On The Road II...With Eve, Precious The Pekingese And The Kitty

Our second trip together on the road covered 60 days and 21,690 miles. Work has been slow because of the economy or we would have covered a lot more miles, but this way, at least we were able to stop and be tourists once in a while.
Last time Eve, Precious and The Kitty went with me we had problems finding an empty trailer. This time it started the same way…on Friday November 7th the first two trailers they sent me for were not available, one was still loaded, the other had been picked up the night before. While we were waiting for a third try, I discovered a problem with the truck. Because parts had to be ordered, that put our departure off until Tuesday the 11th, there were no loads available then, so it was Wednesday before we got a load and got going.
Been running pretty good, except Thursday the 20th of November, we spent in a LaQuinta Motel in Kansas City, Mo. because there was no freight. That worked out Ok, Precious got a bath, and her and The Kitty had some room to run and play. Eve and I got some shopping and laundry done, and rested up a bit.
Just starting week three now. We delivered a load the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Bentonville, Arkansas and are waiting our next dispatch. Eve spotted a Krispy Kreme Donut Shop on the way in, so after dropping our load, and picking up another empty trailer, we parked for the night near by and Eve got a dozen Jelly Donuts. Earlier we had stopped at a Wal-Mart and among other things bought two small (about 8 inches high) Christmas Trees with battery operated lights and put them on the truck’s dash, so now we are more in a Christmas mood.
It’s now the 6th day of the 4th week. We have been sitting 2 days waiting for a load. We delivered to a Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Palestine, Texas, but have since moved about 50 miles Northwest to Corsicana. We spent last night in a large, but somewhat worn hotel room, and Precious and The Kitty had some room to run and play again.
Last time he was along, The Kitty spent a little time up on the top bunk, but this time out it seems to have become his favorite haunt. In the morning when we first start driving, Eve stays in bed until the truck warms up a bit, and The Kitty sits in her seat because he knows that there will be warm air blowing on him soon. After it gets light, he jumps up on the top bunk where we store his pet carrier and Eve’s travel bag, and where we put Precious’s bed for the day, and that is where he usually sleeps for most of the day. He has also discovered that he can get on top of his Pet Carrier (which is strapped to the top bunk) and then can see out the top window, so he spends some time up there watching the scenery pass by. At night he sleeps in the bottom bunk with us, sometimes down by our feet, but if it’s chilly out, he’ll lay on my back or chest, or between Eve and I, where he can get a little of our body heat. Precious has her bed on the floor, right below us.
It’s the 3rd day of week 5 now. We are in New Mexico and hoping to continue heading west because I’m still hoping to do some Christmas shopping in Tijuana. The Kitty has made another discovery. When I have the computer on, it is plugged into the cigarette lighter socket on the dash, and the transformer and power cord lay on the driver’s seat. The Kitty has found that laying on that hot transformer makes for a good sleep. I’d think it would make for a lumpy mattress, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
Eve has had a bad cold for a few days. She either got it from me or from running around in shorts when it was 30 some degrees out. Yesterday she missed some nice scenery coming down from Colorado and into New Mexico. Last night we were parked near A Wal-Greens and I talked to the pharmacist and got some different meds for her….my Sudafed PE wasn’t helping her much. After taking some Mucinex that the pharmacist recommended she now feels a lot better, and I guess we’ll be celebrating with a dinner at the Asian Buffet tonight.
The freight situation is getting very bad. We are still in Grants, NM in a motel. This morning when I got up there was heavy snow just starting to fall. I took Precious out for Poo, and then got Eve up and we walked over to a Denny’s for pancake breakfast. The walk over was nice, light wind and fairly heavy snow coming down, but walking the 3 blocks or so back to the hotel was a different story. It was still snowing very heavy, but the wind had picked up a lot and we were walking right into it. Eve got very nervous and started crying because she said she could not breathe. Luckily I had made her wear a leather jacket over a hooded sweatshirt, and with the hood tied very little of her face was exposed. I held my hand over the front of her face most of the way back to the hotel. We must have made a funny sight to those that saw us.
I guess Eve wasn’t too affected by it…within 30 minutes she had changed into shorts, a sexy top and her boots, and wanted to go out in the snow and have me take her picture. She didn’t waste any time out there though..!! When it finally came time to check out of the hotel we had a good laugh at the Kitty. He seems to prefer the truck to a hotel room anyway, and when we picked up his pet carrier from where it was sitting in the closet, and carried it over to the bed, he ran along with us, jumped up on the bed and got right inside the carrier. That is where he stayed until we were ready to carry him out to the truck.
December 17th, the first day of the sixth week out we got to Tijuana. I delivered in the Los Angles area, and when I asked for a location to drop my empty trailer, I lucked out and we were sent all the way to Otay Mesa, just 12 miles from the border crossing to Tijuana. The day was cold and raining. We parked in a lot a couple blocks from Mexico, bought an umbrella and walked over in moderate rain. I have never seen Tijuana so deserted. We went thru several shops on Revolucion and Eve got a couple T-shirts and a pair of designer sun glasses. We stopped for lunch at Domino’s, then walked one block over to Constitction and went to one of the more famous Strip Clubs/Brothels, The Chicago Club. We had a drink there and since not much was going on, we walked across the street to another Strip Club/Brothel, The Adelita. They had about 50 top of the line girls there in mid-afternoon. We spent a little time there, then took our treasures back to the truck and took care of The Kitty and Precious. Since it was only 6 PM local time, I ask Eve if she’d like to go back over to Tijuana and she said yes. By then, the rain had stopped, and we spent a couple hours walking around and checking out a few more clubs, including going back to The Chicago Club and The Adileta. Eve also got a sexy little outfit like a dancer might wear on stage ($6.00) and some finger nail polish; I got T-shirts from both the Chicago Club and The Adelita.
We spent another night in a hotel in Urbana, Illinois on Sunday the 28th because somebody screwed up on making the delivery appointment. I was told it was for the 28th at 7 AM, but in fact the consignee was not receiving at all that day, so it was Monday before we got the 10,000 pounds of potato chips I was hauling unloaded. The Kitty didn’t mind the hotel so much this time, but as soon as his pet carrier came out he was in it and ready to go.
The first day of week nine now. Last night something very funny happened, although at the time I did not appreciate it. Every night when we go to bed, Eve has been putting down a dog training pad for Precious, just in case. It is about a 2 foot square piece of material with plastic backing, and absorbent material on top. A dog can pee in it, without it soaking through. Precious has used it a few times, although usually she wakes me up to take her outside if she has to go at night. Last night at about 2:30 AM I feel Precious on my chest, and open my eyes and see her face inches from mine, she’s whining and I know she wants to go out. It was raining and cold and windy out, and she pee’d in just a minute or two and I took her back inside. After I got back in bed she was jumping up on me, and scratching at me but I thought she was just playing. After about 2 minutes both Eve and I smell something REALLY NASTY…we turn on the light to see The Kitty down by the pad I previously mentioned trying in vain to cover a pile of Precious’s poo….I’m not sure if he was trying to cover it up so Precious would not get in trouble for having Poo in the truck, or because it smelled so bad. Eve rolled up the training pad and Poo, and I put my shoes on and walked it over to a dumpster just across the parking lot. When I got back to the truck, the Kitty had jumped up on the top bunk, gotten on his pet carrier, and had his nose right by the window which we always leave cracked open a bit like he was trying to breathe fresh air. It did take several minutes to get the smell out. The canned food Eve feeds Precious smells bad enough right out of the can, but after working it’s way thru Precious, it smells unbelievably BAD.
January 10th, the 4th day of the 9th week out. We are sitting at a dock in Orlando; after we are unloaded here we are heading home. Last night the Kitty was kind of unsettled. I think he knows something is going on and I kind of wonder if he knows we are near home. He seems to enjoy the truck a lot, and I think he prefers it to the house…I know he prefers it to a hotel!!
Made it home finally on Saturday the 10th of January. The photos that go with this story are on our photosharing site at…
http://www.Pbase.com/mongo69