Here's What You Missed On "As The Wheel Turns"

ARIEL: 

Graduated from training, but was suddenly getting off her trainer's truck a day early, that day turned to two days and then within the hour she was off… she had been conned into driving all by herself across 3/4 of the country. She was scared, people kept saying "well, at some point the baby bird has to fly and us mamma birds have to push the baby birds out of the tree" this did not make her feel better, she just kept imagining dead & mangled baby birds, causing her fears to mount… but she got her game face on and frantically scribbled last minute notes as her trainer answered her 'what if' scenarios and encouraged her that she could do it, she realized she could do it but she was still scared. Driving without her trainer all alone was a whole different game… but despite her fears, she did it! All 2,000 miles of the journey, all by herself! She was a real live truck driver! She was so proud of herself despite some very hilarious initiation into the very interesting world of trucking… 

After loading  all her stuff into the old truck and getting all the extras she needed from the shop, she bobtailed only feet  next door to the truck stop to spend the night, and despite the minuscule distance she traveled was so nervous, ha! 

"THIS IS A BOBTAIL"

Finding the bobtail section or what she thought was the only bobtail section which was only spots for 3….it looked as if  there was no space and then she realized there was one more spot to squeeze into….so she slowly awkwardly backed up  and at the point she thought I should G.O.A.L. ("Get Out And Look" which they drilled into us at school) she hit the chain  link construction fence that was back there…HILLARIOUS! ONLY 5 MIN. AS A BONAFIDE TRUCK DRIVER AND SHE HIT SOMETHING GEEZ! Really it was only a tap but she felt ridiculous. Then an old guy stopped to help her back up….remember she is only driving a bobtail…she felt more ridiculous. Finally after it was safe and parked she thought ok I made it the whole block and I'm safe! headed into the truck stop for some necessary goods like febreeze (the trucks previous owner was a smoker), clorox wipes-for wiping down, trash bags, and a tire thumper(AKA man beater)….and  returned out the door to her truck, turned the corner and oh look a bobtail with its 4way flashers flashing…..GEEEEEZE  it was mine….I felt like a such a newbie! I quickly went to the truck with my head down and turned off the flashers and got in and locked the door. Called my mom to tell her of my newb-ness and we laughed together at me!

The next morn. I was sent on an "MTY Hunt" the game we play as drivers where we have to search for an empty trailer.  This time I was sent to some other site to look for one, I found one and hooked up, then it was time to go to the customer  to drop the empty and pick up my FIRST LOAD EVER. I put the address into my GPS and went on my way turned right, passed a GP warehouse, got on the road, almost turned on a no truck road, turned right again got on a HWY then right on another HWY, then exited, oh look there is the pilot I stayed at last night oh look I'm on the same road, then it hit me I  was going right back to where I had just been! GEEZE! yup folks that's right I had picked up the empty and it was  literally right next to the customer but I had gone full circle-I mean, she had made the rookie mistake and couldn't help but laugh at herself….

She then took the new load and went the block back to the same pilot truck stop, miraculously found a pull through  parking spot (so she didn't have to do a back up) stopped the truck and parked, she was still alive the second day-pfewph! Then she went in to get some dinner, as she walked in she saw there on the right side the actual bobtail section with spots for a hundred! ha!…

It was a great start to her new trucker career. When her Truck instructor had said "IT's GONNA GET REAL INTERESTING OUT THERE" she just had no idea that by adding herself to the equation it was going to get REAL REAL INTERESTING OUT THERE! 

Her Maiden Solo journey ended just barely squeaking through cabbage Hill (the long steep pass on 84 coming from La Grande to Pendleton) she almost had to put on chains but didn't, she drove 15 miles/hr. with all the other trucks over snow & ice as the eastbound side was grid locked, only to find out that an hour later they had completely closed the pass. Look at those mad driver skills….from hitting fences & flashers left on to driving crazy conditions safely! She had made it… and now drove in through the green carpeted, tree laden, waterfalls cascading beautiful Oregon…She was HOME! She was a driver! THE LITTLE BIRDIE HAD BEEN PUSHED AND SHE HAD FLOWN! (Good thing, cuz a mangled baby bird would have made for a horrible ending to this episode)

AMANDA: 

Meanwhile, Amanda was still slogging through her training, a week behind Ariel.  The training experience was a very hard one for Amanda, aside from trying to cram her head full of reams of new information and skills, she also had to adjust to being separated from friends and family and out on her own for the first time.  There were a lot of challenges, what's the code people use?  Oh yeah, it was a growing experience. :)  In other words, Amanda was beyond relieved and happy to come back home by the end of it.  And even though it felt like a torture marathon at the time, she came back to Portland a stronger, more self-possessed woman, who was empowered by the knowledge that she had tried something completely out of her comfort zone, and had succeeded!   

She excitedly dragged her bags and bags of crap from her trainer's truck into her car, and got ready to take the short drive home…but…was something wrong with her car?  It felt tiny!  The experience of driving a tiny personal vehicle after that big truck was so bizarre, that she drove home at at least 10 mph under the speed limit, the entire time feeling like car was closing in around her.  "Why is the windshield so close to my head?  There's no room for my legs!  I feel like I'm shrinking, but my hands still look the same size!"  In spite of the shrinking car, you'll be glad to know that she made it home to drive another day.

THE GIRLS WERE REUNITED Back in Portland and GOT ONE DAY TOGETHER ON THEIR BEAUTIFUL COZY COUCH TO CUDDLE AND STARE LIKE ZOMBIES…THEN ARIEL WAS OFF TO SOLO A BIT MORE WHILE MANDA WAS ON HER HOME TIME

ARIEL: Ran a load up to Pacific,WA (company headquarters) and she dropped the old geezer of a truck and received the keys to her brand spanking new Gorgeous truck 10782 and moved in. 

Then funnily enough spent a whole day just living in the truck up in WA, while her partner was resting in Portland….seemed silly but the next day she got a load back to Portland.

ARIEL went to pick up AMANDA: to be reunited for reals and begin their new journey as a team. They moved in all their organizational boxes and cubbies and moved in, went over all the systems and procedures together and would after some silly working that ended in nothing were able to go home for Thanksgiving dinner before setting out again.

Their first run was from Oregon down to Cali…..for the next two weeks they would go OR to CA over and over and over and over, much to Ariel's chagrin (she was so sick of the Siskiyous) with a brief stint to AZ….they delivered christmas trees and an emergency run of sump pumps to the flood laden CA, and the usuals like TP and paper towels (",)

So much has happened: We've settled into the truck as our new little roving apartment. We've learned to sleep will bumping and rolling over highways and while jerking back n'forth in coupling and sliding tandems and backing up to docks

I once exclaimed over Amanda being exhausted because she had just woken up…to which she replied (with crazy big eyes)

" YEAH! because I just woke up from not sleeping!"

We've made lots of mistakes, encountered crazy people, been stared at SO SO SO SO SO MUCH! 

We've dragged our tired butts into many an establishment looking homeless & vagabond with unkempt everything, kickin' breath, groggy eyes and probably scared small children.

We've been to places called "Garden of Eden truck stop" , a town called WEED. We've seen amazing sights. 

                      Peed in many ways in many settings. 

Lowered and raised many a landing gear. 

Eaten a ton of "food" which is crap and had a couple delicious culinary encounters (Mexican in Cali, and Thai somewhere…). 

and of course tried on hats which I lobbied could be a tradition that we do every time we go to Rice Hill truck stop…

AND WE CONTINUE TO PRETEND/BELIEVE WE'RE LIVING THE GOOD LIFE (YOU KNOW PARTYING IT UP, ADVENTURING, AND HAVING AN AMAZING TIME….

                           

well Ariel does (and since Ariel is convincing Amanda believes it for a couple seconds every once in a while).

We were in Pembina, North Dakota the other night waiting to re-try entering CANADA and we were deliriously tired and Ariel started loosing it and bursting into hysterical laughter and Amanda joined, and we were in this quiet  little weird truck stop so everyone could hear, it had something to do with mac n' cheese being a comedy, children being a tragedy, and then there was the idea of me laying on the floor peeing my pants….as you can see it got out of hand but we look back on it fondly….

And then of course there are the more hairy moments….the reality

like being stuck between two lanes of traffic in a shopping mall with cars behind and signs in front and no way to move forward …..and last night when we were denied entry to CANADA, THEN HAD TO RE-ENTER THE US, BUT LOST OUR PASSPORTS, and then we were walking around between the respective buildings to look for passports and communicate and were told we couldn't just walk around that we'd get in trouble …..and ended up detained in a small holding room... 

and then just the usual day in day out stuff like being exhausted and driving then sleeping then eating then driving then repeat….. and working really long hours but only getting paid while rolling, and waiting then hurrying

BUT REALLY THOSE ARE ALL HILARIOUS AS WELL….(according to ariel)

So I guess we are living the good life sort of….

except for the fact that this really is hard work and we're not pro enough yet to be getting paid enough money for the amount of torture…..

The good news we still have each other and our laughing explosions and the adventures are never ending….hopefully someday we can actually make some money (",)

The Trucking Life

I know ya'll have been waiting patiently for an update, and so I'm gonna do my best to give you something interesting tonight, although I can feel my brain powering down as I type, so don't get your hopes up too high.  :)

I have been realizing from some of the questions I've been getting that we haven't given you guys much info on the trucker lifestyle.  First of all, it's true what they say, that trucking is not just a job, it is a lifestyle. Now that doesn't mean that we're going to start chewing tobacco or wearing flannel (necessarily), but it is a true statement about the job that we are now in.  We don't live in a house anymore, we live in a vehicle.  We eat out of a cooler or at restaurants or from what we can find at mini marts, and we pee in public restrooms or outside, and we never shower in the same place twice, if at all.  We're kinda like gypsies. :)  We are finding a newfound appreciation for things we took for granted back when we were non-truck drivers, some examples:

-Denny's.  I am not kidding when I say that Denny's is absolutely my new favorite restaurant.  I get so excited when I see a Denny's at an overnight stop, and let me tell you why: they have a build your own burger with an Amy's veggie patty.  Because of the lack of options and hot food out here, that veggie burger becomes one of the best things I've ever tasted.  A Denny's sign means "you will have something reliable that tastes good for dinner tonight".  I love sitting in the booth and savoring my burger and fries while reading a good book.

-Showers.  I have been fortunate enough to get a shower ever day I've been out here, because a morning shower is something that is very important to my trainer, so she makes sure we're someplace where we have access to showers if at all possible.  Some of the rest of us have not been so lucky in the shower department. :)  The way it works is that you get a reward card to all of the different truck stop chains, and then you get one free shower for the first 50 gallons of fuel you buy at that chain.  So we fill our tanks with 50 gallons, stop and reset the pump, and fill with the other 50 gallons, that way we get 2 showers instead of one.  (If you don't have the credits from fueling, the showers cost $12.) Anyway, in the morning you drag your sorry ass out of your bunk, and hike across the truck stop parking lot in your sweats, with crazy hair and pillow wrinkles still on your face, and sign in for a shower.  They give you a shower number and a code to type in to unlock the door to your private shower room.  Some of the shower rooms look nice and clean, and some of them look like exactly what you think of when you hear the term "public shower".  But the water is hot, and you are in a room all by yourself, and when you're done, you feel like a real human again.

-Hotels.  I have had the good fortune to be able to stay in a hotel room twice since I've been out here, and let me tell you, a hotel room is the last word in trucker luxury.  You can shower without flip flops on.  You can hang out and watch tv in complete privacy.  And you can do so in as much or as little clothing as you so desire.  You can walk around in your bare feet.  You can eat in privacy.  You can soak in a hot tub!  You can go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without putting your shoes on and hiking across a parking lot.  These are the things we live for. 

-Walmart.  (please don't anybody disown me)  I didn't ever shop at Walmart in my past life.  Ever.  But Walmart has several benefits for the truck driver.  First of all, they usually have room for truck parking, which is almost unheard of outside of truck stops.  Secondly, they often allow trucks to park in their lots overnight, which comes in handy if it's late and you literally can't find any other place to park and sleep besides the freeway ramp.  Third, they have everything.  You can buy a lot of things at truck stops:  snacks, drinks, truck parts, gloves, crappy toys, toothpaste, even bananas-but in the end, it's still a truck stop, not a store.  Walmart is a store if there ever was one.  They have clothes, they have appliances, they have a drug store, they have goldfish if you want them.  And they have groceries.  Real live produce and foodstuffs that isn't marked way up like at the truck stops.  And last, but definitely not least, they have bathrooms-and if you are parked in their lot for the night, there is nothing you want more.  Ariel and I have both gone into a Walmart, pockets stuffed with toiletries, for the sole purpose of using their bathroom.  It feels a little weird to be brushing your teeth when actual customers come in to use the toilet, but desperate times call for desperate measures-and oral hygiene is important to me. :)

Today I had a day off, and so did Ariel, so I got to talk to her for a good long time-her in a Starbucks in Virginia, and me in a bathtub in Arizona (the Little America truck stop in Flagstaff has killer shower rooms with big clean tubs).  We are both adjusting to our new lifestyle, and learning to appreciate the little things, baths, good coffee, and connecting with good friends.  We are really looking forward to when we get to continue that adjustment together-just a few more weeks! 

-Amanda   

Update

A few of you have been asking how things are going, since we haven't posted here recently.  The reason I haven't written in awhile is that this whole trucking thing is really hard!  

It's hard physically:  not always getting enough sleep and/or getting up really early, having to be really intentional about making time to eat, and trying really hard to find healthy food that I even want to eat, trying to drink enough to stay hydrated, but not so much that we have to stop every hour for a bathroom break, or I have to get up in the night and walk across the parking lot into the truck stop to pee.  

It's hard mentally: there is so much information that a person needs to know to be a truck driver!  Map reading, trip planning, company paper work, fueling, shifting, going down hills without loss of life :) and of course, building up the stamina to drive up to 10 hours a day.  

And it's hard emotionally:  being away from friends and family for such a long time, not having much free time to connect on the phone or internet, living with someone I don't know...for a whole month.  I think I can speak for both of us when I say it's been a rough week.  I have been just non-stop exhausted, and Ariel has been fighting a nasty cold.  

However...
It's not all bad news, so all the moms can just stop the worrying (you know who you are).  :)  I personally, have been feeling better about things the past few days.  I think it's a combination of getting to talk to my cousin on the phone a few times, and some serious intentionality in the food/eating department (I had 3 meals and 2 snacks both yesterday and today...first time since I left home).  Apparently, eating food and having friends will do wonders for your life!  


A few random thoughts:

-I drove 311 miles today.  Not my longest ever, but more than yesterday, and I didn't feel like I was going to fall asleep the whole time, which is a serious improvement.  Tomorrow: LA near the end of morning rush hour!

-So far I haven't had to drive in any rain or snow...and I've had sun every day.  :)

-I made myself a huge veggie sandwich for lunch today with Dave's Killer Bread...so good!

-Today I saw a sign for "Zzyzx Rd." off of I-15 in California.  I'd love to hear everyone's opinions on the proper pronunciation.  

-So far I've hauled birdseed, insulation, capri-sun, and cat litter.  I am probably not going to find a lot of deep fulfillment from this job. :)

-Today I had to hit my breaks hard and pull over to the side of the freeway, because there was a runaway cow trying to cross.

:)   -Amanda

Manderfield

I am going to try my very hardest to go to sleep early tonight, since I've not been very good at getting up early (3am) and staying awake to drive. (I've had to take a nap the last few days once my trainer started us out on the road around 6am, just couldn't keep my eyes open or my head up.  Don't worry, she was driving-I was in the bunk.)  I get to sleep in 'til 5am tomorrow morning, but I'd still like to get a good solid night's sleep, so I'll try to keep this short.  Just a few thoughts from the past few days:

-I drove my longest ever in one day yesterday, almost 450 miles.  And today I drove my longest stretch between breaks, I think it was about 4 hours.  I am physically and mentally exhausted at the end of each day, but I think I'm starting to build up my tolerance, so that is good!

-Yesterday I drove past a town called "Manderfield" in Utah.  :)

-I also saw a sign in the middle of nowhere (maybe Utah), that said, "We buy antlers".  Ha!

What else...tonight I'm in southern California, near Bakersfield-there's just so much sun!

Oh, and we are not recycling out here.  I mean, my trainer's not recycling, and I'm not gonna make a stink about it.  But we're drinking bottled water...and tea, and juice, and soda...and driving a huge diesel powered truck all over the place.  I'm gonna have to build my own self-heating cabin out of plastic garbage bags and walk everywhere for the rest of my life to make up for the damage I'm doing to the planet right now. :)

That's all folks-oh, except you should all send warm thoughts to my other half.  She's not feeling well and is dealing with snow in Wyoming right now.  Stay warm and be well cousin!

-Amanda

EASTBOUND TRIP IN PICTURES

CALIFORNIA (10/20)

"Dinner party @ Dinner Pass" (as my predictive text was determined to say, lol!) Anyone hungry?! He he)

I drove all the way up & over the pass! And no one died or was eaten!

NEVADA (10/20-21)

Relaxin' OTR

Dinner buffet @ the Rainbow Casino and super cool driver's lounge with free coffee & showers. In Wendover, NV

UTAH (10/21)

Wendover, UT the town across two states

WYOMING (10/21)

Pronghorn antelope, lots of em in WY

NEBRASKA (10/21)

Manders' super road trip to Nebraska- pamper in a hotel 30th B-day Extravaganza!

I planned this, ha! What are the odds we'd both be in NE, what a treat!

Nebraska wildlife smiley face

I conned my trainer into driving again, I was zombie tired today

-Ariel

My Birthday In Nebraska

It is my 30th birthday today!  That seems so weird to even type! 30th birthday? Me?? :)  I am surprisingly, feeling ok about the whole thing.  I mean, yeah, I'm turning 30, and somehow that doesn't bother me.  All through my 20's, my life has gotten progressively better ever year...or not better, but I've grown more as a person every year.  So if that trend still holds, and I think it will, then I say, bring on the 30's, I'm ready and waiting!  I was a little concerned about having my birthday on the road with a trainer, that I might feel sorry for myself, or just be miserable.  But actually, I've just been so busy learning new things, and driving all over the place seeing new scenery, that the birthday hasn't seemed like that big of a deal.  I'd rather spend my 30th birthday having a crazy adventure in Nebraska, than sitting at home wondering what I'm doing with my life.  I don't have to wonder, I know what I'm doing: I'm becoming a truck driver! Plus, it'll make a really awesome story later, "Did I do anything for my birthday?  Of course I did, I was in Nebraska!" Ha!

So here I sit, in a motel in Sidney, Nebraska.  Outside the window, the sun is just blazing out of a huge, blue sky.  I get quite a few special gifts today: the sunshine (which almost never happens on my birthday), a soak in the hotel hot tub, a bathroom that I can walk to in my bare feet, a pomegranate that I brought from home, my friends who all love me, and the best of all:  my long-lost cousin and her trainer are headed for Nebraska right now, and might cross paths with us before we head out tomorrow!  Such a special birthday!!  I turn 30 at 2:56pm Pacific time today, and I am ok with that.  30's here I come!!

-Amanda

Training Update

Thursday 18th
Day one was a little rough for me.  The adjustment to living in a truck with someone I don't really know, and driving all over tarnation, and not getting to go home at the end of the day, was all hard for me.  I spent the day observing, and learning, and getting to know my trainer (who is great, by the way).  She drove us from Pacific, WA to Hermiston, OR.  By the end of the day, I was so exhausted and a little disoriented, and just wanted to go home.

Friday 19th
Was much better!  Woke up at a truck stop near Hermiston, and drove all day to...somewhere in Utah...Willard maybe?  Anyway, that day, I drove for the first time.  I was quite nervous, and my trainer had me make a lap around the parking lot before we headed out.  Once I got going, I did pretty good-still nervous of course, it is 50,000 lbs. of vehicle I'm guiding down the road, after all!  I lasted for across most of the state of Idaho, about 200 miles, before I got too sleepy, and my trainer had to take over.  I felt much better about the whole endeavor, once I was driving, and not just watching and trying to remember everything I was being told.  I think driving a huge tractor with a 53' trailer for 200 miles is a big accomplishment.  I mean, it was for me. :)

Saturday 20th
I started out the driving, and made it 300 miles (about 5 hours), and then my trainer took over.  We made it to our drop site in Nebraska by 10:00pm.  I also did some backing/parking in truck stops, fueled the truck, and did a ton of paperwork, so I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of things (just barely). :) Got to see lots of cool scenery, red rocks and cliffs, rolling sage brush hills, and lots of flatness.

This whole thing is just a big roller coaster.  Those of you who know me, know that I'm not great at flexibility and transitions, and that's all this job is!  So I'm struggling to adjust to my new lifestyle, especially living with someone that I don't really know.  She is very nice and helpful, and a really good trainer, but I'm having issues with the lack of alone time and space.  Hopefully I'll settle in soon, because I still have 3.5 weeks left. :)  Despite all of the challenges and exhaustion, I also have times when I feel so empowered and proud, cause I'm actually doing this!  I am driving a truck across the country, and learning how to back, and park, and trip plan, and work the qualcomm, and inspect the truck, and...I'm awesome, really! :)

-Amanda

First week driving recap

Thursday 11th-
Pacific,WA
met trainer, moved in, spent the nite in the truck.

Friday 12th-
First load: Auburn,WA to Longview,WA. My trainer drove and i watched. It was my first time at a customer... The air was sour... We were dropping cardboard to be recycled. After the unload I swept the trailer out.

Saturday 13th-
Tacoma,WA to Millerburg,OR +
Halsey, OR to Roseburg, OR
This was my first day driving! And it was pretty good! I think getting to be in the truck and adjust helped me, I was relaxed... I shifted up through the gears and then I was cruising down the highway, no problem! I pulled into the Costco parking lot (the drop site for the next morning) where I would spend my first overnight alone. I met my trainer's family, and became an instant hero to his youngest daughter for giving her justin beiber posters from a joke love card i found hidden in my bag (amanda you sneak). My boss would go home for the night. I sneaked in using the toilet at subway right before they closed so I didn't have to christen the parking lot (",)

Sunday 14th-
Still in shroud of darkness, I pulled around to the dock where I would do my first dock back up... I did pretty good!
After we'd finished the load i took a nap to up my sleep hours... Then was taken to Walmart to shop for the first time in probably 5 years... And this Walmart was in Roseburg and it was quite the cultural experience... Here are some of the unusuals I found there:

Then we headed out and I got a very sweet treat... A stop in Portland at my parents house yay! We pulled our huge beast right onto their little street and covered their fence and the neighbors... It was quite the sight! My parents fed us, hugged us, and stocked me up w/ more soy creamer for the road (",) I got to hug, squeeze, and encourage my Team truckin' cuzin' just minutes before she headed out orientation, and then we were back on the road...
Halsey, OR to Union Gap, WA

Monday 15th-
Wenatchee, WA to Auburn, WA
Wenatchee was beautiful and the drive had a ton of hills. They made me nervous but I did it and pulled through... Then as we came to the pacific yard the best idea surfaced... Credit to my trainer... My cuz was at orientation near the PAC yard!!!!
SLUMBER PARTY !!!!
I surprised my cuz, yay! We had dinner, hot tub, & cuddling, it was a much needed respite for us both! Papa is giving me gifts of fellowship! I thought I would be out alone for 5 weeks but instead i get all this family time! Thanks Papa!

Tuesday 16th-
We got a long haul yay!
Mt. Vernon, WA to Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Made our way to southern OR
And had multiple encounters w trainers' family... Culture shock setting in... The crazy thing tho... Out here there are a billion simultaneous cultures, so I guess I better hold onto my frickin' pants!!!

Wednesday 17th-
This longer run thing is awesome... It's just you and the open road...and beautiful scenery... I like this part...

Today I did most of the driving... Almost 9 hrs and 400+ miles (",)

We did have some weight issues because we were just under our legal limit. That forced us in to scale and slide our tandems and fifth wheel multiple times. I had a super close call with my trailer and the scale barriers... About one inch close! Yikes! That truck stop was stressful it was so busy and I had to pull through the tight scale twice and back up twice... But i did it! and we got our weight distributed and we got outta there alive!

Thursday 18th-
Lathrop, CA
I was up early to try out the brand new private showers and be ready to roll out and finish our load. The showers were amazing! Coffee good! Pre trip (inspection) Fail! Power steering fluid leaking... We're grounded, truck in the shop... Hanging around... Waiting...
But It's warm and sunny here in Cali and I get to recoup and touch base. Looking forward to another amazing shower in the am.

ANOTHER OTR SIMPLE PLEASURE:
No long line at the ladies room, no line at all...in fact every where I go it's as if there's a private bathroom just for me (",) it's about time the boys have to wait... Ha!
If you're sick of restroom lines ladies, become truck drivers.... There are plenty of open pottys out here (",)

-Ariel

On My Way!

Just a quick update:

I finished orientation this morning, and met up with my trainer at noon.  Right now I am in Hermiston, OR, and headed for Nebraska!  I've been observing today, but tomorrow I'll drive for awhile-200ish miles if I can handle it.  Right now I am exhausted, so I'm gonna sleep.  Nighty-Night!

-Amanda

Now The Real Fun Starts!

Just a quick update before I go to bed.  I had my last full day of orientation today, just a little bit more tomorrow morning, and then everybody heads out in their trucks.  I met my trainer today, a day earlier than I thought I would.  She has apparently been hanging around waiting for them to get done with her truck in the shop, so she found me and introduced herself today.  She seems really nice, and was very re-assuring, and I think this whole thing could work out quite well.  It was really good for me to be able to meet her ahead of time, because then I didn't spend the whole day worrying and speculating about tomorrow.  The intro is already done, and even though it's gonna be overwhelming and exhausting, I think everything's gonna be fine. I would also like to say that it was so great just to interact with a woman-such a treat!  I am telling you, whenever we have a female presenter for a class during orientation, I am always trying to make friends with her: extra smiling, making eye-contact, etc.  I don't really think any of them notice at all, but in my head we are friends.  I feel that being the only two people in the room with ovaries just gives you an instant bond.  Anyway, my point is that I'm looking forward to interacting with my trainer, getting her perspective on women in trucking, and talking about something (anything) else besides just trucks. :)

I'm headed off to bed so I can get up early, pack up all my crap and drag it to orientation with me.  This is the next big step, and for some reason (maybe exhaustion), I am surprisingly calm about it.  I'm just gonna go with it :)  I'll update you as soon as I can and let you know all about my crazy over the road adventures!

-Amanda

"The Strength of Hercules" or "The Fun Never Ends"

Oh my gosh, where to even start?  The last few days have been quite eventful...and physically challenging.  

First of all, there was my luggage.  I spent all day at home Sunday packing and stuffing, unpacking, repacking, weighing, unpacking, and re-weighing my duffel bag.  The weight limit for checked baggage is 50 lbs., so I had to move some of it to a smaller overflow duffel bag.  So anyway, I got all exhausted and sweaty just packing.  Then I had to carry my bags, (which including my carry on, came to near 100 lbs.).  I had to get them to baggage at the Portland train station, pick them up at the Tacoma train station, into the wrong cab, out of the wrong cab, into the right cab, out of the right cab, onto the luggage rack at the hotel, and finally, off the luggage rack and into my (meticulously inspected and bug free) room.  Needless to say, after all of that hauling, I was completely exhausted!  But not exhausted enough to fall asleep. :)  I was so relieved to be in the hotel, and kind of giddy and hyped up, so (even though I tried valiantly), I did not fall asleep until after 1am.  

I woke up bright and early with an almost full 4 hrs. of sleep, to start my first day of orientation.  I am in a class of 12, 11 guys and me. :)  It's a different experience for me, being literally the only female in the class, than it was going to truck school with Ariel.  When there's two of you, at least you can stand next to each other, and be a minority together, instead of being just a complete novelty.  Because I am the only girl in our group, I am getting a lot of attention!  Just to clarify, for any of you who are wondering, I do not find any of them attractive, nor do I want to date or marry any of them.  I'm pretty sure none of them want to marry me either, but quite a few of them want to talk to me, all at once...all the time.  It kind of feels like when you have a group of kids following you around, all wanting to have your attention so they can tell you the thing that they're excited about.  Hanging out with all men is just funny and interesting-and completely new for me.  I have spend most of my life in educational and work environments that were completely dominated by women (you don't find an over abundance of men in music or childcare).  I've known in my head that I spend most of my time with women, but since I was in the decided majority, I never really felt the imbalance.  I feel it now! :)  I thought today as I walked to Fred Meyer with three of my middle aged male classmates, (who talked about trucks all the way there and back), how funny that scene would be to everyone back in my normal life.  This should seriously be a reality show! :)

Anyways, my first day of orientation was quite eventful.  We got bussed to a clinic to get our physical evaluations, to prove that we are healthy enough to be hired and do the job.  We'd already had to do these evaluations during school, so I wasn't too worried about it, and thought it would go quickly.  (Warning: this next bit involves bodily functions, so if you are one of the people who likes to pretend those don't exist, please skip ahead.)  I knew we were going to have to give a urine sample at the clinic for drug testing, so I was holding it all morning during class in an effort to have enough pee to give.  Of course before we left for the clinic, I had to poop.  So I somehow managed to poop, but hold the pee.  I know, I'm awesome.  Then at the clinic during the pee test, I had to poop.  But you aren't allowed to flush after you give you sample, so I then proceeded to pee, but not poop.  I'm telling you, it was a crazy day! :)  

We were supposed to try to remember and write down our entire medical history, so in a frantic attempt to fully disclose my entire medical history, and not get in trouble for withholding information, I wrote down a minor incident involving a shopping cart and the back of my heel, in which I had to wear a brace for a few months until it healed.  It is totally fine now, no pain at all, but I was being a good little over achiever, so I wrote it down.  Because of that past injury, I got flagged for an extra evaluation at the clinic, to make sure I could physically perform the duties of the job, as is standard for anyone with a past injury.  The problem is that this test involves lifting, pushing and pulling 75 lbs.  I wasn't actually concerned, because as I may have mentioned, my luggage was close to 100 lbs.  I did fine with the pushing, pulling, and gripping.  Then came the lift test, which involved squatting to the floor, lifting a wooden box full of weights up to standing, carrying it across the room and back, and then squatting it back down.  They gradually increase the weights, so you don't start out at 75. lbs. and hurt yourself.  So I went along, following instructions and giving feedback on how heavy it felt, until the tester stopped me at a weight that I said was very heavy.  I assumed I had passed, because he finished up my test and took me back to the nurse I was with, (I found out later that he wasn't allowed to tell me how much I was lifting).  She told me that I hadn't passed, because I had only lifted 45 lbs.  I was shocked and confused-especially when I realized that if I couldn't pass this test, the truck company simply wouldn't hire me.  The nurse was very sympathetic, she knew I had a teaming partner already in training, and really wanted to help me.  She asked if I thought I could do 75 lbs. and when I realized it was my job on the line, I said YES, so she took me back to try the test again (which I'm quite sure was against policy).  Anyway, I had to wait in line behind two other people testing, so I had plenty of time to sit there and think about how our whole career plan would be ruined if I couldn't do this, how Ariel would have to truck on her own, and how none of this would be happening if I hadn't mentioned my stupid tendon that isn't even hurt anymore.  Then I got real serious and decided that I was doing this.  I had to.  I started focusing on strength, instead of the fact that I wanted to cry.  I focused on the fact that I have made it through all kinds of tough things in my life, instead of the fact that my legs tired and sore from the lift test I had already done.  Then I remembered that I am a woman.  Women are strong!  Women can give birth!  I could literally squat a living human out of my cooter if I wanted to!  I figured, if I could do that, I could do anything!  So with a laser-like focus that I'm sure came across to the tester as anger, I tried the weight lift again.  (In credit to him, he only made me repeat that portion of the test.)  I was already tired, and I am not very strong, but every time he increased the weight, I said that it felt fine, and I could do more (which was not entirely true).  For the last two lifts of 65 and 75 lbs., I couldn't push up with my legs anymore, because I knew they would give out, so I used my back, which made the tester visibly wince.  At one point he said, "that's not good form Amanda" and I said "I don't care" (I'm sure he thought I was a biatch).  Anyway, I gritted my teeth, used my neck and back, and got that box up, across the room, and back down to the floor.  It wasn't graceful, but I did it!  While I am not proud that I got myself into that situation, I am quite proud that I pushed through and conquered it!  Then of course when we got back to our orientation classroom, we had to do the company 75 lb. lift test that all of the students have to do, regardless of medical history.  It was a one time barbell lift, and so easy I couldn't even believe it.  Moral of the story:  barbells are easier than boxes.  Other moral:  you can do more than you think.

After that quite exhausting day of class, and my drive test after that (which I passed because the tester is very kind and knows I have no experience), I got a wonderful surprise to make it all ok.  My lovely teaming partner, and cousin, showed up at my hotel room to spend the night!  She and her trainer were parked in the yard for the night at the terminal where we have orientation, and she took a taxi over to my hotel and surprised me!  It was such a good refresher for both of us-we got to have dinner together, hang out in the hot tub, talk about all of our adventures in the world of trucking and men, and have a little slumber party (even though we were both so exhausted, that there was more slumber than actual party).  It was such a blessing to get to spend a little time with her, and was rejuvenating for both of us.  :)

Today was pretty uneventful as far as orientation goes-tons of paperwork, and presentations, and super important things to remember to never do, or always do, etc.  Kind of stressful, but mostly mind-numbing.  My leg muscles have been very sore from the lifting yesterday, so that's been my main focus all day. :)  I will definitely be making a trip (hobble) to the hot tub sometime soon!  And since I know that Ariel doesn't have much time or energy to post, I will tell you that she has been driving a lot.  She's done big hills, and curvy roads in the dark, and when she showed up yesterday, she looked exhausted and hadn't showered in days-so I'd say she's beginning to turn into a real truck driver. :)

That's all I've got for now-I've gotta get myself to the hot tub and then to sleep.  Thanks for all of your support!

-Amanda

Headin' Out!

I've always been a sucker for airplanes, ever since I was little.  The tray tables and tiny bathrooms and panels of buttons on the arm rests meant that we would soon be in tropical paradise.  Maui with my Grandma and Grandpa, and the beach.  But destination aside, I really and truly looked forward to the trip as it's own special treat.  I thought the tiny bathrooms were so fun, I loved getting to play with all of the buttons on my very own arm rest, my mom would always pack us a bag of surprise toys and activities to keep us busy on the 6 plus hour flight, and sometimes there would be a movie.  But my favorite part: the tray tables!  Don't ask me why, but I was enamored with the fact that I had my very own table to put up and down whenever I wanted (and I did…repeatedly).  Anyway, the whole thing is very much romanticized in my mind-I'm sure if I had to get on a long flight to Maui today, I'd complain like all the other adults (maybe).  

Today, I find myself on a train, instead of a plane.  I've never traveled on a train before, and I was kind of excited by how glamorous it sounded, but a little distracted by the prep for my trip, and the fact that the train is taking me to a flea ridden hotel. :)  But, now that I am on the train, and we are going somewhere, I would like to report that it is as thrilling as a plane (although I'm a grown up now, so it's a little hard to compare).  I am telling you, there are tray tables!  There are tiny bathrooms (I just used one)!  There is an actual dining car, and a parlor car, and apparently a lounge in the downstairs part of the car I'm in.  Oh yeah, I'm totally upstairs in this train car!  I know it's probably not normal for an adult to get this excited about a train ride, but then, my career choice isn't normal either. :)  As an adult, I do appreciate the extra leg room and carry on storage that planes don't have.  And did I mention that I got to go up a tiny flight of stairs to get to me seat??  So cool! :)

Anyway, I'm choosing to revel in the excitement of this train ride, because it's probably the most luxurious, vacation-y thing about this entire trip.  I was nervous and kind of charged up all day, but now that I'm in this cozy train car, with the dark stormy weather out side, I'm feeling quite relaxed and  almost excited. :)  It's crazy, because I feel like I've been waiting and getting ready for so long.  We tested out of school a month ago, and then we were waiting for a trainer, and then Ariel was going, and then she was gone and I was getting ready…and waiting…and I've gotten so good at the waiting part, that it felt kind of bizarre today to be actually packing up and really leaving.  I felt like I was moving, except that I was leaving my house looking just like normal (although cleaner than usual).  I packed up what felt like all of my earthly belongings into several duffle bags, one of which is probably big enough for me to camp out in, (if I'm forced to sleep outside tonight because of the fleas). :)  So the whole thing has felt surreal up until now…it kind of still does.  But it feels like a relief, now that something is actually happening.  I'm doing it!  I'm off and away!  I've never been a person to choose adventure, if I had any say in it at all.  I actually spend a lot of energy avoiding new things, so this is a different experience for me.  It feels weird.  Not bad so far, just…different.  I can see that it will definitely be a growing experience, and I will be a different person when I come out of this, than I was when I went in.  And that is good, that is what I want.  This has the potential to be very empowering. :)

PS-You will all be happy to know that I have spoken to my trainer, who I will meet up with on Thursday.  She is a woman (yay!), and sounds nice and helpful (yay!).  I have been told that she is a smoker, so I am hoping that won't make my month with her too miserable.  But I honestly would rather deal with that than living in a tiny space with a man I don't know.  I am choosing to assume that she will be nice and courteous, and I will barely notice the smoking at all.  :)  

In other glad news, I got to see my long lost cousin today, and give her several big hugs, which was great!  She and her trainer were driving through town a little before my train left, so I got to eat lunch with them, and see their ENORMOUS truck.  In case she doesn't tell you, she is doing really well, I think she might be a natural. :) 

Ok, that's enough writing for now.  I need to spend a little quality time with the magazine I purchased especially for this train ride.  Goodbye to all of my loyal supporters in Portland.  To those of you that I didn't get to hug in person before I left, I'm sending you internet hugs!  I will miss all of you in the Land of the Ports, but I will see you again before you know it.  Hold onto your hats folks, here we go!

-Amanda