Back on the road again! It was rough leaving home this time....I wanted at least another week off. But now that we're rolling and the sun is rising the day looks pretty good! Spring is springing all over the US and I look forward to taking it all in.
After two months of seeing the country, this is one of the most beautiful pictures of all. Home.
In the last couple of days we've seen the ocean, been through an array of mountain scenery, and now today we arrive in the desert. The Mojave Desert holds its own beauty, though it doesn't do much for me personally. It's a little hard for me to understand what someone would find appealing about living in the desert. The picture is the Mojave River.....see what I mean? We did pass a place advertising boat repair which gave us a chuckle, but that wasn't the strangest thing we saw. In the desert is a military base, one of many I am sure, but exactly what would they need with a half dozen massive ship anchors? Do the folks in the desert know something we don't know....or maybe they're just hopeful? Either way weird stuff goes on out here!
All I know is I'll take my Great Lakes, green grass and mosquitoes any day!!!!
Dennis read this to me this morning so I thought I would share. This is from preacherrich on expeditersonline.com....."so I pulled into Portland Oregon on Friday afternoon to deliver my load, parked the cargo van at the TA and noticed there were quite a few people living in their vehicles there. I didn't get a load and on Sunday evening and I got approached by the guy living in his van next to me. He said, "hey, are you hungry? Need some food?" I told him I was all set and he was on his way. That was so cool to me, a guy that doesn't even have a home (this guy does work but comes back to the TA to sleep) would give what he has to help someone out. Me and that dude, both live in our vans doing the best that we can. No so different really. How many people do we pass every day that $5 for a meal would brighten their day?"
I would like to be more like that man.....
Just wanted to let all the expeditors know that the Alpine Inn is a nice little place with very clean rooms, right near San Francisco airport. They have space for a 40' truck and for $50 a night it's worth not commuting if you have a pick up or drop off in or near the city. The lack of truck stops in the bay area can cause us a lot of commute time and fuel, so if you get a chance this little place gets 4 out of 5 stars. Lots of restaurants to walk to or delivery.
It only missed a star because of no flat screen TV and limited cable...but very nice place! (It has laundry too)
It's quite imposing, even in it's shut down condition (actually is a National Park) to look out at the rocky island and imagine the criminals that have been housed there. Upon reading a little on The Rock, it seems that the famous escape of the three inmates still remains open to this day and will remain open on each man until their 100th birthday. Sometimes I really wonder .......
But we saw San Francisco Bay and waived hello to Chuck in San Quentin on our way past. Found ourselves a nice, clean hotel room with a view of the bay and may have some chinese cuisine for dinner.
It's a wonderful life....
Spent last week running the west coast from San Diego up to Spokane and back down again. We crossed off the last two states in the lower 48, now we've been to them all!
Rain, snow and heavy winds have been our constant companions....you would think we were back in Michigan! What happened to the California sunshine? Actually they need the rain and mountain snow very badly so can't complain too much.
Now we just need a load to go back east! Please?!??!!!!
Hanging out on the west coast this last week! We got to stop in and see some family and kept working all at the same time. Rotten weather with storm advisories, and high winds. Hoping to get back east sometime soon!
This here state is green....right? I mean save the plant right? Drive electric cars? Don't litter? Use bamboo flooring?
Know how they get all...and I mean alllll of that crap?
By a big old diesel burning semi truck that they dont allow in their rest areas and only provide a hand full of truck stops to accommodate the people who bring them their electric cars and whole foods!
Irony - "the use of words to convey a meaning that is opposite of its literal meaning" (see California)
So there I am, traveling through the great Rockie Mountains.....on one particular downgrade I see a few fellow drivers pulled over and said to Dennis, "What? Are they sight seeing?" Then I see one trailer's brakes smoking and I'm not sure I actually made fun of them, but I wasn't compassionate.
Yeah, you guesses it....a little while later, on another downgrade I look in my mirror and sure enough, the back end of the truck is smoking like a brush fire! Talk about freaking out on the side of a mountain!
But we endured and we're fine, just a little to much brake .....I think there's a lesson in there somewhere!
Had some minor repairs done to the truck yesterday and enjoyed the beautiful day, suppose to be warm again today. Had offer to go to Saskatchewan yesterday to Detroit....maybe if it was summer...you Michiganders have too much snow! Think I'll go take a look at the Rockies this morning!
Dennis and I just finished our 1800 mile drive to Denver, now we get a brief breather. That is one heck of a drive, I can't imagine going coast to coast all at once! We've been through Kansas several times in the last couple of weeks and I've got to say the place is growing on me....no wonder Dorothy wanted to go home! It's actually a vastly pretty state and makes me want to see a little more of South Dakota too!
