28 May 2002, ~noon

Took off with Dave Brink in his 18-wheeler. We picked up a load of pipe in Union City. He was 300lbs overweight! So he arranged with another Werner guy who was going south to take his tarps. We off-loaded the tarps and a bunch of lumber and he came in under weight. So we took off around 5PM and drove to Button Willow where he had arranged to meet Mike. Dave had burned enuf fuel by then to still be underweight after putting his tarps back on.

We ate dinner at the only truck stop I hit on our journey and slept at Button Willow surrounded by the roar of trucks who'd left their engines running all night - I slept like a baby.

29 May 2002

Up at the crack of dawn.

Our proposed trip to Phoenix was short-circuited. We were to meet another Werner truck in Barstow and swap loads. Then go back to Napa. Not good news.

We ate some eggs cooked in Dave's 12-volt cooker - they were good. Drank coffee. We made Barstow about 11AM. Swapped loads (trailers) with the other driver. Ate lunch - I had Sushi! And took off back the way we had come, thru Mojave, Tehachapi(sp?), Button Willow. Showered in Santa Nella? Drove on to Rio Vista where we stopped just short of the bridge across the Sacramento River beside the road about midnight. Slept real well again.

30 May 2002

We got up early (first light, saw the sun come up) and drove to Napa. Seemed more like Vallejo to me. Ate greasy lamb chops that we had cooked the night before but fell asleep before we could eat them. Unloaded the truck. Dave's next load was some steel bound for LA. I opted not the ride back down I5, but went to the yard to observe/help him load up. Besides, it was in Richmond on the way home.

Turned into a nightmare. We waited 8 hours for our load. I read. We cussed. Eventually got the load - 4 spools of steel, on end on pallets. Got it cinched down about sunset and took off.

We drove to Berkeley, parked on 5th street where I had begun the adventure, and ate at Picante. I called Susan who came and picked me up.