We’ve owned our own truck now for nearly three years and so the time finally came this week to buy a set of brand new tires for it. After all, the old ones had nearly 300,000 miles on them. That goes to show how much we’ve actually slowed down since we signed on to Clark Transfer and started hauling entertainment loads versus regular freight. We used to easily rack up 260,000 miles per year as company drivers and now average a mere 100,000 miles per year. That gives us lots of time to sightsee and get so much more enjoyment from our time on the road.
We made our delivery in Denver, bought our new tires, then had a few days to kill on our way to Omaha. We checked the map for a scenic route off the beaten path and found one. I guess western Nebraska isn’t too scenic no matter which road you take – just one field after another. We survived one night of wicked thunderstorms and tornado watches and warnings once we got here. What does one do for shelter in a truck during wind storms? We have an ‘upstairs’ but no basement so we did the next best thing - parked as close as we could to the back of the Walmart store to at least minimize the wind blowing against the side of the truck. Thankfully the worst of the storm went to the south of us and we slept thru most of it in peace.
Right across the river from Omaha is Council Bluffs, IA and plenty of casinos. Yesterday we set out to win our fortune by going to dog races. When we got there, we found out they weren’t racing the dogs due to the fact that it was Kentucky Derby day. No problem… we’d bet on the horses instead. That didn’t work out so well for us and neither did the blackjack table or slot machines. It was just one of those days… We’re going to stick to driving – we have better luck at that.
Today started out real nice and we’d been hoping to finally barbeque the steaks we had in the freezer. So we found a nice little lake at a nearby state park and set up our picnic area. It seems we no sooner got everything drug out of the truck, set up, and the got the fire going real good when the sky started to darken in the distance and I insisted it was already past us- it wasn’t coming our way. As it got closer, the wind started again and of course the stuff was blowing off the table. We barely got the food cooked when we had to pick it all up and quickly throw everything in the truck before the rain started. So much for my weather predictions… We’ll have leftover steak for dinner tonight – inside the truck!
We are doing a short little trip from here to Indianapolis tonight with ‘Legally Blonde’. Then I’m spending a few days out of the truck while Jorge turns around and heads back to Denver by next weekend. I’ll be staying a few days with my daughter, Mandy and her husband, Orville at their home in Lebanon, Ohio. Mandy is graduating from the University of Cincinnati School of Law next Saturday and I want to be there for it.
We made our delivery in Denver, bought our new tires, then had a few days to kill on our way to Omaha. We checked the map for a scenic route off the beaten path and found one. I guess western Nebraska isn’t too scenic no matter which road you take – just one field after another. We survived one night of wicked thunderstorms and tornado watches and warnings once we got here. What does one do for shelter in a truck during wind storms? We have an ‘upstairs’ but no basement so we did the next best thing - parked as close as we could to the back of the Walmart store to at least minimize the wind blowing against the side of the truck. Thankfully the worst of the storm went to the south of us and we slept thru most of it in peace.
Right across the river from Omaha is Council Bluffs, IA and plenty of casinos. Yesterday we set out to win our fortune by going to dog races. When we got there, we found out they weren’t racing the dogs due to the fact that it was Kentucky Derby day. No problem… we’d bet on the horses instead. That didn’t work out so well for us and neither did the blackjack table or slot machines. It was just one of those days… We’re going to stick to driving – we have better luck at that.
Today started out real nice and we’d been hoping to finally barbeque the steaks we had in the freezer. So we found a nice little lake at a nearby state park and set up our picnic area. It seems we no sooner got everything drug out of the truck, set up, and the got the fire going real good when the sky started to darken in the distance and I insisted it was already past us- it wasn’t coming our way. As it got closer, the wind started again and of course the stuff was blowing off the table. We barely got the food cooked when we had to pick it all up and quickly throw everything in the truck before the rain started. So much for my weather predictions… We’ll have leftover steak for dinner tonight – inside the truck!
We are doing a short little trip from here to Indianapolis tonight with ‘Legally Blonde’. Then I’m spending a few days out of the truck while Jorge turns around and heads back to Denver by next weekend. I’ll be staying a few days with my daughter, Mandy and her husband, Orville at their home in Lebanon, Ohio. Mandy is graduating from the University of Cincinnati School of Law next Saturday and I want to be there for it.
Miles and miles of this view were about all we saw on our way to Omaha this week. Every once in awhile we'd pass thru a little town and wonder what in the world people do living way out in the middle of nowhere. We got a kick out of this sign in one little town along the way in Nebraska.
Here's proof of what we thought was going to be a real nice day for a bbq. Before we left, the water was white-capping.