Hot Drive, Part Deux
Okay, here comes the rest of it…
I pulled back into traffic, but soon discovered that my tendency toward road-hypnosis and/or falling asleep at the wheel is alive and well. (Guess I’ll have to go back and explain that in a later post, as well as my road rage issues…) Catching myself nodding off again, I found a better spot to pull over. Throughout the night I would pull over nap for 20-40 minutes, then get back on the road, but I usually only got a mile or two before I had to pull over again.
In their infinite wisdom, The Powers That Be had decided to block of all the ramps of 45 for a big chunk of the road northwest of the city. No entrance, no exit – you were either stuck on the freeway, or stuck on the feeder. At one point, it did cross my mind that the 64 ounce drinks that were keeping me cool, came with their own set of problems. And me without any Depends. No matter; if worse came to worst I had an empty gallon jug in the car. Somewhere late at night, between midnight and 2 as I recall, I was finally able to exit the freeway. Blessedly, a 24 hour McDonald’s (but those are usually only open through drive-thru), a 24 hour Jack-in-the-Box (ditto) and a Kroger that I couldn’t identify as 24 hour or not. I pulled up in front of Kroger and the group of 5 or 6 employees on a smoke break, rolled down my passenger side window, and smiled hopefully. “Any chance I could use your restroom? I’ve been on the road for 12 hours.” One looked a little wary and began stammering about not being open to the public, but another took pity and quickly overrode him. I rushed into that restroom, and if I’d had unlimited funds I would gladly have given each of those dear gentlemen $100 for their kindness. As it was, all I had to offer was undying gratitude and a promise not to send throngs of people in their direction. So thank you, night crew of the Conroe Kroger, I am forever in your debt.
Naturally, I took a quick trip through the JitB drive-thru for eggrolls, the biggest Diet Coke they could give me, and a refill on ice for my 64 ounce water cup. Will I never learn?
The rest of the night passed mostly uneventfully, with naps here and there. With all the nap stops, I was still not that far behind the other cars that had been on the road with me from the start. I don’t know if we all stopped and napped at the same time, or if traffic was just… that… slow. Still. Dawn comes, and with it, renewed energy. Or possibly just abject terror because daylight hours make the car more prone to overheating. The cell has been turned off most of the night to conserve what little battery I have left, but I turn it on periodically to check for messages. One, all the way from Kuwait, brings a smile to my weary face. (Thanks, Jay, you'll never know just how much that meant.)
A few minutes before 1 p.m., I finally pull into the parking lot of the Motel 6, directly in front of the room where my girls are, honking enthusiastically. They tumble out of the room, excited not because their mother is finally there, but because my arrival means they can finally go to Wal-Mart. Their little faces fall when I explain that I need a shower first – right up until they get one good whiff, at which point they agree that their “stinky Mommy” can take a shower right away. So naturally, after the requisite “made it here alive” phone calls to the rest of my family, and the all-too-brief shower, I get to climb right back in the car again.
This time, not my car. This time, working A/C without overheating. And this time, I definitely did not drive.
I pulled back into traffic, but soon discovered that my tendency toward road-hypnosis and/or falling asleep at the wheel is alive and well. (Guess I’ll have to go back and explain that in a later post, as well as my road rage issues…) Catching myself nodding off again, I found a better spot to pull over. Throughout the night I would pull over nap for 20-40 minutes, then get back on the road, but I usually only got a mile or two before I had to pull over again.
In their infinite wisdom, The Powers That Be had decided to block of all the ramps of 45 for a big chunk of the road northwest of the city. No entrance, no exit – you were either stuck on the freeway, or stuck on the feeder. At one point, it did cross my mind that the 64 ounce drinks that were keeping me cool, came with their own set of problems. And me without any Depends. No matter; if worse came to worst I had an empty gallon jug in the car. Somewhere late at night, between midnight and 2 as I recall, I was finally able to exit the freeway. Blessedly, a 24 hour McDonald’s (but those are usually only open through drive-thru), a 24 hour Jack-in-the-Box (ditto) and a Kroger that I couldn’t identify as 24 hour or not. I pulled up in front of Kroger and the group of 5 or 6 employees on a smoke break, rolled down my passenger side window, and smiled hopefully. “Any chance I could use your restroom? I’ve been on the road for 12 hours.” One looked a little wary and began stammering about not being open to the public, but another took pity and quickly overrode him. I rushed into that restroom, and if I’d had unlimited funds I would gladly have given each of those dear gentlemen $100 for their kindness. As it was, all I had to offer was undying gratitude and a promise not to send throngs of people in their direction. So thank you, night crew of the Conroe Kroger, I am forever in your debt.
Naturally, I took a quick trip through the JitB drive-thru for eggrolls, the biggest Diet Coke they could give me, and a refill on ice for my 64 ounce water cup. Will I never learn?
The rest of the night passed mostly uneventfully, with naps here and there. With all the nap stops, I was still not that far behind the other cars that had been on the road with me from the start. I don’t know if we all stopped and napped at the same time, or if traffic was just… that… slow. Still. Dawn comes, and with it, renewed energy. Or possibly just abject terror because daylight hours make the car more prone to overheating. The cell has been turned off most of the night to conserve what little battery I have left, but I turn it on periodically to check for messages. One, all the way from Kuwait, brings a smile to my weary face. (Thanks, Jay, you'll never know just how much that meant.)
A few minutes before 1 p.m., I finally pull into the parking lot of the Motel 6, directly in front of the room where my girls are, honking enthusiastically. They tumble out of the room, excited not because their mother is finally there, but because my arrival means they can finally go to Wal-Mart. Their little faces fall when I explain that I need a shower first – right up until they get one good whiff, at which point they agree that their “stinky Mommy” can take a shower right away. So naturally, after the requisite “made it here alive” phone calls to the rest of my family, and the all-too-brief shower, I get to climb right back in the car again.
This time, not my car. This time, working A/C without overheating. And this time, I definitely did not drive.
posted by SaraSmile | 9:21 AM
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