Coming out of the Thanksgiving weekend, what I am most thankful for is making it back home to San Francisco without incident driving a 16' rental truck. I had to rent a truck to take back a piece of furniture and a few miscellaneous boxes that my parents had been storing for me since I left home back in 1996. I finally bought a house this summer, so I was going to have space for the gorgeous china cabinet I inherited from my grandmother.
We had ordered a 10' truck, which already was too big for our cargo, and when we went to pick up the truck Saturday morning, we were informed that there were no 10' trucks on the lot, so we'd get a 16' for the same price.
Reminder: I drive a del Sol. The entire car could have fit in the back of this truck.
At any rate, we set off a couple of hours later from Phoenix to San Francisco having to stop a few times along the way for my husband to expunge himself of the remnants of the food poisoning he received from the sunny side up eggs he had for dinner at the casino we went to the night before for my mother's birthday.
Phew!
I drove most of the way to our halfway point in Los Angeles due to the aforementioned food poisoning and I must say, people drive like butt. There were a few times when a car would zip past us, nearly taking off the back end of the truck because they had to get around someone who they felt was driving too slowly in the fast lane.
Another thing - truck drivers really can't see you! Like -- really, really. Sure, trucks have these big side mirrors, but I'm telling you there were a couple of times where I almost side swiped someone because I didn't see them until I started switching lanes. Maybe it's my lack of truck driving experience. Regardless, it was really scary.
Through the two nerve wracking days of driving this beast, I have to say I've come out of it with a new appreciation for truck drivers. I wish you all safe travels -- especially for my truck driver brother.
Oh, and that gorgeous china cabinet? The sucker doesn't fit nicely anywhere in my home, so it's covered in plastic down in our basement. :-\
