Chapter 8

[Preservation – Jim in Texas]

Returning to I-20, I continued east toward Dallas-Fort Worth. Looking at the map, I saw that I would reach Fort Worth first and the time was now mid-afternoon. I hadn't eaten and really wasn't hungry but was tired and sick to my soul. I decided that a good night's rest would be good and pulled off the Interstate in the area of Weatherford. I found a place to park where I wouldn't be seen including my lights. I hoped the generator wouldn't make too much noise. I decided that it would not stay on all night as the weather was comfortable and I wouldn't need air conditioning. The batteries for powering the fridge should be adequate for the night. I had checked and the generator and those batteries were not part of the engine cranking system.

I cooked a simple supper and shut the generator down. I made sure everything was locked up tightly and went to bed with my pistol on the floor next to me. The night went quietly. I heard nothing but a soft wind blowing and low animal sounds. I slept soundly being emotionally spent from the previous day.

In the morning, I woke up early and went outside. I listened before moving around. There were no sounds of people. I had to guess that other people were lying low. I heated a quick breakfast of oatmeal and instant coffee. I hated instant coffee but wasn't willing to take time make better. I wanted to get out of here. I figured early would be safest for traveling through the Dallas-Fort Worth tangle of expressways. I thought about stopping somewhere and picking up a GPS but decided that my interactions with people had not been successful and I could do without it. I knew where I was going as long as there were no detours at least to Atlanta. All I had to do was stay on I-20.

I started out and made good time through the city area and saw no one. That suited me right now. I wanted to be alone. Losing people was rough and I was beginning to fear that would happen if someone else crossed my path.

I made Shreveport just before lunch without incident. However, as I came to Shreveport, I could see smoke, lots of smoke. It was directly in front of me. I stopped and looked over my map. I turned around and went back a few hundred feet to the I-220 interchange and went northeast on it. I intended to go around the area. I didn't want to get involved in whatever might be going on there.

I went around without incident. I saw no one. I stopped once, cut the motor and got out. In the far distance, I heard explosions. Either something was exploding from the fire that existed or someone was blowing things up. I decided that I made the right decision to go around. I reconnected with I-20 and started east again. I saw and heard people or, at least, activity at the Harrah's that was close to the interchange. I didn't check on it.

I continued on to Vicksburg crossing over the Mississippi River. I decided to pull up for the night. I saw a sign for a camping and RV resort and followed the signs to it. I pulled into a place for the night. I leveled and hooked up. It was quite pleasant and very quiet. I didn't have to use the generator that suited me fine. I turned on the inside lights, closed the curtains and went outside. From a hundred feet away, there was only a slight glow from any window. There were other RV's in the area that were deserted. I saw one that looked particularly nice. As I came to it, the smell was very bad and I decided that my RV would be satisfactory for me.

I made a nice supper and ate outside enjoying the fresh air. I could see how people could enjoy camping. I had been in the scouts when I was young but had forgotten the pleasure of being out at night in good weather.

When I went in for the night, I hooked up the TV to the satellite that came with the RV. You had to hunt a bit but I found the satellite and listened to reruns for an hour before deciding to hit the hay. I made sure to lock up and went to bed with my pistol on the floor by the bed again. That pistol was now a constant companion.

I got up in the morning and made breakfast including real coffee. I looked over my map and came to a few decisions. First was that, even without problems, this trip would take most of a week. Second was that I had been lucky. My experience with the shotgun had been more luck than skill. I needed to change that before it became a problem. I took all three guns out and loaded them. I picked out some trees for targets and, moving away from the RV, began to practice.

Shooting a pistol well requires a lot of practice. I had been a target shooter a few years ago but hadn't shot on any even slightly regular basis since. I could usually hit the tree! The shotgun was good as long as you were close. At any real distance, the shot spread so much as to make it worthless. The rifle was different. Since I had been a pretty good shot before, I was able to back away and still hit the tree consistently from an acceptable distance. I wasn't pleased but was satisfied with the results. I went back to the RV, got the cleaning kits, and cleaned all three. I loaded each one and set the safeties. The pistol went on my hip in a holster. I had no thoughts of quick draw; I just wanted it with me. The rifle and shotgun would go in the RV under normal circumstances.

I put them away and got ready to move out. I returned to I-20 and continued east. I had checked my new map after taking it from a gas station where I filled up. I would take I-20 up to Birmingham but use the by-pass as it actually looked a bit shorter. Then I would resume my eastward trek on I-20. I decided to stop at Logan Martin Lake for the night. I had been there many years before and remembered it as a pretty place. That's what I did. I saw no one the entire day except for one car going across a distant bridge in front of me.