On The Road – Day 2

We took I10 to Las Cruses, NM. Then we headed to Texas and drove through El Paso.

We got on Hwy 20 towards Dallas.

On the way we stopped in Odessa and found 2 bottles of beer my boyfriend hid in a cider block wall outside a roofing business back in March of 2008. I was intrigued by this game that my boyfriend has been playing for many years. I was amazed that the beer bottles were still there, showing signs of weathering some storms.

At 6pm we found out the red onions had to go to Victoria instead.

Huh?

The dispatcher messed up. Really messed. Take a look at a map of Texas. We were well on the other side of Odessa by the time we found out the onions had to go to Victoria instead of Dallas. If we had been heading towards San Antonio, no problem. But, we weren’t.

So, my boyfriend regrouped and took Hwy 20 to 349 South to I10 E to San Antonio.

My boyfriend has the ability to make the most of any situation. We ended up driving through Iraan and we both marveled at how pretty this little town was. But, we didn’t see any people outside. It seemed strange. It was almost like a scene from a movie about the perfect little town that was, after all, not so perfect.

An hour later we stopped at a Sonic to get a bite to eat. About the only fast food my boyfriend eats is from In And Out. The only fast food I eat is from Taco Bell – I’m a sucker for their bean burritos. My boyfriend and I agreed that we’re not Sonic fans … ah, let’s just leave it at that …

We took Hwy 87 South to Victoria.

Except for a short nap in the middle of the night, my boyfriend just kept driving. When I realized I was nodding off – you know, you suddenly wake up because your head is dropping towards your lap and the weight of it starts pulling on your neck – I decided to lie down in the bunk. I was really glad the bunk was there. I remember thinking, “How can he keep driving and not be tired?”

Hours later the light from outside woke me up and I hopped into the passenger seat. My boyfriend was still wide-awake. I saw the little boy in him come out as he slowed to drive along side a big train.

This was definitely a highlight of the trip for me. I’m sorry if I sound a bit sappy, but he was just so darn cute!

After driving 912 miles – WOW!! – we arrived to Victoria at 6:20am on the 4th of July.

On The Road – Day 1

I went on the road with my boyfriend.

That’s right. I went on the road for 15 days with my boyfriend.

No, we did not go on vacation together. He was working the entire fifteen days.

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When my boyfriend asked me if I wanted to go on a trip with him I asked him, “Really?” and added, “I had no idea that a trucker could bring someone with him on one of his trips …”
My boyfriend responded, “It’s not always the case that one can. However, with the type of driving I’m doing right now I can. Do you want to go?”
I said, smiling, “Yes, I want to go.”
“Good,” he said.

We had to plan ahead, of course. He and I both have full lives. So, deciding to go with him on the road for 15 days is one thing. Actually making sure everything in my day-to-day life was handled while I was gone was another thing. I had to arrange to get the time off from work, etc.

We traveled a total of 8,385 miles all over the Southwest. It was an amazing experience. I learned a lot about trucking, enjoyed seeing parts of the US I haven’t seen and got to know my boyfriend better – you can’t spend 15 days on the road with someone, living out of a truck, without getting to know the person better!

The next dozen or so posts I make to this blog are going to be about the trip.

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On the first day we left at @ 4am. I can’t remember the last time I got up that early. It was still dark outside and I felt like we were stealing away, in the middle of the night, to somewhere we shouldn’t be going. A certain type of quiet exists on the road during those early morning hours before the sun rises. I found it to be peaceful and a good way to start what felt to me like a little adventure.

We drove to Los Angeles and traded an empty trailer for a trailer full of red onions. While it was simply a matter of me sitting in the passenger seat, watching my boyfriend do his job, it became clear to me that his job isn’t just driving the truck.

There is a lot more to being a trucker than meets the eye. I’ll get into some of what the job entails as I share about each day of the trip. But, for now, I’ll write that my eyes were opened up to the fact that I was completely ignorant about trucking.

We left the LA area and drove to Phoenix on I10. From Phoenix we headed to Tucson.

Now, my mom and one of my sisters live in Tucson. However, I knew that this trip was not a vacation. My boyfriend was working. So, I didn’t feel it was appropriate to ask him if we could stop in Tucson to visit my family.

Here is one of the great things about my boyfriend: He suggested that I ask my sister and my mom if they could meet us for a short visit. I thought, “Oh, wow. I really appreciate that he’s even thinking about that.”
I said, “Ah, okay. I’ll send both of them a text to see if they can. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said.

You know what? It all worked out. My mom and my sister rallied. We had a short visit with both of them at a Pilot truck stop just off of I10. This was the first time my mom and my sister met my boyfriend. So, it was kind of a big deal for me.

About an hour later, as my boyfriend and I pulled out of the truck stop and headed down I10, it started to rain. I don’t know about you, but I like the rainstorms that blow through the desert. It’s one of things I like about going out to Tucson that time of the year.

We were driving along I10 and ahead of us the sky was like a wall of grey. Behind us and in the distance on the driver’s side, the sun illuminated the sky.

“Look behind outside, over your shoulder,” said my boyfriend.
“Oh my gosh! I exclaimed. “That is beautiful,” I added as I witnessed the most incredible rainbow I have ever seen.

The rainbow curved up into a 180-degree arc of gorgeous, bright colors from one point on the ground all the way over to another point that seemed to be miles away.

I could not take my eyes off of it. I have seen a lot of rainbows in my life.
However, I had never seen one this huge, making a complete 180-degree arc and emanating such bright, vibrant colors.

I looked at my boyfriend wide-eyed and said, “Rainbows bring good luck.”
He said, smiling, “I know.”

Neither one of us are superstitious or much for the sappy, fluffy stuff. But, we both share the notion that sometimes the seemingly coincidental things that happen may not be coincidences at all.

The beauty in the sky that evening didn’t end with the rainbow we saw. As we drove into New Mexico the sky became even darker and we witnessed the most spectacular lightening storm either one of us have ever seen.

“Wow! Did you see that?” exclaimed my boyfriend when a rod of lightening cracked through the sky and was followed by a loud crashing sound.

“Yeah I did!” I shouted with my eyes almost popping out of my head.

This went on for over an hour with both of us agreeing, afterwards, that it was one of the most intense lightening storms we had seen.

We drove 717 miles the first day of our trip before we stopped for the night and I couldn’t believe we drove over 700 miles in one day.

My boyfriend said it was nothing – just all apart of the job.

Let's Thank Our Truckers

When my boyfriend and I met he wasn’t going out on the road. Instead, he was focusing on the profession for which he put himself through school many years ago. He paid for his schooling by driving a truck at night.

When I learned this about him I was amazed. I thought, “This guy went to school during the day and then drove a truck at night to make a living and pay for his education? Wow.” My admiration for him grew.

Over a year after he and I met he decided to start going back out on the road. He missed driving a truck. I heard a lot of his stories about the days he drove. I could tell from these stories that being a trucker was something he enjoyed. He has a lot of great stories – enough to keep this blog going for years. :-)

I was supportive. I knew I’d miss him when he was gone. But, what I didn’t know was how well he’d stay in touch with me while he was on the road. He calls me often. We exchange text messages. He sends me photos of things he sees while he’s on the road.

It’s very nice how he stays in communication with me when he’s gone. I tell him how much I appreciate that he does. I try and focus on making our conversations pleasant for him. I figure, “He likes driving and being on the road. So, why not add to his enjoyment with nice phone conversations?” Beside, I also figure he’s more likely to keep calling me if the experience is nice when he does.

I went out on the road with my boyfriend for 15 days recently. I’ll be posting a little bit about each day of the trip over the next few weeks. But, before I do, I want to share a few photos my boyfriend took and sent to me the other day when he was on the road. So, keep in mind that he sent these two photos to me after he and I returned from being on the road together:

Wow! When I saw these photos I didn’t know what to think. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking at, except a truck that was obviously smashed. I couldn’t tell which end was the front and which end was the rear. Sure, a lot of the disorientation has to do with my ignorance about trucks – well, tractors in this case – but, no one can discount the magnitude of what must have happened to cause a huge tractor like this one to be demolished.

When my boyfriend returned home and we had a chance to look at the photos together, I asked him to clarify for me what I was seeing. When he explained to me how the front of the tractor was pushed back, exposing the engine, I just couldn’t believe it. He pointed out that the chances of the driver having survived the accident were probably slim.

Then it hit me. Ugh. Driving a truck can be dangerous. Many of us have heard about the recent Wal-Mart driver incident.

But, I also realized that I was glad I had spent 15 days on the road with my boyfriend before I saw these photos.

Why?

Because, I saw many actions that my boyfriend took while driving that were safety-oriented. I witnessed many precautions he took in the name of being safe. He is not reckless at all. I felt safe in the truck while my boyfriend was driving. My respect for him increased while I watched him working, in his element, making sound decisions, being professional about his work on the road.

While I was on the road with him, I saw many truckers driving safely. It’s a demanding, tough job. It’ a job that keeps our commerce going. It’s a job that takes truckers away from their families for long periods of time.
It’s also a job that, at times, our truckers are at risk, no matter how conscientious they are in terms of what they are doing while on the road.

So, let’s all thank our truckers for all that they do and the sacrifices they make.

Words Are Important

I know I can speak for my boyfriend when I say (well, write, in this case) that neither he not I want to upset anyone or rub anyone the wrong way.

It’s just that my boyfriend has an excellent command of the English language. Because he does, my boyfriend tends to read billboards and signs differently compared to most people I know. As a result, I look at things differently. He opens my eyes a bit more – and even makes me laugh.

So, please don’t get offended by what I’m about to write because I suspect I might ruffle some feathers.

I’ll further buffer what I’m about to write with how my boyfriend and I both completely understand how a lot of people (for example: my mom, brother and sisters) regard their pets as members of their family. This post is not intended, in any way, to discount this.

This post is about how the meaning of words is important. Language is important. How we say words, the way we write words, the words we use – it’s all communication and it’s important. Okay, I’m a writer. Of course I think words are important.

But, my boyfriend is not a writer and he is even more adamant about how important words are, especially the meaning of words. It’s not just my boyfriend who makes this stand. I know a lot of people who are not writers who consider how people use words to be important.

In this spirit …

My boyfriend is on the road. I was talking to him on the phone the other day.

He said, “I read a billboard this morning with ‘Dogs are children too’ written on it.”
I started laughing. “Really? I asked.
“Yes,” he replied.

Dog lovers out there no offense. But, this is too much of a stretch.

By definition a child is:
a person between birth and full growth;
a boy or girl;
a human fetus;
a baby or infant;
a son or daughter.

My boyfriend continued.

”You wouldn’t say to someone ‘I’d like you to meet my daughter’ and then bring out your dog …”

Okay, I started laughing again.

Seriously, though, is it okay to point out how such a statement diminishes our language and what we’re communicating about to one another?

I think it is. That’s why I am making this post at the risk of possibly upsetting people.

Then my boyfriend said something that really hit home.

“The relationship a person has with his child is a very special relationship.”

I thought, “Oh. This is important to him.”

My boyfriend has two daughters.
He’s a great Dad. It’s one of the many things I love about him.
He takes his role as a father seriously.
I’d say that, for him, his relationships with his daughters are the most important relationships he has.

Truckers and Robo Calls

My boyfriend receives what he calls ‘robo calls’ every day. When he’s home, he ignores these calls. However, when he’s on the road, rather than complain about the telemarketing calls he gets, he has a little bit of fun with them.

I spoke with him today.

“My daily robo call came in this morning,” he told me.
“Really? How did that go?” I asked.
“Well, since I had the time, I talked to the guy for a while.”
“You did? That’s so nice of you.”
“I don’t know about that,” he chuckled. “I could really only understand about two thirds of what he was saying because his accent was so thick. You know me, if I can’t understand the person on the other end of the phone, instead of getting annoyed and frustrated, I prefer to talk another time.”
“Yes, I know,” I said, smiling.
“But, I knew I’d be driving for another 5 hours and it didn’t matter if I understood him or not. So, I decided to go with the call and see what happened.”
“What happened?” I asked. I knew this was going to funny.
“Ha, when he asked me where I lived I gave him the address 12554 5th Ave.”
“A fake address,” I commented.
“Well, yeah. The guy asked me how to spell ‘fifth’ and I told him ‘like the number five.”
I laughed.
“Then he asked me if I owned the place. I said ‘no.’

The robo call guy said, “In order to be eligible for this promotion you have to be a homeowner.”
“Oh. Well, I own a house at another address. My girlfriend pays the utilities at the 5th Ave address. My wife lives in the house and I pay for the utilities.”
“Okay, then. You’re eligible. When can we set-up an appointment to have one of our representative meet with you?”
“Any night of the week after 7:30.”
“How about Friday at 7:00pm.”
“No. Any night after 7:30pm because that’s when I’ll kick my wife out of the house for awhile.”

At this point I’m laughing so hard my ribs are starting to ache. Not only does my boyfriend not live in a place on 5th Ave, but he surely wouldn’t be kicking his wife out of the house in which she lived simply so he could meet with someone he heard about from a telemarketing call!

The called continued.

“You’re wife has to be present when you meet with the representative.”
“No, she doesn’t. I don’t want her there. Oh, I’m getting another call. Can you hold?”
“Yes.”

At which point my boyfriend told me, “It was you calling and so here we are.”

My Boyfriend Is A Trucker

My boyfriend is a trucker.

Well, it’s one of his sources of income. His other? Don’t worry, it’s legal.

For the sake of remaining anonymous, I’ll just say that he’s a well-educated professional too -- all the more reason that his trucking intrigues and fascinates me. He truly loves driving.

He tells me anecdotes about the time he spends on the road. His stories are always interesting or amusing. At times I crack up with laughter.

He’s on the road for a few weeks right now. I spoke with him this morning.
He was telling me how he …

“… decided to pull into an IHOP parking lot to get a cup of coffee. I was glad to see the parking lot was okay for me to pull the truck into because it’s always easier getting in to park versus getting out.

There weren’t that many people in the IHOP. After a few minutes one of the servers approached me, “Hi. Table for one?”

I said, “No. But, thank you. Can you tell me what kind of a cup you use for a cup of to-go coffee?”

Side bar: My boyfriend hates Styrofoam – cups, plates, whatever. He tells me that food just doesn’t taste right when it comes on Styrofoam.

My boyfriend continued …

… The server responded, “Ah, yeah, well, let me go and see.” He went into the kitchen.

Over a minute went by and he still hadn’t returned.

Then, the hostess came up to me and asked, “Can I help you?”
I answered her, “Well, maybe. I asked one of the servers what kind of cup you use for a to-go cup of coffee. I think he went into the kitchen to check.”
She said, “Okay. Let me see.”

As she walked towards the kitchen, several IHOP employees came through the kitchen doors and she stopped to talk to them. The server who approached me was among the group. There were five of them standing in a group, all wearing red shirts, discussing what seemed to be a pressing issue, as if I came in to tell them that I was about to bring in a party of 50 people for pancakes and waffles.

I stood there for a moment and the thought occurred to me, “Get out. Get out now while you can!” But, I really wanted another cup of coffee. So, I waited.

Eventually, they disbanded and went in various directions – to do what I’m not exactly sure.

A few more minutes – okay, maybe seconds – passed and the server walked up to me with a to-go cup of coffee. I smiled. Even though it was a small cup of coffee it was a paper cup.
“Thank you,” I said.
“You’re welcome,” he replied and added, “That’ll be $2.80.”

I thought, “Almost $3 for a small cup of coffee? Yikes!” However, I was already too far down this rabbit hole. So, I decided to just give him the $3 and take the cup of coffee.”

… So, with his small cup of coffee in a paper cup, my boyfriend walked out of the IHOP, got into his truck and drove out of the parking lot onto his next destination.