So it all started two weeks ago. When my sister left on that Thursday, I started packing. Fortunately I don't have too much stuff. I was quite able to pack it all at a leisurely pace, while allowing for some social diversions. My dad arrived on that Saturday in the afternoon. We picked up the U-Haul and some supplies, and then went to get dinner. My mom arrived that evening. They relaxed while I continued to pack. On Sunday we loaded up the U-Haul. I did leave some stuff at the apartment for you guys. Bert, your copy of Catch-22 was there. Rob, I had 4 books of yours I left there. And I left the good poker chips--Justin's hard plastic ones. We even went by the office to get all the crap I left there. The whole thing was so quick. My mom flew out that evening, and after we dropped her at the airport we began our journey.
We drove for a few hours that night before stopping in Bloomington. The Bloomington-Normal "metroplex" is a college town. Illinois State (go Redbirds!) calls it home, as well as a few smaller local schools. We arrived at 10 p.m. and went looking for food. We didn't have much choice. Denny's it was! It's popular with the school kids, too. Then we called it a night. On that Monday morning, we woke up to dogs barking. Our hotel was providing accommodations for the Heart of Illinois Dog Show!
We set out from Bloomington pretty early. We went south to St. Louis and hung a right to go through Missouri. The truck was suspect from the very beginning, but it really had problems with the hills. After filling up in St. Robert, the truck gave up. It wouldn't go in D; other gears worked. And the check engine light came on. We got a room and called U-Haul. They had to find a local mechanic. They said they'd keep calling us every 30 minutes to let us know how it was going. After an hour or so, they gave up on that. Hours later they found a mechanic, and with some more phone tag, he found us. By the time he arrived, the truck seemed to work. That is, it still had a misfire, the odometer didn't work, the temperature gauge didn't work, and the gear shift display was almost completely off the steering wheel, but the truck did move with a little noticeable strain.
We left Tuesday early and drove the rest of the way. As it turns out, the truck had no further issues. We made it home Tuesday night with time to see the Mavs.
On Wednesday I spent almost the whole day unloading and unpacking. I was quite set up by the day's end.
It's been a week since then, and I've been a bit busy. I'll write more about that soon.
