See America and Get Paid for It!
by
Trish Dalton
I can remember in the 1970s,
Debbie Dootson on TV in southern California, hawking her family's truck
driving school. "You too can be a big rig driver!" Make the BIG bucks and
see the country. Of course, you needed the big bucks to go there.
But if you manage to get your
license and persuade a carrier to give you a shot, you hit the road
running, to start your big adventure.
You get a load to Los Angeles.
OK, so it's Rancho Cucamonga, but it's still California. Two days later as
you sit in the parking lot of the TA in Ontario, waiting to get a load
east or anywhere, you have some down time, and get out your map. Hmm. LA
is actually about sixty miles from here, not as close as you thought. Oh
well maybe next trip.
Your next load is to Knoxville,
TN. You don't actually see Knoxville though, on the I-640 around town. You
miss Nashville on I-440 and I-495 skirts around Boston. And don't even
think about getting any closer to Washington, DC than I-495.
I-287 around New York City is
probably close enough, but the postcards at the truck stop are about the
only way you'll see some of this country's famous landmarks.
But with a little planning, you
can see some of America's real treasures. When you are stranded in
Ontario, CA, it is only a few miles to remnants of old Route 66. A long
stretch of "The Mother Road" still exists as Foothill Blvd., in San
Bernardino complete with an old teepee motel. And much more of it is still
accessible from I-40, in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. And speaking of
Texas, did you know just west of Amarillo, lies one of America's greatest
works of art. In the 1974 Stanley Marsh III, a Texas rancher, farmer, and
art collector, commissioned the Ant Farm, a group of experimental
architects to build a piece of art that represented the American dream.
The result is 10 Cadillacs, buried nose down in the dry Texas earth, sort
of interactive art. You can park at the Love's Truck Stop on Arnot Rd. to
see it.
If you drop your trailer, you
can visit the National Military Cemetery at Vicksburg, MS. It is also home
to the restored Civil War gunboat, the USS Cairo, which was recovered from
the nearby Yazoo River. While in Vicksburg, you can also see its historic
museums and walk to Biedenharn's candy store, the first place anywhere, to
bottle Coca Cola.
Did you know you could go to
Mardi Gras, in New Orleans for about six bucks? You can park at the
Mardi Gras truck stop, tip the security guard, and take the bus for one
dollar down to the French Quarter, and after the party another dollar to
get back If you are a fan of American history, you can see where General
Custer met his demise, the Little Bighorn Battleground is off of I-90 near
Crow Agency Montana.
It is possible to actually walk
on the Civil War battleground at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In nearby
Carlisle, the same church that George Washington used as a meeting place
before the Revolutionary War still stands. Across the road in a very
old and historic cemetery, is a monument to Molly Pitcher. According to
legend, she served beside her husband bringing water to parched soldiers,
during the Battle of Monmouth, in 1778.
No matter what your interests
are, America probably has it and with a little research, you can find it.
Spend a little time on the Internet, check visitors centers, often located
at rest areas, or call AAA to get maps and tour books about the places you
frequently run. Be sure to check locally to find hour of operation, and
any size or weight restrictions. Also, be sure to check your company's
policies about dropping trailers and bob-tailing. It might take a
little planning ahead, but it's much more rewarding than sitting in the TV
room at the truck stop, listening to the same old stories.
Then you can really say that
you've seen America.
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