There was me, about whom the less said, the better.
Then there was my roommate, TylMjk. All we need to say about him is this: If one examines the footage of Nixon's 1972 inaugral more closely than one should, one will see him playing in the Ohio State Marching Band. The event left him scarred for life, so much so that he actually admits to the deed.
There was the van. A large toaster, eyecatchingly bedecked with rust, with a big brute of a V8, and allway captain's chairs. Lotsa room for coolers (three) and as will be seen later, a small passenger. Two separate gas tanks, together good for about 400 miles freeway. Ve Cannot Run Out of Gas.
Hubris.
Unafraid, we set out. 64 thru indiana, pick up 70 at St. Louis. Halfway thru Missouri my straw hat makes a break for it. Floats rite outta window. Circle round, and recover on the edge of a precipice. Made KC by 1900, stopped at a KOA Kampground (i looked suspiciously about for a third K, but it seemed innocuous enough ), up by 0600, fill the tank, hit the freeway.
The astute reader has already seen Nemesis following us out of KC like a leopard.
Lot of construction in Kansas, but they sure know how to keep traffic moving. Except us that is. Many Kansas jokes later, we are cruising out of Salina when the gas gives out.
No problem. Switch to udder tank.
Udder tank also MT.
Remember the lack of a plural in 'fill the tank' ?
Nemesis just caught up.
Toaster coasts to a halt. Beside a field. A selection of cows observing the proceedings begin to snicker. I am on the shoulder on my cellfone trying to convince AAA that altho my cellfone has a 614 area code #, we r really in Kansas, and that my battery is givin out and WILL THEY PLEASE GET SOMEONE OUT HERE WITH A TANK OF GAS, thank u very much.
The bovines laught outright.
Meanwhile, far away west in Greeley, my girlfriend Alex, is preparing to drive to Denver to meet us at a computer store, so that i can advise in purchases of new hardware. Little does she know that Nemesis, having shaken us about a bit, has sped west and is glowering at her thru little beady red eyes...
Cut back to Kansas. Police trooper pulls up, is very nice after verifying that we r not really ax murderers (not noticing the hatchet in the back) and drives us to some gas. The cows, seeing the show is over, disperse.
We get back on the road. Flatness prevails. Cellfone gives out after Salina, not that it did much good.
We get to Denver, cellfone comes back to life. Discover that Alex's car has broken (message on cellfone).
Thunderstorms begin. Drive to Greeley, get there thru Donner und Blitzen See a Rainbow.
But, as i always say, onward and sideways.