like it ain't no thang

With lots of help from mechanic BenO, we made the lengthy trek from New Mexico to Arkansas over the past two days. Pretty much right from the get-go, we were in a groove. Ben drives, Omer navigates and reads something like 400 pages per day from his book, I lay down in the front bench and occupy my time reading, crossword puzzling, and sleeping, Garrett watches DVDs, Scott sleeps and emits odor from his nether region, and Rich and Kate sit in the back of the van doing whatever they do back there. With just a few gas stops, one stop at Motel 6, dinner at Denny's (see pic), and lunch at Panera, we made it safe and sound to Fayetteville, AR home of the Joe Martin Stage Race.

One highlight of the trip came during a gas station drop. For starters, we picked this particular exit because it prominently featured a Starbucks sign visible to drivers passing by. Little did we know at the time, that's pretty much the extent of what it offered. The building wasn't yet complete, so needless to say Starbucks was not open. Alas, we were already off the highway, so we needed to fill up with gas. Garrett and I ran across the street to Walgreens, where I got some normal food and Garrett got Garrett food. He ended up buying a can of Progresso soup - the kind you pop the top, dump it into a bowl and microwave or into a pot and cook it on the stove. But Garrett don't need no hot soup! He proceeded to sip a little out of the can, in order to make room for a packet of tuna fish and taco seasoning! Stir, stir, stir and enjoy!

Alas, nearly 20 hours of driving and 1000 miles later, the seven of us successfully made the trip to northwestern Arkansas! Here's a panoramic shot of our host house. It's located right on a lake and on a really quiet road. It's actually a really nice spot, as long as you don't mind being chased by dogs and seeing lots of recently run over armadillos, turtles, and snakes.

Word up.