Miles: 353.
The problem with it being so hot, other than the spontaneous fires starting every where, the droughts and dying crops, and the eminent decline of the planet due to climate change, not to mention the guilt of taking road trips like this in a gas dependent vehicle, is you can't actually enjoy the journey. I don't mean the fear and guilt, though you can see now I have that too.
I mean the cats.
The trailer stays the same temperature as outside, up to 10 degrees hotter if it's sunny. The cats get pretty distressed above 90, and can't escape to a cooler place in the confines of Alice. With eastern Kansas dancing at 110 all day, it's been a tough day. I was able to stop for a couple 15 minutes intervals if I parked in the shade and left the windows rolled up. Yes, up. The AC cooled air would stay cool about that long. If I rolled them down, the car quickly heated to above 90. But mostly, I didn't want to risk it.
I had made a list of all the nifty places I wanted to stop today. Somehow, time got away from me. I skipped Brown v Board. I drive to "Oz", but was met with a town with no parking, and no good mural to photograph and no shade to risk going into the museum. That 20 mile excursion pushed me past my deadline to make it to the marble factory for the demonstrations, even to the point when I realized I wouldn't make out there before they closed.
Frustrated, I sped.
I'm now at the difficult part of every road trip. With only 453 miles left, there is a temptation to hurry. This is why I have no pictures of Missouri or Illinois. I always hurry. I had planned to arrive on Friday, meaning I have three more driving days. But as you can see with today's mileage, when it's hot, I can't stop til it cools of enough to cool the trailer.
And there's no way I would stop with only 100 miles left. Which means I can't drive more than, say, 275 miles tomorrow. How will I pass the time?
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