Swift - Starting the New Year training with Swift 1/7/13 - A long read...

I was driving across Nevada, somewhere southwest of Winnemucca. It was my shift and I was happy that I was driving during the day, experiencing a Nevada very different from my limited experience. Prior, my exposure to Nevada had been contained with an ill-conceived and short lived marriage, my only marriage, a few years ago in Vegas atop the Stratosphere tower in a short, cheap and unreligious 15 minute marriage ceremony. We spent the nights gambling and sleeping at the Golden Nugget under the glow of the Fremont Street Experience while days were spent on the Strip exploring the newer casinos, passing by the countless "clickers" handing out business cards to topless bars. That was my experience and it was contained on both ends by a plane trip over the area, not by foot or in a vehicle. Ultimately the experience, in a way, terminated with an unexpected divorce. That was my Nevada experience before. This time was different.

I passed a single white cross in the desert set off from the highway by about 50 feet. There were old, dried out flowers at the base placed there by someone who cared. The cross was weathered from the desert wind, heat and sands apparently but there it stood solitary and poignant quietly and defiant to the light traffic that sped by. I thought about it for a while.

Gold colored plains, dried tan with scrub brush and smooth-featured mountains colored as cinnamon, copper and coffee becoming darker in color as elevation increased with white snowy peaks. Until now, I never imagined any mountains in Nevada having snow but there it was.

I looked in my side mirror, the larger top mirrow with the more true-to-life image. I again saw snow on the mountains, on the north side, as was explained by one of the former students back at the Lewiston academy whom had been a forest ranger. Snow on one side of the mountain indicates the north side, as explained, if you are lost in the woods. Here it proved true as I was traveling northeast and could confirm the statements accuracy. The road both before me and behind me in my mirror goes on forever, a straightened ribbon narrower with distance, at once endless and at once terminable reaching out to some indeterminable mountain fading slowly into the future ahead of me, my past in the rear view mirror. Outside of the highways stretch of humanity and life I drove across an alien landscape, devoid of life, houses or people.

Here, outside the highway, man had not left his mark, at least not permanently or in evidence. Khaki desert shrubs and grasses are king here and ruler as it has been the case for milleniums. Man is nothing but a passing visitor, a small itch on the skin of the desert barely disturbing nature's system. It is beautiful this way.

I consider myself the anxious traveler always looking to explore with no particular destination in mind, no end result expected or wanted necessarily. I am comfortable with the fact that I am never going to find what I'm seeking and I'm happy with this. Finding that end would not only be anticlimactic but it would be devestating. I live life believing that there doesn't always need to be a final destination or end result. Maybe the means is buried somewhere in the end, the means is the end as the journey is never complete. I haven't quite figured it out but some things are better left unanswered as I'm happy just walking the path. It has me thinking about my upcoming trip that I have been planning for some time, at least in the preliminary stages, that stage I find most exciting.

I have a grand plan that I'll save up and in a couple of years take that bike trip down through Central America, bypassing the Darien Gap by sailboat, continuing through South America. It's something I must do but the thought of this adventure actually ending troubles me already, before the trip has begun. My plan is to make it to Argentina but I don't have an exit plan for my bike. Do I ride back up, maybe a different way as South America is a big place. Do I sell the bike down there? Ship it back up? What trip is next after that? How do I top it? These are the things I think about as I look out across new Nevada dreaming peacefully as wind whistles through my cracked window.

Rolling across the Nevada desert I try to imagine the topography of these places I want to visit on motorcycle in a couple of years. Can it outdo what I see everyday criss-crossing the U.S., a land so diverse and varied, culturally and geographically different? Will I still be amazed on this future trip or will it be eating stale bread for dessert after the best steak dinner has been consumed? I won't know until then. For now I have the desert in front of me and that is enough.

 

See, that sounds like an adventure to me with the exception of the Camaro getting stolen. Nothing like a roadtrip with buddys. Irreplaceable. Although getting things stolen always sucks no matter the circumstance.

Maybe it did work out better that you guys didn't make it all the way down to Mexico. Plus you guys did bet a bonus bag as a result!

 

Started my morning early by taking the shuttle over to the Columbus terminal for a 7:00 AM appointment for Close Quarters training.

An instructor, another driver and me hopped in the trusty Volvo roadtest truck and we were shown a different way to do a 90 degree back. It was the 12 o'clock/9 o'clock method. I think I'll try it in the future as it seems like a better method than what I have used in the past. After a few backs using this new system we did an obstacle course of sorts. We were warned that we were allowed to hit one cone. If we hit a second we would be coming back the next day to redo the course. It was a serpentine type set-up with some tight rights and lefts whereby the turn had to be executed perfectly lest we knock over a cone. I won't lie, it wasn't easy but I passed with no cones smashed.

I had a break in between and spent the time doing laundry for $.25 and drying for $.25. One of the best deals I have come across in a while. I even washed my stank sleeping bag which hasn't seen water or soap since I bought it. I'm kidding about it being stank as it smelled like Tide-scented Fabreeze but still....it needed to be washed most likely. I have to say, the Columbus terminal is one of the best terminals I have seen. Besides the $.25 washer/dryers, there is a seperate common area near the vending machines, another tv room with comfy chairs, a large somewhat clean bathroom and decent facilities all around.

At 1:00 I had my simulator class. There was three of us plus the instructor. We started with some videos and a quiz at the kiosks inside the training room and then the first two guys had their shot at the simulator. I was kind of jealous that the other two got a decent run on the simulator with simulated angry motorists pulling out in front of their simulated rig and other fun activities. The simulator is like a huge video game with a large screen in front, two side screen attached that simulate looking out your left and right front windows, rear view mirrors and a hood mirror built into the appropriate screens, a key to start the whole thing, full instrumentation/gauges/blinker knobs/4 ways, etc. Everything you would have in a real truck including all the pedals/shifter (we ran it on automatic mode) and realistic sounds. The instructor controlled the scenarios from behind from a desktop computer, looking at another large screen to monitor his actions. After the first two guys had their turn I was up. At this time the instructor had to leave the room for some reason and the head safety guy came in. Basically he spent time just going over my short simulated 2 mile, straight jaunt up the simulated highway. He explained everything that I had done, right or wrong, to a great extent. I appreciated it but really wanted more time on the simulator, at least making a few turns. Instead I had a simulated drive up the road past some construction, past a car pulling out of a gas station and up to the on ramp of a simulated highway. At that time he stopped everything to explain things. Maybe next time.

I did get to see the student coordinator for a few minutes before catching the shuttle back to the hotel. Still no trucks here and I think she is thinking about bussing me down to Memphis for a truck. She is going to call someone tomorrow and confirm there is a truck there first before sending me. When she told me about the possible bus schedule options I felt a deep drop in my stomach when I heard how long the journey would take. I don't remember the exact amount of time but I immediately got a small case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder remembering my last 13 hour bus trip from El Paso to Denver sitting next to the big guy that used me a pillow for the duration. I have a fear of travel by bus ever since. Plus, within the past 2 months I had an additional two 12 hour bus trips to and from Tacoma to Lewiston, ID. Gaaaa, how I hate buses.

Hoping at least Memphis does have a truck. For that reason it will make the bus trip more bearable. Hopefully there will be some good news tomorrow.

 

Here at the terminal waiting to hear where they are going to send me. Can't wait to get on with getting a truck so I can finally unpack these duffel bags. I think I am waiting to hear back from someone at my home terminal.

No, I won't be leasing any time soon, if ever. Not sure I will ever pursue that route. If I can make enough money and be happy driving for the company then that is good with me.

Going to run downstairs and see if the food truck is still here...

 

Thanks! Very happy to be here and in this stage of things. I'll be pretty excited to know what truck I am getting and get all my stuff onboard.

 

After taking the Psychotic Express from Columbus, I have arrived here at the Detroit terminal. I already spoke with the gentleman here and received my checklist to examine my truck. The only thing I know at this point is that it is an Intermational. In a few minutes I have to go over to the shop and get my keys to my first truck. I'm excited.

I tool the shuttle over to the motel last night. After eating some gas station mozzerella stick things and a premade sub I finally went to sleep around 7:30 pm. They had made arrangements with a driver going near this terminal to drop me off here. He picked me up at 1:30 am and I am exhausted. I'm hoping to get a little sleep in the new truck before I get sent out.

Typically I hate taking the bus although this time I wouldn't have minded. I'm pretty quiet when I first wake up and moreso when I'm tired. I should have sensed this was going to be a long ride when the driver shuttling me up here showed me his belly within the first ten minutes of us meeting. I've always been told to avoid the two taboo topics in discussion when u speak with strangers: religion and politics. For the entire duration of the trip this guy would not shut up regardless of the fact that our views obviously were different. I tried to change the subject continuously to no avail. I repeatedly said that I dont diacuss these subjects yet he
ent on and on and on. Unbelievable. Longest 4 hours of my life.


It's about daylight so time to go check out my new truck!