Why do I do the things I do?

For the sake of this post, I will limit my thoughts to 'driving a truck.' But first, an update on where I am.

I ended up with two jobs out of Ft. Polk, LA - sort of. I took one off the load board going from Alexandria, LA (30 miles away) to Indianapolis. About four or five hours later - well after loaded - I got a call from Jeremy (one of my previous brokers) and he had a very nice load going from Lake Charles, LA back to FL. But alas, too late.

I delivered in Indy this afternoon and reload in the morning from Cincinnati going back to southern Texas. But first comes a stop-over in St. Louis Saturday night to get a 'free meal.' My favorite (only) nephew is graduating high school and his dad is buying dinner. Thanks Gary!

So, back to the topic - why do I drive? The easy answer is because I like to travel. But who doesn't? Aren't most vacations about going somewhere different? Well, that's what I do. I feel like I'm on vacation ALL the time and I get paid for it.

But driving 400 or 500 - and even 700 - miles a day isn't for everyone. I love the scenery. The landscape - our country - is magnificent. You have never seen so many shades of green, at least in the areas that have water. And then the accent colors - predominantly yellow it seems (black-eyed Susan's, sunflowers, McDonald's arches), but also reds, purples, white and blue. And where water is less available, the browns and greys of the terrain are just as impressive.

Mother nature is phenomenal. And I get to see alot of it. Have you driven thru the lava fields around Grant, NM? How about stood on the banks of the headwaters of the Missouri River in Montana where Lewis and Clark traveled? Did you know there is a rain forest in British Columbia, Canada? It is in a pocket of a mountain range that is protected by wind currents coming off the Pacific. There are many VERY old Cedar trees there. One of them is estimated to be 3000 to 3500 years old! I have pictures of these things in my photo album. The link is on the left side of this page.

And then there is the wildlife along the way. Everyone has seen roadkill - squished animals along the road. But have you seen an alligator roadkill? (Not the blown-up truck tires laying in the road either) How about a moose? I have. I am entertained by identifying squashed fur on the shoulder. And the live ones grazing - or flying - around.

Birds are particularly interesting to me. I think I could write an entire post just on the variety and locations of all the birds I see. (Maybe I will) I have two pheasant tail feathers stuck in my dash today that I collected in North Dakota last year. Just last week while in southern FL, I passed about 30 HUGE vultures feasting on fresh roadkill. About 4 or 5 were actually eating, while a group of 12 or 15 stood at various distances waiting their turn. But the part that first caught my eye were the ones sitting on the fence posts like statues. One vulture stood on each of about 10 wooden posts along the highway. A Kodak moment that I unfortunately missed!

That's why I do what I do what I do -- I love it! So, if you don't mind living in your truck for weeks at a time - a rather solitary lifestyle I admit - you too can travel the USA. Oh, and I get to take my bike with me now (THANK YOU Jim!) When I get somewhere particularly fun, I can spend some extra time being a tourist on my Harley. It just doesn't get much better.