Elk Hunt Chronicles - Day One

Long day today. Actually, it began with a long day yesterday.

The deer season in Texas begins the first weekend in November. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which is my elk hunting trip, Sunday was the only day we could all get together to do the before-season chores. So I drove three hours to the deer lease, put in a full day working there, and drove three hours back home. Left at 5:30 a.m. and was back home at 8:30 p.m. Then I got up at 7:00 a.m. the next day (Monday) to leave for Wyoming.

Sigh...

Still, I was so excited to begin the trip that fatigue wasn't a factor. What was a factor, however, was the dolts at SiriusXM radio. As part of prepping for the trip, a couple of days before I left I tested my plug-in Sirius radio. It didn't work.

I went through the whole 'contact tech support' thing. After Ajit and I determined that it was a hardware problem (duh - the unit was as dark as my ex-wife's heart) he passed me on to the Sales Department to order a replacement unit.

Since all this took place on Thursday, and I was leaving Monday, I clearly, emphatically, and repeatedly explained to my new best friend and Account Consultant that I absolutely positively had to have the new unit no later than Saturday.

Chandra repeatedly assured me that if I paid for 'Next Day Shipping' I would recieve it on Friday. I know this is so, because our conversation was recorded 'for quality purposes.'

You can guess the rest.  No radio on Friday. No radio on Saturday. I left on Sunday. The radio showed up on Monday.

Normally it wouldn't be a big deal, except that I spent Sunday and Monday driving through some very remote parts of the state. For example, on Sunday morning I could only receive one station. Since it was Sunday, and since we were in West Texas, I was treated to several hours of sermons. No doubt I could benefit from them, but it still made for a tedious drive.

Speaking of West Texas and saving souls, I am spending Monday night in the beàutiful metropolis of Dumas TX. This is such a big damn state that I drove for 9 hours and am still about 100 miles from the state line. Anyway...

Dumas is DRY. For those of you not familiar with archaiac Texas laws, that means no beer, wine, or liquor can be sold within the city limits ... UNLESS you are a member of a private club.

Oh, and by the way, you can purchase a one day membership in any private club in town for $5 bucks.

They may be Baptists, but they're not stupid.

To sum up, I'm tired, thirsty/dry, crànky, and suffering through a poor Internet connection. I'm going to bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day,although I doubt it.

My travel schedule calls for two more hours of driving time tomorrow than today (11 hours vs. 9 hours). I'll either have to drive longer or faster...