Wed - Dec 28/11

Up at 5 am to get a good head start on the day’s travel. The weather is warm(er) and clear.

Going west is easier than going east in terms of the body’s time clock. It is also better for travel as we actually gain about an hour of daylight travelling with the sun. The speed limit also increases as we go south and west. We start at 65 mph and end up with sections of Interstate at 75 mph. (A portion of I-10 in Texas is 80 mph). Some sections have the dreaded “split” speed limit with trucks or vehicles towing at 10 mph less than autos. I have never been able to understand the logic behind this decision as we are often “cut off” by passing cars juggling for position. Passing on the right then cutting back in to the outside lane appears to be the latest “sport of idiots!”

We entered the Central Time Zone halfway across Tennessee. The traffic was light in the dark (grin). Traffic flow was good around Nashville, TN. We filled up at the Flying J in Fairview, TN just after sunrise.

Travelling through Memphis, TN was good, as well. We crossed to West Memphis over the Mississippi River into Arkansas.

The only problem today were the sections of I-40 that were worse than lumber roads we have been on in northern Quebec. The USA should have diverted some of the money that was used to repair bomb craters at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan to fix the craters on I-40. The recession has put the road maintenance about 5 years behind schedule. The huge potholes can be avoided by autos (when you can see them). Trucks, being much wider, cannot. Maybe that is why I was cut-off yesterday? The driver may have been avoiding s deep hole and forgot to check his mirrors. I have never been on roads that rough. Our clothes in the closet were ejected off the hangers and the hangers launched off the clothes rod. I could actually watch the rear wheels of transports lifting off the road as they continuously bounced up and down. An occasional bump can be expected – this was several miles of steady buffeting!

We fueled at the Flying J in Russellville, AR and continued on to the Flying J at Checotah, OK. Starting early, crossing the time zone and the higher speed limit (mostly 70 mph) allowed us to log more than 725 miles today before pulling in to Checotah at 4:30 pm.

Again – Denny’s for supper and asleep by 7 pm. The drive was fine except for two exceddingly rough sections in Tennessee. They are playing “catch-up” with other portions just paved and perfectly smooth. Another bonus – the gas prices were below $3.00 a (US) Gallon.