I Escaped the Dome of the Midwest and East Coast

Entering Texas

Before I share my escape from the dome I wanted to share a story from Sunday morning in Chicago.  As the picture of the truck showed we were in a little area behind a stage.  What the picture didn’t show is how tight an area it was to get into.  Vince had to back through a gate then jack the trailer to the driver’s side while missing tour buses that were double stacked on his passenger side.  I was out guiding him through the maze when just as he was bringing the tractor up over the curb to go into place the back passenger tires on the truck started spinning due to the handicap ramp in the side walk.  I moved to the front of the truck took a good look at the situation and got an idea.  I told him to turn his wheels to the passenger side then moved him forward just six inches from the tour bus. I then instructed him to turn the wheels back toward the driver side and head backwards. The tractor went right up the curb and I finished backing him into place. 

One of my biggest apprehensions about directing Vince in tight spaces is that I don’t drive a truck. I worry I don’t always understand what moves will do what. But I have watched Vince and many lead drivers over the last eight years maneuver many a truck into very tight spaces.  Thanks to all of them I was confident that my instruction would be right, but I won’t lie that I was very excited when I was right.  Afterward, Vince told me that he never looked in his mirrors once because he trusted that I would get him in, talk about blind trust.  I am very glad I didn’t let him down.

I begin my escape from the Dome

Big Cabin in Oklahoma

 My escape from the dome started as we headed out from Chicago south in Illinois, then through Missouri, then onto Oklahoma, finally arriving in Dallas.  It has been over a year since I have been outside the Midwest and East Coast. The last time I was outside of the Midwest was last June when we travelled to San Diego.  A problem we experience is that we can no longer travel to California because our engine is one year too old for California’s new laws related to trucks.  They require all trucks to have clean emissions engines. Never mind that they have tens of thousands of cars on their highways clogging up the air every day that they are doing nothing about, just focus on trucks because we all know they are the problem.

Entering TX

Okay I will get off my soap box now and share that it was wonderful to get out and see new scenery.  Each part of the country is different and has its own beauty.  Today, we are in Dallas where it is predicted to be 100+ degrees.  Tomorrow we pick up a trailer and head to Pennsylvania.  My escape may have been brief but it was much appreciated.

I love this sign at the Big Cabin Truck Stop in OK

Summer 2016 including Lollapalooza

We headed out July 9^th and up until this point I didn’t feel there was anything exciting to report.  But more importantly, I thought maybe everyone was tired of reading about Vince and my adventures.  Then, last Friday we ran into Chris Crew and Robin & Ron Dencer, all Clark drivers, at the TA in West Virginia.  They asked about the blog and were very supportive and said they had been looking for installments. 

So thanks to their encouragement and Chris telling me as we were leaving that he would be looking for my next installment, here we go. In the last three weeks I learned that country fans can be nasty people who apparently think some one else should pick up their trash.  A country festival in Northwest, OH was our first stop and when we arrived the day after it ended there was trash everywhere and I do mean every where, it was just nasty.

Next, I was reminded how beautiful the Saratoga Springs, NY area is, when we dropped a trailer for a ballet there.  I strongly recommend that if you get the chance you visit that area especially in the summer please do, it is beautiful. We also moved Kinky Boots out of Madison, WI to Milford, CT, as it went on a short break.

Then it was off to Madison Heights, MI to pick up items for a Siemens booth for a convention at the Philadelphia Convention Center during the Democratic Convention. It was an interesting time traveling around Philadelphia especially when after dealing with the craziness of being detoured due to an unannounced closing of I-76 Monday night. We got to do it all over again Wednesday when we took a trailer to the BB&T pavilion for a private DNC concert.  We got to see Lenny Kravitz which was pretty cool, but Lady Gaga went in a different door so we only got a glimpse of her.  Also the night before the concert there was a heavy metal concert with Slip Knot and Marilyn Manson at the BB&T and when we arrived that night guess what? Those fans didn’t leave trash everywhere.

After returning that trailer to Lititz, PA, a cute little town about 80 miles west of Philly, it was onto Chicago for Lollapalooza.  But before I get to that fun I must share that I do hope that all of the individuals who over the last three weeks have thought cutting in front of us and other trucks and I am talking about two feet from the front of our trucks have their life insurance policies in place.  I can assure them that karma, luck whatever you favor will catch up with them and their families will need that insurance.

Enough about that, let’s talk about a fun day.  As you can see from the pictures, it was a picture perfect day in Chicago on Sunday.  We walked around to the different stages to listen to the bands and ate from the local restaurant’s booth.  I won’t lie that around 3:00 pm it was nice to be able to go to the truck, relax and cool off.  We’re right next to the Lakeshore stage and at one point the bass was so loud it started rocking the truck. I have been impressed with how clean and orderly everything was, it was a great day. Chris had teased us to make sure we kept the windows closed if we didn’t want a particular odor to get into our truck. While there was no haze over the area it definitely hung in air in certain spots. We won’t load out until everything ends tonight so we are preparing for a long night/day tomorrow.

Next up – I break out of the Dome of the Midwest and East Coast

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.

Hershey definitely got snow!

Snow pile in Weis Grocery parking lot
The pic is only half of the pile

I must send a big shout out to the PA road crews.  Our trip from Schenectady to Hershey yesterday was uneventful all because of the terrific job the road crews did clearing the snow. The majority of the snow definitely fell in the southern part of the state.  As you can see from the pictures there was a lot to clear.   

It's never good when the snow pile is as high as the door of
our truck.  This was taken as we approached Hershey

Snow in front of Theatre

The Clark lot in Harrisburg which also received alot of snow was an adventure Monday afternoon as we took a trailer back and picked up another.  By the evening when we returned to the lot to make the second exchange the lot had turned to ice.  A fun time was had by Curtis and Vince as they hooked up to the last two trailers  But I am happy to report there we no falls and luckily they were able to get both trailers out safely.

Vince shoveling

This was my first time in Hershey and I found the light posts made like Hershey Kisses adorable. 

Close up of lamp post

Busy week: Chicago, NJ, CT, Philly, CT, Schenectady

The moon making an appearance at 3:45 pm on
Tuesday Jan 19th in PA

We started the week in Chicago in a -22 degree wind chill temperature and -3 degree temperature.  We spent Monday waiting for our trailer to be loaded. At lunch time we walked to a Jimmy Johns.  The walk back was a cold one and when I got back in the truck I just sat in my seat for several minutes not moving, just letting the warmth of the truck thaw the small part of my face that had been exposed.  Originally we were to be in Chicago on Tuesday as well, but our trailer was needed in NJ and CT on Wednesday so we left Monday for the east coast.

On Wednesday we delivered to shops in NJ and CT then it was off to Philly to drop off our trailer.  The winter storm was approaching and I did not want to be in the middle of it.  We were due in Schenectady, NY on Sunday to move Cinderella to Hershey, PA on Monday so we prepared Thursday to head north to get out of the path of the storm. 

On Thursday, Vince was dispatched to move another Gotta Dance trailer from Rock Tavern, NY to CT.  On Friday we moved the trailer to CT, it was due at the shop on Monday but with the storm coming getting it there early was a necessity.  After dropping the trailer in CT, we made a stop at a Walmart in Fishkill, NY to stock up before heading north.

Friday evening, we stopped at a travel plaza about 30 miles south of Schenectady. Curtis, the lead driver for Cinderella met up with us there. It was nice to have a chance that evening to catch up with him. I so appreciated that some family and friends took the time to check in with us on Friday to find out where we were and confirming we were safe.  It was sweet of them to be worried enough to reach out to us. 

On Saturday morning the weather radar showed that the storm was just below us, but fortunately strong winds from the north kept it from reaching us.  Load out tonight should go smoothly due to no snow making it this far north, but getting to Hershey, PA tonight and tomorrow should be interesting as we make our way through the aftermath of the storm.  I hope to have many pictures for the next post.