We delivered the show in New Orleans on Monday this week and by Tuesday afternoon we were checking into our hotel in Brownsville, Texas. It was a beautiful 95 degrees and 100% humidity which pretty much sums up the weather there all week. On the plus side, it never rained once thankfully. It was a busy week… a lot of people to see and things to do in a short time. Jorge spent one night over in Mexico visiting some of his family there while I held down the fort at the hotel… i.e. lounged by the pool, went to the mall, got my hair trimmed, etc… One night I had a reunion with a friend from high school that I haven’t seen since graduation 34 years ago. It’s fun to see the different directions we’ve all taken over all these many years. She and her husband teach at the university in Brownsville. The next night Jorge got together with a couple of his old friends from school so that was a lot of fun for him. We did make it out to the beach on South Padre Island but it was very windy that day. We took Rocky and walked along the shore for awhile while Rocky played in the surf. He loves to go to the beach. Our trip culminated on Saturday night with a family wedding of the daughter of one of Jorge’s cousins. Unfortunately we had to leave the reception early as the show must go on. We drove up to Dallas all night and are now getting our trailer loaded with the show called ‘9 to 5’. We’ll be taking it on a quick trip to Pittsburgh.
We were able to make another stop at our storage trailer this week as we passed thru Ohio. We were able to retire our tire chains for the season and said another prayer of thanks for never having had to use them this past winter season. Without the chains onboard, Jorge was able to squeeze our charcoal grill in their place. We plan on getting plenty of use from that the next few months. We decided we’ve seen enough of the interstate so we took the backroads all the way from Cincinnati to Madison, Wisconsin. Relying on a GPS is usually good thing but somehow we managed to cover everything from downtowns, to narrow country roads, and even a neighborhood subdivision as we meandered our way north. It’s entertaining for us to see the little towns along the way.
Here it was mid-May and we were still using our heavy blankets this week. Thankfully we had the good sense to keep those in the truck. We made the trip from Madison to Nashville and though we missed the rain storms in the mid-west, we did drive thru temps in the 30’s. We spent a day or so in Nashville including a brief visit with my mom and her new husband, Joe. It was even chilly there for this time of the year. Tonight we are at the opposite spectrum, putting the a/c to hard work here in Orlando. This weekend we are picking up ‘Shrek’ and taking it over to New Orleans. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can begin our vacation as we take a few days off in south Texas this coming week. We’re going to visit Jorge’s family in Brownsville, Texas which will include a family wedding. Plus we plan to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary in South Padre Island. So it will be a good week ahead and we’re looking forward to it.
The Ohio River was raging and way out of it's banks as we crossed from Illinois to Kentucky. We saw alot of flooding and homes that had made the effort to sandbag around them.
It was home improvement week. Check out our new fenders we had installed on the back tires on our way to Orlando. These will keep the back of the truck much cleaner.
Just because we live in our truck doesn't mean we can't grow a flower garden. Here's our geranium in bloom on the windown sill.
Last week seemed like a little vacation – lots of visiting and not much work. You know you’ve been trucking a long time when you pass people you know in random parts of the country. When we were almost to St. Louis we just happened to meet our friends Frank and Donna and had a quick bite to eat at the truckstop before they had to get back on the road. They switched companies about six months ago and they are now doing what we used to do every day… drive nonstop. We miss seeing them but not that kind of work. The next day we met our friends Don and Dale as they passed thru St.Louis. And because Dale and I are always on the hunt for a bargain, when in reality neither of us needs a thing, we ended up at a nearby mall to do some shopping while Jorge and Don tagged along with us. As we headed to Dallas next day, we stopped to visit our newly-retired friends Tom and Mary in Oklahoma. They have moved to the boonies and are building a new home from shipping containers. One of these days when their road is not washed out from monsoon rains, we’ll go back again and check that out. They were full of stories of life after truck driving. Jorge and I often wonder what we’ll do next but we enjoy the job and the lifestyle so much we don’t seriously consider doing anything else… at least, for now.
Sunday we picked up the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and took off for New York City and Carnegie Hall. That trip was surprisingly easy – made easier when you know there will be designated parking there for you when you arrive. Usually we have to wonder if we’ll even find a spot to park a big tractor and trailer. Once we were unloaded yesterday morning, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. We decided to book a tour of the city on one of the many tour buses running thru the streets. That was fun and the weather was perfect for it. We saw everything from the Statue of Liberty, to Wall Street, to Ground Zero, the Brooklyn Bridge and everything in between. I really love the old buildings and admire the craftsmanship that was put into making them.
Last night we switched trailers and headed from New York City to Cincinnati, Ohio. Our next stop is Madison, Wisconsin and we’ll be there late Sunday night. We’ll be taking ‘Les Miserables’ again - this time from Madison to Nashville. Our journeys continue….
We were lucky enough to get in and out of the Pacific Northwest without a single weather issue. Seattle was beauiful this time of year- no snow on the roads but plenty on the mountaintops. After having spent so much time over on the east coast of the country, we felt so blessed to have missed all the wicked and violent weather that was going in the south - all places that we had recently been to.
Once in Denver it was time to take Big Red back to the shop. The starter had been making a noise when we started it so that was the first thing that needed attention. In addition, while we were stopped the week before at Mt. Rushmore, I kept hearing an airleak which Jorge blew off as just another airleak - something Volvos are famous for. Upon further inspection, we noticed it was coming from the front of the truck which turned out to be the freon leaking from the a/c condenser. Yes, the freon we had just put in a few weeks earlier while the truck was in the shop in Nashville. It turns out a rock must have bounced up and made a hole in this expensive part. So the truck is starting great now and we have the a/c we'll be needing this week in the south.
Yesterday we did a little short run from Omaha, Nebraska down to Fayetteville, Arkansas with a show called 'Les Miserables'. We got there just in time for a rainy and cold May 2nd. It was actually warmer in Nebraska than it was in Arkansas yesterday. We didn't stay there long however. This week we are picking up the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and taking them on tour to Carnegie Hall in New York City. We had to get what we truckers call a reefer trailer... or a refrigerated trailer... to haul all their instruments. They need to be kept at a cool and constant temperature. So another driver is bringing that trailer as far as St. Louis and we'll take it the rest of the way to Dallas and be ready to pick them up this Sunday night. A trip to New York is always interesting. Although you can't beat the people watching, I'm always so grateful to have those trips behind us.
Combining a love of travel and history, not to mention the need to work and fund those travels ~ we found the perfect solution to satisfy our wanderlust ~ as over-the-road truck drivers. The nomadic lifestyle is certainly not for everyone but it has worked well for us for several years. It has taken us to countless places we would never have gone and we have met many friends along the way. Join us, Jorge and Rhonda ~ and Rocky, the trucker dog ~ in our adventures in life on the road.