I ran down to Texas and delivered my load. I was supposed to pick up from the same site and run back to Wisconsin but things being things they weren't finished with that machine so it wasn't ready to go back to WI. I wound up sitting a couple of days in TX.
It was hot. Really, really hot. Like would fry a lizard on a rock hot.
I finally got a load out of Ft Worth going to OH. Better than nothing.
It was a load of roll roofiing and had to be tarped. This is not a good thing IMHO as the tarps weigh a tad better than 100 lbs each and the load needed two of them. Tarping involved carrying the tarp up to the top of the load, rolling it out, and then once it's iin place strapping it down. It's a LOT of work.
As mentioned, it was hot. The radio said it was 106 with a 120 "heat index". I just know it felt damn hot out there in the sun.
Ya know you're in trouble when it's over 100 degrees outside and you start having cold chills. That's where I was. I used to be a Red Cross instructor so I know the symptoms of heat exhaustion, and I was there big time.
I went into the place with three 32 ounce bottles of Gatorade and by the time I started feeling sick I had downed all three.
By the time I finished securing and tarping the load in the TX sun I was in pretty bad shape and I knew it. I wasn't too far away from keeling over from the heat.
I headed straight to the nearest truck stop and got myself into a shower. I was standing in the shower drinking more Gatorade while gradually turning down the temp of the water to cool down my core temp. Too quick could have resulted in shock, so it was a gradual process, but it worked.
By the time I finished the shower my legs had stopped shaking and I regained some energy. It took me three days of good sleep and a lot of Gatorade before I started feeling solid again.
It really was a scary situation.
I'm now in WI again. After securing my load of two military trucks I checked into the hotel and, after a somewhat cool shower I headed over to Applebee's for some dinner and a couple of cold ones.
I got a lot of "hellos" and a couple of hugs when I got there. That's always nince when you're 1300 miles from home. "C" gave me a big hug and noticed that I looked " a bit off" and asked if I was ok. I guess I haven't quite recovered from my near hospital visit. I told her about my experience in TX and as is her nature she was very empathetic and consoling.
Normally I would be very resistant to a person's consolations but coming from her, knowing her nature, I was grateful for it. I knew she actually meant it. She actually does care, which is nice.
I'll spend the night realxing in this hotel and tomorrow I'm off to SC. My load is all loaded and secured so all I have to do in the morning is drive. It's only 16 hours from here to Charleston and since I don't have to be there until Monday morning I can take my time.
That's a good thing as I need to do laundry. I'm wearing my last clean clothes ( no clean socks at this point). I'll stop somwhere tomorrow and wash some clothes.
Such is life on the road.