Day Three
The Motel 6 in Covington had a blanket, which was good, the bed was one of the most uncomfortable beds I’ve ever slept in. I started having back pain and couldn’t get comfortable. Then the bloating and abdominal pain started. Finally I started sweating with a possible fever. I tried everything, lying the floor, I pulled the cushions of the hide a bed onto floor, no good. I finally laid across the bottom the bed and was able to get a few hours of sleep. I got up early and went for breakfast at Pappy & Jimmies. I got the cheese omelet with hash browns, I normally finish every meal but I felt so bad I barely choked down half of it.
All these symptoms continued throughout the day driving. I skipped all the planned stops but did stop a lot at highway rest stops or just pulled of exits. At first I tried taking 15 minute brisk walks to help my back, but unfortunately the best I could do was a 5 minute stroll with a 10 minute rest in the car. I also went to a Walmart (I must have been delirious) and bought Salonpas patches and Gas-X tablets. Neither really helped. While talking to Maureen we decided that I should stop using Motel 6 and upgrade my hotel. I struggled on until 4:00 PM when I checked into the Hampton Inn in Clarksville, AR. I had covered about half of my goal for the day which means I would probably miss my return flight. At this point I didn’t care.