Rolling with the Big Boys

We apologize that we've been out of touch for the past two weeks. Things have been busy, and we've been without internet access. Now we're back--and we're in Cincinnati. We've dealt with the stress of the move, and we're now working through the boxes to get unpacked. It's going to take a while.

For now, rest assured that our trip was safely executed. Anna's dad graciously helped us out by allowing us to load up his trailer and drive it out here. Even with that trailer, we still needed another truck, and I got to drive it.

I was really afraid that it was going to be difficult to drive that truck, but, by the middle of New York, the student (me) had become the teacher (of the truck). Even better, I started thinking I was a trucker. It began when we would stop at rest stops. Having to choose between TRUCKS and CARS, I naturally chose the former (see picture).

I noticed that truckers had a lot to deal with, always checking stuff on their trucks. So, I did the same with mine. I pushed on the tires to make sure they were still . . . there. I would open the back of the truck to check on my "load." I really wanted to sleep in the truck, but Anna made me come inside the hotel.

It got worse. I started thinking that I was part of the brotherhood of truckers when we were on the road. There were a few times when I could tell that one of my brethren needed to change lanes. Who would jump out and block traffic for him? His loyal Budget buddy. I didn't have a CB, but I'd like to think that he was thanking me over on channel 13 or whatever.

The biggest slap in the face came when I figured out that the truck ran on 87-grade gasoline--not diesel. So, I would park with the big guys and then creep over to the regular gas pumps, feeling ashamed and inadequate. I had a feeling that they were laughing at me. If they didn't laugh at my gas pump slooping, they would certainly be laughing at my cabinmates. Across the whole drive, my dwarf lime tree (Sprite) and my dwarf lemon tree (7-Up) rode in the cab of the truck. We had a great ride and really got to know one another.

In the end, we made it here. I know that I'm not a trucker, but I feel a little closer to the transportation industry as a whole. I'm really glad I drove for two reasons. First, it was a new experience. Second, we payed two guys from a moving company to help us pack up the truck, and their incompetence in the packing process made me feel that much better about driving the truck myself.

More about our new digs soon.

[Note: For more on Sprite and 7-Up, see this previous post.]