We left Fort Smith, Arkansas today at 8:25. It was the first day that we pulled back the curtains and there was glorious sunshine. Not a cloud in the sky. We were anxious to get on the road for this last day into Tennessee.

Because we arrived in the dark last night we didn't have a chance to see the landscape so when we finally got on I40 East, we saw TREES. For the past few days there's little growth anywhere other than tumbleweeds so it was a treat to see some greenery. Overnight thought there was rain or something, but all the trees, every little branch was covered in a thick coating of ice, nothing on the roads, but in the sunshine it looked like all the trees had crystals.

Deborah is really good to be back into the state of Tennessee, she's had a big smile on her face since we crossed over on the bridge into Memphis. We stopped at Subway for lunch and she had an encounter with a lady on the way in. She says she's beginning to hear the "southern" when talking - people are nicer - more friendlier. In fact the one lady on the way into Subway wanted to know if I would be interested in buying one of her dogs and she'd ship it to her directly.

From a personal standpoint this has been a good trip for me, it allowed me to see the amazing country we live in. I've always wanted to do this cross country drive, but never seemed to have the time to "fit it in". Let me tell you that a trip like this is good if you're interested in some form of couples therapy or spending time with the woman you love. Think about it - you're in this noisy gas guzzler of a loud truck with fixed seats, rolling down a bumpy highway and dealing with on-ramps, off ramps, lane clearances and the like. It kinda tests your relationship to a level that I've not been used to. But at the end of the day when you get out of the truck kiss her like you mean it and she smiles and says I LOVE YOU, it's all worth it.

You can tell that you're back into Tennessee by some of the street names that you encounter along the road. Names like Toad Suck Road, Mousetail Landing, Bucksnort Road, Booger's Swamp, Buzzard's Bluff - you'll never see names like this north of the 49th.

Just after getting through Memphis we ran into the "detour from hell" - there was an obscure little sign that said, if you're concerned about delays, plan a different route. Hell if I had of known that I'd be stuck in a bumper-to-bumper lineup with 9 million 18 wheelers, I would have paid more attention to the damn little orange sign. Anyway we lost about 1 hour as we were rerouted onto two different highways and through a small out-of-the-way Tennessee town. Thankfully we had all the gadgets needed to make the trip more successful, from our GPS, Laptop, iPhone, iPad, Bluetooth headphones and other assorted toys as it helps to pass the time and get you out of trouble if need be.

TRIP SUMMARY
Total Miles Travelled - 3,564
Total Fuel Cost For Betsy - $1,077,58
Total States Travelled - 11
States: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas,
Tennessee, New Mexico
Total Days of Travel: 6
Total Driving Hours: 64 Hours

It's been a good trip - hopefully you continue to read my blog about life here in the south. I'll update things as we go along. Merry Christmas !!