What you don't see

Hello gang. I've always eaten like a trucker and at times I even swear like a trucker, but I've never really lived like a trucker. Until now. It's different than I had imagined. In some ways, it's not all it's cracked up to be. In other ways, it's something special.

When I decided to come out on the road with Alex, I envisioned stops at dusty roadside saloons. I imagined a gonzo journey laced with interesting glimpses of americana. Some of that goes on, but I've been surprised by the straight-ahead, hard-driving pace of trucking-life. Yesterday, for example, we spent the day in Cleveland. We met a lot of good people, but we didn't get to know the city. Arrived in the dark of morning, hosted an event during the day, and pulled back out onto the road into the dark of night. And that's part of what you don't see: Truckers have "been everywhere man," but a lot of times they don't really get to see those places.

On the other hand, there is something special about a trucker's life on the road. Driving through a storm at night in Pennsylvania the CB radio chatter was all about how people are doing and what they ought to be careful about. The chatter was a mix of shared concern, raunchy humour, and a remedy for loneliness. It's a side of trucking life that the rest of us don't see. And the family-style chatter (with an R-rated edge) made it easy to see how Alex the trucker-philosopher-storyteller fits into this world.

Today we pulled up to Iowa 80, the largest truck stop in the world. It is massive. It has been a cool, sunny day. Within minutes of the Red Giant pulling up, people were outside taking cell phone pictures and asking about Alex. In a way these are his people. And Alex is definitely theirs. People wait in line to pray for Alex, to make sure he's taking care of his health, and for the first time so far on this tour: to play music for him. Another side of the road that the rest of us don't see.

Here's a reel Jay put together of a new trucking friend playing a tune at Iowa 80. Drive safe,

Loren

Good for a laugh

This is too good to leave on the cutting room floor. Jay and I asked Alex to look sternly into the camera for a hero shot in Times Square, NYC. Apparently Alex the TV star can't take direction. Rather than a stern look, we got an uncontrollable laugh. And as a good laugh often does, it spread. By the end of it Jay and I were also howling and so were people around us. Jay just put together a quick reel of Alex having a chuckle in the city and the Red Giant rolling through Times Square. Enjoy.

Loren

Furmoans

This post begins with a confession. Hustling down the highway to our next stop, stopping only for food and a few hours sleep here and there: it has been tough to fit in the time to find somewhere to shower. Simply put, none of us are showering as often as we might like to. There have been points where I was concerned that I stunk a wee bit.

Luckily Alex put me straight. For a while I heard him saying, "that's just your furmoans" in his hearty drawl. I didn't know what he was talking about. What are furmoans? Turns out what Alex was talking about are pheromones. They're a subtle part of the not so subtle smell we put out. They are a scent emitted to create attraction between people. In Alex's case, he's got a hunch his pheromones are part of why people love to hang out and chat with him. Maybe so, I've been thinking.

We had an amazing day in Sheppenville, Pennsylvania, at the Clarion County Career Centre. It's a place where students come to learn things like policing, culinary arts, carpentry, and most relevant to the ice road trucking thing: diesel technology. There was a long, patient lineup of students and community members waiting to chat with Alex all day, despite, or maybe even because of his "furmoans."

I found this all comforting. It helped me change how I felt about my own smell. I even started to feel proud of my smell. Until at the end of the day I congratulated Alex on a great day and he turned to me and said, "Good work to you too. Now go shower. You smell like a sled dog!" Now my stench complex has returned.

Big thanks to everyone in Sheppenville for an awesome event. Tomorrow: Ohio. And hopefully a shower.

Loren

We made it!

Just a quick note to thank all the people who honked, hooted, waved, and snapped photos while we sailed the behemoth Red Giant over the George Washington Bridge and eventually through Times Square. What a sight. The truck is now parked at 48 Street and 6th Avenue, looking absolutely out of place and amazing. Sweet relief to have gotten the truck into the city. Alex will be on Fox and Friends in the morning (Tuesday) between 8:15 and 8:30. Should be good for a few stories and a few laughs. Time to catch some zzz's.
Loren

Cross your fingers

Hello gang,
The good news: Myself and another guy, Jay Bulckaert, are traveling with Alex, documenting his wild and woolly truck tour of the US (not the official tour name!). What are we going to have at the end of this? A road movie about Alex, his fans, and the huge truck he's touring in (the Red Giant).

The less good news: We're down to brass tacks now. Tonight's the night we're finally rolling the truck and trailer into lower Manhattan. It's been a full day and night of scouting routes, asking around with NYPD officers, and applying for permits. Now we've got a green light and what we think is the route that's going to work. If you see Alex and the truck rolling across the George Washington bridge, hoot and holler and let us know you're hoping we make it.

Once we get the big machine into the city, we'll all bunk up and get some shut-eye before Alex's appearance on Fox and Friends morning show. It'll be funny to see the crew roll out of the bunks in the truck right in front of Fox TV studios. That's the life of a trucker, I guess. If you're killing time in the morning while you eat brekky, tune into the show. You'll hear Alex's laugh which I'm learning is as good as 5 cups of coffee. In the meantime, cross your darn fingers that we get this big-rig-spectacle down into the heart of NYC.
Loren