Amber - It's really bad, but getting a little better

I've been through a lot with Amber these past few months. Her arthritis and other skeletal problems have been getting really bad. She has had non-stop diarrhea for nearly 6 months and no medicine would take care of it. She had dropped from a very healthy 65lbs down to 51lbs and was nothing more than a bag of bones.

Over the past two weeks I have been taking her to a different vet as Lake Norman was doing nothing to help and costing a fortune.

In 3 days time (doing the same tests that LKN did repeatedly) they found that she has very bad liver cirrhosis and told me that she had a week or two, but now wouldn't be too soon to put her down.

I had a long heart-to-heart sit with her, trying to figure out what she was feeling. After sitting with her and watching her behavior for a day, I came to this conclusion : She's sick, she's in pain, but she's not ready to go.

I'll be the first to admit that I have a really hard time with the idea of letting her go. I was so shaken-up when the vet said "now would not be too soon to send her to heaven" that I couldn't even speak. I spent the rest of the day swinging between sobbing uncontrollably and feeling absolutely nothing. Even given my feelings, I can say this: If I thought it was really her time, I wouldn't hesitate.

Knowing that she's not ready to go... still seeing life in her eyes, I'm determined to do all I can.

I've taken her off all traditional medicines (including flea, heartworm, and vaccinations). I've started making batches of home-made food (mainly ground turkey, brown rice, oatmeal, and vegetables as described in "Sunny's Miracle Diet". To that I have added Teeter's Creek Liver Tone (10 drops twice a day), Super Milk Thistle (this is one of the most researched natural treatments), and 1/2 of a human multivitamin once a day.

I have also bought the book "Hope for Healing Liver Disease in Your Dog" and am slowly adding a multitude of other vitamins and supplements to her diet.

There is no cure for liver disease once it reaches this stage, but the change has been nearly a miracle. There are no more "accidents" two or three times a day. No more getting up in the middle of the night at every little sound to rush her outside... the diarrhea is nearly gone. Her appetite is back - sometimes she can't seem to get enough food. She has probably already put on 3-5 lbs in one week on the diet.

Cutting out all of the sodium has cut down her abdominal fluid retention (ascitis) to about 10% of what it used to be. Feeding her smaller meals 3-4 times a day instead of 2 large ones has helped to keep from overloading her liver.

She is still a sick doggy, but she is feeling so much better. She's back to rubbing against the bed, wanting attention, being curious and interested in walks (even if some days her arthritis keeps her from going) and otherwise just being a dog again.

I realize that she doesn't have much time left. God has granted me a gift by letting me find things that help her. He has given us time to bond again. We have petting time in the morning and afternoon, and sometimes play time in the evenings. The time she has left won't be put to waste (thank you, God).

Time

Man, time really flies. We are almost halfway through March already. Amber (and the other kids) got a LOT of stuff for christmas. She's doing pretty bad. Her back is all screwed up.. lumpy, curved, etc and most days she doesn't want to eat. She's down to 53lbs. Dunno how much longer my favorite doggie is going to hang in there.

Not a whole lot of news here. Just the same-ole same-ole. Felt like I should write something... so that was it... doggie news.

Oh Santa, Where Art Thou?

I've been *SUCH* a good girl, Santa. Please hurry!!!!!

Timber!

Got the tree up yesterday. It's a big sucker. Going to have to find bigger boxes to put under it. lol

Offshoring - The Real Reason

Lots of politics on my mind today.. I don't average a single political posting each month, but here is my second one for the day.



Without disclosing where I work for, let me just say that I've seen a lot of offshoring, and see more of it every day. I've stood in hallways and watched mgmt take teams of people from India through the offices and let them pick out sections they want to take over.



We (as a society) have been doing this long enough to know that there's really no profit in it:

• There is still a need for people here as processes, procedures, mgmt of the offshore teams, etc. must be done.
• Facility build-out and connectivity must be paid for by the client.. that's us back in the U.S.
• There is frequently a need to hire stateside consultants to fix the errors of the offshore teams.

There are dozens of other reasons that I could list, but let me get to the point and solve a great mystery:



If we are only saving 1-10% and causing a great impact on our own society that results in lost profits (americans with no jobs = consumers not buying your products) that more than eat up that 1-10% offshore profit.... Why, why are we doing this?



The answer, my friends, is accountability. If I may generalize for a moment...It should come as no surprise that the guys upstairs, those that are truly wealthy - executives of companies medium and large, really don't care about anything but themselves.



It wasn't until post-Enron when the government starting holding executives accountable and putting them in prison. Do you think it's any coincidence that about that time is when offshoring became the norm? I don't.



It's all about finger pointing. Having the power to destroy 1000's of people's lives so you can have a shiny new yacht, exotic supercar and sexy supermodel... all the while placing blame on the other guy... that's what it's all about, always has been, always will be. The other guy being outside of U.S. jurisdiction just makes it all the more appealing.



In the end, who pays for this? Well, us, the common people, of course. In lost jobs, lost opportunities, losing all that goes with that well paying job. Society (as a whole) pays dearly when society (as individuals) slowly descends into poverty. Of course, the white collar criminals will continue to go free.



It seems damn near everything these days is made in China or Japan, and all of these services (even surgery, yikes!) is going to India. All of this to save money, but where are the savings? You'd think with companies saving *SO* much money, at some point, they might pass on a penny or two of that savings to the customer.



Offshoring has been big for about 5 years now. Let's say it takes 2 years to work out processes and for the savings to trickle down... 3 years, right?



Think about every bill you pay, every product you buy. Raise your hand and say "Yea" if you've seen prices go down or remain the same on even one bill for the past3 years.











It sure is quiet in here.

A Few Words About Illegal Immigrants

I've been giving this a lot of thought, and can no longer bite my tongue. I'm sick and damn tired of hearing about the "rights" of illegal immigrants. You are illegal, you have no rights.





Argument: Illegal immigrants ("II") are an integral part of American society.

* IIs only help to support something this country has been trying to rid itself of for centuries - slavery. By taking jobs for next to no money, they are essentially slaves... granted, by their own choosing, but it's slavery nonetheless. There is a reason minimum wage laws exist. You are hurting even those at the bottom rungs of the financial ladder; allowing employers to bypass those laws by paying you even less. Seeing African Americans support IIs baffles the living hell out of me.



Argument: IIs do jobs Americans don't want to do.

* Americans ARE willing to do these jobs, for the right price. Who has started most of the lawn maintenance, construction, cleaning, and other businesses usually associated with IIs? Americans. So obviously we are willing to do the job, we just want to be paid for it. When is the last time you say a sign that said "Paco's Roofing"

* Additionally, if given immunity or "guest worker" status, do you REALLY think they are going to continue to work for those wages? Hell no. They've organized so much that you can't go into a restaurant or turn on the tv without seeing something in Spanish. Do you really think organized labor (a union of sorts) is that far behind? Keep up this "oh, those poor people!" attitude and you are going to see these IIs making more money than you.. doing the same job.

* I was raised sort of old fashioned.. My parents believed in teaching me responsibility - if I wanted something, I worked for it. Have you taken a good look around at the jobs that used to be performed by teenagers? It's almost all IIs. What do you suppose those teenagers are doing now that they can't get jobs that are rightfully theirs? Important life lessons that impact their ethics, attitude, and drive are being missed. What impact do you think that has on this country 30 years from now?



Argument: IIs deserve to be treated equally.

* Bullshit! What part of *ILLEGAL* Immigrant don't you get? You broke the law, you are here illegally, you are a drain on our medical, educational, tax structures, and legal systems. How do you think the Mexican government would treat YOU if the roles were reversed? I bet it wouldn't be to grant amnesty! Hint: It's a felony with a 2 year prison sentence, then you are deported - your gov't has to come get you and take you across the border so that you get your punishment in your own country as well. Yes, it is strictly enforced.

Here's a solution to the USCIS/INS backlog problem: Grant a small

number (5,000?) of the most appropriately educated IIs amnesty in

exchange for working with the USCIS to clear the backlog. That's right.

A few working to put the rest away. Like it or not, it's an integral

part of how our legal system works. Informants on the streets, snitches in jail. It's how things get done. We'll have that backlog cleared in no time.



After getting all of the IIs out of this country, start

locking their asses up when they come back across the border... which is what their governments do to us, and what our laws say should be done to them. Nobody is going to take us seriously until our bark has some bite.



In closing...



First, a big Thank You to those of you who took the time, effort and expense to come here legally. *YOU* are an integral part of the fabric that makes up American society and are what America is all about.



Second..

Did you know felons have all citizenship rights revoked when they are incarcerated and those rights are not restored until parole is completed? That's right, some poor soul who was unlucky enough to be caught with a couple ounces of pot to share with his friends at a party has less rights than an II that illegally entered our country and became a felon here (making them a felon in both countries). How fucked up is that!?!?



In the name of full disclosure, let me say that I am currently being sued by an II for what could amount to $10,000, or it could be a $1,000,000. From the day he heard my name, the plan has been to sue me, get the cash and head back home to live like a king... and you know what? He's going to win.

Blah. Rainy, dreary day

Breathing

Still alive, still on the lake. Down one eye (it's a long story, one worthy of it's own blog post). Doing a lot of poor man's traveling.. camping and such. If you read this, let me know. I'm mainly posting just to keep the account active. I'm contemplating starting my posting again, but have reservations about it until after some legal proceedings have been completed.

Hope y'all are doing well.

Vanishing Point

No, not the movie (although I'll take the hemi challenger, thank-you-very-much). I'm talking about the point just beyond the breaking point.. Where you've broken, and yet have to keep going, forcing you into this "fuck everything, I can't take it anymore" frame of mind.

I think I've reached it. I've worked over 100 hours in the past 5 days (yes, that counts the weekend). I keep asking myself "what the hell for?". I've asked for help from my team, but the one person that bothered to respond (which, BTW, wasn't any of the 6-7 people I've spent entire nights working with in order to help them) said "sorry, I'm taking my kid to get ice cream".

... and being salary, the more I work, the less I get paid. Granted, my job affords a fairly nice lifestyle, but I've come to the realization that I'll never have everything I want (do any of us.. ever?). Instead of chasing that dream I need to start doing the things that make me happy with the people that make me happy. - IOW: Define my new dream.

It's time to start selling some toys (Harley for sale, anyone interested?), simplify, and perhaps change jobs, maybe change careers. At this point, and for the foreseeable future, what's important to me is living life. SO many people that have known me over the long term say "look how far you've come!".. It's easy to get trapped (and I have) into living behind a keyboard and doing whatever it takes so I never have to hear the words "what happened? You had it all?!?).

Well, lepers and germs, that time has come; the time to where it just doesn't matter. The vanishing point.

Don't be surprised if sometime in the future, we are gone, our shit is gone.. Just *poof* - Vanished into thin air.

Sure, you may get a postcard from bum-fuck Egypt saying "Hi! Wish you were here!" with a picture of us (myself, wife, gf, 4 dogs) standing beside a giant ball of aluminum foil with a 30 foot rv/fifth wheel in the background. (Who knows, maybe move out to the desert and actually create two towns, side-by-side, bum-fuck Egypt and butt-fuck Egypt, just so all of those lost people can have their mail forwarded somewhere - I'll save that for another post)

My new mission/dream - get out, enjoy life, LIVE life, find/get(or change the current one's frame-of-mind) a live-in gf that's sexy (not necessarily "hot", but oozes sex appeal), is "down" for doing just about anything and living anywhere, gets along well with wifey , and helps me to convert every hottie at every campsite into swingers. Yeah baby, YEAH!
(just let me keep 1 computer, my zx-10, my cell phone/PDA, and 1 notebook/laptop to stay in touch with people - ok, ok. Sheesh! It's really to download porn)

(Damn I use a lot of parentheses)

The Dragon

Went to Deal's Gap this weekend for some much needed biking R & R. I haven't done any noteworthy riding since Spring Ride (April?), and man does it ever show. My best time (riding at a quick, but not hurried pace) this weekend was about 1.5 minutes (yes minutes) slower than my times when I went there this past spring (which was not Spring Ride - that's in Little Switzerland, NC).

Gotta love those twisties!


Way too many Harleys doing 20 and still running off the road, acting like the general asses they are known to be - and people wonder why I don't want to ride mine. I don't want to be associated with these brain dead fucks.

Example: *Purposely* (as in swerving to keep people from passing, and other obnoxious behavior) backing up traffic for 3 miles (over an 11 mile long road!), getting behind a truck for the last .5-.75 mile, pulling over, and spending the next 30 minutes bitching about what an asshole the truck driver is... I saw this behavior all weekend. Asswipes.

Check out this one.. yes, that IS the wrong side of the road that he almost ran off of trying to keep up with the guy in the lead(it's about a 1000-1500 foot drop 10-20 feet to the right of the white line).




You must treat the dragon like your best friend... your best mafia friend. You can count on it, you'll have stories to tell that you would never dream of if you didn't become friends, but if you don't respect it, if you fuck with it, it will kill you.

Note to self: Never go to the dragon again when there is a Harley rally within 150 miles.

I did get in about 8 passes up and down (16 total). They were mostly slow, but great for clearing out the cobwebs. It's getting late in the year, leaves are falling (wet leaves are slippery), and then the ice is going to start showing up, so this year is out, but next year, I have GOT to start getting out there once a month or so to keep my skills up.

I wish I would have got back into camping years ago.. correction: I wish I never stopped. This weekend, minus truck fuel (don't even get me started on that!) and groceries (which I would have bought anyway) cost me a total of $32. $15 for camping, $7 for lunch, $8 for fuel for the bike, $2 for various beverages.

At what point did I become the person that couldn't go anywhere unless there was a hotel, nice restaurant, etc? I dunno, but I can tell you, he's gone.

Camping is fun, relaxing, cheap, the scenery is usually spectacular (last trip I stayed on the Oregon Coast Highway, this trip I was at the base of the Fontana Dam - 500 feet tall, beautiful river, great fishing), and... lest I/we forget - I/We went someplace to be someplace else, to see something else, and to get away from it all.


Camping does a much better job of this than staying in a room/building (that if you are lucky and have paid enough has half the ammenities of home).

Here's a view of the dam. to give you some perspective as to size - see that little loop in the lower right-hand corner? That's the entire campground. The center part of the loop will hold 10 full sized (30-40 foot) 5th wheel trailers, and has picnic tables, shelters, etc. The outside of the loop is all tent sites and there's a bathouse there.. That dam is friggin huge. It's not my first time seeing it, but now I know why I wasn't too impressed with the Hoover dam.



I have GOT to get some sort of trailer. I've been tent camping, and I really like it. much more of a, well, "campy" feeling. There are limits though.. heat, cold, they take their toll. While I'm drooling over a large 5th wheel or even a travel trailer (possibly a better choice, given dog hauling needs), a part of me is thinking that a pop-up/tent camper might be more in line with the basics of what I'm looking for - some sort of temperature control and the ability to use the bathroom without getting fully dressed and and walking across a campground.

Who knows, maybe it's worth actually renting all of them out to find out what I really like... it's certainly not worth renting them out just for the sake of having them for a week (something like $350-$450 a week for a 15-20 year old pop-up worth about $2000.. you don't even want to know what the Class A motorhomes rent for!).

Anyway,...suffice it to say, I'll be gone a lot more often and having a lot more fun, no matter what I happen to be sleeping in. Feel free to join me.

Talk About Optimistic - Donkey Porn's Effect on One Man

I saw this on Craigslist, a classified ad/bbs system of sorts. It's very poorly put together, but seems to be a favorite hangout of many. Pasted here in it's entirety to avoid broken links in the future, I present to you... a person that can take any situation and turn it into something that makes his life better. The ultimate optimist:

----
Thank you Donkey Porn
Reply to: anon-90359106@craigslist.org
Date: Thu Aug 11 07:06:26 2005


First, if you are offended by harsh language please do not read this post. This post is rated CL-MA and so there is your warning…

I was really bored last night and decided to download some porn. So I open the P2P program I use and think of some nasty words to search for.

"Ass" hmmm no not specific enough.

"Hot ass" nah that could turn up a guy

"Hot ass brunette" okay now I am getting some results but you have to be specific when you are searching on this thing.

"Hot ass brunette doggy style" ahh there we go! Tons of results! Let’s start double clicking!

So, I let them download and go about reading some CL stuff and trying to get the least hits on Google.

Ah ha! I see the beautiful black bar that indicates a completed download! Woohoo time for some porn watchin’.

So I get all set up in my chair ready for some hot doggy style action. I click play and wait to see if I have already watched this particular clip. I haven’t, man this is sweet!

Enter screen left a beautiful, I think Brazilian, woman undoubtedly ready to get done in some nasty ways.

"Yeah this is going to be hot!" I think to myself as I watch her walking through the grass.

Then I think "oh yeah outdoor sex, grass and good lighting, awesome!"

Enter screen right white guy with donkey. Actually enter screen right white guy with donkey that has a huge hard on. At this point I realize what I have downloaded. I am now watching some Brazilian Donkey Porn.

Now I am a guy slowing down to look at an accident. I know you all are pissed at me looking, and say you would not, but when you get to the accident you look too.

So anyway this incredibly hot chick starts to mess around with the Donkey.

I will spare you the details but it was hardcore and made me feel a bit dirty to be honest.

The movie finishes. I am waiting for the FBI to pound on my door and arrest me. Then it hits me.

That chick just did a donkey and yet I am single. It’s not like she was ugly or anything…

Why am I single? I thought.

Well you have some bad habits. My brain replied.

Yeah I do have bad habits but I think there are some women who would overlook them. I thought.

Yeah but they are ugly. My brain replied.

Okay brain, stop it! There are obviously hot girls out there that are doing donkeys for Christ sake!!

Then I thought about what I just saw and the reason someone would do something like bang a donkey.

The only reasons I could think of are:

Money

Drugs

Some weird animal fetish that I do not even want to think about

So, I am not into animals we can knock that one right out. I also am not a big fan of drugs. Though for some reason I always have weed? I don’t know what’s the deal with that? But I digress…

So I am left with money. Makes sense, if money can make a hot girl bang a donkey then I am sure it will make one want to be with me.

This also got me thinking about hot girls in general. My approach has really been no approach. To be honest, I was a little intimidated by hot girls until last night. Now that the image of that hot girl is in my head with a big floppy Donkey dick… Hot girls watch out.

That single clip of porn has given me new confidence and drive. If I make all the money I can and have a more aggressive approach to hot girls I will land one of you soon. I am sorry ladies but that clip of Donkey porn just knocked you off of your High Horse.

Pardon the pun….

Thus I thank you Donkey Porn.

You have made me a new man….

Trip Report #14 - Final Summary

I am hesitant to post this blog entry. I like to keep each blog entry to either a summary of a day, or line of thinking... this somewhat fits into the second category, but is going to cover a lot of different areas.

I need it blogged in one place so I can reflect back on it and update as necessary. it's going to jump around as my thoughts do and will therefore be somewhat random. This posting was created throughout the day on Monday, 8/29/2005 as thoughts occurred to me.

States Visited:
---------------
NC
SC
GA
FL
TN
KY
MO
KS
NE
SD
WY
MO
ID
WA
OR
CA
NV
AZ
NM
TX
OK
AK
(one other, I forget)
--
23

Things to Buy/Get/Do:
------------------
- Autorouting GPS with removable memory card
* Follow-up with Lowrance on my airmap software functionality - if they have an upgrade where the TBT directions actually work, I will then have what I need.
- Cell phone booster/Antenna. Verify that it will work at full bandwidth with Verizon's network.
- Raincoat/suit. It sucks getting wet when you camp. You get chilled and never dry out.
- A better tent. Preferrably a 3 person tent. Being able to roll completely over AND get on my knees is a requirement. So is zippers that close without grabbing the flaps, short/easy setup and breakdown, and ingress/egress that doesn't require duck-walking and falling on my ass when the grass is wet.
- 3 season sleeping bag. Keep the sheet/blanket in the truck. Everything gets a smoky smell from the fire when camping. it gets quite unpleasant after sitting in the truck for a week or two.
- Thermarest pad.
- A travel partner or three.
- Verizon broadband card/account.
- Ventshades
- Darker window tint (privacy while sleeping in truck, cooler interior)
- Electric cooler - stays cool without ice.
- Move XM Satellite antenna from top of radar detector mount to roof, behind cab clearance lights.

Camping and General Travel Lessons Learned:
--------------------------------------------
- Bring warm and cold weather clothes, no matter what the weather. I experienced temperatures ranging from 108 degrees and 10% humidity to 36 degrees with driving rains and 50 MPH winds.

- Bring/buy a coffee mug. Most truck stops charge $1.19-$1.39 for a cup of coffee, but only 69 cents if you have your own cup. Over the course of a few weeks, this adds up to a very nice evening out.

- A raincoat is not optional.

- Excessive clothing for the same weather type of weather is just that - excessive. There is no need to bring more than 4 days clothes, no matter how long the trip. Whether at a campground, truck stop, or small town, you will find a place to do laundry. A full suitcase or two wastes a lot of space. You can do laundry while updating blog posts, taking a shower, or performing other duties that require down time.

- While Truck Stop Internet access will get the job done for posting to blogs and email checks, it really is not suitable for long distance trips like this. I missed *so* many opportunities to see things and go places because I would see a sign for something 50-75 miles away, not know anything about it.. such as whether or not it is worth the time/energy/expense to see; only to find out 200 miles down the road that I should have went. Additionally, being able to find things while on the road is a necessity. I can't carry a phone book for every city in the country. Having 24/7 access to SuperPages or similar site would have been a God-send. I will be dropping my flying J wireless Internet account and (as much as I hate to spend this much money) spending the $80/mo for a Verizon broadband PC Card.

- No matter what you prepare for, something you haven't prepared for will happen. Roll with the punches and realize that it's all part of the experience and the worst parts will become the best memories.

- Always, ALWAYS carry 10-15 gallons of extra fuel in cans. You never know when you will be low on fuel and get caught in a traffic jam or area of the country that has 100 miles between fuel stops. This cuts the anxiety level down to zero.

- No matter how good you feel, how much you want to keep going, every 4th night, stay in a motel and a real bed. If you don't, the road will catch up to you.

- In between times, Truck stop showers aren't that bad, and only cost $6. They are money well spent and make you feel human again.

- If you need to make some time (and you are equipped for this - IOW, you are a guy) forget rest stops, truck stops, etc. Every time you stop to use the bathroom, it is 10-20 minutes you lose. Pull off to the side of the road, angle the truck so people can't see the passenger side. Walk around to the passenger side, open the door, grab a book and hold it high so it appears as though you are looking at a map, and go right there on the side of the road. This took a while to get used to, but over the 4 days I used it, saved me 5-6 hours of down time... that's about 350 miles - almost an entire day!

- On a related note, lay off the caffeine or you will be stopping every hour. Water is your friend. If you are using coffee to stay awake, it's time to quit for the day.

- Coffee works WAY better than soda for keeping you awake, although the effects take about an hour whereas soda only takes about 10 minutes.

- Never let the cooler get more than about 30% water. Much more than that and it starts sloshing around. Not only does the sound get annoying, but all of the moving around flattens/decarbonates the soda.

- If not hauling something, remove the drawbar from the hitch, lest you think that the truck is falling apart/your spare fell off somewhere 100 miles back.

- When the roads get really rough, try a different lane.

- Don't put on a clean shirt until after you eat, even if you've just taken a shower. Not following this rule almost guarantees that you will spill food on your (most likely last) clean shirt at the worst possible time - note the ketchup stain on my t-shirt in the picture at the Grand Canyon with the dancer hottie.

- Keep the dirty laundry/ditty bag in the truck bed, even if it's raining. If not, just about the time the cab has reached maximum stench (which you will hardly notice, since it's *your* smell), a hottie will show up out of nowhere and want to it in the truck. *sigh*

- ALWAYHS know where your gun is at (and don't leave home without it)! I have a CCW, carried the entire time, never having it out of arms reach. The one time I put it way in the luggage (and I forgot which piece of luggage) is when some greasy, rotten toothed redneck crazy fucker with a survival knife on his belt approached my rolled-down window. There was no trouble, but it was a bit disconcerting.

- No matter how much ice you have, if you have food in the cooler, don't leave it out planning to get it later. I did this, forgot about it, and had such a mess the next day that I was gagging when I opened it. I couldn't stand to clean it and had to throw out a $35 cooler.

- Invest in a cell phone antenna, if not a booster (I don't mean those cheesy tape-on things). Wilson and possibly others make a system that has an external antenna as well as a booster that acts like a cell tower inside your vehicle. This is a must-have. Murphy dictates that any emergency will happen when you are in the middle of nowhere, 50 miles from any cell tower. Don't ask how I know these things...just know that I had several sleepless nights because of this.

- Bring two cameras - one digital, one film. No matter how good each one is, you'll wish you had the other if you only bring one. Ideally, the digital should be a P&S for all those quick shots. It does need to have a fast lens though, especially with combat tourism - taking lots of pictures at night and from a moving vehicle. The 35mm should be a good SLR for those "oh my God, can you believe this?" shots. - I NEED to get a "faster" digital camera (if there is such a thing) before the next trip.

- Binoculars. Night vision if you can. A Sony camcorder can pull this duty and is *great* for seeing what interesting wildlife is making those sounds in the bushes.

- If you use a CB (highly recommended - along with a good radar detector - I use a Valentine One), bring as much spare money as you can stand. There are always incredible deals to be had.. and I don't mean stolen goods, but truckers selling DVDs they've watched for $2-$5, drivers that lost a haul they were counting on to get home and are selling $400 import radios (CBs) for $100, and all sorts of other goodies. Most legitimate sales will still have their original receipt. Load up and eBay the stuff when you get home!

- Bring an autorouting GPS. I have a Garmin GPS V. While it was an incredibly helpful tool, it only has 19MB of memory and (in busy metro areas) can only store maps for 1/2 day travel. the map loads from the notebook take 30-60 minutes. Either plan accordingly or get a GPS with more memory. I'll be selling this one and either getting a factory unit out of an Expedition or something aftermarket that uses flash cards.

- Pack healthy, ready-to-eat foods (sandwiches, etc).. it's just about impossible to eat healthy on the road. Those chili corn dogs taste good, but they are hell on the waistline!


- Other must-have items:
* Don't waste time with all of those auto/cig lighter power adapters. Buy a 175
watt power inverter (truck stop price - $40. eBay - probably $15). This is enough to charge your cell phone, camcorder, and run a laptop.
* Get rechargable batteries for the digital camera. I went through $40 in batteries on this trip and could have easily charged rechargables during all of the driving time. Plus, with them fully charged every time you leave the vehicle, you never have to worry about them dying at the worst possible moment and getting screwed on battery prices (Twice I had to pay $8+ for AA, hence the $40 in batteries).
* Items you can't travel without (that aren't part of most standard packing lists):
- Windex - Presoak the windshield with it before pumping gas, then clean as usual with the gas station cleaner after pumping. You will never fight stuck bugs again.
- Fill up with the good (green colored) bug cleaning windshield washer solvent. It's available at auto parts stores and is SO much better than the blue stuff, but almost impossible to find on the road.
- Towels, at least two.
- Paper towels - at least two rolls. You will use these for everything. Gas stations are often out at the pumps, rest areas usually just have those hand dryers drying your face and toothbrush on your shirt gets old REAL fast), you WILL spill fuel on your paint at some point,.. and a 100 other reasons.
- 2.5 to 5 gallons of drinking water - You'll like your brewed coffee better, you can brush your teeth, and refill your water bottles for pennies instead of spending several $ each time you stop. In an emergency, you have water for the engine (or just to clean the windshield).
- Bring a (healthy) dog; unless you are staying someplace fancy. They are great companionship.. and if you meet somebody that doesn't like them, or a motel that doesn't like them, you've just easily weeded out the evil people, right?
- Fix a flat, tire plugs, AND an air tank/compressor. If you bring a spare, you will have two flats. If you bring 4 spares, your axle will fall off. Stick with one spare and some repair tools.

Semi-Random thoughts:
---------------------
- I always wondered if I just wanted to see the things I missed, or if I had some Nomad blood. I realize that 2 weeks on the road can't cure a lifetime jonesing to travel, but I'm leaning towards Nomad. While I am glad to be home and catch up on sleep, I am already thinking about the next trip.

- I need to decide how I want to go about the traveling. There are some large decisions to be made, and a lot of serious thinking to be done here. Do I get a 5th wheel and do the campground thing - staying for a week at a time and visiting/traveling on weekends... or do I buy a big truck/semi and commit to 1-2 weeks hauls that permit me to see things and (with a big enough sleeper) take the
dogs with me?


- No matter how much you haul ass, you will *average* about 500 miles per day on an extended trip. You may do 1000 miles one day, but it will catch you to you a few days later and you hardly travel at all. On a related note, (again, on an extended trip) your average speed for the day will be about 15 MPH slower than your traveling speed. 20 MPH slower if you are trying to take on too many miles.

Plan accordingly. This trip was 2500 miles shorter than I thought it would be, and I missed a lot of sites because of this error. I only allocated 10 MPH. Over the course of 2 weeks, driving 10-14 hours a day, that extra 10 MPH adds up to nearly 2000 miles.. not an insignificant amount!

- If you are the type to travel alone, try to work out a few one day rideshares ahead of time so you can get a feeling for what the person is like. For the most part, I enjoyed the time alone, but there were a few days where I would have killed to have even a really annoying person in the truck for a few hours just to have somebody to talk to - the CB only goes so far.

- There is SO much to see in this country. This trip has left me longing to see more things than I wanted to see before the trip. If you've never done this, don't waste another day, start planning now. I am in awe. I've got one thousand places to go in the USA, and then a whole world to cover!

Trip report #13

Sunday, 8/28

Had a *horrible* nightmare about the dogs about 2 hours after falling asleep. I couldn't go back to sleep, so started driving again at about 5am.

A stop for breakfast/coffee, one for fuel, and one for a little bit of clean-up and I was home.


I have so many thoughts... but I am completely wiped out. I'll post them all in a day or three.

Trip report #12

Saturday, 8/28.

Drove all day again today to get home. It really sucks that every place I pass worth seeing, I am passing at night..and that I have no haul back to pay for fuel, but I'm out of time and have to get back home on Sunday so I can work on Monday.

Stopped driving at about 2am around Knoxville, TN. Not much to say since all I have done is drive, drive, and drive some more.

Postlogue:
Turns out the Escort claiming to be a porn star really is one. I couldn't find any of her movies in the very unorganized adult video store, but upon arriving home, researched it... I didn't have to look very far. Her name is Luci Thai. Here is a picture of her

Trip Report #11

Today is Friday (8/26).

Hammer down, hammer down. Woke up at about 8:30 am and drove my *ass* off today. My first 1000 mile day ever. Driving through NM, TX, OK, it's easy to put on a lot of miles. I kept the cruise control at 84 and stayed in the slow lane. I found out that this truck is either RPM or speed limited and can only do about 98.3 MPH (per the GPS).

Arkansas.. what can be said other than nothing? Even my "1000 Places to See Before You Die" book has nothing to say. I believe it's the only state that doesn't have an entry in the book. There are *SO* many bugs here.

Stopped at a rest area and met a driver I had been talking to since NM, and even way back in CA. He let me check out his truck (man, it is *cool* sitting behind the wheel of those big Peterbilts!) and spent about an hour discussing the business and machines with me.

I got on "South 69". I had to stop, hold up traffic, and get a picture of that sign. Had it not been in front of a truck stop with a cop sitting there, I would have seriously considered stealing that sign!

I stopped at a rest area in Arkansas around 2am, and after 20 minutes and about 50 mosquito bites, I decided I'd had enough suffering. I hit the road again, filled up, added some (an entire gallon!) windshield washer fluid after running out due to the bug 'rain'-storm, and made it all the way to Palestine.. Arkansas, that is. What a name!

Only 20 miles from a XXX store (I need to stop by one - one of the escorts I was talking to swore to me she was a porn star by the name of Luci Thia - I gotta check it out), and about 70 miles from the "flying hook" (flying J - where I have Internet Access).

Sleep comes around 5:30 am.

Trip Report #10 - Pearl Harbor

Today is Thursday (8/25), I don't know when this will actually be posted.

Stayed up way too late last night (3:30 am), hung out in the casino, made $20 last for a couple of hours. For lack of anything better to do, sat around BS'ing with all the hottie escorts while they were waiting for clients.

Left my room at Caesars around 10am. Apparently the proverbial dinner bell went off signalling all of us to sign out at the same time. Over an hour in line. This meant that I got to have a Whopper for breakfast, yeah.

Saw the Grand Canyon today. OH.. MY.. GOD! I only stayed about 1.5 hours because of the need to make some time. I WILL be back here to stay for a week or so. Saw some mountain goats while there.

I had the strangest thing happen (and hence the Pearl Harbor reference in the title) - You know how people pass you, your eyes meet, and you give a half-smile to say "yes, I see you, I acknowledge your existance"? All week, those acknowledgements have been met with looks of disgust and an expression that says "die pig die".

What a change today has been (and hence the Pearl Harbor reference in the title). Asians, and in particular Japanese, are (in)famous for touring. Go to any major landmark, and there are hundreds of them. They seemed to be bombing me today. Just diving at me, crashing into me, without reason.

In my 1.5 hours at the Grand Canyon, no less than 3 Japanese hotties found it in their kind hearts to not only NOT look disgusted, but to start conversations and me and seem genuinely happy for some conversation.

One of them (the hottest by far - Shes a professional dancer and an aerobics instructor) followed me around for about 30 minutes and we took turns taking pictures of each other so we would actually have pictures of ourselves at the Canyon (me getting pictures with myself in them has been a problem for most of the trip. Pictures of her are in my photo gallery.. mentioned in previous posts.

We exchanged emails, said our goodbyes, and I was back on the road. I was followed on the only road out of the Canyon by a cop for about 40 miles of construction. That was relaxing... NOT.

Drove Route 66 for about 30 miles.

Before the night was through, I found myself "standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona". Got some pictures of the landmark, including the famous flatbed Ford. It was already dark and this camera sucks, so I'm going to have to do some major editing in order for them to be seen.

Slept in the truck in a rest stop somewhere around Albuquerque.

Trip report #9

Today was a much better day than yesterday; though not without it's share of problems.

I decided to stay in Vegas a second night so I could actually see some things and get some sleep... well, the sleep thing isn't happening. Gabby was sick again. Off to the regular vet she went. Turns out she had a reaction to the heartworm medicine and/or it caused the remaining heartworms to break loose. She's under close supervision

The hotel has made it a major headache to extend my stay. I've had to check out and check in again. Then the card didn't work, so it was back to the registration desk.

For those of you who have never been here, Caesars Palace is not only HUGE, but it is designed to take you in circles around everything, confusing you into staying and spending your money in their casino. So while it may seem a little whiny about the whole check-in/out and card reprogramming (not to mention yet another time to deal with cash deposits instead of credit cards) it's about 2 miles round trip I'm walking and an hour out of the 24 or so hours I have here.. it's a big deal.

Even after I told the front desk I did not need the room cleaned, told housekeeping I didn't need the room cleaned, and hung the do not disturb sign on the door, various departments still found it necessary to call me 3 times between 10am and 1pm to ask if/when I would like the room cleaned.

Now, having read the above, and possibly yesterday's post, it should be fairly obvious that I'm running on about 5 hours sleep total for the past several days.

Enough bitching.. on to the good stuff.

I took quick tours of about 3/4s of the hotels/casinos on the strip, ate in two different buffets, saw so many hot ass women that... I'm just at a loss for words. That super-thin and yet really curvy type I like so much and hardly ever see (so I get a little TOO pushy when i do find one).. they aren't rare after all, they are just all HERE.

Saw the fountains at Bellagio, went to Coyote Ugly and hung out long enough for two beers. Back to the room to update the blog and start packing.

Tomorrow I drive as far East as I can stand. Originally, Grand Canyon was supposed to be a multi-day (or at the very least, one day, two night) camping trip, but because of various delays I am behind nearly two days in my travels and am going to have to make the Grand Canyon a 3 hour tour.

At this point, I'm completely caught up on blog postings, but may start falling behind again as I'll (once again) have limited Internet access and have to put down some serious miles - 2200 by Sunday afternoon.

I/we will be making a trip to LA/LV something in the next 6-12 months to follow up on all the things I've missed and/or want to spend more time exploring.

G'night world. Feel better Gabby.

Trip Report #8

Today was a really bad day. Picked up the trailer, almost ran a guy over when the truck slipped into gear. Spent 4.5 hours driving around the damn cargo ship terminal area, got the trailer stuck (as in it took nearly an hour to get backed out) due to a temporary "parking lot" that was the equivalent of 6 parking spaces with concrete barriers for entry/exit spaced 8.5 feet apart.

didn't get started on the drive to Vegas until about 1:30. Got a call ,.. one of the dogs (Gabby, our newest addition) is really sick. Seizure, they (emergency clinic) believe.

Arrived in Vegas around 11pm. Got put on the 13th floor (if that ain't some bad mojo.. being in Vegas and being put on the 13th floor - which doesn't exist in most buildings), I don't know what is.

By the time I got all my shit straightened out, it was about 2:30am and the nightlife was winding down.

Stayed up until about 5:30 am catching up on business and surfing.

Pictures from the (still in progress) trip are HERE.

Trip Report #7

Saw SF today, combat style - we would stop at a site, jump out, take a picture, and then back into the truck and on to the next site. Not my style of sight-seeing, but at least I got to see some stuff - Golden Gate bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, the curvy road, China Town, and a few other things that I don't recognize.

I had to drop off the travel trailer for some repairs this morning. I am picking it up tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, taking it to the docks, and then I hit the road again.

Next stop - Vegas! I'm staying at Caesar's Palace. It's amazing how cheap you can stay at a 4 or 5 star hotel if you do it during the week. I'm still not quite decided on whether to see certain things that are kinda-sorta on the way. I know I'll regret it if I don't, but I'll feel pressured to drive more than I should if I do.

Among those items still up in the air are LA/Hollywood, Death Valley (Dante's View is supposed to be magnificent), Montery Point, and a few other things.

Chances are, I'll hit death valley and leave the rest for another trip/time.

Gotta get some sleep. I was up until 3:30 am, have been tired for days, and have to be up at 6:30 am tomorrow. Additionally, time starts working against me while headed home (time zones - time jumps forward, not back).

g'night.

Trip Pictures

Pictures from the (still in progress) trip are HERE.

I have no time to sort, explain details, or add captions. I'll do that once I get off the road.