Back in November I drove to Chickasha, Oklahoma and back in one weekend to pick up Lisa Marie. It turned out to be 1302 miles. I went 100 on both Thursday and Sunday, when I stopped in St. Louis to break up the miles. Staying awake when driving alone can be a challenge. I am pretty good at pouring coffee from my Stanley Thermos as I drive, because I have been doing it for decades. Sometimes coffee is not enough, though. Susan had packed caffeine shots in my snack bag, but they are hard to use when you are driving. You have to cut the end off a foil tube, dump the powder into a little bottle of water, recap the bottle and shake it up. Coming through Oklahoma and Missouri on Saturday I had a heavy crosswind and rain that kept visibility restricted. There were wrecks because of the wind, so I had to pay attention to my driving, and I was fighting sleep. I reached into my snack bag and fumbled around. The bottle I pulled out said ENERGY! I did not have my reading glasses on, so I couldn't see the small print. I thought it was a bottle with one shot of foul tasting psuedo fruit juice with a big shot of caffeine. I managed to get the seal off of it and started shooting juice into my mouth. That stuff seemed mighty intense...got about half of it down and put on my glasses. Holy Cow. I had just consumed at least 6 shots of caffeine! I have over-indulged in coffee a few times, and the results are not pleasant. The main thing is you can feel your heart pound and your chest tightens up. About then Susan called and asked how I was doing..."I'm trying not to have a heart attack!" is what I told her. I was chugging water to dilute the stuff down, and I got out at a rest stop and walked around a bit. I made it to St. Louis and slept just fine that night, but I don't plan on doing caffeine shots like that again!
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