Robert, Lexi, Charlie & Sassy

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Cole left for work at 8:30 this morning & I started packing up my gear. I looked up the local public transit information and figured my route would be bus 5 to bus 2 and get off at the northern most point I could, and closest to 287 north. Because the Amarillo public transit is as efficient and punctual as the Abilene DPS, it only took 4 hours to get to where I wanted to.

I ate lunch in the shade of a gas station a block away from the highway. Jumped into a dumpster for a piece of cardboard and wrote "Denver, CO" boldly with a sharpie. Standing on the corner of the intersection I waited only an hour for a ride. A green big rig with a flatbed trailer passed by and the man in the passenger seat pointed down the road to a clearing on the side. I nodded, threw on my pack, and hobbled to where they had pulled off.

I hopped inside and met Robert (38) and his trucking partner / lover, Lexi (39). Two very easy going and incredibly polite people from the west Texas area. And their cute and very well behaved dogs Charlie and Sassy. Robert looked almost exactly like Vince Vaughn and honestly could get a job as his stunt double in a heart beat if he met the right people. They were on their way to deliver their payload in Glenwood Springs, CO and were willing to take me as far as Pueblo, CO.

The big rig was a thrill and anyone who has ridden in a tall / lifted pick up truck knows that 70 mph looks and feels slower. When in a 18 wheeler, 70 mph looks and feels closer to 45 mph. It blew my mind to see the road moving by so slowly but the speedometer reading 70. And sitting in the back of the cab, on their super comfortable bed, I couldn't help but notice how surreal the experience was. I was actually doing it! I was hitch hiking cross country! I guess something about catching a ride in a mac truck finally confirmed it for me; gave me a sense of legit-ness.

We shared many stories and got to know each other over the miles and I had endless questions about trucking life. They taught me a lot about the truck itself and the tasks and requirements to operate the machine as well as the business and legal side of their operation. We stopped for dinner at a truck stop in Lamar, CO where they had the sea food buffet and I had a double down chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes. It was very yummy (but ridiculously unhealthy!). Lexi refused to let me pay for my own meal, which was very kind of them, but slightly bruising to my pride -- I was proud that I was a hitch hiker that wasn't in destitute. I had money to support myself, not a beggar looking for hand outs. Although, she let me leave the tip cause I had some cash on me and she didn't.

We stretched out legs with the dogs and moaned over our full bellies before checking the load's straps and getting back on the road. It was here in Lamar that we were suppose to switch highways and start heading directly west to Pueblo. Instead, their GPS had re-routed us to continue going north on 287, towards I-70 that ran us straight into Denver. We didn't realize what had happened until 30 or 40 minutes out, so they decided to just go with it. AWESOME!!

Robert and Lexi dropped me off in the heart of Denver right off I-70 at a truck stop that was right across the street from a Motor Hotel. We exchanged numbers and promised to meet again in a few weeks when we would both be in Abilene again. I squirted a good amount of the flea shampoo into one of my empty water bottles and handed the rest to Lexi saying "this is for Charlie and Sassy" who had recently gotten fleas, too. I shook Robert's hand and gave Lexi a hug and thanked them for all their help and company. We met as strangers and parted as friends, very much intent on spending time together again.

I bought a 6 pack and headed across the street to the hotel and got a room for $41. I watched some TV and caught up on facebook with my phone over a couple of beers. Ending the night with a warm bath & a lot of the flea shampoo!

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