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.