Stories from the Road: Pleasant Memories

[Tobin S.]

I guess memories are what these stories are all about, and some of them are not very pleasant. But I do have a lot of good memories in my time as a trucker and some of them aren't really enough to make a story out of, so I thought I'd write about them here in a sort of story collage.

One of the first ones that popped into my head was when I was out in Wyoming not long after buying my first truck. It had snowed and covered the ground, but I was making good time because the roads were clear. There was a full moon out on a clear night, and it was so bright that the reflection of it off of the snow made it bright enough to cast a shadow. I had never seen anything like it and found it to be beautiful.

You can shift a truck without using the clutch, other than for stopping and starting. That's called float shifting. Many drivers are taught how to do that in training, and it's easier to do in practice once you learn it, but my trainers were double clutchers. One day, about three months after I started driving on my own, I was coming out of a rest area and building up speed and I accidentally shifted into a gear without using the clutch. I started experimenting out on the road and it wasn't long before I could go through the entire progression, both up and down, without using the clutch. It made me proud that I had learned that on my own.

I was playing blackjack one time out in a truck stop casino in Las Vegas. There was a side bet on each hand that you could play for a dollar. You put a dollar chip there on a special place on the table. I was told that it was a house bet, but I played it anyway. I think they were playing with six decks. If both of your cards were suited you won $2.50. If your cards were a suited king and queen you won $25. If you had a suited kind and queen and the dealer had the same thing of the same suit you won $1000. I hit that $1000 on a king and queen of diamonds. Every player at that table hated me. :D

When I landed that first trucking gig it was a life changing experience. I was having a really tough time in life. My head was messed up, I didn't have any money, and I didn't think anyone cared about me. I needed to get out of town in the worst way and trucking was my ticket. I was laying in bed one night, not long before I was to hit the road, fantasizing about seeing the country, and trucking in general, and starting a new life. I became so happy that I actually cried. It was like a religious experience. I was leaving a nightmare behind and trucking was my personal savior.

Catching the Art Bell radio show "Coast to Coast AM." For those of you not familiar with Art Bell, he had a radio show that aired in the middle of the night on AM radio. It was a big time show that aired on many stations across the country. At one point, I think he was ranked up there close to Limbaugh in popularity. The show was basically about things that go bump in the night, aliens, pseudoscience, weird science, life forms from other dimensions, conspiracy theories, and just about anything else you can think of that spooked people out. The show is still a reality, although it's hosted by a guy named George Noory now and I don't think the show is as popular as it used to be. Anyway, I would schedule my driving time so that I could catch that show. I absolutely loved it and I think Bell's charming and friendly personality was almost as much a part of that as the content of the show. Also, for those of you who don't know it, AM radio is a real powerhouse at night. Some of those stations can be heard from as far as 700 miles away. I remember being in Montana and catching the big Omaha AM station out that way. I was down in Louisiana one time on I-10 and I could hear Cincinnati Reds Baseball as clear as a bell being broadcast on 700 WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Ephedrine. Advertised as a bronchial dilator, it would also get you high as a kite if you took enough of it. Legal speed, basically. It was widely sold in truck stops and health food stores. It's no accident that the stuff was banned and it was not because a few people kicked the bucket while on it. I was driving as a part of a team with a driver who was an ex-crack addict. I had a bottle of ephedrine in the truck and he asked me what it was. I told him that it helped you stay awake at night. He took some of it the next time he had to drive all night and told me the next morning, "Toby, that stuff is dope." And he didn't mean that in a good way.

Coming down El Cajon pass at night for the first time and seeing San Bernardino at the eastern edge of what truckers call L.A. all lit up. Ditto for coming out of the mountains east of Salt Lake City at night. And San Francisco is beautiful at night, as well.

And now new pleasant memories are being created, and a big part of the pleasantness is having you guys along for the ride. A lot of you say that you enjoy these posts, and I thank you. But I bet I'm having more fun creating them than you guys are reading them and for that I owe you all.

[av8rdave]

1. I always look forward to and enjoy your posts

It makes me realize that you actually see a great deal more than I do in my job.

I'm curious about the float shifting. Is it a matter of timing it with the moment of least torque?

Keep the stories coming when you can!

:hi:

[Tobin S.]

3. Here's how float shifting works

If you are under a heavy load and have a 10 speed transmission, which is what I drive, start out in 2nd gear. When you get going, crank the truck up to the top of your RPM limit. My truck is set to max out at 1800 RPM, although a truck can be unlimited in that regard so if you are driving one of those you obviously don't want to crank it all the way up. Most trucks are set at either 1800 or 2100 RPM. So, crank it up to 1800 and give the gas a little goose when you get to the top while putting pressure on the gear shifter to take the truck out of gear.

It is a matter of timing. Truck engines slow down slower than autombile engines, so you have to give it a second, put a little pressure on the next gear slot and when then engine RPM falls into the right place for the next gear the shifter will just float right in there. What you are doing is matching the engine RPMs to the gear speed of the transmission in the next highest gear. Repeat until you reach your last gear.

You can also do this at lower RPM ranges, especially under lighter loads, but I like to crank the engine up and let the horses jump and run. :)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear Tobin...

Ah, sweetie, those are great memories! Your descriptions are so vivid that I can literally see what you're talking about...

Keep 'em coming!

:hi:

[Tobin S.]

4. Thanks Peggy

:hi:

[quakerboy]

5. I have a question for ya

As a person who's been about the place, whats the most recognizeable cityscape? Is there a city would you know instantly, even if someone else was driving, took a wrong turn, and you woke up out of a deep sleep in the wrong city

[Tobin S.]

8. Yes, and it's many places, quakerboy

The L.A. metroplex is the most distinct I think. But I've been around enough that I'd probably recognize most major cities and even the out of the way countrysides in many states. Western states are more disctinct as far as their characteristics go than the Plains or the east coast. But you could probably just instantly zap me from here to anywhere in the country without telling me where I was going and I'd probably make a pretty accurate guess as to where I was without any clues other than the scenery around me. You would too had you a million and a half miles of journeying under your belt. :)

[quakerboy]

19. I wondered if your answer would have been similar to mine

it wasn't. Ive been about, though not as much as you. And the one city I know every time is Denver. Ive come out of a sleep many a time with others driving(Heh. between a dad who liked to move and travel, a family stretched from coast to coast, college road trips, etc, and a great love of sleeping while in cars, quite a lot of times, actually), and it usually doesn't take me long to know where I am. I am surprised by LA, which just looked run down generic to me. Even what I would probably think of as home, here in Portland, can take a minute from most of the highways, from a deep sleep. But Denver, I know it every time, instantly. Even though Ive only been there a shop teachers handful of times.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

6. Pleasant Memories makes for some pleasant reading this evening.

I heard an interview with Art Bell on NPR last month, I think it was.

:hi:

[Tobin S.]

10. I'm glad you think so

:)

How is Art doing now days?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

13. Doing fine ...

it was about how his show went "viral" ... I think it was an old interview that was being re-aired :shrug:

not sure though.

This might be it:
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/17-05/st_hotseat

and his wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Bell

[likesmountains 52]

7. Thanks again Tobin..love reading these. I sometimes listen to Coast to Coast AM

on my way to work at 5:30 AM, it's odd and interesting but I usually prefer the BBC news at that hour.

[Tobin S.]

11. You're welcome

To tell you the truth, I think I would prefer the BBC now days, too. But I mostly listen to music now days, even at night.

[knowbody0]

9. Toby is such a loveable name!

I also arranged my life to enjoy Art Bell. I loved his passion for the erie, and when he'd get truckers calling in it was very apparent he appreciated their long haul isolation and those strange experiences they shared with the listeners.

I once rode with a trucker through the desert on a full moon. he got his kicks turning the headlights off for as long as he dared, giving me one excellent thrill.

Thanks for the good stories, comrade.

[Tobin S.]

12. Thank you!

The guy I used to drive with was a black dude and he initially poked fun at me a little for my name, like several black people who I've gotten to know who remember the television series Roots, but after a little while I could tell that he thought of the name as you did. He seemed to say it with compassion. I will always remember that guy. He was a good guy to drive with and a good friend.

[kimi]

14. I like your stories, Tobin

It's like you take us along with you. Thanks.

[Tobin S.]

16. Thanks kimi

Stay tuned. I might disappear for a little while here and there, but it's just because I'm busy. I'll be around.

[elleng]

15. And we owe you MANY thanks for your tales, writing ability, and genuine self.

As to ephedrine, can only get Sudafed now by asking pharmacist, and showing I.D! Protecting all the 'dopes!'

MY little Story from the Road: At the end of my 1-year tour of duty as a VISTA Volunteer Attorney in Denver, driving a rented station wagon containing most of my possessions, I was heading back East to Chicago, where I had lived for the previous 8 years. SO, my Whole World was in my (driver's) Hands. (Had to have my Dad co-sign so I could rent the car!)

I looked in the rear-view mirror to see the Rockies disappearing from my view, and I heard Gordon Lightfoot singing The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, for the first time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jxX2aZtVXQ

Made it to Omaha the first night.

[Tobin S.]

17. That's a killer tune, and a good one to pass the miles with

especially at night. I love those airy, tragic, mysterious songs, no matter the genre. Colorado is beautiful, eh? And Chicago has its points, too. Here's to the road. :toast:

[elleng]

18. Had a great year in Colorado, job required visits at all offices

of the legal services group I worked for, so visited many Colorado cities and towns. Was a great year.
Can't say the same for Nebraska! Goes on and on and on!

[mopinko]

20. do you think driving is hard on your body? i had a friend

growing up whose dad was a long haul trucker, and it just pounded the heck our of him. so i always thought of trucking as a physically demanding job. is it still? or is your new truck ergonomically designed?

lotta days i should quit this art thing and get an paying job. i do love to drive.

[mopinko]

21. here's a quick road memory of mine-

many years ago, my little sister lived out in california, having escaped chicago winters to the napa valley. when she got married out there, i drove out to be in her wedding. i was driving through utah during the night, and the desert flowers were in bloom. it was an amazing experience smelling that beautiful fragrance for many miles in the dark.

there is a long story about what happened later, when the engine of my newly purchased but long in the tooth oldsmobile blew. i'm not rally recovered enough from that one to tell it, tho. lol.

[Tobin S.]

22. I don't think that the driving itself is hard on you now days

With the advances in technology, the trucks ride a lot smoother now days although they are still bouncier than cars. I do see some of the old hands who obviously have back problems, but I think it is due to their driving days in the older trucks.

The lifestyle in itself can still be hard on your body. It's hard to eat right and get enough exercise out on the road. I think the newer generations of drivers will actually be more suseptible to diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

[IMATB]

23. Thank you

for another wonderful story. Vivid memory. It's like being there with you.

[Tobin S.]

24. You're welcome and welcome to DU

:toast:

[IMATB]

25. Thank you

And please, keep writing. I'm enjoying the ride too.

[hibbing]

26. road stories

Hi Tobin,
Once again I thank you for sharing your stories. I always enjoy them and learn something new with every one that you post. Yeah, those 50,000 Watt blowtorches can be heard a long ways away. You were probably listening to KFAB out of Omaha. I used to listen to a Denver station at night on a little clock radio and Denver is 500 miles away from me. Keep posting!

Peace

[Tobin S.]

27. Thanks hibbing

And peace to you. :)

[Rhiannon12866]

28. Fascinating stuff and I enjoy your posts, too...

You have a way of describing your experiences that create a very real picture for those of us who are reading about them... You might consider writing your memoirs if you ever get tired of driving... :) :hi:

[Tobin S.]

29. Haha

I'll never get tired of driving, and hopefully, I'll never get tired of writing, as well. I appreciate the compliment. :hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

33. Well, there's no reason that you can't do both...

And for a wider audience than you have on DU. Your stories are entertaining and vivid and they would appeal to most anybody, IMO... :D :hi:

[HEyHEY]

30. Listening to the world series on some radio station from hundreds of miles away

We were in the middle of the bush, but somehow the skip from the AM band was directed into the valley, was a nice night.

[Tobin S.]

31. It is indeed nice

to catch a little slice of civilization when you are out in the middle of nowhere. There are some areas of this country and of Canada (I've been there, too) where it can seem like you are on a different planet.

[jobycom]

32. Did Art Bell ever spook you so bad your heart started racing?

I drive a lot at night on family trips, because the kids sleep and I don't have to listen to them complain. I remember a trip out in west Texas and New Mexico, somewhere between Pecos and Carlsbad, probably, where the only lights were my headlights and the stars, and Art Bell was telling some story. I don't even remember the story--aliens, I think--but his guest started talking about this scream he had heard from some creature. He might have even played a recording, or maybe it was just so well described. It sounded like the creature in John Carpenter's "The Thing," only more clear and chilling.

I remember being so spooked by the story, the scream, the darkness, and the chill of the air, and who knows what all else, that I had goosebumps for fifteen minutes, and jumped at every shadow for an hour after that.

Nice recollections, Tobin. You have a way of telling a story that gets people working themselves into it. :)

[Tobin S.]

34. Yep

This might sound kind of crude, but a lot of truckers will stop on an on ramp or maybe even the side of the road to "squirt the dirt." :) There were several occasions when I would stop to do that while I had been listening to Art Bell where I would get scared while I was standing there pissing out in the wilderness. One of those times when I had been listening to the show they were talking about Bigfoot. The guest had a recording that was allegedly about a Sasquatch calling into the emptiness of the night, and it was really spooky sounding.

As I was standing there I thought that I could hear heavy footsteps coming at me. I would look around and see nothing, but then I would hear the pounding again. Then I realized that it was actually the pounding of my own heart in my ears. :D

[jobycom]

35. HA! That was the show!!

:rofl: That was the show I was trying to remember! Spookiest damn cry. We we're spooked at the same time. :rofl:

[UrbScotty]

36. West Virginia nine years ago

My parents and I went to West Virginia nine years ago. I was 13 and my grandmother had died that February. A long-ago friend of Grandma's (who had lived down the street from her when Mom was growing up) wanted us to come to visit her in the town of Davis, WV. That was a wonderful trip - West Virginia is near the top of the places I want to visit again.

Davis is a lovely town of about 600 people. It is believed that Davis was named after Henry G. Davis, the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 1904 (the oldest person ever nominated for US President or Vice President by a major party). Near Davis are the towns of Thomas (named after Henry's brother, Thomas Davis) and Coketon (home of the Davis family's mining business 120+ years ago).

We went to Helen's mother's old (and I do mean old!) house in Coketon. Her mother had died about ten years before, and you could tell that nobody had used the house since. It seemed the whole house creaked everytime somebody took a step.

That friend of my grandma's was president of the senior center over there in Tucker County. They were having a re-dedication for the senior building's new wing, named after someone who, at age 107, had died exactly two weeks to the day after Grandma had died back here in Michigan. My family and I were special guests at the celebration.

Another special guest was the area's longtime State Senator, Sarah Minear. Intrigued, I looked at the almanac that I had brought on vacation with me, and saw that in the year 2000, Democrats had held a 29-5 majority in the State Senate. I later learned, however, that Minear was a Republican! But of course, I didn't care what party she belonged to - I was just thrilled to meet a politician for the first time in my memory.

The trip also included a visit to Washington, including the Air and Space Museum. I had been interested in politics since about one year before.