Down-time activity. What do you do?

Spacer,

I'm starting CDL training at a private school on May 20th and looking at purchasing a folding bike to take OTR. I don't have $700 to spend so I've been looking at inexpensive models such as the Citizen Gotham with 20" wheels (http://www.citizenbike.com/catalog.asp?product_category_id=1&product_id=7). Do you know if these inexpensive bikes will get a trucker around town and not fall apart? I not only want the physical exercise but the ability to get away from the truck stops, buy groceries for healthier meals etc. Any advise you have would be appreciated.

 

I am a local driver, and run fairly hard during the week. Trouble is, as the weekend rolls around, I am usually too exhausted to do much, cause I am too pooped to even think about activities. What is the secret to not be bone dead tired after a week of running?

 

When you find it, please post it.

 

I like casino's as I'm an avid Texas Holdem player.
I keep a fishing rod in the truck and if the opportunity arises I'll go fishing.

Somethings I seen others do and I would like to try, is buy a metal detector. Good exercise and no telling what you'll find.

Another interesting idea is geocashing since we travel alot. I found one box in the desert outside "The Thing" truck stop in Dragoon, AZ. You can google search geocaching and find many clubs and treasures. There are boxes buried all over the USA. Many are near rest area's.

 

Seems like you sometimes have more energy after you get some exercise, even if you just go for a walk.
As for the bicycle questions - I've seen regular full-size bikes strapped behind the cab, and if you don't carry a spare, you can fit a bike in the spare rack. Either way, it will get dirty fast. And I have never found a way to fit a bike into the cab, even with a big sleeper and the wheels removed.
You might get it into the trailer, depending on the load, seals, etc.

 

I'll be going the same route, except with a Heli and several land based RC's.

 

Downtime??? What's downtime?

 

Ah, this is a good topic... whenever I'm looking at a restart, I first knock out chores (laundry, truck cleaning, etc.), then the tourism is wide open. I love cruisin' around and visiting places that I would otherwise NEVER see... I do a lot of "show caves" and Civil War battlefields, historic sites or sites of local or regional interest. Any accessible park or wilderness area is also fair game... I'm big on boat rides too, and will go out of my way to take 'em. I actually keep an inflatable raft under my bunk, just for impromptu float trips. I also carry some field gear in the form of climbing shoes, chalkbag, lightweight mountaineering pack, etc., for those times out West when I'm looking at kicka$$ crags...

I once had time to camp down at "Cochise Stronghold" in AZ... couldn't drag a wagon into that campground, so I asked some hand at a nearby farm if I could drop my wagon overnight on his wide open property. He and his family grew those hot peppers used to make chili and whatnot... acres and acres of hot peppers, with tons of 'em dried out, boxed, and palletized for shipment. He was totally cool about it... I told him, "For seven or eight years, I've passed back and forth on the interstate, and I've always wanted to come down and camp in these mountains..." His reply: "Merry Christmas!!!" (It was just before X-mas when I did this.)

Another thing I'll do: check out any body of water and barter for a boat ride... this works really well if you hook up with the right people. How I do it is this: I'll buy a whole heap of beer on ice, then throw in an extra $20 or whatever for fuel. Works like a champ almost every time... now and then, I can't find a boat ride, so I'll either break out the raft or go do something else. If I'm stuck in some city, I'll find the nearest site of interest and check it out... as a last resort, I'll go to the nearest mall and trash around.

One of these days, I'm going to spend a restart doing a float trip on the Mississippi... I've come real close to doing this already. I've already done the river boat thing, but I wanna spend a day just floating downstream in my raft, with my hat, sunscreen, and cooler of beer handy... just float down all day for however many miles, then deflate the raft and make my way back to the truck. I reckon I'll either ride the rails back or hitch a ride with another driver, perhaps slingin' a $20 his or her way for helpin' me out. That would be really cool... and one day I'll make it happen.

I once dropped my trailer outside Moab, UT, and bobtailed into Arches National Park, which is one of my favorite parks... you can do this despite being in a commercial vehicle, you just have to pay the fee and ask the Rangers about overhead clearance and other truck-related issues. It was classic, seeing these wagonloads of tourists staring up at the truck as we met on that skinny little road that winds into the park... like "WTF is this guy doing in here???" Breakin' down barriers, of course, and showin' those knuckleheads how it's done...

There's no better way to see this country than by cruising around in a big ol' 10-ton tractor (I call it my RV), kickin' it in your air-ride seat while other tourists are crammed into little 4-wheelers or cheesy SUVs. It never fails to make a statement, and I'll take that truck just about anywhere. I even dragged a Class 9 load (53' wagon) to Badwater in Death Valley once... a Ranger started to give me grief, but I showed him my trucker's atlas that listed the highway (skinny little two-lane blacktop road) as "unrestricted"---he verified that and let me go on my way (I was heading toward a metal recycling facility in Beatty, NV).

Another really cool destination is the Extreme Skatepark in Louisville, KY... Mecca for skateboarders and vertical BMX riders. You can park right there under the I-65 bridge, and the place is unreal. I want to ride a bike there as well, but the one hand had it right: bikes are hard to drag around aboard a truck, as they get dirty really fast. The solution here will be for me to rent a bike from a nearby shop and tighten or adjust everything before I ride... full-on safety gear too, including wrist guards and helmet, because that place has some SERIOUS VERTICAL, not to mention the overhang in the 24' concrete full pipe. The baseball field is also a block away, there are boat rides available on the Ohio River, and Fourth Street Live is a good place to trash around and hang out with some beautiful women... all that is within walking range from the truck.

Frankly, a driver is only limited by his or her own imagination... sure, there are places that are NOT trucker-friendly, and I usually leave those holes behind in short order, taking my money and my custom elsewhere. If you look at that one blog I wrote ("Monkey Business In Manhattan"), you'll see that even a dump like Metro Jersey has something to offer, and you all know that place isn't exactly what I call "trucker-friendly." As adults, we all make choices... if you're going to drive a truck, you might as well make the most of it. Trucking is serious business, but it's also a means of seeing the country like you've never seen it before... every time I head out, it's a new adventure, and I reckon it will always be that way. That's my $.02 on "time spent while off duty." Adios!

 

Oldnewbie....

I'm bringing your thread back to life! After we spoke today I thought I'd link this just for you!!!

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...25784-what-shall-i-do-in-nyc.html#post1601098

 

Because of this thread I checked my local craigslist and happened to catch a Montague DX..it is no longer in production and is few years old but is IMMACULATE. It is one of the foldable bikes at the beginning of this thread. I am leaving to train with Prime and wont get it until my first trip home. It would only be in the way till I get my own truck. I have to be able to take a spin and get around..even if it is limited.