I caught up on sleep on the drive north, resting my head on Mom's shoulder. We stopped only for gas and food, and two men waited outside the bathroom at Arby's while Mom and I used the facilities. We got our food to go as one of the guards filled the tank, and we were back on the road. A couple of beef, bacon and cheddar roast beef sandwiches, curly fries, and a vanilla shake was my lunch.

The guys did their best to keep my mind off things, drawing me into conversations about my diving, my training, and food. There were far worse places to be stuck than Baxter's...