It is not necessarily a bad thing. Any truck driver can probably regale you with "Tales From The Road" if you dare to get him started. Some of these guys can really talk and tell a tall tale. I sometimes will avoid sitting with other truck drivers while in a Truck Stop Cafe. Sometimes I'm feeling "strung out from the road," as Bob Seeger would say, and I may be in a somewhat pensive mood. During times like that I try to avoid the "counter." You are going to end up in a conversation when you sit there. It's not that I don't enjoy a lively conversation every now and then. Sometimes I would just rather sit and ruminate on my own thoughts, and it's hard to do that when you have guys on either side of you who are lonely, desperate for conversation, and full up to the brim with their own self importance.
I've been thinking today about the many things I get to see and do out here. I talk sometimes about how you have to make something of this career, and how you need to take it for what it's worth and do your best to make it enjoyable. So many truck drivers seem to be miserable, and they seriously are missing out on some incredible opportunities to enjoy themselves. When I get to a truck stop it is almost always my practice to take a walk. This is not only for the exercise, but also just to get out and discover the things that are all around me, things that 98% of the drivers at any particular truck stop are missing out on. Usually within just a couple of miles of any given truck stop there is a whole world of adventure going on unnoticed by the average truck driver who is too lazy to get out of his truck and do something for his own physical and mental well being.
Earlier this week I was parked at a customer's property waiting for my legally mandated ten hour break to pass so that I could get back on the road the next morning. I could hear shouting going on just on the other side of a small wooded area. It was the shouting of fans cheering at some sort of a sporting event. I took a short walk over to the area and discovered a rousing "Little League" baseball game going on, and quite enjoyed myself sitting there and watching some young boys and their eager coaches try to best the other guys in the opposite dug-out. It was sort of an Americana scene with families and friends all gathered together for a "rite of passage" that gets repeated all over this country on any given summer afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed myself as an unknown spectator in the crowd.
Today I am sitting in Ormond Beach Florida. I got here about noon today, and I have a delivery appointment in the morning at Thomas & Betts. I had time to kill so I started looking around. Well, this weekend at the Daytona Harley Davidson store just down the road they are having one of these biker "get togethers," and though I didn't arrive here on a bike, I just went ahead and mingled right in with the crowd. I admired their bikes...
And I enjoyed listening to the bands that were featured there playing live music...
A truck driver gets ample opportunity to do and see way more things than the average member of the human race. He should take these opportunities and try to enjoy them when he is able.
I ate my lunch today at the Pig Stand Bar-B-Que restaurant. I've been here before and posted a picture of their tanker truck that has been converted into a super huge Bar-B-Que pit. Here it is again if you didn't catch it last time around...
Today I had their "Burnt Ends" sandwich with a side of Barbecued beans. They have this interesting thing they do here with the bun - they burn their logo into the top of your bun. It's a unique feature that I don't believe I have seen anywhere else. How about this? Have you ever seen another restaurant do such a thing?
They also had this crazy looking modified golf cart parked out on the patio dining area. It reminded me of the time I was in the little town of Ben Wheeler, Texas where they hold some golf cart drag racing events. People show up with these super modified golf carts that will burn rubber and race quite rapidly down a miniature drag strip at an incredible pace, but all very quietly!
Last night I slept at the Pilot truck stop in Florence, South Carolina where I spotted this warning sign in the back corner of the parking lot. Whenever I stay at a place like this, you can bet I think twice about stepping down out of my truck in the middle of the night to go inside the truck stop to use the restroom!
Speaking of signs that I have seen on the road. Check out this one that is hanging right in front of the entrance to a hardware store in the little town of Eudora, Arkansas. I'm not sure if "Hippies" are welcome here or not. The sign looks friendly enough, but not being allowed to use the front doors seems a little discriminatory. I'll let you be the judge...
I think you are getting the idea of what I mean by sensory overload. I stop and take pictures when I can, mostly just so I can share these things with those of you who take the time to read in here. But, as you can see, there is no lack of content to share with you on many a subject. You get to see and do it all when you are out here constantly on the road. It's not for everybody, but it is a big job that needs to be done by someone, and I happen to enjoy myself out here while "taking care of business."
I started this load up in Farmington, Connecticut. I went from there to the SAPA plant in Cressona, Pennsylvania, where I picked up this load of aluminum extrusions...
I have three stops on this load. One here in Ormond Beach, two in Orlando, and then I am deadheading back to Delhi, Louisiana. That is a 2,000 mile trip for this load! They are keeping me busy, and I am soaking in all the sights along the way. I hope you enjoyed getting to see a few of the things that I do and see along my way. I tried to limit myself in what I shared with you, so as not to "Overload" you.
Amazing blog and very interesting stuff you got here! I definitely learned a lot from reading through some of your earlier posts as well and decided to drop a comment on this one!
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