i was staying on that bus but saw the baggage handlers remove my bags from underneath! i tried to go out to protest, got stopped by a guard, who flagged down the baggage handler, who said they were removed because they hadn't been checked (marked with their destination). luckily i had time at this stop to check them, don't know what would have happened if i hadn't. then i went out for a smoke, got stopped by the same guard, who said "now what?" i said i was looking for the smoking area and he directed me out another door. if i hadn't gone out in Orlando, i would not have had to go through security.
- 04:12 my suitcase is a big thing w/wheels but i lost the leash a long time ago. today i got a piece of rope to replace it, works much better #
don't know why i never thought of this sooner! the suitcase has wheels but is nearly impossible to steer holding the handle, it won't roll straight. i lost the leash several vacations ago. i asked my father if he had any rope and he found an old piece, i tied it to where the leash was supposed to clip on, and voila! the suitcase rolls straight when pulled.
- 04:13 bus pretty full from Ft Pierce, even fuller out of Orlando. seatmate also got on in Ft Pierce #fb #
- 04:16 chilly all day in PSL, but i am warm now just w/2 shirts on, no jacket, even sweating #
- 04:19 2nd bag southbnd held only my pillow+books+snacks so it was carry-on, northbnd it is full of my xmas presents from Mom #
- 04:20 also my sister gave me a dozen shirts her son wont wear. i used spacebags to pack my suitcase #
- 06:12 here in Jacksonville FL. in constrast to Orlando, there seems to be zero security in this station #
- 06:13 i was supposed to change buses here but just got informed that my bus will continue to my route, so i get to keep my seat #
i just moved over to the window seat, got to keep it without a seatmate for the rest of the trip.
- 06:22 i was wrong, i do have to go thru security to get back on the bus #
here in Jacksonville, the security agent had us all line up at the door, then went down the line, examining everyone. she confiscated a little pair of moustache scissors from a man in front of me. when she searched my belt bag, she asked if "i had anything silly in there, like a parrot", then went on and on about someone smuggling a parrot on board a bus. she did not inspire confidence, yet she had a gun. my carry-on bag was still on the bus, so it did not get searched, never was. Orlando and Jax were the only 2 stations with security on the entire trip.
- 06:47 reboarders of the bus were not allowed to go first, even tho my stuff was still on it #
- 06:54 just remembered 1 thing i left behind: my deluxe water bottle on M&D's kitchen counter #
- 06:57 leaving Jax #
- 08:11 Brunswick GA #
- 09:34 was that Hinesville GA? #
- 10:27 getting a smoke in Savannah GA #
- 10:41 reclaimed my seat in Savannah. havent had a seatmate since Jax, since the bus isnt full #
- 10:43 @davesib i think we are running a little late #
- 10:51 leaving Savannah, still havent had to put on my jacket #
- 12:37 1140a at Beaufort SC, my AT&T phone showed no service #
- 12:38 now getting a Big Mac and a smokes at Walterboro SC #
- 12:39 phone battery down to 2 bars :-( #
i used that iGo charger to recharge my phone battery twice on the trip. i had energizer ultimate lithium batteries, $2 each, used up 1 pair and working on another pair for the trip. my phone was almost dead again by the time i got home.
- 13:03 damn! i meant to get some cherry pies at McD but forgot #
- 13:49 arriving in Orangeburg SC #
- 14:32 just sent mom&dad an email from the bus since they dont twitter or facebook on the trip so far #
- 14:48 car here in Columbia SC has bumper sticker: "Grace happens". i wonder if they also print 1 that says "Damnation happens" #Atheist #
- 14:53 finally at the Columbia bus station #
- 15:09 only got a quick smoke break, now leaving Columbia #
- 15:17 so many of the stops on this route start with "C": columbia, charlotte, charleston, chillicothe, and columbus #
- 16:45 at Charlotte NC for an hour+a half layover #
- 16:47 a guy named Clyde bummed a smoke and tried to sell me some "relaxation" pills #
- 18:05 reboarding at the Charlotte NC bus station, had nice convo w/lady truck driver and young hispanic man #
- 18:18 leaving Charlotte #
- 18:23 i usually leave my bluetooth "visible" but just now got asked if i want to connect to 2 diff phones # [i presume by 2 fellow travelers' phones within range. i turned off my bluetooth.]
- 19:41 arriving in Winston Salem NC #
- 20:18 leaving Winston Salem #
- 21:37 a meal stop in Whythville VA. i shouldnt tweet while walking, i just tripped over a curb, fell down, scratched my knee and my phone # [my glasses flew off one way and my phone flew another when i fell down writing this very message. luckily nothing was broken.]
- 21:51 man, i fell hard, tripping over the curb around a ramp. my knee is going to be stiff #
- 21:53 plus this McD ran out of apple pies, had no cherry pies, so they gave me an oreo mcflurry for free...and i found a dollar bill #
the funny thing was that that conversation with the lady truck driver and the young hispanic man happened to be about honesty, telling stories about finding money and returning it, and here i found a dollar bill on the ground with no one around and no real clue who might have dropped it.
- 21:55 my mom called me on the phone just before we got to this stop #
- 21:56 7 more hours of travel, then another hour by car to home #
- 21:57 i have a Radar O'Reilly armpit samwich--i buy the food but have to spend the brk smoking not eating #
referring to an episode of
M*A*S*H in which they have no power to cook meals, so the Radar character offers others sandwiches he had kept from freezing by putting it under his arm, which is where i kept my McChicken sandwich while having a smoke.
- 22:14 back on the road #
- 22:28 we just went thru the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel, quite a long tunnel #
- 23:03 quick stop, no break, somewhere in West Virginia # [Bluefield WV]
