Nomadic Wolf
Well-known member
___ On April 16, 2017, a few days before I planned to head out, I decided to check the Ride Board. No intention of getting a ride, no expectations. Just to look. There I found https://squattheplanet.com/threads/moving-trucker-offering-rides-help.31029/ .
___ I reached out thinking, "by now someone has surely taken the spot," but it doesn't hurt to try, right? A few days later I came back to the site; I had almost forgotten about it all. I checked the notifications to find a response from RexanTexan. As it turns out, I was the pick of the litter as far as the people who responded to the Ride Offered. Come the next day I was ready, and I made my way to the 595 Truck Stop to meet Tex.
___ Since that day we have rolled from Miami, FL northwest to Seattle, WA. Despite some rough times that come with the road and the job, at the end of the day it is undeniably the most awesome decision I have ever made.
___ The trip between Florida and Dallas, TX was not very note worthy, aside from the sheer number of miles and states we covered in those first few days (Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas). Even so, it was a the time to get to know the man I now consider one of my greatest friends.
___ While in Texas, Tex and a close friend of his drove me to Franklin Mountains State Park, where I camped the night after a fantastic hike:
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___ From Texas we made our way to San Francisco for the next Delivery, along the way going through very neat mountains. They are not as green as they once were, but what little life remains in them is still a small treasure:
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___ After San Felipe and before Old Gilroy, we stopped to buy fresh, truly organic strawberries and cherries. I have never tasted better fruit, as far back as I can remember.
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___ Delivering to San Francisco apartments is a pain. I was glad to be done with those jobs. Although while we were in California, we did stop at Fab Hot Dogs.
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___ It was a gourmet burger on my book. And on my card.
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___ From California we headed north toward Oregon.
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___ On that road we wound up in a little town. We spent the night there. I had the awesome opportunity to venture into the little town, through a forest, past some train tracks, near a lonesome house, and to an abandoned dock. The kind on which you roll a boat into the water. I camped just a few yards away from the shore.
___ I don't give much detail about this place because I am 90% certain I wound up in private property, and I don't want to lead more people to those folk's home and land. They were kind enough not to come down that narrow road and force me out. I could see their balcony light, so I'm sure they saw my fire.
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___ Look at the fiery passion my eyes!
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___ Just kidding. :3 Kind of.
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___ Walking back through the tracks in the morning. It smelled like freedom and Chinese servitude. I made my way back to the truck, but Tex wasn't quite through with sleep, so I went out to explore some more. I found a fired 12 gauge, a shot at sign, and a rolled over car.
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___ We left the little town, getting ever closer to Oregon with each wind and twist of the road.
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___ We were nearing Seattle, WA, the location of our next delivery, when we were boxed in at a Love's truck stop at the diesel pumps. Just after having finished a mad dash to for gas, too. Long story short, our truck got repossessed.
___ That night we spent at a Holiday Inn nearby, courtesy of Tex. After our truck was taken, the question remained: what now? Tex took that question to his company, and their answer was essentially, "fly back to Huston, get another truck to do a job down there, then we will fly you back." Their answer didn't include me. Tex fought on my behalf for his company to pay my ticket down to Huston. He has that leverage because he happens to be their number one driver.
___ I will be honest, he doesn't quite come across as the "leave no man behind" kind of guy. He could have said, "well, it's time for you to hit the road, buddy." Yet he did not leave me behind, but rather stuck his neck out. I wish I had more friends like that; fortunate to have one at all.
___ Two days after the repossession, the company paid for an Uber to the airport. I am not sure which airport it was. I didn't pay attention, and I also forgot to ask the whale.
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___ I've never been good with pictures... I am sure that is apparent here. Especially with that girly suitcase. Not to be ungrateful, it was another courtesy of Tex, but of all the options... why girly poke a dot? Anyhow, I would have taken pictures in the plane, but the teenage cock in a grey hoodie that was sitting next to me by the window decided he didn't want to switch me seats, so I just went to sleep.
___ Down in Texas we were supposed to get a truck to do a job, but it fell through and never came to pass. So we wound up with nothing to do. The company then told us we would be driving the truck to Seattle instead of us flying back. Now that we had a truck, it had to come with us. While we were down in Huston Tex bought me a day of paintball (forgot to take pictures, but it was an ass-kicking day for me), and later we ended up Galveston Island, where I spent the night in a lifeguard tower:
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___ I was unable to sleep that night, but I did take pictures during the night and the morning.
___ After that day, we began our drive up through Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. I didn't take pictures between Texas and Utah. We were only stopping at truck stops, so nothing worthy of a picture came about. The landscape is very enjoyable to look out at, nonetheless.
___ After going through Flagstaff in AZ, we headed down to Sedona. The place has been turned into an overpriced tourist trap with mystery sprinkled on it by "vortexes" and "aura photos." Thankfully, the land itself is far too pristine to be ruined.
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___ Before leaving Arizona, I me a soldier from a convey of military trucks hauling jeeps and other trucks.
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___ The night along that road was... unreal. You get so used to seeing an empty sky near cities that when you see a real sky... it made me want to shed a tear. I would have taken a picture, but it was too incredible for the resolution capacity of my phone.
___ Moving on from Arizona, we passed through despicable Nevada, and into California on I-395. On we moved through Oregon and to Washington. Once in Washington we picked up our trailer and head east through a senic byway.
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___ The videos are ten times better, but it takes ten minutes to upload two minutes of video. So I'll leave it at this. This is my month so far. It has been an awesome adventure. I am very fortunate to have lived such a great experience, and to have gained a friend like Tex.
___ I reached out thinking, "by now someone has surely taken the spot," but it doesn't hurt to try, right? A few days later I came back to the site; I had almost forgotten about it all. I checked the notifications to find a response from RexanTexan. As it turns out, I was the pick of the litter as far as the people who responded to the Ride Offered. Come the next day I was ready, and I made my way to the 595 Truck Stop to meet Tex.
___ Since that day we have rolled from Miami, FL northwest to Seattle, WA. Despite some rough times that come with the road and the job, at the end of the day it is undeniably the most awesome decision I have ever made.
___ The trip between Florida and Dallas, TX was not very note worthy, aside from the sheer number of miles and states we covered in those first few days (Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas). Even so, it was a the time to get to know the man I now consider one of my greatest friends.
☆ ☆ ☆
___ While in Texas, Tex and a close friend of his drove me to Franklin Mountains State Park, where I camped the night after a fantastic hike:
View attachment 37135
View attachment 37134
View attachment 37136
View attachment 37139
View attachment 37140
___ From Texas we made our way to San Francisco for the next Delivery, along the way going through very neat mountains. They are not as green as they once were, but what little life remains in them is still a small treasure:
View attachment 37141
View attachment 37142
View attachment 37143
___ After San Felipe and before Old Gilroy, we stopped to buy fresh, truly organic strawberries and cherries. I have never tasted better fruit, as far back as I can remember.
View attachment 37144
View attachment 37145
___ Delivering to San Francisco apartments is a pain. I was glad to be done with those jobs. Although while we were in California, we did stop at Fab Hot Dogs.
View attachment 37150
___ It was a gourmet burger on my book. And on my card.
View attachment 37151
___ From California we headed north toward Oregon.
(Road to Oregon)
View attachment 37146
View attachment 37147
View attachment 37148
___ On that road we wound up in a little town. We spent the night there. I had the awesome opportunity to venture into the little town, through a forest, past some train tracks, near a lonesome house, and to an abandoned dock. The kind on which you roll a boat into the water. I camped just a few yards away from the shore.
___ I don't give much detail about this place because I am 90% certain I wound up in private property, and I don't want to lead more people to those folk's home and land. They were kind enough not to come down that narrow road and force me out. I could see their balcony light, so I'm sure they saw my fire.
View attachment 37149
View attachment 37152
View attachment 37154
___ Look at the fiery passion my eyes!
View attachment 37153
___ Just kidding. :3 Kind of.
View attachment 37155
View attachment 37175
View attachment 37176
___ Walking back through the tracks in the morning. It smelled like freedom and Chinese servitude. I made my way back to the truck, but Tex wasn't quite through with sleep, so I went out to explore some more. I found a fired 12 gauge, a shot at sign, and a rolled over car.
View attachment 37177
View attachment 37178
View attachment 37179
___ We left the little town, getting ever closer to Oregon with each wind and twist of the road.
View attachment 37180
View attachment 37181
___ We were nearing Seattle, WA, the location of our next delivery, when we were boxed in at a Love's truck stop at the diesel pumps. Just after having finished a mad dash to for gas, too. Long story short, our truck got repossessed.
___ That night we spent at a Holiday Inn nearby, courtesy of Tex. After our truck was taken, the question remained: what now? Tex took that question to his company, and their answer was essentially, "fly back to Huston, get another truck to do a job down there, then we will fly you back." Their answer didn't include me. Tex fought on my behalf for his company to pay my ticket down to Huston. He has that leverage because he happens to be their number one driver.
___ I will be honest, he doesn't quite come across as the "leave no man behind" kind of guy. He could have said, "well, it's time for you to hit the road, buddy." Yet he did not leave me behind, but rather stuck his neck out. I wish I had more friends like that; fortunate to have one at all.
___ Two days after the repossession, the company paid for an Uber to the airport. I am not sure which airport it was. I didn't pay attention, and I also forgot to ask the whale.
View attachment 37182
___ I've never been good with pictures... I am sure that is apparent here. Especially with that girly suitcase. Not to be ungrateful, it was another courtesy of Tex, but of all the options... why girly poke a dot? Anyhow, I would have taken pictures in the plane, but the teenage cock in a grey hoodie that was sitting next to me by the window decided he didn't want to switch me seats, so I just went to sleep.
___ Down in Texas we were supposed to get a truck to do a job, but it fell through and never came to pass. So we wound up with nothing to do. The company then told us we would be driving the truck to Seattle instead of us flying back. Now that we had a truck, it had to come with us. While we were down in Huston Tex bought me a day of paintball (forgot to take pictures, but it was an ass-kicking day for me), and later we ended up Galveston Island, where I spent the night in a lifeguard tower:
View attachment 37169
View attachment 37171
View attachment 37172 View attachment 37173
View attachment 37174
___ I was unable to sleep that night, but I did take pictures during the night and the morning.
___ After that day, we began our drive up through Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. I didn't take pictures between Texas and Utah. We were only stopping at truck stops, so nothing worthy of a picture came about. The landscape is very enjoyable to look out at, nonetheless.
___ After going through Flagstaff in AZ, we headed down to Sedona. The place has been turned into an overpriced tourist trap with mystery sprinkled on it by "vortexes" and "aura photos." Thankfully, the land itself is far too pristine to be ruined.
View attachment 37183
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View attachment 37188
View attachment 37189
View attachment 37190
View attachment 37191
View attachment 37192
View attachment 37194
View attachment 37195
___ Before leaving Arizona, I me a soldier from a convey of military trucks hauling jeeps and other trucks.
View attachment 37193
View attachment 37196
View attachment 37197
View attachment 37198
View attachment 37199
___ The night along that road was... unreal. You get so used to seeing an empty sky near cities that when you see a real sky... it made me want to shed a tear. I would have taken a picture, but it was too incredible for the resolution capacity of my phone.
___ Moving on from Arizona, we passed through despicable Nevada, and into California on I-395. On we moved through Oregon and to Washington. Once in Washington we picked up our trailer and head east through a senic byway.
View attachment 37200
View attachment 37201
View attachment 37202
View attachment 37203
View attachment 37204
View attachment 37205
View attachment 37206
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___ The videos are ten times better, but it takes ten minutes to upload two minutes of video. So I'll leave it at this. This is my month so far. It has been an awesome adventure. I am very fortunate to have lived such a great experience, and to have gained a friend like Tex.
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