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I awoke at a decent hour on Saturday morning and stumbled out of the truck cab to survey my surroundings, the Alamance Coutry Rest Stop in North Carolina. I was surprised by all the activity, especially this early on a Saturday morning. There was some Rest Stop crew milling about performing Rest Stop maintenance, but there were also plenty travelers up and about, as well. In making my way to the bathroom and coffee vending machine, I encountered my first Southern twangs for the trip, an early morning reminder that I was far from home.
It had taken a long time for me to get to sleep the night before. All told, I think I only got a few hours of sleep, but it was enough so that I could at least refocus and get myself back on the road. I hung around for a little while, got some coffee in me, brushed my teeth, took another stab at retying the bicycle tarp, and generally got myself road-worthy again. After about an hour of that, I hit the road, re-joining the Interstate 40, the highway that would be my constant companion for the next few days.
I started flipping radio sations again and was pleased to find a local NPR affiliate. This being Saturday, I was able to catch much of my old Saturday Morning NPR Ritual, something I haven't done in quite some time. That brought a little joy to my day, but not quite as much as when I spotted one clear sign that I was leaving the Northeast behind: A Jack-in-the-Box! Definitely one of my favorite fast food joints back in San Francisco, I was too excited to spot Jack not to stop and get lunch. I got a Jumbo Jack, some curly fries, and a couple of their famous tacos. Delicious. :) It seemed they forgot the cheese on my burger, though, sadly. I knew I should have gone with the sourdough jack. I figured I'd make that correction at a later date, but amazingly this would prove to be my only stop at Jack for this trip.
The scenery for this part of the trip was excellent. (And for the record, that was certainly not the last time I would think that.) The pine barrens of South Jersey ended pretty quickly with the ferry ride, and from Delaware down through Virginia, I basically saw a lot of farms, and then a lot of dark. From my North Carolina starting point today, though, I was treated to very nice-looking wooded mountainous land.
The day wore on, and my surroundings got less woodsy and more rocky, finally becoming a full-on mountainous region, especially as I neared, and then crossed into, Tennessee. I enjoy the winding mountain roads as fun and interesting drives. It certainly takes more attention than the long stretches of nothing I would encounter later, but it's much more engaging and there's plenty more to experience. I especially enjoy the mountain tunnels. One great scene I took in was passing a sign that said "Tennessee Technology Corridor." I looked around, and all I could see was that I was on a highway cut through a mountain. I tried to work out whether the sign was perhaps in jest, or if giant rock formations jutting out of the earth was what passed for Tennessee technology.
Tennessee was long. Really, really long. Again, my lack of knowledge of geography took me by surprise. I'm pretty much used to the idea of spending hours and hours driving through a single state, but usually that happens out west. On the east side of the continent I'm used to states being a lot smaller, but I basically was driving the entire length of Tennessee, which is, I dunno...maybe four times longer than it is tall. I spent a lot of time in Tennessee.
It was during that time that I started realizing, once again, how much I love to drive. Between all the trucks on the interstate with me and a post of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kthrin's that I had recently read, I remembered that, some years ago, I had thought about being a trucker. I pondered that idea again while I was eating up the miles. Now that I'm thinking about looking for work again, could that be a possibility? I wondered, as I always do when thinking about a new line of work, what's involved in getting started in it. I wondered if it would be as I imagined it...climbing into my big rig for the next haul across country, spending nights sleeping in the back of my cab, and a constant parade of truck stops, middle Americana, and witty CB radio exchanges with my road pals "Little Jim" and "Road Hawg." I wondered if the handle "Big Gnarly" was taken. I wonder if they still say things like "10-4, good buddy." Long distance driving is especially good for letting your mind wander. Somewhere in the middle of Tennessee, I crossed into Central Time.
I made a food and fuel stop that brought a couple interesting things to light.
One, I began to realize that I was getting to smell pretty ripe by then, and you know if it's bothering me, then that is not something to take lightly. I figured I'd find a hotel that night instead of sleeping in the truck again.
Two, I have not been to an Arby's in a really long time, and I only realized this because I went to one for dinner and it was nothing like I remember. They had all sorts of schmancy sandwiches on the menu...it wasn't quite the fast food joint I remember from my youth (though they did, thankfully, still have the Beef 'N Cheddar). I also got some jalapeño poppers while I was there, and alongside those they gave me this really weird berry-based dipping sauce. It was called "Bronco Berry Sauce" or something. Anyway...picture like a McDonald's hot apple pie. Now imagine it made with berries insead of apples. Now take away the crust. That's basically what the sauce was like. It was tasty enough, but it strangely turned my poppers into more of a dessert.
Three, I started to theorize why I might have been getting funny looks from some Black guys that were hanging around when I stopped for gas. It didn't occur to me until later that I was playing a Rammstein CD, and I started to question the wisdom of having my freshly-shorn head sitting in a pickup blasting angry German music while in the South. This situation probably would not have been improved if anyone around actually spoke German.
Anyway, I had entered Tennessee that afternoon, and it took me much of the day to reach the end. I eventually reached Memphis (hours after passing through Nashville and txtingludicam to say hi and tell her I was passing through Nashville) and the western border of Tennessee that comes with it (not to mention a giant black pyramid, which I admit suprised me a bit). What also comes with the western border of Tennessee is a bridge, which pleasantly surprised me, as I'd considered myself more or less landlocked at this point. Like an idiot, though, I was even more surprised to find that this bridge spanned the mighty Mississippi River, certainly a major milestone on this, or any, cross-country trip.
I crossed the bridge and entered Arkansas. I kept on driving for another couple hours (during which I found a rock radio station that played Danzig's "Mother" -- score!), and then called it a night in Brinkley, Arkansas at the quaint Brinkley Inn. The first thing I did when settling into the room was wander into the bathroom and splash some water on my face. I was disturbed to find little black dots were washing off my head. Gnats?! Ugh. Reconsidering the wisdom of driving with the window open, I decided to call it a night.
Sited:
Crump, TN - for you,kthrin.
LIFT W8S - a vanity license plate that passed me. I guess this is someone you want to avoid in a road rage situation.
Best Truck Sign - so I'm behind this tanker truck...a giant, gleaming, metal cylinder with pipes and valves and stuff jutting out from it, and there's a big sticker plastered on the back stating in clear block letters: "INEDIBLE" Thanks.
Germantown - I saw this offramp somewhere near Memphis. I have no idea if it's a section of Memphis devoted to all things Teutonic, or if it's just it's own city. Either way, I'm glad I had KMFDM on the CD player at the time.
Travel time: 13.5 hours
Travel distance: 774 miles
I awoke at a decent hour on Saturday morning and stumbled out of the truck cab to survey my surroundings, the Alamance Coutry Rest Stop in North Carolina. I was surprised by all the activity, especially this early on a Saturday morning. There was some Rest Stop crew milling about performing Rest Stop maintenance, but there were also plenty travelers up and about, as well. In making my way to the bathroom and coffee vending machine, I encountered my first Southern twangs for the trip, an early morning reminder that I was far from home.
It had taken a long time for me to get to sleep the night before. All told, I think I only got a few hours of sleep, but it was enough so that I could at least refocus and get myself back on the road. I hung around for a little while, got some coffee in me, brushed my teeth, took another stab at retying the bicycle tarp, and generally got myself road-worthy again. After about an hour of that, I hit the road, re-joining the Interstate 40, the highway that would be my constant companion for the next few days.
I started flipping radio sations again and was pleased to find a local NPR affiliate. This being Saturday, I was able to catch much of my old Saturday Morning NPR Ritual, something I haven't done in quite some time. That brought a little joy to my day, but not quite as much as when I spotted one clear sign that I was leaving the Northeast behind: A Jack-in-the-Box! Definitely one of my favorite fast food joints back in San Francisco, I was too excited to spot Jack not to stop and get lunch. I got a Jumbo Jack, some curly fries, and a couple of their famous tacos. Delicious. :) It seemed they forgot the cheese on my burger, though, sadly. I knew I should have gone with the sourdough jack. I figured I'd make that correction at a later date, but amazingly this would prove to be my only stop at Jack for this trip.
The scenery for this part of the trip was excellent. (And for the record, that was certainly not the last time I would think that.) The pine barrens of South Jersey ended pretty quickly with the ferry ride, and from Delaware down through Virginia, I basically saw a lot of farms, and then a lot of dark. From my North Carolina starting point today, though, I was treated to very nice-looking wooded mountainous land.
The day wore on, and my surroundings got less woodsy and more rocky, finally becoming a full-on mountainous region, especially as I neared, and then crossed into, Tennessee. I enjoy the winding mountain roads as fun and interesting drives. It certainly takes more attention than the long stretches of nothing I would encounter later, but it's much more engaging and there's plenty more to experience. I especially enjoy the mountain tunnels. One great scene I took in was passing a sign that said "Tennessee Technology Corridor." I looked around, and all I could see was that I was on a highway cut through a mountain. I tried to work out whether the sign was perhaps in jest, or if giant rock formations jutting out of the earth was what passed for Tennessee technology.
Tennessee was long. Really, really long. Again, my lack of knowledge of geography took me by surprise. I'm pretty much used to the idea of spending hours and hours driving through a single state, but usually that happens out west. On the east side of the continent I'm used to states being a lot smaller, but I basically was driving the entire length of Tennessee, which is, I dunno...maybe four times longer than it is tall. I spent a lot of time in Tennessee.
It was during that time that I started realizing, once again, how much I love to drive. Between all the trucks on the interstate with me and a post of
kthrin's that I had recently read, I remembered that, some years ago, I had thought about being a trucker. I pondered that idea again while I was eating up the miles. Now that I'm thinking about looking for work again, could that be a possibility? I wondered, as I always do when thinking about a new line of work, what's involved in getting started in it. I wondered if it would be as I imagined it...climbing into my big rig for the next haul across country, spending nights sleeping in the back of my cab, and a constant parade of truck stops, middle Americana, and witty CB radio exchanges with my road pals "Little Jim" and "Road Hawg." I wondered if the handle "Big Gnarly" was taken. I wonder if they still say things like "10-4, good buddy." Long distance driving is especially good for letting your mind wander. Somewhere in the middle of Tennessee, I crossed into Central Time.I made a food and fuel stop that brought a couple interesting things to light.
One, I began to realize that I was getting to smell pretty ripe by then, and you know if it's bothering me, then that is not something to take lightly. I figured I'd find a hotel that night instead of sleeping in the truck again.
Two, I have not been to an Arby's in a really long time, and I only realized this because I went to one for dinner and it was nothing like I remember. They had all sorts of schmancy sandwiches on the menu...it wasn't quite the fast food joint I remember from my youth (though they did, thankfully, still have the Beef 'N Cheddar). I also got some jalapeño poppers while I was there, and alongside those they gave me this really weird berry-based dipping sauce. It was called "Bronco Berry Sauce" or something. Anyway...picture like a McDonald's hot apple pie. Now imagine it made with berries insead of apples. Now take away the crust. That's basically what the sauce was like. It was tasty enough, but it strangely turned my poppers into more of a dessert.
Three, I started to theorize why I might have been getting funny looks from some Black guys that were hanging around when I stopped for gas. It didn't occur to me until later that I was playing a Rammstein CD, and I started to question the wisdom of having my freshly-shorn head sitting in a pickup blasting angry German music while in the South. This situation probably would not have been improved if anyone around actually spoke German.
Onlooker One: "Yo, you speak German, right? What's that saying?"
Onlooker Two: "I think it's: 'Your face does not interest me. Bend over.'"
*pause*
Onlooker One: "That's messed up."
Anyway, I had entered Tennessee that afternoon, and it took me much of the day to reach the end. I eventually reached Memphis (hours after passing through Nashville and txting
ludicam to say hi and tell her I was passing through Nashville) and the western border of Tennessee that comes with it (not to mention a giant black pyramid, which I admit suprised me a bit). What also comes with the western border of Tennessee is a bridge, which pleasantly surprised me, as I'd considered myself more or less landlocked at this point. Like an idiot, though, I was even more surprised to find that this bridge spanned the mighty Mississippi River, certainly a major milestone on this, or any, cross-country trip.I crossed the bridge and entered Arkansas. I kept on driving for another couple hours (during which I found a rock radio station that played Danzig's "Mother" -- score!), and then called it a night in Brinkley, Arkansas at the quaint Brinkley Inn. The first thing I did when settling into the room was wander into the bathroom and splash some water on my face. I was disturbed to find little black dots were washing off my head. Gnats?! Ugh. Reconsidering the wisdom of driving with the window open, I decided to call it a night.
Sited:
Crump, TN - for you,
kthrin.LIFT W8S - a vanity license plate that passed me. I guess this is someone you want to avoid in a road rage situation.
Best Truck Sign - so I'm behind this tanker truck...a giant, gleaming, metal cylinder with pipes and valves and stuff jutting out from it, and there's a big sticker plastered on the back stating in clear block letters: "INEDIBLE" Thanks.
Germantown - I saw this offramp somewhere near Memphis. I have no idea if it's a section of Memphis devoted to all things Teutonic, or if it's just it's own city. Either way, I'm glad I had KMFDM on the CD player at the time.
Travel time: 13.5 hours
Travel distance: 774 miles