Got back "home" (Saranac Lake) last night. Spent the evening getting re-acquainted with Gail, which is why I’m late reporting in.

What a trip! Incredible scenery, lots of wildlife, and meeting some great people from this forum. First there was David - but more about him later. Then there was Mad Dog Brian, who had volunteered to meet us at the Salt Lake City airport and drive us to Ogden. Great guy with lots of truck knowledge and some hilarious opinions on other topics! He made getting to Ogden a pleasure rather than the difficult expensive chore it would have been otherwise.

Although our years of posts, emails and phone calls make me feel as if I’ve known Jack Mayer forever, Friday night was our first in-person meeting. I got to thank him face to face for all the help and encouragement he’s given me. I think my hug when we said goodbye startled him a little, though! Unfortunately, his schedule didn’t permit me to take him and Danielle to dinner, so I still owe him 1,543 dinners in partial compensation for all the good advice he’s given me over the years.

Danielle, who I had previously only spoken to briefly on the phone, was a delightful surprise – warm, funny, and very knowledgeable about trucks and RVing. Plus she introduced me to Poppy, their dog, whose friendliness, desire to be skrrtch’ed, and soft brown eyes made my being away from my own dogs a little easier. Danielle gave me one of the highlights of the trip by telling me that I might be able to see some foxes if I got up early enough and went to the far corner of the RV park. Sure enough, at 5:30 a.m., there they were - a family of two adults and three kits!

I can’t say enough about David. First of all, there was his incredibly generous offer to accompany and teach me. In addition, he was a great travel companion - even though, or maybe because, we don't agree on anything! He's a good tutor, in a Marine drill instructor sort of way, including being a bit sparing with praise. But that made his "You're a good driver now" comment on our last full day together very confidence-inspiring.

Our original plan was to convoy from Missouri to Albany before we parted ways, but by our arrival in Sikeston, I was confident enough (especially after getting David’s seal of approval) that I felt there was no need to for me to hold David up by convoying. I told him I’d be fine with his going on ahead, which he did, and which is why he got home a day before I did.

By then, I needed to see a doctor because I had developed tendinitis in four different spots in my upper left arm and shoulder. That was a result of the strain of using an entirely different driving position from what I’ve used for the last nearly fifty years, especially in the way I hold my left arm. That doctor didn’t help much, so I had to stop again the next day. A former Navy physician’s assistant fixed me up with a shot and some lidocaine patches that did the trick. Thank god for her, ‘cause otherwise yesterday would have been very difficult.

Yesterday, in an eleven hour period, I drove for nine hours. Piece of cake! Could have done a few more hours if needed. I LOVE driving my truck!

In contrast, in my car, I can only drive about two hours straight before sciatic pain and a numb bum make me stop. On this cross country trip in the truck, I had two non-stop runs of over five hours, including yesterday's last 5 1/2 hours. Quite a difference!

The truck performed great, really eating up the miles. I was, however, constantly startled by all the violent shaking when going over the many bad surfaces in our Interstate system. And the forward/back lurches when the truck shifts from third to fifth to seventh had me concerned (thinking about Gail’s neck/back condition), but then I figured out how to manually shift, which seemed to smooth things out somewhat

Keeping the wheels from straying outside the shoulder line was a frequent problem at first. David’s and Henry’s advice to keep my eyes on the center of the road some distance ahead didn’t work right away because that assumes the driver has already become comfortable with “feeling” the truck’s position relative to the lane lines. For a complete novice, that isn’t the case. What helped me to get that comfort was regularly glancing at the left convex mirror which enabled me to instantly see where the wheels were relative to the line. Correlating that info with the feel I got by looking down the road did the trick. I still feel a little tense, though, going through tightly-spaced Jersey barriers, especially when the road surface there is rough and makes the truck bounce a little from side to side.

I still need a bit more experience with braking. What has been throwing me off was the downshift, which made it feel as if the truck was surging – so I’d push harder on the brake just as it was close to stopping the truck. That led to a big jerk or two before I came to a complete stop.

I handled the winding, narrow state roads in the Colorado Rockies pretty well by quickly integrating David’s jake-brake lessons, and paying strict attention to the yellow speed signs. By the time I reached the similar Adirondack roads yesterday, I no longer felt any nervousness.

Next up is some towing/backing practice, after which I deliver the truck – which I’ve named Celtic Pride, by the way – to Henry to get it singled and hitched. Then – in early September – Gail and I become REAL full-timers by hitting the road for Chicago and points west.

And finally, my thanks to everyone for your help in this long process – without you all, this day might never have come.

quote:

I still feel a little tense, though, going through tightly-spaced Jersey barriers,

If you ever get totally at ease with the really "tight" ones then you will have a problem....that is when you rub them.

It was a good trip. And a pleasure finally meeting you. And David was a "trip". You are both welcome back any time.

Hey Jer -
Great report!
Good to hear all went well.

Now . . . when and if any of the "rest of us" ever have the pleasure of making your acquaintance in person . . . . . we've been forewarned about your happy departure "style" !!

JC

It's good to hear that you made it back and that you're getting comfortable with your truck, Jeremiah.

Enjoy!

No amount of experience can remove trepidations and white knuckle moments as Jersey Barriers in Pennsylvania

HJS

~
In Kali - (and some other Western States)
they are known as "K Rails".

Get to drive next to lots of 'em cause CalTrans
is always doing something.

IMO - Maybe Ah-nold and the CA legislature will get smart -follow NY,NJ,PA, etc.- and change our FREE-ways into Toll Roads!
JC

Hey Jerry, glad to hear you got home safe and glad to here you got comfortable with your new toy. Very nice truck you have even if it is only a Volvo . It was fun meet both you and David and fun to drive your truck. If you ever get back this way give me call. Have fun! Bryan

Jerry: Here is a little info on knowing where you are at in your lane. Try to watch the center of the hood with the right shoulder aligned together. You will be in the center of your lane.
Congrats go out to you many times over!!
Happy Truck'n/Ron

Ron, your tip sounds interesting, but I'm not sure I understand it. Could you explain it in more detail? Thanks.

Jerry: Sorry for late reply. Wife in hospital.
If you have ever noticed, a lot of truckers put a hood orniment on the front center of their hood.
If you align (by sight) the center front of your hood, at a glance with the shoulder of the road, you are in the center of your lane. This really pays off when you get in a road construction area where things get tight. As long as the right shoulder ( or bridge railing) is in the center vision of your hood, you are clear of the obstruction.
Gee, I hope this helps.
Happy Truck'n/Ron

Hi,

A trucker friend of ours suggested that you/we pick a spot on the hood or dashboard that you can orient to the white line on the right or the yellow line to the left. He said if you could not find a marker, put a little piece of tape on the dash as your orientation mark. We use a spot on the left hand hood mirror. It keeps us perfectly spaced in the lane, even when in construction zones. JOHO

Bear with me, guys. I still can't visualize how the hood marker method is supposed to work.
There seems to be a missing element.


For instance, what is the orientation of the white line (right side of cab) to the hood marker? Is it that from the driver's perspective the white line appears to be going into the hood marker?

Hey Jerry: I knew you would get it. The answer is yes, you are looking out front, and the center width of your hood should be aligned with the white line (in this case)on the right side of the road. You can also try this with your car, but you will not be lane centered, but will be about 1 foot on inside lane of the shoulder. Hope this helps. It sure works better in the truck as you don't have to look in mirror to the rear and take your eyes off the forward vision.
Happy Truck'n/Ron

Jeremiah,
During the day I can look in my left and right hood-mounted blind-spot mirrors and see exactly where I am in the lane by looking at the white stripes. Well, since I am looking in mirrors, I guess I am seeing where I "was".

At night, I just remember where I was during the daylight...

Charles

I've tried some of the techniques presented here for staying in your lane and not had good luck with any of them. Particularly problematic is trying to line up some point on the vehicle with the side of the road. Any change in eye level or head location will have a major impact on where you would be positioned in the lane. I often raise or lower my seat and squirm around from time to time to keep muscles from stiffening, so the vantage point of my eye is always changing. Aligning a spot on the hood or dash with the edge of the road would have me all over the lane.

I think the biggest problem people have with keeping their rig in the lane, be it a car, motorhome or truck, is focusing too close to their vehicle. Many people tend to focus on the lines on the road just ahead of them, and are constantly adjusting the wheel, trying to keep in position. This is very tiring and almost impossible to do.

The secret is to focus your attention on the center of your lane far down the road. When you do this, you tend to make much smaller steering adjustments and stay much more centered in your lane. Instead of looking at the lines on the road, you should just sense where they are as you keep your focus ahead. Let your peripheral vision tell you where the lines are and make you aware of any potholes, ruts or other road obstructions.

This same technique is even more important for curves. Just as they teach in the National Motorcycle Safety Class, when making a turn look where you want to go, not where your bike is pointed. On a motorcycle this even includes turning your head toward that spot. Guiding yourself around a curve by keeping a distance from the white line is almost impossible. Instead, as you near the curve look at least part way round it and in your mind think of a track that keeps you to the outside of the curve. Keeping in mind a track that stays to the outside of the curve is important because there will be a tendency to cut the curve, and also because most of us are pulling a trailer that will naturally track inside the truck.

I certainly don't claim to be the world's best driver and other techniques may work just as well for others, but many people who have ridden with me have commented that I am the smoothest driver they have ever ridden with. I have also taught this technique to others in my family as well as friends and all have let me know how much it has improved their driving, and how much more relaxed they are after a long day at the wheel.