March 28, 2012

12:00 P.M. Got an early start this morning to make up some time. Not that time really matters I guess, but in the back of my mind I'm hoping I might "outrun" the disease and find someone alive out there. The heavily decomposed bodies say otherwise, but I still hold on to that little bit of hope. Hope that I'm not the only one...

The truck is running really well, and has the bonus of dual fuel tanks. I will only run one down at a time, and switch to the other when the empty is filled again. I picked up a barrel pump at the farm where I found this truck, which will make filling up much easier for me. Just tested it out on an 18 wheeler and it worked very well. Both my tanks are full, as are my portable containers. My fuel mileage seems to be a little less than the Blazer, but that's understandable, this being a much bigger, heavier truck. Not that it matters much, there's an 18 wheeler full of diesel every hundred yards it seems along the interstate. One reason why I'm following them.

I stopped at a highway rest area, always a prime refueling spot, there being several big trucks at every one I find. They are also excellent places to find any gear I might need, being filled with vehicles packed for travel. The further east I go, the more vehicles are in the rest stops. More folks were on the road in the eastern time zone when the solar flare hit, and left them stranded. Which makes me wonder if I should have gone west instead...

I've come this far, so I will keep heading east. Doesn't really matter much at this point I suppose. Maybe going west would be a little harder, the population being less dense, so less traffic on the roads. Less fuel and supplies for me. But maybe folks escaped the effects out west? Sure wish I had a radio that worked, that might answer my questions. For now, eastward it is. And lunch time.

3:00 P.M. I reached the Mississippi river. The I-20 bridge is a mess... Don't know why, but the bridges always seem to be jammed up. Looks like I'll need to drop the trailer and put the winch to work.

7:30 P.M. The winch got a real workout. So did the big dozer I found! It's an older model, no electronics. After a few shots of ether I found in the truck that was towing the dozer, it came to life and made short work of clearing a path. Tonight I'll camp here at the base of the bridge and head over tomorrow. It looked like a lot of vehicles lost power going up the bridge, and started rolling back down, crashing into each other. The "downhill" side was the same near the bottom. People panicked I guess, and without power steering or brakes, they didn't know what to do. Somebody in an older vehicle shoved his way through, there are tire marks, traded paint, and crumpled body panels on the bottom half. He just shoved his way between cars and floored it. Lots of door mirrors on the pavement, and pieces of trim. Even a few bumpers. That guy really wanted to get out of there.

I've got fresh pork for dinner tonight! Just as I was parking, a small group of feral hogs came busting out of the brush near the river. I ran to the trailer, grabbed my scoped 30.06, and took a piglet down from 150 yards. No sooner did I drop that pig then a pack of six dogs came right on their heels. Took out the dogs as well as they converged on my kill. I'm writing this as that piglet roasts over a crackling fire. The smell is wonderful! I think a can of baked beans will complement the meal nicely, so I'm off for the beans and a pot.

9:00 P.M. Oohhhh, I ate too much. It was so good I just couldn't stop. But it feels good too, having an overstuffed gut full of fresh meat. It's also nice to sit here next to the fire "digesting". The only thing missing is music. I really miss music. And companionship...