Well, it wasn't so funny at the time. Yesterday, I was driving up to Portland (about 4 1/2 hours) for an event. I had my case of water with me, my Medi-meals all planned out, I was ready! I stopped to pee, hopped back on the road, drank some more water. I passed an exit with services and thought, "Hmm, I think I'll be needing the next one of those with a bathroom." Except there was no next one. Because about 10 miles from the exit, traffic suddenly came to a halt. Stop and go. Well, really, stop and sit there for a long time then inch a few feet forward and stop again. And suddenly, I realized that I REALLY had to go. Traffic kept inching forward, it was probably 30 or 45 minutes (although it felt like an eternity). I looked for anywhere at all that might offer enough privacy. I began eyeballing the little food container my husband left in the car. I started wondering where I would be able to buy a new pair of pants, should my old ones get, ahem, a little damp. Then, I noticed large amounts of steam coming from under my hood. I looked at the temperature gague - yep, overheated! I pulled over, got out of the car, and started crying. I wasn't crying so much over the car per se, as I was over the fact that my only source of transportation to a potty was now out of operation. The terrain was flat and open. I saw motorhomes inching by, and wondered if the nice people in them would let me use their bathroom. I couldn't even begin to think about solving the car situation, because all I cared about was figuring out a way to pee!! I was pulled over on the left side, in the grassy median. On the right side of the freeway, a way back from the road, there was a wire fence, some berry bushes (the very thorny kind), and one little tree. So, I hot-footed it over there, hopped the fence (it was thankfully quite low in that spot), backed myself into a sort of alcove in the bushes which happened to be right behind the little tree, draped my coat over my front, and peed, right there, in front of God and everyone. Although it was an attempt at privacy, it still was pretty much in plain view of anyone looking down from the freeway. Be that as it may, I don't believe I've ever felt so relieved in my entire life.
I found I was thankful for a few things while that was going on. First, I was very thankful that the weight I've lost has made it MUCH easier to keep my balance in a crouched position. Second, I was very thankful that I had 37 lbs fewer to try to cover up. Finally, I was very thankful that the sense of relief overwhelmed any sense of mortification I might have felt in less, um, urgent circumstances.
I removed myself from the thorns, waited a little longer until the engine cooled down all the way, used some of my water (I'd brought plenty!) to fill the radiator, crossed over to the south-bound side of the freeway, and went home (60 mph, heater on, kept checking fluids). I will admit, a Whopper and fries suddenly sounded very, very good. I
almost talked myself into believing I deserved them. But then I thought of some of the warnings I've seen on the forum, from people who've splurged on super fatty foods, and figured that if I gave in, needing to pee might not be the worst of my issues! So I drank a very tasty RTD, and enjoyed the last bit of my 6 1/2 hour, 300 mile pleasure drive.
Turns out it was a semi crash that had blocked all northbound lanes, and the delay was over two hours. So, even if I hadn't overheated, I wouldn't have made it to my event on time. Ah well, such is life.
The moral of the story: When travelling, if you even think you need to pee, do not pass up any available toilets! The toilet you just passed up may in fact be the last one you see for a very long time!