The Last Trip- The One From Hell!

Superbowl Sunday, 1978. This trip was laid out carefully in advance by Ted Rutherford. Jerrell and I were to travel together- AND STAY TOGETHER from beginning to end. We were starting out with two trucks. Jerrell was delivering his to Dayton, Ohio, and from there he would ride with me to Fort Wayne, Indiana. There would be two plane tickets waiting there to Des Moines, Iowa, where we would take the bus to Mason City, call the truck place in Garner, and they would send somebody to fetch us. In Garner, we would pick up two chassis to be delivered to Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, and from there we would bus it back to Baltimore. Got it? Easy.

Everything was going fine until we got near Breezewood, Pennsylvania, where I-70 meets the Pennsylvania Turnpike. My truck blew one of the back tires. I got that intelligence from the CB radio. Jerrell didn't have a CB. He was leading the way, so I had to catch up and pass him so I could lead the way to a truck stop with repair capability in Breezewood. It turned out I ruined the rim doing all that driving after the tire blew. Plus it was Super Bowl Sunday. It was going to take a long time to get back on the road.

The game was boring, believe it or not. It was nearly midnight when we fired up our trucks and headed out for Dayton. This was when we found out that Jerrell's truck had a blown low-beam headlight. He opted to drive through the night on high beams. Don't think that didn't deserve a mention or two on the CB!

Now I'll tell you about the Allegheny Tunnel. It was blasted and hacked straight through the Allegheny Mountains way back during the last century for the purpose of entertaining drivers. It was a pretty good bet that if the weather was clear and beautiful when you went in, it would be raining, snowing, hailing, sleeting, something when you came out the other side. The first time I ever drove in snow was when I came out the west side of the tunnel a few weeks before Superbowl Sunday 1978. Here was another opportunity to practice. First thing, a big ol' semi blew by, sloshed a slab of slush onto my windshield, and it froze before I could turn on my wipers. The washer fluid either was clogged or had never been filled. I had to roll down my window to see the S-curves I was negotiating all the way to the bottom of the hill. Whew!

I was happy when the sun came up. Driving south through Ohio in daylight was much nicer than the Alleghenys in the dark. We found the place for Jerrell's delivery easily. Yay, something was easy. Then Jerrell joined me in my truck and immediately started lobbying for stopping for breakfast. I refused. Our flight to Des Moines was at noon, and we were barely going to make it as it was. He ate up my road snacks. It was near eleven when we reached Fort Wayne, we had trouble finding the place, the receiving guy did a thorough inspection before signing the paperwork, and we missed the plane anyway.

So we went to the train station. It was nearly one o'clock when we got there. The train to Chicago was scheduled at 11:15. Damn! We were headed out the door when we heard the announcement: Train to Chicago now boarding. We bought tickets and ran for the train, making it easily. It sat there for fifteen minutes more while a porter came by taking lunch orders. The train was so late (How late was it?) they were giving a free lunch to all passengers, even those who were only able to catch it because it was so late. Jerrell was very happy about that.

We arrived in Chicago about supper time. Jerrell knew a great barbecue place near the bus station, so we had some fine barbecue in our bellies on the way to Mason City.

Early the next morning (this is Tuesday now, if you're keeping track) we called the place in Garner. As promised, they sent someone to pick us up. It was well before noon that we set out from Garner in two chassis, with crappy sticks holding our mudflaps on. We had lunch in Des Moines, and I picked up a stranded trucker to take home to Iowa City. He was grateful for the ride. I took him to his house, and he tore off the tattered remnants of my mudflaps as a gesture of thanks.

We hauled ass across the rest of Iowa and on into Illinois before Jerrell pulled his truck over to the shoulder. I followed him. It took him a long time to stop. The reason: his brakes didn't work at all any more. We decided to pull into the next available truck stop and call Ted. Atkinson, Illinois, I believe was where we left that truck for repairs, while Jerrell and I continued on in my chassis.

Just about at the Indiana line, the blizzard started. We crawled along in a stream of slow moving traffic. At every rest area we pulled in, looking for a place to park. Every space, legal or illegal, was taken. So, battling sleep, following taillights, mesmerized by snowflakes, I kept going. After I woke up from an unplanned lane change, Jerrell took over driving. That's how he got the ticket for the missing mudflaps.

Ohio and part of Pennsylvania flew by after daylight. It was early afternoon when we arrived at the place in Turtle Creek. When we stopped there was smoke coming out from under the hood. The truck place guys opened the hood, and flames shot up. They quickly extinguished the fire, signed my paperwork, and told us how to catch a bus to Pittsburgh- "Go across the road, climb the (snow covered) path up that hill, cross the parking lot of the big mall up there, and you'll see the bus stop." We did all that. We didn't have to wait long for the bus, either. We boarded, sat down, and watched in dismay as the bus went around a big curve, down a big hill, and right past the truck place. Good one, guys.

I woke up to sharp pains in my leg. I opened my eyes in time to see Jerrell rearing back and punching me in the leg. "Wake up!" he said. We were almost to the bus station in Pittsburgh. We exited the city bus and bought tickets for the Greyhound bus. I got home at around 10:00 Wednesday night. I lay down, and woke up around noon Thursday. I didn't even bother to show up at TR Transport that day.

I went in Friday morning, handed in my transporter tag and registration with my paperwork, and was done with that job. Ted tried to fire me for not showing up on Thursday. I quit before he had the chance.