So why am I driving down Interstate 81 with a cup of coffee in my hand, loaded with enough sugar to put an elephant into a diabetic coma and listening to Madonna, Huey Lewis and the News, Debbie and New Kids on the Block? Because I have an 8AM base call 300 miles away, in southwestern Virginia and I left my house at 10PM to drive through the night to get there on time. And there is nothing like caffeine and bad music to keep you awake.
I hate coffee. The smell of a fresh pot of coffee makes my stomach acid churn and my nose burn. I made it through four years of vet school and its attendant late night without the ubiquitous cup of joe at my side. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and I really don’t want to run into a tractor trailer or a guard rail at 75 miles an hour.
Trying to stay awake for the 5 plus hour overnight trip from my house to Coeburn, Virginia, was nearly beyond me. Therefore the need for a more efficient caffeine delivery system: hazel nut coffee with chocolate creamer and four packs of sugar. I made it to Marion, Virginia before the inevitable circadian rhythm pulled me under.
I ended up taking a nap at a rest stop near mile post 50 close by the town of Marion. I figured I was pretty close and since it was only 2AM, I could stop for a little bit for a rest. I didn’t realize that I had another hour and half of driving ahead of me before arriving at base. My F150 is an extended cab, with blankets and padding to make it a soft place for the dogs to sleep while they are in the truck with me, and it doubled as my bed that night. The hardest part was trying to convince Cora to move to the driver’s seat. She’s been scolded enough that she was very reluctant to sit up there while I was stretched out in the back. She wouldn’t go easily and actually tried to sit on my knees and stretch out to the console between the front seats, her butt higher than her head. She was painful to watch, all crumpled up in that position. After a little more urging from me, she realized that it was probably more comfortable to get into the front seat.
After only an hour and half of sleep, and complete lack of REM sleep, the rumble of the tractor trailers woke me up and back on the road we went. With the weird hangover shakes that come from too much caffeine and too little sleep. Sucks, cause I didn’t have any fun getting that hangover.
It was still hard trying to get through the last little bit of the trip. I am glad I couldn’t see how steep the drop offs where the cliff disappears since it was still dark. We all made it to the base with more than two hours to spare. Kind of a good thing, since I could feed the dogs in time for it not to be an issue while they are working, but I still could have used the extra two hours for some sleep.
The dogs could nap, but I couldn’t and I still had another 15 hours in front of me.
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