Author Archives: Sparky
TS7 Hop 17 – Robertsdale AL to Tallahassee FL
224 miles, all on I-10 except for a few miles at either end. Cumulative tow miles: 3688. Truck miles: 332. Cumulative truck miles: 5168. The extra truck miles were due to a sightseeing trip north of Robertsdale and a refueling stop at Buc-ees. It terms of navigation it doesn’t get any easier than this. Traffic … Continue reading
“The October List” by Jeffery Deaver
Copyright 2013 by Gunner Publications LLC. Published by Grand Central Publishing, New York. I think Jeffery Deaver is a very talented author. Some of his plots – particularly the ones involving Lincoln Rhyme – are among the most complex and deviant ones I have encountered. I was really looking forward to reading The October List. … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 16 – Vicksburg MS to Robertsdale AL
264 miles via I-20, US 49, I-59 through Hattiesburg, US 98, a zig-zag route through Mobile (I-65 and I-165 plus some local streets) and I-10. Cumulative tow miles: 3464. Truck miles: 297. Cumulative truck miles: 4836. The extra truck miles were due to the tour of the Vicksburg battlefield, but also trips to the casino, … Continue reading
Vicksburg National Military Park
I expected Vicksburg to be a highlight of the TS7 and I was right. It wasn’t what I expected, but it was a really fine Civil War battlefield. So what was unexpected about the battlefield? Two things: it was more rural (I expected it to be right in Vicksburg but the visitor’s center and driving … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 15 – Omaha AR to Vicksburg MS
369 miles, almost entirely on US 65 (about 20 miles on I-20 into Vicksburg). Cumulative tow miles: 3200. Truck miles: 281. Cumulative truck miles: 4539. The extra truck miles were the refueling trip in Omaha. This hop included a refueling stop in Pine Bluff AR. It was a very long day – about 6.5 hours … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 14 – Lee’s Summit MO to Omaha AR
Yes, there is an Omaha in Arkansas. I was surprised, too. 224 miles via I-470 (south of Kansas City), I-49, MO-7, MO-13, I-44 and US 65. Cumulative tow miles: 2833. Truck miles: 308. Cumulative truck miles: 4158. The extra truck miles were primarily due to a not-very-interesting auto tour of the KC area. You probably … Continue reading
“Play Dead” by Harlen Coben
Copyright 1990 by Harlen Coben. Published by Penguin Group, New York. Harlen Coben is one of my favorite suspense/mystery writers. Play Dead is not one of his better books. In fact I would have to rate it as the worst of his books that I have read. But apparently it was also the first book … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 13 – Oxford IA to Lee’s Summit MO
310 miles via I-80, I-35, I-470 (east of Kansas City), a short stretch of I-49 and some final miles on I-470 to Lee’s Summit. Cumulative tow miles: 2609. Truck miles: 375. Cumulative truck miles: 3850. I refueled in Lamoni IA, just north of the Missouri border. This was a pretty easy hop, in good weather, … Continue reading
A week in my hometown
Well, close to my hometown anyway. DeForest, when I was growing up in Madison WI, was a little village. Now it is a town with 2 water towers and more than 10,000 residents. My week included a number of social and recreational activities: Dinner with 5 friends from high school at Paisan’s which, in my … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 12 – DeForest WI to Oxford IA
220 miles via WI 19, I-39/I-90, US 151, I-380 (south of Cedar Rapids) and a bizarre sequence of lousy county roads the last 12 miles to the destination. Cumulative tow miles: 2299. Truck miles: 652. Cumulative truck miles: 3475. The extra truck miles were accumulated as a result of a series of social and recreational … Continue reading