Leg One of My Journey - Phoenix to Gallup, New Mexico

It took me two days and two sets of truck loaders to finally get my but on the road to Oklahoma. The first group I hired to load my truck took frequent breaks, loaded things incorrectly, left half my things off the truck, and cost me a full day of travel. I had to hire a second crew to come and unload the truck and reload it with everything and send me on my way. I left Phoenix at 7pm on May 30th tired, but excited. Round about Winslow, AZ and midnight, I decided to pull into a truck stop to use the restroom and take a break. I was promptly trapped by big-rigs who were parked for the night and blocked the exit. I lost 4 more hours waiting for one of them to finally get going so I could get out. I tried resting, but it was difficult in the cab of the truck and the critters were restless. Finally, around 4 am, we got going again. By this time I was feeling fatigued and made it to Holbrook, AZ to get gas and pick up some snacks to try to perk back up. It didn't help and by 6:30 am I knew I had to get some real sleep. We voted on a Motel 6 which allowed the three dogs and the cat. All went potty and are now passed out. I am going to go back to sleep after this post.

The pets seem to be enjoying the trip. Tarocchi spends a good deal of time alternating between looking out the window and sleeping. My cat, Helen Keller, has explored the cab of the truck with her nose and sense of touch. She enjoys hanging out by the windows where she can smell fresh, cool air. She sure does well for being deaf and blind. Poor Ralph is covered in dog hair, but he seems to be enjoying the snuggles of the critters.

We are going to hole up for a while more and get some rest before hitting the road again. I prefer to drive in the afternoon and it will be much easier since we will be heading a way from the sun. The truck with the car hauler is as long as a semi and I am enjoying driving it. It struggled up the larger mountains in Arizona, but other than that it goes along very nicely. In fact, I have to be careful since a few times I looked down and I was doing 70. I really am trying to stay in the 55 mph range, since I fear it getting away from me.

Stay tuned, more updates to come!