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.

Pittsburgh to Rochester – Turkeys that weren’t too bright!

Sunday we left home for Pittsburgh to move Book of Mormon to Rochester.  We were a week later heading out due to Vince contracting some type of flu the previous week.  While I too was sick, his being sick definitely shuts down all operation of the truck.  I think there has only been three to four times in the last eleven years that I can remember Vince raising the white flag. I was thankful that at least this time he was home.

On our way up the very steep hill in Bridgeville, PA that leads to where the trailers are stored for the shows we encountered three deer.  Thankfully they all stayed at the side of the road and just stared at us.  But when we came up seven turkeys wandering around to our left, they decided to provide verification that they are in fact the dumbest birds.  As we headed up the hill toward them, they all seven ran straight at the front of the truck.  Talk about a group suicide mission, of course we were only going five miles an hour and were able to let them pass in front of the truck, but seriously talk about not being too bright.

The theatre in Pittsburgh I have to say was one of the least eventful times I have ever experienced in Pittsburgh.  Usually the streets have a lot of traffic and people wandering around even late on Sunday nights but this time they let me down.  There was very little traffic and foot traffic was minimal.

Our trip to Rochester was colorful with many of the leaves having turned. It made me excited to see the rest of the fall colors that await me.  The Rochester load in while definitely a tight fit for the trucks in the parking lot was otherwise uneventful.  We are now on our way to Grand Rapids to pick up a trailer then head to Tampa.  That trip should give me many colorful scenic views and hopefully some fun and interesting stories