Ugh

I know, its been almost 3 weeks.

Cape Girardeau, MO- The only thing worth mentioning about that stop was we drive down to Memphis for a day when the weather was bad. We went to Graceland and Beale St. Thats about it. I left Cape Girardeau on March 13th.

Sedalia, MO- My next stop was Sedalia, MO. Really nothing to say about this pit stain on the map. I had the worst tasting beer in my life here. You know the smell of a musty cellar? Liquify, add alcohol, hops, etc and you have the filthy trash I drank. Lesson learned. I left Sedalia on March 17th. Sedalia is where my buddy and I got the idea to start camping to save money.

Iowa City, IA- This was just a stopover. There was a project earlier in the season that was cut short due to heavy snow. We only have a few hours of work and never spent the night.

Mason City, IA- Mason City was our first attempt at camping. It was mildly successful. We camped at Clear Lake State Park. It was cold as hell. If memory serves, it was 25 that night. Well the next night was supposed to be even colder, possibly hitting the teens. The airport manager offered up an unused EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) meeting room for the night. We gladly accepted, especially since it was free and a toasty 65 degrees.

This morning we woke to a phone call that we would be moving to another project because some grade-A moron of the Mason City political ranks decided there was too much snow on the ground. Let me share a little secret: there was no snow except the occasional pile in a ditch from previous plowing. Nothing like trying to settle in and getting the rug yanked out from under you. Idiots.

For a little fun fact about Mason City. The Mason City airport is where Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens' chartered Beech Bonanza crashed shortly after takeoff. As a matter of fact, I imaged over the area where their plane crashed just NW of the airport. On an unrelated note, I rolled thru 1100hrs in Mason City.

Des Moines, IA- I am currently in Des Moines, IA. We only have a few days here and word is we'll be headed to Cedar Rapids next.

Hopefully that is enough to quench your thirst for my adventures for now. I gotta say, the prospect of being done in 2 months is amazing. This job has its ups, but it has major downs. Its a marathon and I can feel myself (and the other guys here) approaching the wall.

ZDD