The Wisconsin Emergency Operations Center

Looking out the window in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where several inches of snow have fallen in the last 3 hours. At 7pm local time, the Wisconsin Emergency Operations Center was activated. This does not bode well for our flight home tomorrow.

We've spent most of the last two days at Maritime Ford in Manitowoc. Having the tour finale at the dealership was part of the deal for giving us a Ford Escape to use as a chase vehicle. I piloted that vehicle for the better part of our 14 thousand mile drive. The car became our home on the road, a giant suitcase, and a back-handed aromatherapy chamber. The main thing is that it devoured the miles, didn't put up a fight, and kept us safe all along. Solid.

To say thanks to Maritime Ford and to get people excited about the tour's wrap up in Manitowoc, we made them a wee promotional video when we were in Santa Monica, California. On a night like tonight, it's a nice treat to watch this video and remember that only a few weeks ago we were basking in the California sun. Now, we're getting pounded by a Great Lakes blizzard.

Here's the video, edited in the backseat of a moving Ford Escape by Jay Bulckaert. Hope it's good for a laugh and a little California dreaming. As for this Great Lakes storm, I'm telling myself that it's a good thing that we're not heading straight back to Yellowknife's minus 45. A fellow needs a dose of Wisconsin to bridge the gap between LA and Yellowknife. If you're in California, enjoy the weather. If you're in Yellowknife, stay warm. And if you're in Wisconsin, stay off the roads (unless you drive the snow-plough at the airport). More soon.

Loren

Nearing the end

It's with mixed emotions that I realize we're very close to the end of the tour. But as far as endings go, Wisconsin has been spectacular.

Our second to last event was in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Terry Biddle and his wife Linda organized a huge truck convoy to escort Alex, the team, and the Red Giant into town. Like so many great things, the convoy and the whole Eau Claire event came together at the last minute. No less than 50+ trucks gathered out on the highway to drive together for the last 7 miles to the event. Strength in numbers and also a testimony to how well-loved and looked after Alex is in this part of the world.

The sherrif and local police escorted the convoy down highway 12 to Chippewa Valley Technical College. I only saw one person honk impatiently. The rest of the people we saw had parked along the side of the street and were out in the cold to wave, hoot and holler to welcome Alex. Very nice.

Once we were there, hundreds, maybe a thousand, people lined up to meet Alex, get an autograph, and take a picture. The whole thing culminated in a speech where Alex talked about how dangerous his job is compared to people who drive truck on America's highways. His basic message is that ice road truckers battle the elements and drive in a unique environment, but that people risk just as much, if not more, when they drive on American roads. That gives him, he says, the opportunity to go on TV and represent all the men and women who work hard as drivers, and show others what it's all about.

I guess the whole thing -Alex's respect for truckers and their admiration for him - is so strong in Wisconsin that it's making this last leg of the trip especially memorable. The convoy was a great demonstration of that. My impression of trucking-life is that it's complicated. It's cut-throat competitive and at the same time, truckers are part of a big professional family. It's lonely and at the same time, truckers look after each other and chat away on CB radios.

I have a way different perspective on trucking than I did before this trip. I notice truck brands, I notice how many trucks are out on the road, I see truck-stops differently, and I appreciate how important what truckers do is for the rest of us. And during something like the convoy into Eau Claire, I feel welcomed into an interesting world that I barely knew existed two months ago.

We're not done yet, but we're close. Stepping back into my real life at home is going to be a welcome transition. Sleeping in my own bed and having supper every night with my lady will be such a nice change. But there's a lot about this tour and about life on the road that I'm going to miss. I'd sure like to get back to Eau Claire as soon as possible.

I'll blog again before we sign-off on the tour. That's all for now.

Loren

The story checks out. Sort of.

Hello from America's beer and cheese capital: Wisconsin (burp). Excuse me.

Over the course of our 13,000 mile drive Alex has regaled us with stories from his nearly six decades of marching to the beat of his own drum. The stories - some in the book, some "in the next book" - are wild. The tales get so wild, and there are so many of them that a guy gets to wondering: could these all be true?

Alex often claims that his book is the "first and only time a trucker has told the truth." I can testify that the timelines of his stories have all checked out. It has seemed as though he's a straight shooter when it comes to the historical record. Until we pulled into Minnesota.

We had a visit from an old Yellowknifer, Robb Olexin, who has relocated to Minnesota for his work. He stopped in to surprise Alex with a visit. Robb and Alex used to play broomball against each other. The most interesting thing about Robb's visit is that it gave us a chance to scrutinize Alex's version of history.

Alex had told us a story about cuffing a guy who wouldn't stop chirping at him during a broomball game. Turns out the guy who got cuffed was Robb Olexin. According to Alex's version, he was on his way to the penalty box for something else when Robb got in his face and wouldn't stop yapping. A stiff backhand was delivered and Robb made a lot less noise. A totally believable sequence of events.

I decided to interview Robb and asked about the incident. His memory (slightly weakened by the concussion he likely had), was different than Alex's. Robb claims he took a face-off against Alex and before he knew what was going on, Alex had drilled him. Dazed, he says, he reeled towards Alex petitioning for an explanation and possibly an apology. Robb says it was the second crack of Alex's big hand on his jaw that turned the lights out. Also a totally believable sequence of events.

Thinking I had Alex on the ropes and that I could say "hey, there's a hole in your story!" I asked him how the two stories could be so different. "Simple," he said, "Robbie and I tangled a bunch of times." I asked Robb. The story checks out.

Despite the old rivalry it was awesome to have a chance to meet Robb and see him heckle Alex, yet again, about being a bit slow out there on the broomball ice.

We're getting close to the end of the tour here. Enjoying every last minute of it. I'll post again before we're done.

Loren

Sunday best

Aloha from Maple Grove, Minnesota. This place is great. We drove through Wisconsin to get here. This whole region seems to be Alex's home away from home.

The other relief about being here is that we finally made it to church. Yesterday was our 7th Sunday together since we got out on the road in October. And on each Sunday, while we are hustling from one event to the next, Alex reminds us that we should be in church. To be honest it's not a regular part of my weekly routine at home either. That is also something Alex has set out to work on. Since the beginning of the trip he's been telling people, "Loren is Roman Catholic, but he's wandered a bit and we're going to straighten him out." Not sure if this trip has straightened me out or made me more bent and crooked than ever. But Alex's spiritual concern is welcome.

His faith is definitely a defining characteristic of who he is and it supports much of his success as a celebrity. Several times a day Alex connects with a fan who says thanks for Alex's regular, public displays of his faith on television. If fans are created by their finding something about a celebrity to relate to or connect with, Alex has made a lot of fans by being prayerful and admitting he's flawed and that he needs to forgive and be forgiven.

One of the frequent comments from Alex's faith based fans is that they just don't see religion practiced in popular television very often. I can see where they're coming from. It's an interesting decision made by the History Channel, which airs Ice Road Truckers, to include Alex's faith as part of his character. Whenever people express their gratitude for that to Alex, he also encourages them to thank History Channel.

I'm not sure if it's a religious axiom, but I've always been told "what goes around, comes around." That is definitely the case with Alex's religious practice. The fans that are grateful to him often bear gifts: they pray for Alex, they share prayer books and ultimately, they share a very personal part of their life. From where I sit it makes the fan-celebrity relationship much different. It is not superficial or hysterical. It is personal and heartfelt.

So yesterday we made it to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, on the outskirts of Chicago. Thanks to Father Hickey and the congregation for taking us in. Next Sunday we'll miss church again. We'll be flying home to Yellowknife. Roads are getting icy, drive safe.

Loren

Signs of home

Just a short note from Lancing, Michigan. Only a few days ago we were in Tennessee. Time flies and the miles fade into the rearview (too cheesy?). It's bitter sweet, pointing the compass north. It means the trip is nearing its conclusion. It also means there are signs of home.

Last night, pulling into Michigan, there was snow blowing across the road. I'm ok with the colder weather, but the south's warmer climate definitely won me over. Alex on the other hand sees snow and his thoughts turn to frozen roads and the coming driving season. And when we neared Okemos, the side-of-the-highway food-plaza included Tim Horton's. I won't say Tim's coffee is anything special, but I'll concede that Tim Horton's is a legit Canadian institution. Definitely turned my thoughts to getting home.

Anyway, that's enough out of me. I'm off to JavaBarn. More soon.

Loren

The ambassador of kwan

Hello again. Writing to you from rain-drenched Lavergne, Tennessee. We saw rain drops today for only the second time since we got out on the road more than a month ago. I'm sure that will get a groan and an eye-roll from anyone reading this in Yellowknife. According to reports, it was 26 below zero this morning. The good news is that the gasoline and food shortage has blown over. Sorry, I'm gloating.

We had a great event today at the Ingram Book distribution centre in Lavergne. It was a private event, but hundreds of people showed up to hear Alex do what he loves to do more than just about anything else: dispense advice. He figures he's held down enough weird jobs and raised enough heck-raising kids to qualify him to give advice on everything from how to cure whatever ails them with herbal remedies to where people should set up shop to raise their families and find good work.

The more people who turn out to hear what Alex has got to say, the thicker he lays on the advice. Today, around 300 people heard about the merits of having a big family. He encourages people with 5, 6 and 7 kids by saying, "That's pretty good, you've already got half of a family, keep going." He also says having 11 kids and 10 grandkids (with an 11th on the way) is the surest way to start your own fan club.

Perhaps Alex's favourite advice is to sell people on the idea of coming north to Yellowknife. In the last 40 days, almost nobody has managed to shake Alex's hand or get a photo taken without getting a tourism brochure or DVD from the Northwest Territories or Yellowknife. It amounts to thousands of people hearing a quick story about how to cope with the cold or how they could ply their trade or skill to great success in Canada's north. At the very least people leave with the knowledge that the north is vast and beautiful, and if they do make it up north, they're welcome to look him up.

It is nice to hear Alex trumpet the north (over and over and over and over) because it's a good reminder that we actually do have a home. This road trip is a constant adventure with a new location, with a new set of faces and personalities everyday. The daily refreshed audience constantly gives Alex a new crowd to regale with advice. He clearly enjoys it and it can seem like life on the road is his natural habitat. But his focus on the north roots the whole trip in our real home. Which is good.

The photo here was taken this afternoon in Tennessee. Alex is explaining where we're all from. The video is one of a couple northern reels that we play on the huge LED screens on the outside of the Red Giant big rig at events.

Hope this finds northerners digging the onset of winter and southerners contemplating a trip to Yellowknife. My advice: March and July are the best months to visit. Take care.

Loren

Too late and too many miles to say a lot tonight. We're shacked up at a Motel 6 in Mississippi. I can confirm that Thanksgiving in Corpus Christi was out of this world. We picked up Louise in Houston and drove south to the coast. When we pulled in, we were bag piped into town by Alex's nephew Tim. He piped two tunes: "The Clumsy Lover" and "Itchy Fingers," both were dedicated to Alex. I did not ask why.

Alex's sister Simone, her husband Dave and their sons Adam and Tim opened up their home to Alex, Louise, Jay, myself and three visiting university students: two from Taiwan and one from Saudi Arabia. The exchange students were part of a larger group that were farmed out to local Corpus Christi families so that they could experience a "typical American Thanksgiving." Not sure who's definition of "typical" the Debogorski/Hardy gathering would have lived up to, but it was great.

Before the big meal, Alex, Louise, Jay and I all spent some time down at the beach. Nice to dip our toes in the gulf. The beach and the home cooked meal were a healthy break from the road. And it was nice to be around while Alex and Louise had time to relax and catch up. Adding Louise to our team for a few days shaped us all up. Now that we've said goodbye to Louise, and we all realize that a woman's presence helps keep our team on track, we've switched the voice in the GPS to "Jessica." Her Australian accent is just a bonus.

Tomorrow we'll arrive in Nashville in time for a 6pm radio gig for Alex. He's co-hosting the Billy Block show, which should be available on the web here.

That's all for now. Have a good night.

Loren