Square
Peg, Round Hole
October
14, 2018
On
the road again. After a week of working against the clock at home,
on the Passenger’s part, to prepare for an absence, to ten days or
so of hopefully working with the clock, on the part of the Trucker.
The...well,
let’s just lovingly call it the Wreck….is working its way
eastward perched on a friend’s drop deck, to arrive tomorrow.
While we are working our way westward, to arrive home again week
after this. And the "fix-it-up-chappie" will not be ready to work his
skills until the week after this, as well.
We
are grateful the Trucker has a means of earning while we wait. And
it’s a green Kenworth! But it is not home. Inside the green, much
is different.
As
tools, bedding, appliances, even utensils, are still in the Wreck,
the Trucker spent days thinking through what is necessary to replace
and what can be done without. And worked hard to make the
accommodations comfortable for the Passenger.
Today
arrived. A breakfast with the recently returned DS#2, and cheerful
chatter about the day, the week ahead, the night before, and the
friend’s engagement news. Tis the season, for him, to have friends
in marrying mode.
Then
packing last food supplies for the school’s week of meals. And
worship with the family of God. We slipped out early then, for a
quick, nearly Passover-style lunch with DS#2 (standing rather than
sitting). Last bags were packed, goodbyes said, felines evicted from
their warm rockers, and we were off.
The
big green machine waited at the shop.
The same size truck and bunk
as the Wreck, though twelve years newer. Aerodynamic curves where the Wreck is rectangular. But the Swan still leads the way!
The swan leading the way home on the hood of the Wreck.
The interior feels a bit
cramped, as it is more configured. Seats are wide and comfortable,
but as the Passenger is also wide and comfortable, moving from seat
to bunk will need to be done less frequently for the sake of the
Trucker's elbow room.
Here, there is plastic where the Wreck has metal. The engine noise is
muted somewhat; a bit of the roar is muffled. The fridge’s
interior décor is multicolored, which will be remedied on the
earliest enforced break time. Windows are larger, they and door
locks, electronic. Brakes are not as responsive as in the Wreck, and
the Trucker is working on adjusting to the feel and handling of this
version of Kenworth.
The
Trucker plugged in his phone, and offered his Passenger first choice
of music. How nice! And how good of DS#2 to set his Daddy up on
Spotify. Music the Passenger can sing along with! Maybe pleasing to
the ear, maybe not.
The
most significant difference? A little black box with a voice, on the
dash. We’ve a feeling it will be preventing a bit of our dash this
week. From the moment the Trucker logged in, his every move and the
timing thereof, dictated and monitored. Electronic Logs, Elogs for
short. Sounds like the name of one of Tolkein's goblins under the mountain!
The
engine churned to life at 1:32PM, needing to idle fifteen minutes
while the Trucker is to be doing his pre-trip. When the wheels began
to roll, so did the countdown. Seven hours and forty-five minutes
til a mandatory break, if not taken before the deadline. Twelve
hours on duty coming up, no matter how weary the Trucker becomes.
A
whole new routine here. After thirty-four years of planning his own
schedule, that schedule is now the square peg needing fit into a new,
round hole.
Crowded
Sunday highways, construction, overcast skies spitting periodic rain.
The ride is smoother, the music, calm harmonies. Mid-October
nothwithstanding, trees are green. This is today.
----------
5:37PM. The half hour break happened at a rest area in Barkeyville, PA. Despite sunshine, air was cool, the sun slanting in from the west. We paced the sidewalk bordering the restrooms, then the Trucker rested while his Passenger took a hike through the lawn behind the buildings. Curiosity drove her, and another gentleman who turned up in a car, to check out the weathered, small, arched wooden bridge at the lawn's end. What a disappointment! It led to a short path through tall brush, which in turn led to a high, wire fence. A dead end.
Back to the truck, and a quick supper of ham and swiss sandwiches. The Trucker had been counseled to to extend his half hour break by a few minutes, to be sure he and the little black box were on the same clock. A 29 minute break by mistake would not count, and another half hour break would need to begin immediately. Not a risk he wanted to take.
The sun dropped lower as our trip resumed; we drove toward a glorious sunset painted in ever changing colors. The temperature also dropped; we will meet snow tomorrow in Iowa.
-------
----------
5:37PM. The half hour break happened at a rest area in Barkeyville, PA. Despite sunshine, air was cool, the sun slanting in from the west. We paced the sidewalk bordering the restrooms, then the Trucker rested while his Passenger took a hike through the lawn behind the buildings. Curiosity drove her, and another gentleman who turned up in a car, to check out the weathered, small, arched wooden bridge at the lawn's end. What a disappointment! It led to a short path through tall brush, which in turn led to a high, wire fence. A dead end.
Back to the truck, and a quick supper of ham and swiss sandwiches. The Trucker had been counseled to to extend his half hour break by a few minutes, to be sure he and the little black box were on the same clock. A 29 minute break by mistake would not count, and another half hour break would need to begin immediately. Not a risk he wanted to take.
The sun dropped lower as our trip resumed; we drove toward a glorious sunset painted in ever changing colors. The temperature also dropped; we will meet snow tomorrow in Iowa.
-------
1:45AM,
the Trucker pulled into the TA Truckstop at Lake Station, Indiana.
Except that we are in another time zone now, so the clock reads
12:45AM...making it look like that last hour’s work didn’t exist.
Except it did. Glad it’s not a time change weekend as well.
Steady
rain through the evening created puddles through the lot. This
Passenger is regretting leaving her winter boots behind – at home,
they seemed excessive for mid-October.
A
quick restroom stop, making up a bed in the upper bunk, dropping the
curtains, and it was past time for sleep. The Passenger learned that
a sleeping bag on the top bunk has the stability of sleeping on ice,
and someone thought a low watt red bulb was a good idea for upper
bunk illumination. Scripture reading on the phone, then, rather than
out of the Book.
The
curtains give a closed-in feeling not altogether to our liking, but
it is to be hoped that will enable the Trucker to sleep longer.
Good
Night.
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