Buses to AR. P/U Mirage. 12th.Feb

Everyone was on the ball and up and ready. I picked up Jay, and he helped me get all the luggage into the back of the truck. Then he, Ray and I set out for Huntsville, TX, and arrived at the bus station before they were even open.

Yes, you might recognise the orange bag, it is Bobcat's carrier on wheels that I bought her a while ago. The rack and wheels part slips off and it becomes a back pack. Both mesh sides unzip and there is her little mesh zippered 'window' on the front. There are also two pockets, one each side. This was invaluable for using on the bus. I had several comments from other riders about it being so handy. I had maps and bus schedule in the front, two little pillows, snacks, and anything else for the trip inside it. (Yes, I Lysol-ed it first, even though it had never been used). I put it on my back and carried two more bags at the transfer station, Texarkana, and when we got off the bus. The two big ones, light blue duffel bag and dark blue one were checked. The maroon one left, is insulated so it had cold stuff, and a bottle of frozen water. The black one, top right, had my personal stuff, and laptop in it, so it had to go under the seat.

The first bus which took us most of the way was nearly empty, but there was a young fella with Tourette Syndrome who did cause a ruckus every now and then. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourette_syndrome
He had already been kicked off another bus, and they had put him on our bus as there weren't so many passengers. We had a wonderful driver who managed to keep him sitting down at the back most of the time. But the young man was talking to himself a lot, in two different voices, then would burst out in foul language. An advanced symptom of Tourettes. It is a shame that some folks are born with this affliction. Our driver could have called the police and had him put off our bus, too, but he knew we would miss our connection, so he hollered at him over a microphone, and the guy would obey, for a while.

Our wonderful driver also averted a terrible accident. A car came over a hill careening towards us on the wrong side of a two lane road north of Crockett,TX. Our driver, George Shepherd was skillfully able to avoid the head on collision without dumping or rolling the bus in the ditch.

The second bus with no layovers, was full. We had to sit over the back wheels and some must have been out-of-round, or a bad axle, as it vibrated terribly. We arrived a few minutes before the Mirage. Boy, you could see it coming, it is such an unusual sight.
As are most things that are bought sight unseen, it was rattier than the pictures, but nothing that we can't fix. And it is just a perfect size for lil 'ole me. It drove great, though I had been forewarned not to use the fifth gear until it had something done to it. The purchase price had already been amended to account for that. It does have cruise control, but not like one I have seen, so I didn't mess with it.

The battery light was on ever so slightly, so we rushed to Lake Catherine State Park and arrived just as it was dark. The park was nearly empty, so I grabbed a spot by a bathhouse, and plugged in. All the bags were unpacked, stored under a dinette seat. The fridge, heater and TV going, beds made, showers taken in a lovely warm, clean shower house, so we settled in for the night.

A long day.