Well, the time has finally come and I made the trip from Arizona to Arkansas. The plan was to get up and get on the road at 6:00am and then drive all day and arrive around 12:30am (just after midnight the next morning). As it turns out, I was able to get up and get on the road close to schedule. The actual departure time was 6:12am (according to the official time keeping piece - my watch). According to mapquest, my trip was supposed to be 1,246 miles (town to town) and should have taken 18 hours and 36 minutes. In actuality it was 1,254.7 miles (driveway to driveway) and took 18 hours 52 minutes and 38 seconds (see below). This included three stops one in Gallop, New Mexico - one in Amarillo, Texas - and one in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Each stop was for fuel and a quick rest room break. The average fuel economy for this trip came in at 33.8 miles per gallon.

I was a little surprised at my ability to make the trip in a single day. I was of course, hoping to be able to do so, but the 4-5 days prior to this journey were extended hour days (meaning that I was up past midnight each night) and I doubted my ability to say awake for this trip. I arrived around 1:00am Arizona time and 3:00am local time. As for wildlife, I saw two deer both right on the grass next to the freeway - One east Oklahoma City, and the other North of Pine Bluff, AR. In addition to these deer, there was one dog that I managed to get up close and personal with. When I had crossed into Arkansas, maybe 100 miles into the state, there was a white dog the size and shape of a greyhound, with markings similar to a dalmation but the color of a Brittany spaniel. As I approached its location, it decided that it needed to cross the road in front of me

So, as I got closer he moved in to my lane. When I had first saw the dog, I disengaged the cruise control in hopes that I would start the slowing down process. The closer I got, however, I decided that he wasn't going to turn back and so I laid on the breaks. This dog, either didn't care I was there, or had a death wish, because its course remained unchanged as I approached. I managed to leave some rubber on the pavement and then came in contact with its very hind quarters/tail at a speed of around 40 m.p.h. I don't know if I ran it over or not, nor did I feel any distinct thuds, but rather just a noise if it brushing the front passenger corner of the vehicle and then it was gone. I decided that I didn't need to stop and inspect any further, so I kept going forward. What I did notice was the rubber that I left on the pavement was enough to make the tires out of round and from this point forward I could hear the rpm of the tires with little bumps (once per

revolution). I hoping that this would decrease with time kept driving, only to find that it still exists this morning. I don't know how much skid marks it takes to put a noticable thud in the tires, but I managed it. Maybe there is a reason why abs is good to have equipped on a vehicle. Other than this incident the trip was uneventful. Once I got south of Little Rock, there were patches of thick dense fog, such that I had to slow down to 30 m.p.h. on 5-6 occasions. I am not used to this driving, but I was passed on two occasions by vehicles doing 65+ m.p.h. when I couldn't see 10 feet in front of the car. They were either gutsy or used to it - but either way stupid. I lost two hours on the drive back this way, one at the NM line and one at the TX line due to daylight savings time and central time zone. Once I arrived, I went to bed and then got up this morning and started taking pictures with our phone for Terra. Of course, the wonderful technology that exists in phones will allow you to take photos and then em ail them to your computer for a nominal fee. Once finding this out

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