20 Hours of Route 20

Our stay in Charleston was beyond wonderful. Kelly, Kent, and Evelyn welcomed us into their home with open arms. We lounged around, talked, drank tea and explored downtown Charleston. The magnificence of this historic city was a force to be reckoned with. It rivals many historic cities of Europe with its charm and beauty.

Bonnie and I loaded the car again and prepared ourselves for the journey from the steamy Atlantic Ocean coast to the middle of the desert planes of Texas. We took route 20 by the horns.

Our journey started at 9am and we pressed on through Columbia and almost to Atlanta when I could no longer stand the cats attitude. Throughout the day I tempted Bonnie to shut up and calm down. She was driving my sanity in the opposite direction. When we stopped for gas, I cracked open some wet cat food and crumbled some sleeping aids on top. To my uneducated self's surprise, she started foaming at the mouth immediately. It didn't cease. She foamed and drooled for nearly 2 minutes. I thought I killed her. Google had let me down. Thankfully, she recovered. Lesson for medicating animals: MIX it in with the food, don't just set it on top.

We passed through Atlanta and straight into a red line of weather. Lightning cracked through the skies while thunder rumbled the car. Bonnie trembled in my lap while fat raindrops shot down from the heavy black clouds. The sun was gone. You would never know it was only noon. Traffic slowed to a crawl, some pulled over and hid under bridges. The weather was gone as quick as it came.

My goal was to get to Birmingham and stay for the night. However, we got there around 2pm and I was wide awake. We kept going--- Meridian---Jackson---

At five in the afternoon, I had passed through Jackson, Mississippi. I stopped for coffee and conversation. I was shocked that I was already past Jackson. The maps say its only 6 hours to my destination. As if I was going to stop for the night--- Too much cream in the coffee upset my stomach.

Its dreadfully uneventful driving through old Mississippi. Vicksburg--- cross the river---

I am getting tired now. But being this close to my destination, how can I justify a $100 hotel room because lets me real, I am not staying in a roach motel by myself!

I keep going. I stop here and there to stretch my legs and try to get the blood flowing in my brain again. The miles pass by slow now.

I make it to Shreveport. Three hours left. I stop again. I had had enough when I crossed the Texas line. My eyes were strained and blood shot, Bonnie was sleeping on my lap. My arms hurt. Its 11pm.

I stopped for a sandwich in Tyler Texas. It helped... momentarily. I got back on the road and off again at the next exit. I called my dad, seeking advice. As I sat at the Pilot Station he told me to take a nap and keep driving, or go up an exit and grab a room. I seriously couldn't muster myself to get a room 2 hours from home. Absurd. I napped.

It was dark but I parked under a light, grabbed my blanket and cat and tried to sleep. I dozed off momentarily. This was the season in Texas of the rains. The rains had been pouring violently in Texas for weeks. Levees were stressed and breaking, floods were raging, roads were closed. One of these storms blew through Tyler while I was asleep in my little economy car.

It woke me up with terror. The car shook and rocked while the rains and winds fell and ripped through the air. The cat stared at me with horror written on her face. It was ferocious. Back and forth the car went while the rain and hail pounded on the roof. You couldn't see out of the windows. Once again, the light was gone except for the strikes of lightening.

I called my dad again to see what I should do now. The rain eased up enough to drive and I couldn't sit at the station anymore. I got back on the road where I fought the weather and resisted the urge to hydroplane the car. I crawled onward.

Onward, I crawled.

I talked to my brother and complained for the next hour. Before I knew it I was turning into the driveway. Safe-Home-Alive- with my family at two in the morning.

I conquered the eastern half of route 20 in one day.

Charleston

After school let out for the last time this year, after my interview, after my lunch at chickfila, and after spending another day with my friend, Ally, I went to bed. I woke up with the sun on Saturday, packed the car full of my clothes and life sufficient enough for the next 4 weeks.

This was the cat's first time in the car besides coming home for the shelter. All of Bonnie's provisions were awaiting her in the car. No amount of comforting things could comfort her in this traumatising situation. 

The initial release from the carrier was not fatal. It did, however, cause some alarm. She wandered around meowing, meowing, meowing. I started the engine. She was not a fan of the hum of our little cobalt. She coward. 

The car started moving. I whispered to her that it is ok, she's fine, and tried to settle her down in the passenger seat. She had none of this. Let's face it folks, cats are no travel companions. 

Luckily, the first trip got to break her into car rides. Charleston is only 3 hours from home base. The first hour was composed of chronic meows and moans of misery. She couldn't figure out where to sit. The backseat was terrifying. While in the back seat she experiences trembles and shakes of terror unless mom's hand was on her. I can't drive with one hand in the back seat so I pulled her up front to the passenger seat where she sat trembling and crying unless I had my hand on her. Finally, she calmed. Twenty minutes later she got bored and decided to climb on the headrest and ride there. That lasted 5 minutes. She returned to the safety of the passenger seat. 

Bonnie's quickly set rules for me for our trip. I had to have one hand on her at all times. I was to avoid passing trucks at all costs. I was not to go anywhere near a rumble strip. And above all, it was highly frowned upon if music was played at a level over 15. Anything over that and she was having a cow.

Quickly, I see who is in charge on this trip. Thank goodness Charleston is close. I'll give her enough time to recover from the road trauma and then I will introduce her to a toddler for the first time. Good luck Bonnie.