On to Atlanta

Wed. Nov. 30 On to Atlanta

Up at 6:30 this morning. The kitties stayed pretty close, keeping the “pack” together for safety! I got up once to pee, get a drink of water, and actually turn on a little heat, as the entry door leaks air like a sieve! I cleaned up another fresh egg and sausage patty from the stuff I took from the ‘fridge at home. The comp breakfast here also had egg rounds and sausage patties, and the usual assortment of carbs, of which I had a bowl of raisin bran with milk and Splenda.

I had to search out a Walgreens (about 2.5 miles up the road from here) because I forgot my collapsible laundry hamper (one at home is worn out anyway) which is an indispensable device for gathering dirty clothes, and also a package of ear plugs, which I needed a new batch of anyway since all the ones at home are well, let’s just say, not completely "fresh." I’m ready to hit the road now (about 9:30) so thought I would start today’s entry.

I “pilled” both cats … I gave Phoebe a full pill around 7 a.m., and she is pretty relaxed. I gave Abby one-half pill, and she still seems relatively active. We’ll see what happens. Atlanta is only  5.5 hours away (306 miles) so I can’t leave TOO early, or else I won’t be able to get in my room. I figure if I leave at 10 a.m., that will get me there 3 p.m., which will be 4 p.m. with the change to Eastern Time Zone. I just filled the tank, so I should be able to make it there without a fillup.

Continued ...

Pulled into my hotel in South Atlanta (Morrow, Ga.) about 4:45, enduring some rush hour traffic through the downtown. I got the cats situated, then finally made contact with my friend, Dan Denning, who said he'd be over the hotel about 7 p.m. So that gave me time to enjoy te manager's reception off the hotel lobby. Free drinks and snacks ... tonight they were serving make-your-chili-dogs. For drinks, I had one tap beer and two magaritas, all yummy.

Dan got to the hotel, and I introduced him to Phoebe and Abby. We then went out for supper, and for some reason Dan wanted to eat at IHOP, which is not a big draw for me, but I went along. I had "breakfast for dinner," with two eggs, bacon, and two multi-grain pancakes, all washed down with some decaf coffee. With five different flavors of syrup to chose from, it was all quite adequate, and Dan bought, so I offered to leave the $4 tip.

We got back to the room, and did some trading. I traded Dan a 14kt gold Universal Geneve automatic for a 14kt gold Benrus, a 3-register chronograph (Elgin), and a Swiss 21 jewel automatic with novelty kaleidescope/starburst dial. I also purchased for $100 an Elgin driver's watch in pink gold filled, and a Gruen 21 jewel rectangle in white gold filled. It was a good trading session. I hit the sack about 10 p.m., really tired.

Expenses were very minimal again today, as I munched on snacks in the car. So we have $16 for gas, and $88 for the hotel, $104 hotel.

Bruce

Here We Go Again!

Hi everybody, and welcome to “Chapter Two” of Bruce’s Winter Getaway. Last winter, I wrote you all from Orlando for three months. This winter, I’ll be writing first from Orlando during December, and then from Fort Myers during January, February, and March. I’ll be revisiting some “old” adventures with the Disney Parks and some volunteer work with the Orange County Humane Society. And there will be some new adventures with my first ever trip to Southwest Florida. And there will be a Bahamas cruise in here, and a trade show in Daytona Beach. So let’s get started!

Nov. 29, let the adventure begin! On the road at 8:30 a.m., about an hour and a half later than I wanted, and that was due mostly to sleeping later than I thought I would (6:30) which is a good thing, because I wasn’t counting on a good night’s sleep. I finally hit the sack at about 11 p.m. Monday, so I got a good solid 7 hours sleep.

Everything fit nicely into the Prius, including two kitties in two duffle bags, the litter box, and all my “stuff.” I even have room to spare.  I started the audio book “The Last Spymaster,” and got through three discs (out of five) by the time I got close to Clarksville, TN, and then needed to turn the audtio book off to concentrate on driving due to the darkness and the rain.

The kitties were unsettled for about the first 200 miles, and then mostly slept after that. I gave Phoebe half a tablet of “Valium” and Abby none. At Beloit, Phoebe threw up in the cat carrier, and at the Illinois border, as if to announce her disgust with the Land of Lincoln, emptied the contents of her bowel into the cat carrier. So that was a little adventure pulling off the side of I-90 after my nasal passages were assaulted with the smell of cat shit. I promptly disposed of the offending mess at the Illinois Welcome Center and washed the soft fuzzy bottom liner as best I could using a little soap and water, and the hand dryer in the Welcome Center men's room.

I brought along some leftovers in two coolers, and also some remaining stuff from the pantry, so I really didn’t have to make any meal stops. I gassed up once at a station in Illinois, and just made a couple of pee stops at the rest stations, using those opportunities to buy one cup of coffee (awful) and one juice drink. So travel costs to this first sleepover destination were minimal.

I arrived at the EconoLodge  in Clarksville at 7:15, so it was just shy of 11 hours on the road for 530 miles. The Prius continues to average just shy of 50 mpg. My GPS unit (nicknamed “Gretchen P. Schwantislong” or “Gretchen” for short) seems to continue to have it out for me, because she took me on some back roads like she did last winter. Today’s odyssey included another trip through beautiful (not!) Grayville, IL, and a a 10-mile stretch of stop-n-go traffic along the main drag of Evansville, IN. Why she can’t just keep me on the Interstate the whole time is beyond me. There are certainly times when I want to take the “scenic route,” but today was not one of them, especially when I’ve got a Prius full of puss!

I  made a quick call to Dawn to let her know I arrived OK, then reheated my leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner (including some lefse, Dawn) in the microwave in my room while watching “Biggest Loser.”

The kitties are checking out the room, and getting settled. There’s a “Waffle House” right next to me, so I went over there for a cup of decaf to go, and they brewed me a fresh pot. I love it when that happens!

It’s 39 degrees here tonight, and the rain has all but ended. I understand it’s in the 20s in the Madison area tonight, so things are already starting to warm up!

Expenses today: $30 gas, $88 motel room, $5 beverages. Total: $123.

Bruce