... back to Family
added 2011 February 12 cbd

John was at Baylor for Line Camp, that is, Freshman Orientation.  Katy, Viann, and Courtney drove out in the Mazda.  Viannah flew in from Brooklyn.

2008 July 30, La Canada to Deming.  727 miles.  15:52 hours.
2008 July 31, Deming to Hillsboro.  740 miles.  16:19 hours.

2008 August 1.  Visited grandma, Baylor, found Pizza Inn across town :-( ate at Fasshio's, grandma's, Lane Bryant, Radio Shack, grandma's, Walmart
2008 August 2.  Wallmart, Black Eyed Pea.  Viannah arrived at grandma's.  Went to "Dark Knight" in Cleburne.
2008 August 3.  The 80th birthday party at Line Street UMC.  Sonic lunch.  Some people went to Black Eyed Pea just before it closed.
2008 August 4.  Radio Shack, Reebok, grandma's, Viannah left from hotel :-( Conquistador, laundry at grandma's.

2008 August 5.  Drove to Tomball, 267 miles, 14:13 hours day's duration.  Visits:
- Baylor at Independence, birthplace of Texas, 1:09;
- Brenham (lunch);
- Mark and Susan Benson 1:52;
- Mary Merritt 1:48;
- Almquists 1:43 (ending at 11:15 p.m.)

2008 August 6.  Visits in Tomball, drove to Austin, 170 miles, 13:20  hours.  Visits:
- Wallmart ("site of The Place");
- Post Office;
- Luby's;
- Robert and Janice Burns 1:32;
- Arlie and Nancy Beckendorf 2:35;
- Moers 3:53

2008 August 7.  In Austin:  Cracker Barrel in Round Rock.
- Aanstoos 3:43;
- Luanne and the crowd of veggies 2:50

2008 August 8, Austin to Lordsburg.  749 miles.  12:32 hours.  John got a warning for driving in the left lane of the freeway between Van Horn and El Paso.
2008 August 9, Lordsburg to La Canada.  653 miles.  10:58 hours.

Ten days in hotels and the TV wasn't turned on once.  (Three laptops....)
123.4 gallons, $487.61 for gas.  3572.5 miles.


Then we sat home twiddling our thumbs for a week and went back.

2008 August 15 - 17.  Courtney was essentially laid up with vertigo, barely made it to church for John's last solo there.

2008 August 18, La Canada to Benson, Az.  307 miles Mazda, 308 truck.  13:02 hours.
- left a bag at home, turned around and met Viann in Azusa.  Lost 53.3 miles and 1:01 hours.
- car blew head gasket just beyond Blythe.  Limped back and left it at Olsen's Garage with $600 cash deposit.  Lost 2:50 hours.
- rented a Dodge Ram truck (about the size of a 747) at Larry Green's Enterprise Rental.  Moved into it.  Lacked only a gun rack to be invisible in Texas....

2008 August 19, Benson to Waco.  913 truck miles.  14:57 hours.  Arrived at 11:44 p.m., about three hours after six inches of rain.
Had my first $100 fill-up today, somewhere in New Mexico.

2008 August 20.  Baylor orientation.  Farrell Success Center.  Move in to Penland 233.  Orientation.  DP Floats.  Met Patrick (Connor) (roommate).  Viann arrived on the Streak, having had her flight from Waco cancelled.  Book Store.  Shlotsky's in Hillsboro with grandmother.  Loaded up Wilda's junk.  Wallmart in Waco for a toolbox, tools, and furniture.  Left John on campus.

2008 August 21.  John's roommates are Patrick Connor and Nicholas Miller.  His Baylor Box # is 1859 (the rest of the address is at baylor.edu).  Toured Roxy Grove and Baylor Halls, the sites of all Courtney's ancient fames.  Found Jane Abbott-Kirk in, visited for 10 minutes.  Ate at Long John's, not that great.  Tearful parting in front of Penland about 200 feet from where Viann and I met and not much further from where we got engaged.  (Was a parking lot now under the bookstore.)

Headed south.  Got in a frog drowner (>3 inch / hour) in Temple proper.  All clear by Killeen.  Lost briefly but eventually found Burnet.  Remembered some of the sites from the 1976 bicycle ride ("love, Courtney...").  Stopped for a snack at DQ in Mason, then on to I-10.  Low on gas, pulled over at an unattended Fina (but the pumps were on) at the Pecos River Crossing.  Put in nearly $100 worth myself and there was a guy there with a broken credit card in a company van.  He gave me $31 cash and I ran my card for him so he could put in $28.99 in gas.  I tried not to overcharge him, but, well, you'd have to have been there.  He was gone before I was done filling up.

Baylor to Ft. Stockton.  448 miles.  7:22 hours (left Baylor at 1:50 p.m.)

2008 August 22.  Ft. Stockton to Quartzite, Az. 798 miles.  13:29 hours.

2008 August 23.  Quartzite to La Canada.  23 miles truck, 231 car.  5:59 hours.
Topped off the truck and drove the short distance to Blythe.  The car was ready to go.  $800 cash, move Wilda's junk over, turn in the truck, and we were on our way.  Ate at a nice family restaurant in Redlands.