Maryland Wins the Foliage Contest for Fall 2015

The winner this year for best foliage is Maryland.  As you can see the colors were vibrant and beautiful.  While we saw many beautiful scenes across the Midwest and East Coast this year, Maryland definitely was our favorite.

After a weekend of trucking from Annapolis Junction, MD to Sewell, NJ then Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh, we have arrived home.  The weekend, while yes not a lot of miles still ended up being very long due to the timing and time of the load ins and load out on Sunday and Monday.

 

Love DC at 2:00 am for its beauty and the roads are clear of traffic

This trip out was a very nice one.  We had wonderful weather throughout the month. We also met some very nice people along the way and got to see beautiful scenery.  Not much more you can ask for and while many may not believe this, I am looking forward to returning to the truck in January, despite what weather may await me.

    

4:00 am on a Dirt Road

Minneapolis on Sunday Night

The Mobil Truck Stop - Home away from home for a few days

After Appleton we stopped for a few days at a small Mobil truck stop in Waupaca, WI.  We had only planned on staying there for the night then moving on to someplace closer to Minneapolis.  But the Three Squares Restaurant, the nice staff at the restaurant, the extremely nice/clean bathrooms and sidewalk for walking won us over.  On Saturday, our breakfast waitress from Thursday not only remembered us but Vince’s order too.  It gave us a hometown feeling that you don’t find very often on the road.

Sunday night load out of the closing of the Little Mermaid was long. We didn’t leave the theatre until 3:45 am ET. Last show load outs take longer because items need to be divided for returns to the different shops, lights, audio and sound each go back to their respective shops.  We were loaded with scenery and audio, which meant two stops for us.

Our first delivery was to Springdale PA at 7:00 am Tuesday which was 800+ miles away.  These are the types of runs where day becomes night and night becomes day.  It is a tough thing to accomplish and I find that sadly the older I get the harder it is to do. But this time I took the avenue of only drinking my usual 16 oz of coffee and hydrating with only water (no additional caffeine).  Surprisingly, it actually worked and I was less tired throughout the trip.

At 4:00 am on Tuesday morning we arrived at the warehouse in Springdale.  To get to the dock Vince has to back down a dark, somewhat curvy dirt road, so I offered to help. I am sure I was a sight, standing on that dirt road in my black dress spring/fall coat (it has a nice hood on it and it was windy) with a reflective vest over it and a two way radio in my hand.  I asked Vince if he could see me at the back of the trailer and he answered very surprisingly that in fact he could.  

As I moved back and forth through the curves, I had to walk sometimes backwards to keep an eye on the trailer position as it moved and other times front ways as to not walk into a hole (trust me it was pitch black other than the trailer lights several feet away).  I found myself reflecting on how happy I was at that moment.  It was 4:00 am, I was coming off 48 hours of a topsy turvy sleep pattern, it was cold and windy and yet I was truly happy. I felt peaceful in the darkness because it was completely quiet other than the sound of the truck whirling as Vince would gently press the accelerator. I thought about how I was making things easier for Vince and was proud of how much I have learned over the last 7 years about how a trailer moves, which meant that I was actually helping.    It is amazing sometimes the things that bring us pure joy and I knew in that moment it was exactly what I was feeling.   I am just very thankful I took notice of the moment and appreciated it before it past me by.

Yonkers this morning, yes, it was tight and yes, that is a car parked in front of us

After Springdale it was off to New York for a 7:00 am delivery in Yonkers this morning for the unloading of the audio equipment.  Getting over the George Washington Bridge went amazingly smoothly last night which trust me is not always the case.  Our delivery also went smoothly and shockingly we got out of the city with ease, something neither of us once again expected.

 

Next up - Annapolis Junction, Maryland on Friday.

A Busy Fall 2015 Already

fall in PA

As we headed out at the end of September I was once again excited for the opportunity to see the fall colors around the country.  Little did I know how many different places we would travel in the first two and a half weeks of the trip that would give me that opportunity.  At one point the first week I told Vince I might need a map, some pushpins and colored string to keep it all straight.

Eclipse - East Lansing

 In the first two and a half weeks we have done the following moves:

East Lansing to Boston (saw the eclipse)

Boston to New Windsor, NY

Rock Tavern, NY to Durham (thankful for only rain & high winds due to hurricane)

Durham to Washington, DC (watched planes take off from Reagan while sitting on my perch at the Kennedy Ctr)

Rock Tavern, NY to Boston

Boston to Harrisburg to DeKalb, IL

DeKalb, IL to Columbus, OH (got to due laundry with my own washer and dryer and check in with family and a friend while Vince relaxed)

Columbus, OH to Appleton, WI 

The Potomac on a beautiful fall day

Homeland Security circling DC

Load out at the Ohio Theatre

Yesterday after leaving Appleton, WI, we visited the EAA Museum in Oshgosh, an aviation museum that has 90 planes, including a replica of the Spirit of St. Louis and a very impressive WWII room.  We once again experienced how small a world we live in.  When we approached the greeter at the museum he asked where we were from. We stated Columbus, Ohio, and he shared he had gone to medical school at OSU.  We then talked a little about the football team before he shared with us the layout of the museum.  This isn’t the first time we have run into someone with a connection to us or the towns we have lived in and I am sure it won’t be the last.

5th Air Force was Vince's Dad's unit in WWII , the exhibit includes a wall that shows where all units served during the war along with details about the units role in the war and items from that unit.

Today, we are in Waupaca, WI before heading to Minneapolis, MN where it will all start up again.

Winding Roads, a Casino Resort and Family!

Jillian and Charlotte

Last year when we went to the casino resort in NM it was very far off the beaten path, so much so that we thought we had possibly missed it until I saw the billboards asking Gambling Problem? Once we saw those we knew we were close rather than had over shot it.  That trek did little to prepare me for the winding roads we had to travel down when we got off the 15 in California and headed toward the Harrah’s Resort in Valley Center.

I-15 on our way down from Barstow - LA trying to rival NY

The hairpin turns and steep drop offs tested my heart more than once.  I worried that traffic coming the opposite way would think they had some lead way going left of center which they did not and worried we too may go left of center.  Vince had called asking for directions twice on our way there but never received a call back.  You can only imagine how unhappy I was when we were told the morning of load in that there was an easier way to go when we left.  Really? Thanks! We would have appreciated that info a day or two sooner.  Although I must say that the staff at the resort were great.  Everyone was friendly and very welcoming.

Harrah's Resort Valley Center

After load in on Friday we enjoyed a nice lunch and dinner, some gambling and pool time.  The show is kind enough to include the driver in the meal and hotel room package.  It was nice to get out of the truck after the long haul across the country.  The sad thing was usually you put the two of us in a casino and we are up until the wee hours of the morning but that Friday night we were asleep by 11:00 pm.

Our view from our hotel room

Jillian, Charlotte and Me

On Saturday our niece Jillian who lives in San Diego and her baby Charlotte came to visit us.  Jillian’s husband Joe had to work and while we were sorry we didn’t get to see him, we totally understand weekend work schedules. It was so good to see Jillian and to meet baby Charlotte. The nice thing about seeing family and friends on the road is we get one on one time with them.  We really get to hear how things are going and what is new in their lives.  Also I think they would agree we are the perfect visitors we bring our own accommodations and we don’t over stay our welcome. 

Jillian, Charlotte and Vince

Baby Charlotte is as sweet as sweet can be.  The only time she cried was when Aunt Joan pulled her bottle to see if she had a burp in her.  Let me tell you she let me know very quickly that she wanted the bottle and not to burp.

Another Great Pic of Momma and Baby

Our trip back to Connecticut included a stop in Las Vegas to drop a few things at a shop. It is not as glamorous as some may think it means just going to a shop near the airport and having the things removed from the back of the trailer then heading east. It was a long trip back, partly due to the heat in the southwest, rain in the Midwest and mainly because it was just long days of driving, okay I don’t drive but you know what I mean.  It is almost time for me to go home, but we have one more move before this trip is over, so stay tuned. 

Connecticut to California: A 2900+ mile adventure

Sundown in Eastern AZ

 Our trip across the country was fairly uneventful until we got to California. But before I share that event I would like to share some comments, ideas, thoughts, whatever you care to call them is okay with me that come to mind after this trip:

• Four wheelers (car drivers) please don’t slam on your brakes when approaching an exit, playing with your GPS, phone or whatever else it is you find necessary to play with while driving down the road.  We do not wish to kill you but you must remember it takes football fields to stop a semi; semis do not stop on a dime.
• Semi drivers please turn on your four ways when you drop down to 30 miles an hour on perfectly flat roads, this happened not once, not twice but three times.  Vince and other drivers would prefer not to kill you, me or themselves when trying to deal with you and other traffic
• Construction workers please do not put barrels/cones a ¼ or a 1/3 into the clear/travel lane and expect cars and semis not to pick them off and send them flying.  We did not do so but others did and the shoulders were no picnic so we could understand why and how it happened.
• Construction workers in AZ please check each day to see what your sign says about which lane is closed, and if you are not going to do so, please don’t get all pissy with traffic and dramatically signal at people that they are in the wrong lane and need to suddenly get over.  Think Think Think! Why is everyone in the left lane when the left lane is closed?

Bridge in CT

So now onto our event travelling into California, shortly after you enter California on I-40 from Arizona there is a check point everyone must stop at.  Vince always shows the California Official his bill of lading, he/she reviews it and we go on our way.  Yesterday the young man while reviewing the Bill of Lading asked Vince it was hot enough for him (it was 116 degrees).  Vince replied that at least we had air conditioning while the young man had to stand out in the heat and inquired how he was doing. 

New Mexico

Well don’t you know that about five to seven minutes down the road our air conditioning went out?  I said to Vince “you had to say well at least we have air conditioning” and he replied he was thinking the same thing, talk about jinxing us.  For those who don’t know me very well I am extremely superstitious. 

New Mexico

Let me assure you that it gets really hot in a vehicle really fast when it is 100+ degrees.  Fortunately Vince spotted a truck repair place at the first exit we came to after this occurred.  He first checked it himself to see what the problem might be but not seeing any obvious reasons: belts loose, frozen compress, etc, we headed to the Great West Truck Repair. 

 

Arizona

When Vince came back after checking us in, he shared that it would be two hours before they would be able to get to us.  But then the next thing I knew Vince was back to unhook us from the trailer to take us over to be worked on.  Apparently when the air conditioner was repaired in Pennsylvania a year or two ago the settings were done for Pennsylvania and not for heat like CA.  Don, our nice technician, who happened to be originally from Akron, made adjustments to the manufactured specs and on came the air conditioning.  We were back on the road within two hours of the start of our ordeal, very thankful for shops like Great West that have helped us out more than once on our travels.

 

California

I had planned to take pictures in every state as we passed through but it rained a great deal through the Midwest, so no good photos ops from those states.  Instead I am posting those I was able to get along the way.  Today we are in Barstow, CA and will travel down to the Harrah’s Resort in Valley Center this evening.  I will share with you our adventures at the resort in my next post. For those in our family – we are once again getting to see family. J

Come on Down – Moving Price is Right to Harrah’s Casino in CA but first dinner with Family!

Katie and Me

I have said it many times and I will say it again. One of the things I like best about traveling with Vince is getting to see family.  We have family all over the country and many times at least once a trip we get to see them.  Last night it was our niece Katie and her husband Mike.  We got close both times last year. Despite those misses, I promised Katie it would happen.  I was so very happy that I was able to keep my promise this quickly. 

Mike, Katie and Me

We had a wonderful time catching up and getting to know Mike over dinner. Instead of eating at the truck stop they took us to the J. Timothy’s Tavene in Plainville, CT.  According to the J. Timothy’s web site the building was erected in 1789 the same year George Washington was inaugurated president.  It is known for its wings and we can attest that the dirty wings and regular wings were great.  Dirty wings are fried, tossed in sauce then fried again.

Quote from the J. Timothy’s Web site

We were humbled and proud when the national food website The Daily Meal named our chicken wings the 2nd best in the entire country. And when Buzzfeed said we were the #2 chicken wing you have to try before you die. We’re #2! And proud of it. And Thrillist has named us one of the "21 Best Wing Joints in the Country"! 

After dinner, we headed down to West Haven, CT, where this morning we are picking up the Price is Right traveling show.  We leave today for the Harrah’s Casino near San Diego.  We are going coast to coast and I couldn’t be happier.  The next week traveling almost 3000 miles will most probably provide a story or two, so please stay tuned.

Me, Katie and Vince

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Swan Lake to the Lincoln Center in NYC

Ann, Steve, Donna and Frank

Sleeping in NYC at times can be interesting, what am I saying sleeping in any city can be interesting.  Surprisingly on this trip things were quiet all the way up until 7:00 am when the knock on the door was from the meter person leaving a ticket on the windshield. Seriously, it is okay you can just leave it next time, no notification necessary.

Gary, Ann Steve and Donna

Lue 

As you can see from the pictures we were able to catch up with old friends: Angelo, Gary, Michaeline, Frank and Donna and meet a couple of new ones: Ann and Steve at the Lincoln Center Wednesday morning.  But the real show stealer that morning was Lue, Gary and Michaeline’s dog.  Lue’s appearance in the window drew photographs, pats on the head and laughter from school children.  It was so fun to watch people start their day out with a smile.

Lue with ears up

Load in was uneventful over all.  I even commented to Vince that other than a little person with a bad attitude (who chose to keep walking when I asked her to repeat what she had said) and an elderly woman, there really weren’t as many complaints about the sidewalk being blocked. Cones are set up in front of the trucks so that the pedestrians can still use the sidewalk; they just have to detour a bit.  I almost forgot there was one woman who was intently reading a book or pamphlet of some kind who almost walked right into Gary and Michaeline’s truck.  It was only at the last moment that she stopped in time before doing so.

Angelo taking a picture of a stage hand holding a sign wishing his Granddaughter Happy Birthday!

 After, NYC we dropped the trailer in Secaucus and headed for Harrisburg to pick up our next trailer.  In Harrisburg I once again got to catch up with old friends, Bruce and Stephan and got to know driver’s Robin and Ron a little better.  I believe I have known Bruce and Stephan for as long as I have been coming out on the road, which is seven years this summer.  It was so good to see them and catch up. There are definitely certain people I have developed bonds with over the years, I am so glad on this trip I have been able to catch up with so many of them.

Next up – Coast to Coast – Connecticut to California but first dinner with family!

Six and a half hours to go 188 miles

Front of theatre in Providence

We made it to Providence and I am happy to report I did not have to retreat to the sleeper at any point during the run.  As you can see from the picture it is a tight squeeze behind the theatre. While it was a long run it went much better than I had anticipated.

Back loading of our trailer behind the theatre

At 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, after dropping the trailer in the Pawtucket lot, we headed down I-95 to Secaucus, NJ. We were tired after the run from Grand Rapids and were glad we would be arriving at a decent time in Secaucus for me to fix some dinner, take showers and sleep before having to be up in the middle of the night to go into NYC. Well you know how things go for us at times. 

 

Lovely day for a drive in CT

The trip across Rhode Island and Connecticut resulted in some slow downs but none very significant.  As we entered NY I was surprised to find traffic flowing pretty well and was confident we would make it to Secaucus as planned.  Then six miles from the GW bridge (which in case some of you don’t know crosses you over from NY into NJ) we came to a grinding stop.  It took us over two hours to go those six miles due to an accident on the GW.  The picture accurately reflects what we looked at for the two hours.

Our view for over two hours trying to get to the GW

We arrived at the yard in Secaucus just after 8:30 p.m.  Too tired and now time crunched we ate Triscuits with cheddar cheese and pepperonis on top while taking turns showering.  It was good to shower and honestly the Triscuits were enough to eat for both of us that late in the evening.

We learned that the lead driver and our friend Angelo was going to be returning from a run to Harrisburg later then the time we originally thought we would be leaving.  Vince let the other drivers know how Angelo wanted them set up in the city.  The other drivers left at the original designated time while we chose to wait for Angelo.

When Angelo arrived and Vince was ready to go, he opened the curtain to let me know.  Usually I am dressed and up in the seat but all he got that night from me was an “okay”.  I was done and had no desire to get up. It didn’t mean going to sleep though because the roads leading into and through the city are so bad that there was no way of sleeping.  So I just bounced around, but I didn’t care because I was comfy under the covers.

Next up NYC. 

Tonight’s load out - Kinky Boots in Grand Rapids, MI

Grand Rapids River Walk

Tonight we are loading out of Grand Rapids, MI and heading for Providence RI.  It will mean another all nighter that hopefully I will be ready to make it through.  I have not previously shared one of my tools for staying awake, but I will now, it is Diet Dr Pepper.  About six years ago we discovered that Diet Dr Pepper has the same effect on me that I imagine Red Bull has on many people. One night around midnight while heading home from Cleveland we stopped at a truck stop on I-71.  Tired and a little hungry we picked up sandwiches and drinks. I got a Diet Dr Pepper and let me tell you, by the time we arrived at the lot where we park the truck two hours later I felt like I could run a marathon.  I almost single handedly unpacked the truck and at 2:30 am jumped in the driver’s seat of the car totally wired to drive us home.  Initially Vince was concerned why I of all people was excited about driving at that hour until he realized what had caused the change.  I believe it is what kept me going last Sunday night, but as we learned last week when I crash after the effects wear off it means some serious snoring. So yesterday when we stopped at Wal-Mart I made sure to stock up with an eight pack.

Chinese Tourists taking pics of the trucks

When we arrived at the theatre we were able to catch up with a few of the Clark drivers.  As we were talking to one of them some Chinese tourist began taking pictures of the trucks.  Since they do not have trucks like ours in Europe or China the tourist are always fascinated by them.  When we are in New York City tourists ask all the time if they can climb on the entry steps to have their picture with the truck.

We took a few minutes to go to down to the river walkway and snapped these few pictures before darkness set in.  We are now waiting for our trailer to be loaded then it is off to Providence.

Grand Rapids River Walk

 

From the Grand Rapids River Walk

Vince and Me on the River Walk

Milwaukee to Buffalo – The Book of Mormon

Sunday we took our time getting to Milwaukee because while Vince’s eye was no longer as painful it was still irritated and red.  We arrived at the theatre Sunday evening, so unfortunately no time for a visit with family this time.  Now I was looking very forward to returning to the road in the summer because it is the easiest time of year to be in the truck.  No coats are usually needed and I am in my flip flops the whole time.  Well apparently Mother Nature thought I needed to go through a little winter since I missed my winter trip, because it was in the 40s in Milwaukee.  I had to put on shoes and wear a jacket. Needless to say, there was some complaining going on with a few cuss words sprinkled in. Of course Vince reminded me it was technically not summer for three weeks.  I told him it still felt more like fall than spring.

The load out went smoothly and we were on our way pretty quickly.  We needed to be in Buffalo by 1530 or 3:30 pm Monday, which meant being up all night since we were traveling 600+ miles. For those of you who have followed me over the last several years, you know this is always tricky for me on the first load out.  I do not adjust quickly to all nighters especially when it is my first load out. 

I have to say this time I did better than I thought I would until 9:00 am Monday morning.  Despite having stopped from 5:00 am- 7:00 am on Monday morning to sleep, by 9:00 am, I knew as I sat buckled in my seat that I was going to fall asleep and probably hit my head on the glove box.  So I put the flag up and told Vince I had to lie down.  He as always totally understood and shared that he was going to stop at the next rest area (in Ohio) and get some breakfast.  My head hit the pillow and I was out.  When Vince stopped about 20 minutes later, his setting the brakes woke me up.  He asked it I wanted something and I told him I was getting back up and my order.  He asked if I slept well and I said yes, he said he knew because he could hear me snoring all the way up there. 

Buffalo June 2015

Buffalo January 2014

The rest of the trip I was able to stay awake and we arrived early for our call time. Buffalo looked a lot different than the last time I was here.  As you can see from the pictures, in January 2014 we were caught in a blizzard, this time it was clear sailing.  Load in went well for us and then we were off to Pembroke, NY for a couple of burgers at the TA and a good nights sleep. 

My Summer Trip 2015 – So far one of us has a scratched cornea and the other went bump in the night

Saturday I returned to the road after dealing with my sadness and grief of helping our Mom over the last year get admitted to Hospice and then onto heaven in January.  It is now time for me to return to the road with Vince and once again share our adventures.

The plan was that we would go to breakfast and a morning movie with Elizabeth (our daughter) before heading out in the afternoon. Plans are funny things aren’t they?  On Friday night Vince asked me to look in his left eye to see if something was in.  It had been bothering him since he had been on the lot where we keep the truck when he is home.  He felt there might be something in it.  I looked and saw what I thought was something near his iris but wasn’t sure.  We got drops for it and they seemed to help but by the next morning his eye was redder than the night before.  I suggested he could call our doctor to see if he could get in to see her.

However, Vince thought it was better so we went to breakfast and the movie.  At the theater I noticed Vince touching his eye though out the movie. When the movie ended I told him to take us home so I could finish packing up and he needed to go to our CVS Minute Clinic.  I was expecting an argument but didn’t get one which told me this may be serious. 

As I was packing I had a feeling in the pit my stomach that we may not be going. We only get one set of eyes and I was worried that something very serious was going on. Also, I knew Vince would not want to abandon his dispatch to Milwaukee so I just kept hoping it was nothing serious. When he called from the Minute Clinic to let us know he was being sent to Urgent Care because they couldn’t handle foreign object in his eye, I was afraid my hopes were about to be dashed.

Fortunately about 40 minutes later, Vince called to say it was a scratched cornea which thankfully only requires him getting drops every four hours for the next seven days.  We picked up his prescription while getting our grocery for the road and left for Milwaukee Saturday evening. Between the storms in the Midwest and Vince’s eye hurting we did not get as far as we liked, but still had plenty of time to get there. 

That night I found that settling down in bed was much easier than it has been over the last four years since I no longer worry that the phone will ring in the middle of the night regarding my Mom.  It has been an adjustment I have greatly welcomed even though at times I have found it to be bittersweet.  But settle in I did, because I apparently went into a deep enough sleep that I rolled over in the middle of the night so hard that I slammed into the wall of the truck.  Talk about being stunned, it took the breath right out of me.  At first I had no idea what had happened but quickly realized I was in the truck.  Had I been home I would have found myself hitting very hard on a hard wood floor, so needless to say I am glad I was in the truck. 

Despite our trip starting out with a medical emergency, which Vince is recovering from very well and my making a painful adjust to being back in the truck.  I wouldn’t trade any of it and am looking forward to sharing our travels.  First up – Milwaukee to Buffalo.