Natural highs... Yes, Driving for a living does have it's highs. Here's my thoughts on it...
With the trucks, it's shifting in a hurry to get moving in traffic or in the hills. Climbing a steep grade with a full heavy load onboard.. having to work that clutch in unison with the gear shift arm, steering wheel, watching the mirrors. it's a sweet adrenaline rush many don't or won't ever understand.
With the tour busses, it's bitter sweet when the whole bus is asleep-
day or night, charter or private coach- that to me is better than any safety award.
Listening to a chorus tune up their voices on way to a concert- better than any concert!!!
Something, well- sort of, magical I guess, when a tour bus driver drops off kids and you can look around and see the parents hugging their kids and nearly all the parents make eye contact with the bus driver at some point.
That's something I never understood, until I had kids of my own.
Another natural high on the road, seeing the looks on kids faces when you light up that air horn they so love to hear- Even if only for a moment, bad days always get better when you can do that.
Driving for a living in general...
Driving along in wide open country, especially west of the MS River- places like TX, MT, UT, WA, ND, AZ, and NM and NV, CO, and a few more all come to mind. Moonless nights, clear skies, the heavens open up... no other vehicles around.
There's a spot on the west side of Denver, but will always remember, that on a moonless night, with few vehicles around... you can see the Milky Way in the heavens above. Spots like that are not always easy to find, but priceless when you do find them.
Then there's the Full Moon nights with no other vehicles around.
A gentle rain, not heavy, not light, just enough to keep the wipers on high and keep rolling nicely... at night before 4 or 5 Am... street lights zooming past in near zero traffic.
Bumping that dock early... so gently they don't even know you've arrived.
Sliding tandems to the right hole the 1st attempt!
Leaving that dock with the load the shipper did not think would fit on ONE Truck!
That's all I got for now.
Triple B.
