Day 1 Road Trip 2011

Had to stop in at White Castle

Starting Mileage of trip 4603

Stop in the N.C. Welcome Center

My Day started at 3am, after all I had over 1000 miles to reach Kansas City.  I left out around 4:10am from the house and was heading to the gas station.   I needed a good receipt with a time stamp to start my official bid for the iron butt 1000 miles in less than 24 hr ride.  Receipt? Check.... Log Entry? Check.... Let's Roll

As I rolled north on I-26 towards the upstate, I was cautious of Bambi and the construction zones, which I guess at night they don't much care about the dirt and mud their trucks drag on the Hwy, let alone those blinding lights they have facing into on coming traffic.  Anyway, I could hardly wait for the sun to rise as then I knew it was gonna be hammer down.  I pulled into the N.C. Welcome center and just sorta waited as I knew sun rise wasn't far ahead.  I only waited about 15mins before starting to climb the NC mountains still waiting for the sun to rise.   I forget where I was, but i can assure you,  I was a happy camper when it did.  I-26 to I-40 to Knoxville then North to Lexington, KY..  I was expecting to start seeing the White Castle signs about half way into K.Y. and I did.  But I wasn't ready to stop yet, I was finally making good time,  Running out full tanks of fuel which takes several hours,  This ST has a 7.7 gal fuel cell getting around 38 to 42 MPG. 

Anyway,  I believe somewhere in Frankfort, KY I was ready for a stop for fuel and food.  Yum

Heading in the Louisville, I was gonna stop by the Louisville Slugger Bat Center, as they have a giant Bat leaning against their building, and it was right off the interstate by a block or two.  Yea, that didn't work out as traffic for that exit was backed up into the interstate, so I kept pushing,  pushing right into a 1 hour traffic jam.  So I start reflecting on how this will affect my Iron Butt Time,  I was barely going to make it before dark anyway,  now I'm gonna be an hour into dark before my arrival in Kansas City.

Delay two:  I knew a year prior I didn't want to go thru St. Louis on my route,  been there once before I thought the traffic sux'd.  But there is no good way around it.  So I pushed forward towards St. Louis.   Yea, mistake and time killer number two.  About this time is was really heating up in the day,  Stuck in traffic, it's hot and this is killing my time.  Two hours later, I'm rolling west with a good head of steam.  Somewhere on the other side of St. Louis night falls and I'm still 3 hrs away from Kansas City.  After a much needed break and a call to George who is there waiting,  I push forward, and arrive in Lenexa, KS at 10:15 pm local time wow! what a day... well over 1000 miles and I am beat.

Before the trip I show George a map,  I say, pull into this culda sac and which ever motel has parking at the doors, get that motel.   It was either a red Roof or something else.  George txt me once he arrived that he was at Days Inn room # 206 or something.  Not thinking much about it, I head for the exit once I arrive in town,  I see sign pointing right for days inn,  I turn right and start looking.  Can't find it.   I drive up the street, and back.  Finally park to call and my phone is dead.  I wait for a few mins for it to charge in hopes to make a call.  This is where my patients get the best of me.  I go to turn my phone on, and it doesn't have enough charge to turn on all the way.  shucks,  I wait longer,  try again,  same thing.  Getting frustrated and thinking, it might be quicker to ride around some more and find this days inn..   I punch in Days Inn on my GPS,  hmmm 4 miles away and back on the interstate..  surely I would have been made aware if the exit changed as well as the motel....well, after a few more trips up and down this road,  I finally am so tired, I just want to lay down and sleep.  I make a B line for the days Inn in my GPS.  I arrive at the Days Inn and ask if George has checked in,  WHo?  yea thought so... so she gives me a 3rd floor room, shucks, I pull around back, Unload all my junk and walk up 3 flights of stairs,  the damn key doesnt work.  So with all my gear in hand, I walk back down 3 flights of stairs to the front office,  she gives me news keys,  I walk back to the stairs, up the 3 flights tired as hell carrying all my crap, lay it at the door, put the key in the door,  damn...IT doesnt work either....My blood is boiling now, SOB, Dumb___ chic and so forth.... how hard could it be to get this damn key cards to work?  I grab all my crap again, walk down the 3 freakin flights of stairs again and march with meaning to the front office,  walk in throw my junk down, and throw the key card on the counter and watch it slide across the counter,  the lady says "I will give you a first floor room right over here"  well damn,  Why didn't i get this room to begin with damnit........

Now in my room with a working door key,  I walk in throw my junk on the bed, plug my cell phone up and lay down, I musta went out quick cos I don't remember jack until I woke up knowing I needed to check my messages.  Apparently Misty had been worried as well as george.  Made some calls, tried to explain myself although I don't think George could quite grasp the day I just had and what I went thru just to get checked into a motel..  Either way, it was what it was....  So George pulls into my motel and explains,  Yea,  the Days Inn used to be a Red Roof....and I then knew exactly where the motel was, but I swear, it still said Red Roof on the outside of the building.  Forward we go........