Making friends with Truckers

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February...just around the time where I am seriously sick of work again.

Hence, it was just the perfect time for me to pack up and head somewhere else. This destination: Madison, Wisconsin by car. At the proposition of a 15 hour car ride in a rental car with no power locks, windows, or any kind of modern sound system bar a radio, most people's reactions were something to the effect of "are you nuts?"

No not really, although I guess that’s debatable. My best friend from university is at grad school at the University of Wisconsin, and what better way to see her than to see 7 states along the way? As soon as we were done with work on Sunday, we packed the car and hopped on the Mass Pike. However, not before we got some worldly, or otherwise, advice from the guys who work in the kitchen that could neatly be summed up in to a top 5 of what’s what in cross country travel:

5)....Never go more than 5 miles an hour over the speed limit, which I learned was 5 miles an hour faster in Indiana! This was the first of the kitchen guys rules I broke however and paid for it, literally, in Cleveland. (No hard feelings Ohio).

4)....When traveling only with girls, do not stop to relieve yourself in anywhere other than a populated MacDonalds/Sbarro/Starbucks rest stop. And I quote; "its better to wet yourself in your car than stop at a weigh station or such". Now, I'm pretty independent so when presented with this tid bit, chose to just smile and nod. So I'll leave this little bit of info up to your own discretion.

3)...Never eat anywhere that has dirty bathrooms. Coming from food service professionals I would have to take their advice on this one. They did sing the praises of Subway and Cracker Barrel...claiming they were always a solid choice.

2)...Motel 6 is the cheapest and cleanest "bum in the bed". However, don't forget to grab the voucher books at the rest stops in each state. We did the Travelodge in Erie and it suited us just fine.

1)...And last but not least, the most heeded advice was "do the truckers a favor." They explained that if you get passed on the interstate by a "lorry" to flash your high beams to them to signal them it is safe to move over into the right lane. While it seems un-needed, it is very amusing when they flash their lights at you in thanks. The guys I work with claim that when you "make friends" with a Trucker, they will make sure you're taken care of should you break down etc.
While I highly doubt this last statement, the drivers in the east coast were very willing to befriend you, while in the Midwest, they didn't want anything to do with you.

Oh well...doesn't work for everyone. Check back later with more "half way across the country updates!"

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