The Day The Music Died

Getting back to the Rocky Mountain West opened the door to head towards the Midwest. We love the mountains, but with our poor truck having issue after issue, we needed to stop putting so much strain on the motor, and find ourselves back at home sooner rather than later. That's what our intentions were after a couple more hauls. 


Pulling into Denver one mid morning, we had a load to pick up from the Department of Transportation that would go to Arkansas.  First we made a pit stop for us & for Jax.  As soon as we turned through a gas station we aimed for a vacant field next door.  We were greeted by the cutest little colony of prairie dogs.  Mound after mound in the open field was occupied by the little critters, who started barking to us that we were interrupting their morning.  Jax really didn't know what to do. Should he go investigate or just keep his distance?  After one sniff inside a hole in the ground, at which time he was scolded loudly by the prairie dogs across the way, he opted to keep his distance. 

We hurried to leave them at peace and get on our way. The destination was just on the other side of the railroad tracks. 

Hubs chatted with a young guy who'd come to load us. Before we knew it, we were back on the road and heading just past Colorado Springs, where we would acquire a pick up bound for Kansas. 

Our two drops were made with ease after a couple of nights spent in truck stops. We could not appreciate them more. Actually our first night was a tiny gas station in a rural town without many options. They had a small area for overnight truckers. By the time we pulled in they were ready to lock up the store, but the young man inside let us use the facilities and grab a bite to eat first. He gets a shout out from us!! 

After successfully getting a mower deck delivered to a home in Fayetteville, Arkansas, we had to get to Springfield, Missouri, for another railroad job. The dead head took us through Bentonville, AR, where my Daddy was born, and on through beautiful countryside that was already vibrant green for spring. 

Jax kept an eye on the bore pipe reels being loaded up and tagged for Denver.  From Springfield we turned toward Topeka, and clear across Kansas to reach Colorado again. 

It was a long enough trip that we stopped in Kansas for a night.  I fell asleep not feeling the greatest, and it carried over to the next morning. I wandered into the truck stop at 5:30am with mascara on my face & hair a mess because Jax had been ‘checking’ on me.  Some days on the road prove to be rougher than others.  In fact, even in Denver we were still limping along. We hit them at morning rush hour, and then were met with some confusion at BNSF. We waited quite awhile before things got straightened out and we were relieved of the reels. 

From there we went due north to Cheyenne, WY. It was getting close to Easter, so we were in a hurry to obtain that load before the holiday break at the company. I think their minds were already on holiday, because it took us quite awhile to get loaded even after hurrying to arrive. We were also trying get ahead of a winter storm that had begun brewing. 

Hubs got us back on the road and out of town with the wind nipping at our heels. It chased us into Nebraska where guess what?  Yep. The truck started protesting and losing boost again. We were stopped short and stuck at a truck stop with people getting ready for holidays. 

We parked in one area long enough to eat and watch a movie in the truck, but that wind kept howling and growing quite fierce......and quite frigid!  We finally moved and took refuge between 2 semis for the remainder of the night. 

On the next morning we were able to see a couple of mechanics that work right there at the truck stop. They were a godsend since nobody else was working. We got a little bandaid fix on the motor and turned back to the lonely interstate. We needed to make it clear to Minnesota before our reset was due. 

The good Lord reminded us that He's always with us. 🙏🏻 

Very late that night we actually pulled into Albert Lea, MN, and came to a stop at a welcoming hotel. The guy at the front desk was full of smiles and cheer. He loved Jax and gave him some Scooby snacks as we retreated into our room. 

Our froggy dog knows how to take advantage of our down time! 😂 

He even enjoys the endless funny cat videos with us! 😹

We definitely enjoyed that little respite, but Monday morning came knocking early. 

Minneapolis was our first stop that day, and we were only about an hour out. Bound for another rail yard, we took in all the sights around the city. Once again I was clicking pics of the architecture that we saw. 

Pressing ever forward, we continued traveling through St. Paul onto St. Cloud. 

We would be picking up a load from the Minnesota Army National Guard and taking it to the Missouri National Guard. 

We are always grateful for our military!  🇺🇸 

I asked Hubs for one extra stop in Clear Lake, Iowa. It would be a somber one. We both love listening to the Oldies, which is different  depending on whom you're talking to: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, or Gen Z'ers. I'm talking about Golden Oldies from the 50's & 60's. 

“The Day the Music Died” refers to a plane crash that killed American musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson (“The Big Bopper”) on February 3, 1959. The 21-year-old pilot, Roger Peterson, also died in the crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. The phrase was coined by Don McLean in his 1971 song, “American Pie”. 

We added our sentiments along with others. "Thank you for the music! 🎶 ". 😢 

I kid you not, we had music playing from Spotify as we neared Clear Lake, and Buddy Holly serenaded us down the country roads through the corn fields to the site. 

Before we got back to the truck, after about a mile stroll, Jax decided to be his froggy dog self to cool off in the moist dirt. 

We made it to the Missouri National Guard, unloaded, thanked them for their service, and left for Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

At long last, we picked up a load heading for our hometown, Abilene.