November 22, 2013

           Half the day was to unpack. I’m happy with that but soon, I will have to go over the pod to see what went wrong, if anything. The most serious damage of the entire trip was the three hour rainstorm the last nine miles in. I lost my expensive maps which saved my bacon many more times than did the GPS. They were also invaluable for planning the next day’s leg. That’s Florida for you. The real damage occurred when a lady passed me on the left and caused me to miss the first available exit. Typical look on her face was like, “What? I’m just driving.”

           Here is the standard photo of the Pahokee water tower on the outbound leg. Some of the partial stats are in. My records are missing 337 miles, but I’ll find them. Probably in Utah when I didn’t notice my speedometer cable came loose. I got to Yakima, the furthest point outbound, on 131.650 gallons at a cost of $470.33. This works out to 28.938 miles per gallon, so something is likely missing. Maybe an entire day of records, since most days I traveled close to 337 miles. I paid an average of $3.572 per gallon outbound and $3.616 inbound. The return cost me $519.12 in gas for $143.54 gallons. The average gas per gallon outbound was $3.59 per gallon, and inbound $3.56.
           Thus, in gas costs, the trip totals were $989.45 for 275.184 gallons. More as it emerges, but remember, I collect stats, not totals and ratios. The final figures are only the results once all the hard data entry is completed. Most of today was routine after-trip maintenance. What surprised me is not that I didn’t lose weight this trip, but if you recall, I was concerned how I was losing pounds without losing inches. Now I know. All of us have some old jeans we hope to fit into again. I used mine for work clothes and I slid right into pants that I used to have to breathe in to button. Hooray for me.
           Another pleasant discovery was that the wooden camper “breathes” enough that the interior never gets stale. You know, like how your clothes get damp overnight in a pup tent. It’s the moisture condensation from your breathe. I’ve oiled and wiped down all the tools and soon the batteries will be pulled and put into storage mode with a trickle charger. I estimate the camper pod saved me $1,300 which, if you subtract the Memphis side-trip, the amount I spent having a good time.

           Here is an abandoned float boat on the Mississippi. This reminded me of my father’s “farm”, where the only thing that grew was permanent resentment. You don’t start farming at age 61. Hell no, you drive a motorcycle across the whole damn country. I remember that morning, as the fog from the river lasted 85 miles inland. Now today, I’m hearing of early blizzard conditions in the very area I drove through last week, including several deaths. I sensed something was wrong with the meteorology and was prepared. Others, well, they be dead.
           Here is a photo of why you cannot take a relaxing drive on the Interstates. This is why I’m the guy that says build twenty new rail lines, ten up and down, and ten across, that covers the entire flat part of the nation with a grid. Move all freight that way and clean up this horrid mess that the freeways have turned into.
           Later, I went to the club for Karaoke and beers to celebrate the safe return and the previous year. I’ve got some real unique experiences behind me. I’ve learned I have to get the hell out of Florida as soon as I can afford it. The rest of the country is full of people like me so why am I wasting valuable remaining time in this dumpy place. Because its all I could manage at one time, but times have changed.
           Last, I contacted the kid who worked on my cycle, the one that wanted to design a better electrical system. I heard he rebuilt a scooter with only the wires required to operate the basics. Alas, he did not photograph or document the process and thus cannot share his knowledge except by repeating the build. So I proposed to the club that instead of my phlebotomy class, we do a proper job of learning scooter electrics. Maybe move the entire set of connections into the headlight cavity. And keep track of what we’ve done. The motion passed in an instant.
           You may notice a delay in the postings, the trailer court has again changed the password and log-on requirements for the free wifi. As usual, they did this late Friday so the attendant problems cannot be addressed until Monday morning. It’s a Florida thing.
           My first stop this morning was the bakery. They noticed right away how trim I’ve become, so I didn’t tell them I hadn’t lost more weight. It seems inches and pounds must go in sequence, but I am proof that there is not always a simultaneous reaction at all. I went months without losing an inch while dropping 30 pounds. How about that?