To Kermit and Beyond - Day 6

More oilfield traffic. Done.

JK :)

Remember my post earlier this week about it being ground hog day...well today definitely felt like the same as yesterday. Non stop truck traffic and dust. More construction but at least today it was a better construction area to run on for her than before.

Rebecca started a few miles past Mentone on 302 (wearing her Super Man tights today - very fitting), made it past Kermit taking a brief heat break at the Love's with some McDonalds. Then she continued on with the sunset into the dark almost to Notrees. All in 45 miles - Machine! She is on fire - sets a goal and achieves it. We are doing a good job about keeping the game plan fluid but still going into the day with a plan of action. It helps keep the momentum going.

I felt a bit lazy today, had a slow start to my chores and honestly, didn't get out of my PJ's until it was time to hit Kermit around mid-day and I enjoyed a nice truck stop shower. Don't knock it til you try it. When you need a shower, Pilot or Flying J have clean showers. I recently became a Pilot rewards member since I travel/road trip pretty often and you get decent deals.

We wrapped up the day around 9 pm with a quick reheat of spaghetti. Rebecca enjoyed her shower under the stars - it is nice to enjoy the dark skies that showcase the stars (darker than cities but still can be a bit lit up with oilfield lights or actually red windmill lights tonight). For those wondering how we shower while living a van life, it is a pretty nice set up (Keith's doing). We have a 5 gallon igloo bucket at the corner of the side van door with a rechargeable submersible pump attached to a shower head. He rigged some PVC pipe to hang on the outside of the van door and that holds the shower head up. We have a pop up changing tent that we use and viola! I heat up some water on the gas stove in a big pot and it is a pretty warm steady shower.

Also, don't know if I have shared our toilet set up yet. If not, I will share a funny story. It's a plastic toilet with a seat and lid that you put a bag in and we have shavings to use after each use to help absorb and mask the odor. Once the bag is full, rubber band it and throw it away. It has paid for itself many times over! Must have. Well, today when Rebecca took her mid-day break, she was laying on the floor of the van and we propped her feet up on the toilet while she ate her french fries and soft serve. I was sitting in a chair right on the other side of her feet eating my McDonalds. That is the point where we have come - you do what you gotta do out here.

As of today, 261 miles DONE. Totally looking forward to hitting Midland tomorrow to see some friendly faces and a warm shower and bed.