Going to California

Many years ago I almost hitched to California. some high school buddies (we had graduated) were going and I really wantyed to make the trip. Everyone wanted to go to california back in the summer of 1970. My one problem was I needed top stay in phase so I could keep my student defferment. So I nneeded to take 3 hours of something at SPJC ....I stayed in town. The fellows that went never made it all the way...and from the sound of it...I made a good decision.
Now I am driving a Freightliner with 30 or so tons of yogurt in the trailor all accross the USA along I 40. As I look accross these huge vallies and accross amazing distances I wonder what the early settlers thought when they looked accross these same vistas. How many miles can you see and what does that do to your mental outlook. I never thought of trees as a block but seeing for miles and miles  is new to me .Must have been new for the settlers too.

The names of small creeks and some rivers are on the bridges but there is no water flowing . Miles and miles of corn fields go by but its all brown. Oddly the soy crops look good. And in areas that irrigate the crops are fine . But, in Kansas where the land is so BIG...irrigation is not an option...all brown. How do the farmers survive...I don't know other to say they have had some good years lately with flex fuel getting them a good price for corn oil.

Driving a truck is much more technical than I ever thought. So the more you focus on the details of a thing like shifting ( upshift or downshift ) the more smooth the operation becomes. If you want to shift from 4th to 5th you also have to change the high-low selector to high while at the same time pushing in the clutch to remove the shifter from fourth and then push the clutch in again to put the shift selector to 5th. If you are turning at this same time you must check to be sure and see that the rear tandem wheels are not cutting accross a curb,a car or anything. So, sometimes this driving is peaceable...then sometimes its very busy. While I am viwing the beautiful vistas of America I am also paying attention to just what this 40 ton beamouth is doing.