I Wanna Know....

Someone told me long ago,
There's a calm before the storm....

The words to the CCR song just keep running through my brain as I hold the paper towels up against the seam of the truck cab, trying to catch the drops before they can damage valuable electronics.  The storms that were predicted, came on with a vengeance as we made our way out of Arkansas and into Tennessee this evening.  The lightening show was spectacular, vying with the city lights as we made our way through Memphis.

Our driving day started out quite beautifully, just before 1 PM Central time, as we packed up our gear, gassed up the truck and pulled back out onto Rt. 40 in Van Buren, AR.  We didn't get far before the "check engine" light came on.  Had Joe not JUST checked the oil when we filled up, he would have been more concerned.  As it was, he decided to drive on, keeping an eye on the gauges, until we came to the first rest area.  On our way we speculated as to the cause of the check engine light.  This truck is a Ford. Could it be the infamous "computer" that periodically demands the engine be checked?  Did Joe "touch" anything under the hood, while he was checking the oil, that could have disrupted the intricate balance of the Penske truck's engine?  From my own experience, I recalled once taking my car in for servicing because the check engine light came on.... turns out, as the mechanic told me, "you have to put the gas cap back on properly..." 

Well, sure enough, at the rest area, it was the gas cap that had not seated right when put back on... check engine light has not been a problem since.  However, the stop at that rest area afforded us a nice photo opportunity~

Fall Colors Starting in AR

Joe, capturing the scene

Purely Picturesque

Zoomed into a Lazy Sunday afternoon Cow Gathering

Fall Colors under Fall Sky

Helicopter flies overhead

Baby Snake, enjoying a Fall Day

Our next BIG adventure came when, we literally ended up making an emergency stop at a hospital somewhere in AR.... I walked "briskly" into the emergency room entrance, asked the guard at the door if I could use the restroom.... and he nodded, as I made my way, with or without his permission.... I had to go or I was going to pass out, and then I would REALLY need the emergency room!  And then we were back on the road and stopped at the VERY NEXT EXIT.... (the one we THOUGHT we were exiting on when we ended up at the hospital emergency room) where we enjoyed a leisurely fast food lunch.

Once back on the road, the trip was uneventful until we hit the Tennessee border and the torrential rain.  Before long we realized, despite our windows being closed, we were getting wet.  And so we discovered that in driving rain, the cab of the truck has a failure.  We have not located to precise point of that failure, but it seems as long as I hold wads of paper towels up at the seam, behind my head, I can catch the majority of the water.  Riding for several hours with my arms extended over and slightly behind my head gets just a wee bit tiring.  Still, a small price to pay for not having to DRIVE in this stuff!  Thankfully, the rain has let up for the moment.

Arkansas colors under Stormy skies

Rain Approaching as we near the TN border

Somewhere in AR

AR Fall Colors

Political Message

AR Late afternoon sky

We have just passed through Knoxville... I have seen essentially nothing of Tennessee, as it has been dark and raining the entire time we have been traveling through.  Next time, we should really travel through during daylight hours.  In Arkansas I saw the leaves were starting to turn colors, and I imagine here in TN they are hitting that peak color...but, it's dark, so I really have no idea.

And every time it starts to rain, I grab that paper towel, reach above my head and think of the CCR song.... I wanna know...have you ever seen the rain....comin' down on a sunny day?