Dear God help us, we’re still in Oklahoma. Had to pay twice more to use their damn bumpy roads, and I really hate their construction. Narrowing it down to one lane I can understand. Narrowing it to one really narrow lane, on a curve where the road is sloped to account for the fact that people usually take the curve at 65 or so, only I’m doing 35 because it’s a construction zone and it’s not easy to navigate and I’m terrified that without speed to hold me on the curve, my big ole 11-foot truck is going to tip over…
And don’t tell me the semis manage just fine. Of course they do. They are professionals. I’m not.
Really, really, REALLY don’t like doing excessively narrow curves in the dark and the rain. No wonder my shoulders are killing me, I seem to have the idea that if I maintain a death grip on the wheel, the truck will go where I want and not get ideas of its own…
Bly has passed one of those extreme test-of-friendship moments, btw. She didn’t hold on tighter, she just kept talking, and when she did see I was scared, reminded me of how many states I’d already driven across without a single problem.
So. Stopped for the night in Elk City, Oklahoma. They’re having some sort of event, it was hard to find an available room. One motel was full, another just ignored the bell you’re supposed to ring after 11 (even though it was 10:30.) Another simply wasn’t there. We followed three signs to nothing, then finally spotted a…Days Inn, I believe. I didn’t look at the sign, I was stressing about the parking lot. Bly tells me she’ll find our way back to the freeway in the morning. I’ll be happy to turn my worries to something else.
She’s grumbling the ice machine doesn’t work, and the vending machine won’t take her dollar. When you finally have access to a bathroom, a girl naturally wants a drink. Fortunately I had change.
I ignored the mildew on the bathroom ceiling to take a really long, hot, shoulder-soothing shower. I feel a LOT better. Many, many motel shortcomings can be forgiven if the water pressure is high and the temperature hot.
Now if only I’d remembered I hadn’t eaten while we were driving past all those fast-food restaurants in search of a motel. Airline peanuts and licorice do not quite cut it, but damned if I’m maneuvering that truck out of the parking lot only to find the entire town shuts down at 11.
It’s not like there’s a chance in hell hunger will keep me awake.