Crunch Time

Last week at this time I commented about how much I wasn't looking forward to the trip to Phoenix to clean out my storage unit and drive back with all my "stuff".

Now that I'm on the tail end of the trip, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm good at these kinds of things.  I suppose that comes from having done similar efforts too many times in the past but regardless, a good end result comes from three things.  (1) planning (2) execution and (3) luck.

I flew to Phoenix late Wednesday.

The always wonderful Maria and Me.

On Thursday I picked up my truck, took care of a number of odds and ends, and spent some time with dear friends that I miss.  I haven't been back to Phoenix in over a year - way too long since we've seen one another.

It was hot.  I suppose that's to be expected but given that I needed to spend a full day packing my truck I knew it would be an issue.

The dust storm rolling in....

What I didn't expect was the dust storm that blew through the area late Thursday.  It was pretty spectacular and made national news (see more here).  We were safe in the house -

My 16' truck....she only had 3,500 miles on her when I started.

The storage unit....thankfully I've downsized quite a bit.
Behind all that stuff is 2 dressers, a sofa, a mattress and box spring,
a large leather recliner chair, two huge book shelves, and various
other furnishings.  I loaded it all myself (with the help of a dolly).

After 6 hot, sweaty hours - the truck is loaded. 

The route....2100 miles worth.

Sunrise over the Sonoran Desert - leaving the Valley....

The road....

I drove 1100 miles from Phoenix to Dallas the first day.  It took 16 hours, and I got to mom's just before 11pm.  Long day.

We had breakfast together yesterday before I left which made for a late start.  I drove 850 miles - stopping just east of Atlanta.  It was a relatively short 12+ hour drive across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.

I'll finish the remaining 250 miles a little later today.

The good news is that the truck has been driving well, the weather has been wonderful, the roads have been generally good, and I'm feeling pretty good considering.  When I've done this kind of thing in the past I find myself getting sick shortly afterwards....the body isn't meant to sit still for as long as mine is.  I don't have any aches or pains to speak of yet, which is a good thing.  I do have a swollen left foot and ankle for some reason - not sure how that happened but I'm sure it has something to do with liquid and sitting too long.  If that's the worst of my ailments by the time this is all done I guess I'll be happy.

So that's it for now.  The trip continues.