Friday October 25, 2002 - Whew!

4:00 pm -- We're done! It was hard, and it was hell getting out of bed this morning due to sore muscles, but we're done. I feeeel gooo-ood! DAH-dah-DAH-dah-DAH-dah-DAH. I knew that I wooo-ould! DAH-dah-DAH-dah-DAH-dah-DAH. Hey, James Brown!

5:00 pm -- The truck is gone from our lives, and we're back home. We did it!!! We're going dancing tonight! Somewhere; anywhere!

Too tired to go out tonight. We plugged in the our large screen TV that's been in storage for nine weeks, chilled out, had a stiff drink, and nursed our wounds. Whew!

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Thursday October 24, 2002 - Muscles With A Vengeance

When we got up this morning our sore muscles were back with a vengeance. When we gave up tonight we had over two-thirds of the truck unloaded, so we should be able to finish by noon or a little after tomorrow. The last two nights have really brought home the reality of living in a small, old house. After owning for so many years we're suffering from apartment shock already.

We roach-bombed the house tonight and went out to supper.

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Wednesday October 23, 2002 - Cockroach Hotel

More roaches overnight. We thought we were done with all of that. We've resolved to get our own roach bombs and do the job right. I took some pictures today of what we killed overnight in case the management company wants to blame us for them when we leave. They seem to be living behind the decorative wood molding around the ceiling.

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Tuesday October 22, 2002 - Back On Our Heads In Yogurt

With my wife driving again today; we tooled across the mighty Mississippi and into Memphis at a cool 6:00 pm, just after dark. We got by even cheaper on gas today, a mere $76, although we have to fill it up before returning it. We're finally beginning to feel good again, so tomorrow I guess it's back on our heads in yogurt. We have two-plus days to unpack the truck, which has to be returned at a respectable hour on Friday.

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Monday October 21, 2002 - Fog

We leave Tucumcari in dense fog with my soul mate behind the wheel. It scares me to death, her driving a 16,000 lb truck for the first time, but she's doing a good job. The fog begins to subside within an hour and is completely gone shortly after that, so we are able to tool through Texas in record time.

Another $50 gas stop, $50.37 to be exact. We spent $66 the first day starting at 5:00 pm, and $92 the second day.

Oklahoma City, OK. We're stopping for the night. Gas didn't cost us as much today, only $87.

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Sunday October 20, 2002 - Mileage Blues

Still really stiff and sore again this morning, we pop more aspirin. Better mileage today, but we still have to do better. Driving was easier. We found an adequate motel in Tucumcari, NM and we're stopping for the night.

Well, we just put $53.02 in the gas tank, the most expensive gas stop yet.

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Saturday October 19, 2002 - On The Road Again

Woah! It’s impossible to move this morning due to sore muscles. We pop aspirin and feel better by the time we reach the storage unit. Hope to finish packing the truck in an hour or so.

5:00 pm -- We're on our way. It took a lot longer to finish up and get all our errands run than we thought it would, but we're finally on our way. As expected, the truck is very slow on the climb from Black Canyon City to Sunset Point on the Mogollon Rim. We'll see how far we get tonight.

8:00 pm -- Gas stop in Flagstaff. Our muscles setting up like concrete, really stiff. My left middle finger has developed a catch something like the dorsal fin of a triggerfish. I close my fist, and when I open it the middle finger won't open at the middle joint until I straighten the end of it with the other hand. I think the problem is exacerbated by my folding my fingers around the steering wheel all day.

This truck is going to cost us through the nose -- $34.13 just to get to Flagstaff; but I guess that's to be expected with a 25-foot truck. It drives easier on the highway than I though it would. It's a lot newer than a U-Haul would have been. The cost structure looks worse, but I think the U-Haul mileage charge would have driven the cost up to what we're paying. The mirrors are completely adequate for staying in our own lane as well as seeing other vehicles around us, and I guess that's all we need to stay out of trouble.

10:00 pm -- Holbrook. We stop for the night in a dingy motel -- there appears to be no other type in Holbrook -- and wind up eating reheated bean burros out of a convenience market.

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Friday October 18, 2002 - So Close We Can Taste It

It’s hard to get out of bed this morning. Even our sore muscles have sore muscles. I hope we feel better by the time we get to the storage facility.

10:00 pm -- We're not done, but we're so close we can taste it. We have about an hour to finish up in the morning before we take off. We must be on the road tomorrow and stay on schedule in order to get the truck returned on time.

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Thursday October 17, 2002 - Down To Business

Back in Phoenix, Arizona we picked up a Penske rental truck this morning and will be packing it today and tomorrow if our strength holds. This is the toughest part of our move, but if we can get it packed in two days, surely we can get it unpacked successfully. We've elected to do it without family help since that is how we'll be faced with unpacking it in Memphis.

10:00 pm -- Very tired and not quite half done. Tomorrow we get an earlier start because we already have the truck. We had to tie down a lot of stuff we wouldn't have bothered with just so we could get across down to Yaphet's house, where we're staying these last two days in Phoenix.

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L. Fox