Winter on the Road is Always an Adventure!

Peoria 2009

Between the snow coming down today and spending the last six days worrying as Vince traveled from Buffalo to Cleveland to Minneapolis, and now onto Jacksonville I am reminded of my first winter on the road.  Boy was I a rookie on that trip. Rather than a baptism of fire I received a baptism of snow and below zero temperatures.  I recall that despite the prediction of below zero temperatures across the country the week we were heading out, I was very excited about getting back in the truck.  Vince even looked at me after the weather report one evening and asked “are you sure?”  I simply replied “that’s love baby”.  I was going and not even cold was going to stop me.

On our first dispatch that January was “Spamelot” from South Bend to Peoria, when I learned that it is possible for a semi get stuck in heavy snow, just like cars.  Silly me I thought they would be heavy enough that they just plow through.  When we arrived at the parking lot in South Bend, Vince informed me that “yes, we could get stuck”.  Great I thought, I wasn’t going to be able to push the thing nor could I drive a stick so I would be no help.  Fortunately even though the snow had come down for several hours, by the time Vince pulled out for the theatre we had no trouble leaving the lot.

           

Next we experienced 19 below temperatures with a minus 40 mph wind chills and heavy snow in Illinois.  There I discovered that fluffy snow turns to a glossy ice pavement near truck stop fuel islands when temperatures drop this low. I learned that tidbit, one evening on my way to the bathroom.  Vince didn’t have to go but offered to go with me.  I told him I would be fine, layered up and headed toward the truck stop.  As I trudged through the deep snow near the trucks I kept convincing myself that it was not that cold.  When I got to the end of the aisle I began assessing the fuel island area.  As I stood waiting for the trucks entering the truck stop to clear the way, a driver waived me to go in front of him.   As I started to cross I felt my feet come out from under me.  I began flinging my arms in a circular motion to keep from falling and surprisingly it worked. I now refer to it as my helicopter move.  I was able to get my footing, slow my pace down and get across to the building without falling.  But I have no doubt that driver shared the story of the crazy woman who almost fell in front of his truck with anyone and everyone he could that night.  I know I sure entertained Vince with the story when I returned to the truck.

In Northern New York on our way to Boston I got brave enough to help Vince back into a space when the snow was coming down so hard it was difficult to see the trailer behind us. As you know most trailers are white then add the snow and you get the picture. So Vince asked me if I would help by telling him when he was close enough and I jumped at the opportunity.  There I stood in knee high snow with a radio in my hand at the back of the trailer.  However, I decided to use a hand signal method that I had seen Vince use with other drivers since I wasn’t comfortable with the hand held.  I placed my arms wide apart, but rather than horizontal I put them in a vertical position.  Vince watched in his mirror and knew as my hands got closer together he had reached his target.  Once Vince got back to where he needed to be, I got on the radio and told him to “lock her down”.  When I returned to the truck Vince said “you said lock her down” and I immediately thought oh no I said the wrong thing.  I asked if that was that not right. He told me no that was right and how much he loved that I was learning the lingo and how to do things to help him like the hand movement.

Later on the trip, at the Appleton PAC, Vince once again bravely called upon my help to back in.  The Appleton dock area resembles a hair pin turn on the road. Now while a driver of a car or van could drive down into the dock then turn around and back into the dock, a tractor trailer driver must back all the way down the driveway, make the turn, then line up with the dock.  Obviously Vince could back down the drive himself, but as he started to make the turn I attempted to direct him over the hand held radio.  I thought I had him in a good place, but then he aborted the attempt and pulled forward indicating to me that he was not where he needed to be.  I stood there thinking this could take a really long time since I apparently didn’t I know what I was doing.

Just then some of the crew unloading and setting up the stage came outside for a smoke break.  They started joking with me about Vince having a pro to get him down the driveway.  I told them “trust me this is the blind leading the professional”, at which the whole group burst into laughter and then gave me words of encouragement after they stopped laughing.  After Vince got the trailer swung around the corner, it was time to get him in the dock.  I am happy to report that I got him into the dock in one move.  However, when another driver arrived I left it to the professional to get that driver into the dock, it is one thing for me to misdirect my husband, but I would didn’t want to do that with a driver I had just met.

After load in it was time to head south to warmer weather in Dallas. But the next day was not without excitement when we had to out run a heavy snow storm while leaving Wisconsin. From Dallas on our way to Philadelphia I would end my trip by jumping out at home, proud that I had survived my first winter in the truck.

Buffalo 2009

Me wearing 4 layers of clothing as we toured Washington DC - January 2009