Why I Like Truckers!

   Back when I started this blog I wondered if I would have enough stories to write something every day. Although I have missed a day or two from time to time, I have written something most days. If you are just starting to read this blog, I encourage you to go back to the first posts and read them. You will see some amazing stories!
   Toward the end of a long day hiking across the Cumberland Valley in Pennsylvania, I found myself with a small group of hikers at a road crossing. One of the hikers had heard that there was a diner just down the road. So we all decided to take a short side trip in order to get some hamburgers! Sure enough, there was a diner a short distance down the road. We left our backpacks on the front porch and sat around a table, drooling over the menu.
   The diner had a lot of truck drivers in it. This area of PA is known for logistics and distribution. A loaded truck from this area can reach a large portion of the United States within one day. Everything that goes to New York and up into New England passes through this area (and vice versa). Interstates 81 and 83 pass through this area along with the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Warehouses were very common. Every other vehicle on the highway was usually a truck going somewhere. That explains why we saw so many truckers that night.
   As we all ate our food, a couple of the truckers stopped by and asked who we were and where we were going. All of us that night had hiked from Georgia and were going to Maine. That impressed the drivers. They know about long distances! One of them pulled out his wallet and threw a $20 bill on the table saying, "your dinner is on me!" We were astonished and very thankful for his generosity. The $20 covered the cost of our meals and tip (Hey, it was 1980! Prices were a lot lower back then!).
   As we left the diner, we were all thankful for the generosity of that trucker. They don't earn a lot of money to begin with, and $20 went a long way. We hiked a short distance down the trail and spent the night. It seems like every time I turned around, someone was helping me along the way. My foot was still sore, but I was being careful. The cushion in my boot helped a lot. I knew I was going to make it.
   Here in 2011 I weighed in at 175.2 pounds this morning. I hoed in the garden so much yesterday that I got a blister on my hand. I'm trying to eat salads as much as I can too. We ate out yesterday for my son's birthday but I got the "veggie burger". It actually tasted good! Yes, I had a few french fries and a piece of cake (it was a birthday after all!) But, I continue to make progress a little at a time! I'm going to keep on trucking!