I am currently sitting at the Laredo, Texas terminal less than two miles from the Mexican border. It is the first time in a very long time I have been able to wear shorts comfortably.
Last time I posted here I was stuck in that motel waiting on a mentor. When I left, Washington was typically grey, rainy and somewhat depressing. I was not only itching to start this new endeavor but itching to get away from that Pacific Northwest winter gloom that begins to embed itself into your psche about mid January as it does predictably year after year. A beautiful state, probably the most beautiful I have seen, but it still wears on you. It was time to leave more than ever.
They found me a mentor and after another week of delay I went out on the road with him heading east. We were scheduled to bring a load from near Seattle, Washington out to Ithica, New York. My mentor felt that we should drop the load early in Indiana.
I was driving almost immediately starting in Snoqualmie, WA at the top of the Cascades and working my way down the pass into the Columbia River valley of dryer and colder Eastern Washington. Past Spokane and through touristy Coeur D' Alene, Idaho I worked my way over various mountain passes through snow and ice until I hit the somewhat more level ground somewhere in Montana. What a truly beautiful country we live in. As often is the case, when I am left with nothing but myself my thoughts drifted to the notion of how fortunate we are to reside in a country with so much diversity in cultures, topography, geography and climate. Canada and Mexico are two unfortunate extremes and we are the sweet icing occuping the middle of the continental cookie. We are blessed. Cutting across the plains of South Dakota, through Wisconsin into view of the Chicago skyline I spent a few days, punished by an administrative error, in Gary, Indiana (technically E. Chicago). We got a new load from Gary up to Michigan, just south of Detroit. We picked up another load nearby that was due here in Laredo. I arrived this afternoon and I am waiting to take a new load out to Phoenix tomorrow morning. I should be there Saturday morning. This whole time I have been out on the road it has been cold everywhere. I remember walking to the store from E. Chicago, Illinois to Gary 2.6 miles away and the high that day was 17 degrees. It was a cold 5.2 mile round trip jaunt. Everywhere there has been either snow, ice or cold rain. If none of those conditions were present it was either sunny or overcast but frigid. Finally today, somewhere near San Antonio I felt the need to shut off the heat. It was nice to coast south with the windows down and a breeze that didn't bite. Now I sit here with shorts and a t-shirt comfortably and smoke free for 67 days.
