March 24, 2012

6:30 AM. The rain is coming down in buckets, thunder and lightning everywhere. No early start today. So I am frying up some Spam (sure do miss bacon...) and cooking up some powdered eggs from my stash. A little bit of canned peppers thrown in the mix and I guess I'll have something resembling an omelette.

Decided to write a bit while things are cooking. It seems to help me keep from going insane, maybe because if nothing else, I expect someone might read my writing some day. It's a little ray of hope to hold on to. And some exercise for the brain. I'm saying the words aloud as I write them, because I just realized I've not spoken a word in weeks. It's so strange, not having anyone to talk to. Hell, I'd just about settle for a good argument now. At least it would be interaction.

The rain is coming down harder now, which makes me worry that I might not be able to get out of here. I can't see the bottom of the hill where I entered this place, could be a lake down there now. The ground was very firm when I parked, but it could be very mushy now. The Blazer is 4 wheel drive, and has good all terrain tires on it, but this trailer will bog it down pretty fast. Breakfast is ready....

7:15 AM. Still pouring down rain, though the thunder and lightening have subsided. I am amazed how quick breakfast went. Doesn't take long to cook, eat, and clean up when it's just one person. Just for something to do, I'm going to try filling the trailer's water tank. The camper has an awning, and I've got a funnel and some hose. I'll put on my poncho and give it a whirl.

8:30 AM. Well the awning/funnel/hose worked out well. I rolled out the awning and let it get rinsed off really good. One side set slightly lower than the other provided a really good flow coming off the corner. Using a couple cable ties, I attached the funnel to the awning strut, and ran the hose from it to the trailer's water tank fill. Didn't take long before the tank overflowed, maybe 10 minutes. I filled my portable water jugs as well, and still had 15 more minutes of good hard rain before it slacked off. It's still raining, but much lighter than before. Yes, there is a lake at the bottom of the hill, but it is draining off quickly now that the rain let up. I'll try to get out of here when the water subsides.

9:30 AM. After some slipping, sliding, good old fashioned mud slinging, winching, and cussing, I made it back to the road. The camper, Blazer, and myself are all filthy, but I'm back on the pavement again...

2:00 PM. Drove through lunch, just snacked on some jerky I had up front with me. I'm near Shreveport, and the increased number of dead vehicles forced me to take a side road. Stopped for "the cause", to refill my canteen from the trailer, and to dump some fuel in the truck. I like this biodiesel, smells like french fries when the engine is running. But I'm a bit worried, seems like the transmission is slipping when it shifts gears. I pulled the dipstick, and the fluid looks okay. The level is good. Hope it's just my imagination.

5 PM. Stopped for the night at a former convenience store. It burned down not too long ago, but after the mudfest this morning, I figured parking on pavement was probably a good idea. Besides, it looks like it might rain again. The sky was mostly overcast today, and I ran through several rain showers.

I snagged a propane bottle off an RV I passed today just to have some extra. I know my cooking doesn't use much, but I don't know how full the bottles are on my trailer. "My trailer", that just struck me as kinda weird. It's not my trailer, I took it. It belonged to someone else, who is no longer alive. I took this truck as well. I've taken basically everything that's kept me alive so far. What an odd feeling, after working for my keep for so long. Feels kind of "dirty" in a way, just taking things that belong to someone else, even though I know that someone is no longer here. Well, the rules have changed now, whether I like it or not. I think I will eat dinner, then scout around a bit to see if I can find some food, supplies, or whatever.

8:00 PM. My scouting trip was worth the effort. Walked into an open garage on a house and found a really nice .22 semi-auto, a Marlin, along with several thousand rounds of .22 long rifle. Also scored several good knives, cases of bottled water, a bunch of freeze dried meals, and canned food. So much that I went back for the Blazer to load it all up. These folks were prepared, but unfortunately nobody could prepare for what happened to us. I said a prayer and thanked these people for the bounty they provided me.