Life on the Road

by Connor Hollrah

(For English, Connor has free writing assignments-his last assignment he wrote about his trip with his Poppy during the summer of 2006. My dad is an over-the-road truck driver and he took each of the boys on a trip that summer. They both had a ball and they got to see lots of wonderful country and got to spend some quality time with my dad. Here is what Connor wrote about....)

I will always remember the time when I went on a road trip with my grandpa in his truck. He had been driving semi-trucks for his entire life, but had just started driving all over the country. He would go away for long periods of time and sometimes got lonely. So, my grandpa and I decided we would go for a week on the road.

In the summer of ’06 I went on a road trip with my grandpa. It started at 5 O’clock in the morning when we left his house in Sedalia. I didn’t know that this would be one of the greatest vacations of my lifetime. I will never forget the time I went on the road with my grandpa because of the places we went, the living accommodations, and the fact I got to spend time with him.

My trip started when we went Joplin. It started in disappointment. While we waited for our truck to load up we were bored because we had nothing to do. It took an hour just to load the stuff onto the truck. I had thought the next week would be really boring and I had a mistake in coming. Little did I know it would be excessively exciting.

The second day of the trip I became sick and felt like I wanted to go home. I spent the entire day sleeping and throwing up because whenever I would not be sleeping I felt sick. I thought about going home, but I I thought better of it because I knew something good was bound to happen.

Our first stop was in South Carolina, right off the ocean, near Myrtle Beach. We arrived in the morning with the sight of a pink and orange sunset that covered the sky. We ate breakfast at a truck stop and enjoyed each other’s company over a plate of sizzling bacon, hearty scrambled eggs, and jelly-spread toast, a breakfast I would be thrilled to have any day. The third day of the trip was very enjoyable.

Late that night, we received the news that we would be going to Wisconsin for out next stop, but would first have to stop in North Carolina. I was excited we would be going through North Carolina because at the time the Tar Heels were my favorite college team. When we arrived in North Carolina we missed the exit to the stop. It was then very hard to find out way back. After about an hour of wandering around lost we found the stop and were still two hours early! We were surprised to find out that. The fourth day was very crazy.

On our way to Wisconsin we were held up by traffic in Indiana. It was amazing to just be sitting there over a rock quarry that was a long way down. I felt adventurous because I thought the bridge could fall at any time.

Wisconsin welcomed us with lots of clouds and plenty of rain. Our time In Wisconsin was long because we did not receive any instructions for the next delivery. By the time we got our load to Texas, I had to go home for soccer. I was disappointed that the trip had been so short and couldn't wait to do it again.

I will also remember the living conditions while on the trip. The biggest thing I wild remember was bed. My grandpa and I had to share a bed in the back of the truck which squeezed us together close. I was mesmerized by the fact we slept well each night. Also, we only took a shower twice because the showers could only be found at truck stops. Finally, whenever there was not a restaurant nearby we would have to eat soup or sandwiches. The soup took an average of one hour to make and the sandwiches were always the same. However, both were very delicious.

My time with my grandpa brought us close together and I now appreciate him more. Whenever I see him we always have something to talk about. I love him a lot and am glad we are so close.