Caffeine & Sunflower Seeds

Saturday, September 3^rd marked the fifth day on the road for us.  We have logged over 2,600 miles, which is a hair over 500 miles a day.  We have seen an incredible cross section of our country—almost all of it from the cab of our dodge pick up truck.  With all these hours spent on the road, we have settled into some routines, some of them good, some of them bad.

There are three primary sources of caffeine in the truck: a coffee maker in the camper, two bags of dark chocolate covered coffee beans (from Amstutz Pantry) and a pack of Starbucks Double Shot Espresso cans.  All of these sources have been frequently utilized, as well as supplementary Mcdonald’s coffee.  There have also been some sleepless nights dues to over dosages. 

All this caffeine has led to quite a bit of animated discussion.  The three of us have come a long way towards solving all the world’s problems, primarily by diagnosing all of them.  One has to be careful with bringing up new topics, or making imperative statements as the two other caffeine-hopped passengers are quick to pounce.  Making a weak comment is analogous to a lame buffalo calf walking into a pack of starving wolves—it is not pretty.

The driving burden has been shared equally by all—although I (Thomas) have been taking the bulk of the shotgun seat duties while Anna and Dad play with their smart phones in the back seat, reading emails and facebook messages. 

Before we left for the trip, Scott & Bethany Nussbaum gave me an awesome goodie basket of snacks, the best of which was a two-pound bag of sunflower seeds.  We have been rifling through the seeds, but have yet to put a serious dent in the bag.  As I write, my cheeks and lips are chapped from all the salt in the seeds.  I have developed the skill of holding a handful of seeds in my mouth and shelling them one by one, spitting out the shells.  Anna and Dad do not possess this talent and can only shell one seed at a time, requiring them to use their hands in the process.  I am somewhat embarrassed to be around them while they do this as it is bit disgusting.  It is difficult to be the most refined person while traveling upwards of 100 hours with other’s who are rougher around the edges.