Just mind-jarring. Thankfully, we had to ride only 12 miles or so on that road.

Since we only did 27 miles today, we got to the RV park early and had pizza in a deli at the rear of a gas station. It actually wasn't bad, all things considered. What am I saying? Hot food is never bad, especially when the weather is cold and windy, like it is today.

                                               (Bryan, Carol, Dave and Pat eating pizza)

When we came out of the "restaurant," Bryan and Ryan were at the campsite. They had ridden in from Baton Rouge. I am very glad to see them. I missed them both. They are such good guys. I thought we were going to get to see Jeff again, too. He had stayed at this RV park last night, and I tried to get him to stay over so that we could all hook up again, but he decided to move on. Maybe we'll catch up to him later.

I'm at the library with Carol now, typing this post. It's warm in here, so I may hang out until they close at 6:00 and kick us out. Both of the librarians here have a classic Louisiana accent. It is so cool to listen to. If you've ever seen Steel Magnolias, they sound just like Olympia Dukakis' character. Same speech patterns and expressions. Very interesting. In fact, as I'm writing this, Carol asked to use the phone and one of the librarians blurted out, "If I smell like a dog, it's really just my husband." I burst out laughing in a library.

I'm sure everyone is wanting to see photos. I have been taking some, both from my phone and from my camera. Unfortunately, I didn't think to bring either with me to the library to upload my photos, and I'm not riding the half mile back to get them. Sorry. At some point, I'll start adding photos to my posts. I can attach photos to my posts when I post from my phone, but it usually takes me so long to write the post that I'm tired when I'm done, so I don't take the time to go find the day's photos on my SD card and attach them. I'll try to do better. When we're camping, I'm usually posting from the women's restroom (because it's warmer in there), and there's only so much time I can spend in there before it becomes just too weird, if you know what I mean.

Tomorrow we're headed to Simmesport, LA. It will be another short day, thankfully. I feel better today (now that I'm off that bumpy road and indoors where it's warm). I'll be grumbling later as the sun sets. It's supposed to be 29 degrees tonight. Would somebody please turn up the heat already!? I'm so over this cold weather!

Talk at you tomorrow. And thanks to those who post comments or email me with words of encouragement. They make me feel better. In fact, I just read a post from Meredith, referencing visits to the jail to visit clients. That did it. I'm not coming home. No matter what. :^)

Finally, I doubt I'll be able to call tonight, Mom. I haven't been able to get any cell service here. But I'll try throughout the evening. I know you like to hear my voice. Toodles.

Day 9 - Feb 23 - Hope it gets better soon

Unfortunately, it was another miserable day. It was "only" 41 degrees last night, but it made for difficult sleeping. It seemed like I was awake all night, but I'm sure I slept some. I had to hang out in the ladies' room several times to get warm. Carol left about 6:30 a.m., wanting to get a head start. I left about 7:30 a.m. Mike had a hard time getting going.

Late last night, I was finally able to get in touch with a friend of mine, Renee, who used to work with me at the Public Defender's Office in Pensacola, but who moved back to Louisiana several months ago. I knew she lived in the area, but I hadn't been able to get in touch with her. As I was pedaling up the road, freezing to death, she passed me on the road and pulled over. I sat in her SUV for awhile, enjoying the heater and the coffee and donuts she had brought me (and Mike, but he was still at the campground, so I ate his donuts later. Sorry, Mike.). As it turns out, Renee lived within a few miles of where we had camped and could have put us up for the night. Oh, well. It was nice to see her again, if only for a few minutes on the side of the road.

The campground we had stayed at turned out to be 8 miles out of the way. Lesson: never, never, never depend on directions from people who do not ride bicycles. They have no concept of what eight miles means. And as it turns out, Renee told me there was a campground on the route we had wanted to take. Grrrr.

Once I got on track, it was just a grinding ride to make miles. The road we decided to take had a nice shoulder in some places and no shoulder in others, which made for treacherous riding with the logging trucks, dump trucks and other vehicles. There wasn't much to see and few facilities to stop at. Curiously, stores didn't have public restrooms. Not sure what was up with that. It never really warmed up and there was, at times, a fairly steady headwind. It was just a cold, miserable day.

After noon, Mike finally caught up with me. He was really dragging his feet this morning packing up. I thought he might be baling on me, so I was glad to see him at mid-day. I was lonely riding alone all morning. I didn't see Carol all day, as she was too far ahead.

                                                (Options for lunch.  Decisions, decisions . . . )

If all that weren't enough, I pulled a muscle yesterday down the side of my left leg. It was excruciating to get on and off the bike. It wasn't so bad riding, but it got worse as the day progressed. By mid-afternoon, I was in A LOT of pain. When we lost the shoulder to the road late in the day, I nearly had a meltdown on the side of the road.

Oh, and just when I thought I had resolved my bike issues, my left brake lever pulled out and started hanging down, unusable. I popped it back in a few times, but it just swings freely now. I'm going to have to put a rubber band around the lever and my handlebar grip to keep it in place. Otherwise, the brake itself works fine. It's just the lever that is broken. Oy.

So I'm kind of at my breaking point right now. It's supposed to snow tonight and tomorrow morning. Then it's going to be bone-chilling cold for the next week. I knew this was going to be hard -- physically challenging. And I knew we would have some cold weather, but I just didn't anticipate how awful the weather was consistently going to be. So I don't know how much longer I can take it. This isn't fun in the least.

The only saving grace for the day is that Mike and I found this totally awesome Bed and Breakfast in Jackson, LA. It's an old house (circa 1836). It was expensive, but I was in too much pain to ride the last 8 miles to the next campground. We'd already done 60 miles. And the thought of camping in a mix of rain and snow was totally unappealing. Fortunately, Mike agreed. So we got a room.

I feel bad, though, because we have a new member joining our group today. Dave is from Houston. His wife drove him here to ride with us. We had agreed to meet at the campground, which is where he is, but I just couldn't go on. Carol showed up there about 5:30, too. So they're going to freeze tonight, while Mike and I enjoy sleeping in a warm bed. Sorry, guys.

I'm not sure what we're going to do tomorrow. A lot depends on the weather. If the roads are icy, no one will be going anywhere. So stay tuned on our destination for tomorrow.

Okay, so that's it. Time for bed.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone