A busy two weeks and not without a problem or two!

It had been a busy two weeks for us.  The trip to Columbus with Book of Mormon went smoothly.  Steve Hinkel, the lead driver for the show got to meet Elizabeth, our daughter at load in Monday morning.  Elizabeth works right by the theatre, so she took 15 minutes out of her morning to run down and say hi.

After Columbus it was off to Secaucus, NJ to pick up a Sponge Bob trailer headed for Chicago.  The trip across I-80 (I know what is it about me and 80 between IL and PA) was uneventful.  Thursday afternoon we learned that our trailer was now scheduled for Monday, so we just needed to drop the trailer at the Marshalling yard in Chicago.

Next up was Washington DC to Providence with Jersey Boys.  A trailer was needed for an event at the White House, so we picked up a trailer in Hobart IN and headed to Lorton, VA.  Friday night we stopped at a Flying J off I-70 in Ohio for the night. At 5:48 am Saturday morning, we were awakened from dead sleeps by the sound of our truck being hit. Trust me it is not a sound you want to awaken you and talk about an adrenaline rush.  A U.S Express driver took out our passenger mirrors with his trailer swing while pulling out of his spot, then ran off like a little girl (not the phrase Vince used but I try to keep the blog PG). It is funny how when you are following a truck up a ramp or off a light they always seem to take forever to get started. But a driver hits someone and wow do they ever find the accelerator.  He was turning the corner out of there by the time Vince got out of the truck to check the damage. While it was not the way we wanted to start the day, thankfully we were able to get the parts needed to reattach the mirrors at a Home Depot located back west about 12 miles and be on our way.

Sunday in Lorton, VA (the location of the Washington DC drop lot) we were able to get some delicious ribs at a restaurant called Glory Days and pick up groceries.   We also meet up with Ron and Angelo at the lot. 

 

Going into the dock at the National theatre feels like a backward roller coaster without the speed.

In DC that evening we caught up a little with Stephan, the lead driver for Jersey Boys.  He had his hands full getting drivers in and out of the National Theatre dock. As the pictures show it is an interesting dock area.  Besides our trucks being in the docks, there were other trucks making deliveries to the JW Marriott.  It was a long night for most of us.  We didn’t get out until 3:00 am and Angelo and Stephan didn’t leave until 6:00 am. But, everyone while not so bright eyed and bushy tailed arrived Monday evening on time in Providence.

Next up for us was New Windsor, NY to Chicago for this morning.  We didn’t get out of PRG in New Windsor, NY until 8:30 pm Wednesday night, but still had plenty of time to make our 7:00 am Friday call time. However on Thursday morning I thought it being an easy trip had been put in jeopardy when Vince pressed the brakes due to slowing traffic and I heard a hissing sound.  I have been in the truck long enough to know that was not a good sound.  The sound stopped when he lifted his foot so I didn’t ask about it but then it happened again so I asked. Yes, he replied there was something going on with the air lines that control the brakes. Vince said we were close to the TA in Barkeyville, PA and he would be stopping to check it out.  When we got to Lamar, he found that an air line to the trailer brakes had broke.  I had visions of us sitting for hours waiting to get into the shop, but to our surprise there was no one in the shop and we were able to get in and out in what I would call record time. 

Friday morning, we were up at 4:00 am local time to get into the alley of the Ford/Oriental Theatre due to the “no trucks on the road” curfew in Chicago from 7:00 am to 9:00 am.  Getting into Chicago at 5:00 am was fairly easy despite the rush hour traffic having already started up.  Getting out was quite a different story, particularly out of the alley.  Next time you are in the theatre district in Chicago or any big city take a look around at the alleys.  While you’re standing there try imagining getting a tractor and trailer in and out of those alleys onto busy streets.  It is not fun and really not for the faint hearted. 

My time is almost up for this trip, just one more weekend, but I will return in July for another adventure.  These weeks on the road have flown by.  It was nice getting to spend time with Vince and I am grateful the bumps along the way were minor ones.

Sometimes the Best Places to Visit are in Your own Hometown

Saturday, we ran into Matt Lewis and Jim Walker who are touring with the show Once.  They were going out of Milwaukee on Sunday headed for the Allentown Pa area.  It was so good to see the two of them and have lunch with Jim.  I hadn’t seen Jim in a few years.  It is always nice to catch up with old friends whenever we get the chance.

Sunday night went smoothly out of Appleton and by 4:00 am EST we had cleared Chicago and were able to get some sleep.  The rain on Monday was steady but fortunately did not slow us down.  By late Monday evening there was room for us at the dock, so we were backed in and ready for Tuesday by 10:30 pm or 2230 in trucking terms.

Tuesday, we ran trailers back and forth to the drop yard.  Our lead drivers were Dino and Deanna.  Deanna was kind enough to share yummy pecan coconut bars she had made with us.  They have a convection oven in their truck, just another example of how far things have come with trucks in the last twenty years.

Since our next dispatch was for Indianapolis to Columbus, OH Sunday, it didn’t make sense for us to sit around Louisville all week, so we headed home to Columbus.  I apparently have some bad karma going or have ticked someone off because I have not travelled very far from the Midwest/East coast since last summer.  But the point of this time off is to be with Vince who is on the road 280+ days a year, so wherever we end up isn’t as important as being with Vince. I know it makes for boring blogs at times but I try to still make it interesting.  

 

Ohio History Center Museum

As we headed home I realized that we spend a lot of time exploring other cities when we are on the road but we haven’t showed you our home town.  So on Wednesday we headed to the Ohio History Center Museum.  I have fond memories of going there in elementary school, but Vince did not recall going there as a child. Since he moved to Illinois in fifth grade we believe he may not have made it there before he moved.

We learned about how the geologic structure of Ohio came about, followed the flags of those who fought in the Civil War.  We toured a 1950s house and learned about life in the 50s. A school tour of catholic school children were with us during the tour of the house. The teacher was yelling for a young man named Christian to keep up.  We soon learned that Christian was with us on the tour of the house and then continued to be with us throughout the rest of the tour of the museum.  Vince was convinced we were going to be giving Christian a ride by the time our tour was over, but fortunately he rejoined his group before they left to museum.

On the second floor we learned the history of White Castle and reviewed the paintings of Lilly Martin Spencer on the third floor.  In the 1800s Lilly Spencer was the main provider for her family, not an easy thing for a woman in those times.

As we were leaving the museum, we both acknowledged that after reviewing the White Castle exhibit we had developed the “crave” for White Castle sliders, so off to White Castle we went.  Neither of us had eaten at a White Castle in several years if not over a decade.  It was a fun ending to a great day of sightseeing.

Franklin Park Conservatory

On Thursday, we head to the Franklin Park Conservatory.  In addition to a Chihuly collection, an artist whose glass sculptures I adore, they have a butterfly exhibit that is breathtaking.  I know we have way too many pictures and trust me I had to whittle it down, but I had to share the beauty of it all.  While Columbus is mainly known for our zoo, I strongly recommend anyone who visits to take the time to visit these wonderful places.

Is it April?

Desmond

Our first trip this time was Toledo, OH to Appleton, WI.  Being up all night this time wasn’t as hard as past start outs, but unfortunately at 7:00 am eastern time I did have to head back to bed for a quick nap.  The dock at Appleton is a hairpin design. I told Vince if I was going to help him back in I needed a nap.  When I woke up from the nap I saw from the clock that we were about 20 minutes from what the GPS had predicted to be our arrival time. I got up front just as Vince was getting off at the exit for the theatre.  The 90 minute nap gave me enough rest to help Vince into the dock.

After getting unloaded we headed over to Victoria’s a wonderful Italian restaurant across the street from the theatre for a nice lunch.  One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is the weather.  It’s cold here in Wisconsin.  I am pretty sure the calendar says April but it definitely feels more like December.  It has snowed off and on throughout the week and it has only got into the 40s once.

 

Desmond, Rosaleen and Steve

But the weather aside, as always, the best part of coming to Wisconsin is getting to see family and this time we were lucky enough to get a double dose of it.  We had dinner with our niece and nephew Tom and Kerry (forgot to get a pic with them) the first night (unfortunately we missed getting to see their daughters, Elizabeth and Grace, as they were practicing for their high school play). On the second night we had dinner with our niece and nephew Rosaleen and Steve and our adorable nephew Desmond.  Desmond, who is almost a year old, is a happy go lucky baby who flirted with all the waitresses at the restaurant.  It was a wonderful time getting to see everyone and meeting/playing with Desmond.

Me and Desmond having fun!

 

This weekend we will move Motown out of Appleton to Louisville, KY.  This run will not require an all nighter which is a positive. It is my hope that this time we will also find warmer temperatures.