On Thursday I packed a few things, filled up the cooler with Dr. Pepper and plenty of ice, and hopped in my truck for an eight and a half hour fun-filled drive to Florida!  I was off for my seventh Craig Proctor Superconference, this time in Orlando, FL.

Though it was going to be a bit of a drive, I didn't mind much.  I told myself that I drove that distance dozens of times when I was in college.  The drive from Lindsborg KS was about eight hours to Thornton, CO and the drive from Manhattan, KS was only about half an hour longer. What I seemed to have forgotten is that I was over a decade younger...

The drive went well.  I listened to a book on tape (had to bring a tape player along - none in the truck). I watched the scenery change from South Carolina to Georgia to Florida. 

When I hit Jacksonville, I had to turn off the book on tape.  It was impossible to hear it over the thunderstorm I had driven into.  After an agonizing half hour of driving slowly, some due to the rain, but most due to the people driving slowly around me through the rain, I got back into beautifully clear weather. 

When I hit Orlando, it was just about seven and a half hours after I had started.  Not bad for a trip that was supposed to take an hour longer.  I won't admit to my average speed...