Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
The mind wanders during an all-night drive, if it's a big road and you have it all to yourself. In the last two weeks I've gone from the Eastern Time Zone, to the Pacific Time Zone and back again. It was two weeks of night driving, mainly. Two weeks of all sorts of weather, every variety of coffee, several languages, an endless variety of landscapes, and virtually every human disposition in the civilized world. Herewith, random thoughts from the middle of the night:
* If fatigue is a problem, listen to music from your childhood. Sights, smells, people, places, experiences, happy moments and heart breaks, …they all have certain songs that bring them back to life. One song takes me back to a childhood playground, while another brings a family member back to life with that old easy going grace and humor. Old girlfriends have songs, as do favorite cities. Listening to music from the past is like visiting with people you love, ...like browsing through an interactive photo album.
* After a lengthy stretch of road with no sign of people anywhere, the lights of an approaching town seem strangely comforting.
* For some reason, road construction crews feel compelled to aim blindingly bright lights directly into the windshields of on-coming traffic. I speculate it allows construction workers to take faster evasive action when a vehicle careens toward them because the driver is totally blinded. It also has the bonus effect of preventing the motoring public from seeing how many workers it takes to stand around and watch a single piece of equipment operate.
* The stimulus law probably stimulated the orange traffic cone industry more than any other.
* No matter how numbing the fatigue, the soft hues of purple and red in the quiet minutes before the sun peaks over the horizon are the most energizing minutes of the day.
* An open-faced hamburger, resting under layers of chili, grated cheese and onions, is pure culinary bliss, though it's probably healthier to eat the plate.
* There is something about a desert landscape that looks beautiful and prehistoric.
* An impromptu visit with friends, particularly Ricochet friends, is a heaven-sent reprieve.
* After working all night, there is a decadent happiness about sleeping during the day when everyone else is awake and working. Conversely, truck stops are noisy places during the day, so the decadence is short lived.
* The best coffee is at sunrise. The worst coffee is something that claims to have lots of nuts in it. It tastes like it was strained through an old gym sock.
* It's called a Grand Slam breakfast because within the hour you'll be slamming the restroom door shut behind you.
* Most truckers seem to drive with more courtesy during hours of darkness. Maybe it's from flashing our lights at each other so much. Their chatter on the CB is more polite too.
* It's fascinating to see the little lights line up in the night sky on approach to a major airport, knowing that each of those tiny bright specks in the darkness represent an aircraft with perhaps a hundred or more souls onboard. The planes are perfectly spaced too. I wonder if they have brake lights.
* The rising moon looks preternatural, eery and ominous. Sort of like mail from the IRS.
* Most Cajun songs are in three quarter time, and most Dixieland Jazz songs can be broken down into 32-measure segments with sub-themes that go through a subtle change every 16 measures.
* At 3AM, you can go through most major cities like a liberal through a budget, like Newt through a premise, like Clinton through an intern, like Peter Robinson through a "last question," or Lileks though a segue, like EJHill through a digital photo, like, …well, …you get the idea.
* If you eat a pastry of some sort during the evening and you have to get out of the truck and talk to people the next morning, be sure to brush your midnight snack off of your shirt first.
* Another memory that brought a smile in the night: I'll never forget the young Asian lady who worked at the service center coffee shop on a New York toll road. So very helpful and unfailingly polite she was, though she struggled with the English language. I asked for "artificial sweetener," and she didn't understand. "Splenda?" I asked. She smiled and shrugged. I tried, "Nutra-Sweet." Her smile burst into happy understanding as she said, "Thank you. You sweet too!"
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Jul '10
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
* It's called a Grand Slam breakfast because within the hour you'll be slamming the restroom door shut behind you.
Dave - that's what we called Fast Food in Korea.
And the story about the young Asian lady made my day :-))
Nov '11
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
Thanks, Dave! :-)
Jul '10
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
At 3AM, you can go through most major cities like a liberal through a budget, like Newt through a premise, like Clinton through an intern, like Peter Robinson through a "last question,"....
or Lileks through a muscle shirt....
Aug '11
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
I love a good road trip and would much prefer to travel by car anytime, anywhere...except maybe NY. America is beautiful, both it's land and it's people. Most people fly over it rather than drive through it. You miss far too much that way. Call me crazy but I love I-70 past Hays, KS where the tallest building around is a grain elevator in the distance. The blue sky opens up and it seems to swallow you in it. I am smiling as I write this post. Enjoy your travels Dave and be safe!
Oct '10
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
What ! No brake lights on airplanes ? Demand action now...
Now there is a keeper. Thanks.
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
wilber forge: What ! No brake lights on airplanes ? Demand action now...
Now there is a keeper. Thanks. · 4 minutes ago
You think I might have given the FAA, or OSHA, or EIEIO a fresh idea? I should have thought that one through better...
May '11
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
Brake lights on a
Edited on April 22, 2012 at 3:50amOct '10
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
Dave Carter
wilber forge: What ! No brake lights on airplanes ? Demand action now...
Now there is a keeper. Thanks. · 4 minutes ago
You think I might have given the FAA, or OSHA, or EIEIO a fresh idea? I should have thought that one through better... · 5 minutes ago
Not to worry, the regulators would have come up with it in due time..
Jun '10
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
Dave Carter
* If fatigue is a problem, listen to music from your childhood. Sights, smells, people, places, experiences, happy moments and heart breaks, …they all have certain songs that bring them back to life. One song takes me back to a childhood playground, while another brings a family member back to life with that old easy going grace and humor. Old girlfriends have songs, as do favorite cities. Listening to music from the past is like visiting with people you love, ...like browsing through an interactive photo album.
You have the soul of a poet, old friend.
Jul '10
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
Interesting you mention I-70 around Hays, because I was thinking exactly of that part of Kansas on my cross-country drives from Virginia to Colorado when Dave mentioned the light of approaching towns seeming strangely comforting. I get the same feeling going through the national forests on I-64 in WV, KY, and IN.
Feb '12
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
I so look forward to your travel posts. Thanks for sharing.
Feb '12
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
What does it cost to get a CDL? I see signs everywhere stating Experienced Driver's wanted. I was thinking of having my son get his CDL before he goes to college. I figure it could help him: in getting a part time job during college, during the summer months or at least when he gets out of school and use it as a steady backup plan, until (his/the) right opportunity comes along.
Is this a good idea or a bad idea? My son is only 14, so I have a few years to get this done.
Sep '10
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
When I was a boy lying in bed trying to stay awake, I'd sometimes hear the sound of a propeller plane flying overhead through the night sky. It was like hearing a far off train whistle--it spoke of adventure. I'd lie there and imagine just one or two people flying among the stars, with flight instruments softly glowing in front of them, and think, that must be really neat.
Now that I'm a private pilot I can tell you: it is.
Edited on April 22, 2012 at 4:43amApr '11
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
Poetry, Dave. Poetry.
I'll be reading this aloud to hubby and son over breakfast.
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
CuriousJohn: What does it cost to get a CDL? I see signs everywhere stating Experienced Driver's wanted. I was thinking of having my son get his CDL before he goes to college. I figure it could help him: in getting a part time job during college, during the summer months or at least when he gets out of school and use it as a steady backup plan, until (his/the) right opportunity comes along.
Is this a good idea or a bad idea?My son is only 14, so I have a few years to get this done. · 1 minute ago
I believe the age requirement for a CDL is at least 21. My most recent one cost $250, with $200 being for the DHS background check before getting a Hazmat endorsement. There are separate written tests for air brake systems, general cdl knowledge, Hazmat, etc. Additionally, the state will administer a vehicle control test (backing, parking, maneuvering around obstacles, shifting), an on-road driving test, and an in-depth pre-trip test. Some sort of formal training is indispensable, and most trucking companies recruit from these schools. You're right, ...you have a few years to decide.
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
Robert E. Lee
Dave Carter
* If fatigue is a problem, listen to music from your childhood. Sights, smells, people, places, experiences, happy moments and heart breaks, …they all have certain songs that bring them back to life. One song takes me back to a childhood playground, while another brings a family member back to life with that old easy going grace and humor. Old girlfriends have songs, as do favorite cities. Listening to music from the past is like visiting with people you love, ...like browsing through an interactive photo album.
You have the soul of a poet, old friend. · 50 minutes ago
And you have the heart of a young boy, as I recall.
May '10
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
I should send you a bill for cleaning the diet soda off my monitor. Thanks for the guffaw...good stuff.
Edited on April 22, 2012 at 5:00amMay '10
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
Dave Carter
CuriousJohn: What does it cost to get a CDL? I see signs everywhere stating Experienced Driver's wanted. I was thinking of having my son get his CDL before he goes to college. I figure it could help him: in getting a part time job during college, during the summer months or at least when he gets out of school and use it as a steady backup plan, until (his/the) right opportunity comes along.
Is this a good idea or a bad idea?My son is only 14, so I have a few years to get this done. · 1 minute ago
I believe the age requirement for a CDL is at least 21.
I think you can get a CDL for intrastate driving when you're 18.
I remember getting a Class B license when I was 17, but this was in 1979. This allowed me to drive a converted school bus and a couple of dump trucks for the county highway department one summer. They paid me $3.50 per hour, plus a ninth hour each day at time and a half.
Apr '11
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
Dave, You really are Nutra-Sweet. ;-)
Oct '10
Re: Rambling Thoughts From a Nighttime Drive
Re, Dave. Back in the day, 1983 to be exact, obtaining a CDL consisted of taking a written test and a $ 45 fee only. It was simply a license upgrade.
Oddly, a fellow applying for a motorcycle endorsement had to prove his abilities on a prescribed DMV course. Conversly, a truck driver lived or died by another set of self learned rules as well as sage advice.