The Last Run

We are sitting at the TA Truck Stop in Bloomsbury, New Jersey now. We are very close to our consignee, but it's much too early to deliver, so we stopped here to grab showers and eat. It's a beautiful day here, heavenly cool compared to the oppressive humidty we've endured up to this point.
Although I despise New Jersey as a whole, Bloomsbury is far enough on the outskirts that it's a quaint little place, surrounded by trees and green grass and valleys. Just over the border from Pensylvania. Our consignee is in Suffern, which is a tiny town just north of the New Jersey border, into New York. This will be our last run for awhile... and the funny thing is, we traveled this very same route on our first run, way back in April.
It seems like ages ago. Life on the road has been joyous, funny, adventurous and heartbreaking all rolled into one. Contrary to what some would believe, the time on the road passes by in a blur and the days all run together. I remember not long ago, in Reno, we were talking to another driver as he was polishing the rims on his 18 wheeler. He remarked that he woke up that morning and didn't know where he was. I burst out laughing and said, "That's how I feel every day!"
And it's true! Even worse, I couldn't tell you what runs we had directly before this-- I'd have to look over our logs and paperwork to figure that one out. Or, I could just read over this blog!
It doesn't really matter where we are though... the very thought of trucking across the country is what's appealing. Not everyone gets it-- so many people have given me a look of shock when I tell them what I do: "How can you drive that much without hating it?" To which I say: "You sit in an office all day, with the same view out your window, staring at a computer. I sit in an 'office' too, but the view from my window is constantly changing, and I can go outside and enjoy it any time I want! There's no boss looking over my shoulder... the closest thing that comes to that would be the Qualcomm, and I know how to shut that thing up!" :)
And like any driver who loves his job, Jeff and I decided against flying home-- we are renting a car and driving instead! One last cross-country fling before we settle down for awhile. New York to Sacramento-- Highway 80 all the way!
I'm looking out my "office" window, and see Jeff making his way across the parking lot, fresh and happy from his shower. Time to go for now... but I'll be back later to tell you about some little oddities we've spotted while out here on the road.
For now, we're keeping the shiny side up!