Week 1: 5300 miles, 19 states

Friday night marked the first week we've been on the road as a team.  And in that time, we have logged 5338 miles (as of last night), been through 19 states (some more than once), and seen some of the most beautiful country in the world.  Once more, as I type this while riding through New Mexico, east on I-40, I cannot believe that I'm being paid to do this.  

This past week has not been without its frustrations and trials:  we have been adjusting to sleeping in a moving truck, never feeling rested enough, learning things about ourselves and each other that we didn't know before but which we must now get to know if we are to survive and thrive being together in an enclosed 12-square-foot space for extended periods of time.  We have tested our driving skills, endurance, and determination.

But we have met these challenges well and are enjoying this time on the road as much as anything we've ever done together in our 20 years of friendship.  

We got our road trip to California, too!  How cool is that?

One thing I've come to realize in the past week (among many) is that even though Terry and I are as unfettered as it is possible to be in this world, we still depend on others to make our lives work as we have chosen to have them work.  


Case in point:  Wednesday night, we were at a shipper to pick up the load we had going to California, and the security at this place would make anyone in the Homeland Security Department jealous.  In spite of having birth certificate, an old passport, fingerprints, and the correct answer to a question on Double Jeopardy, they still demanded more.  Terry had just gotten his Texas license and had the paper copy but not the one with the photo.  It had just arrived in the mail, and his mom was holding it for him with his other mail.  

But he needed it Wednesday night.  So, he calls his mom and explains the situation.  And, in spite of how late it was and the inconvenience of what was asked, she went to a place there in town and was able to fax a copy of the license with the photo to the shipper, and we were able to finally get clearance to get the load.  

And I have such people in my life, who, by all the small and large things they do, make what Terry and I are doing a practical possibility.

Thanks to all of you, from both of us.

Until next time . . . keep the wheels rollin' . . .
Allan