10-4 Magazine / August 2025 77 trailers, so there weren’t many company trucks that could go this way. Today, this route is mostly a 4-lane with a tunnel. I personally loved it more when it was the little 35 mph 2-lane that wound along the Provo River, but it’s still a nice drive. One of the sights in the canyon is Bridal Veil Falls. Although most of the road was widened and rebuilt, they did keep a two mile stretch of the old road by the falls – it’s a park, and you can still get there in a truck. In the summer you could see fly fishermen standing in the river, and in the winter you could see people climbing the ice of the falls. There was once a gift shop at the bottom of the falls and a tram that took you to the top (there was even a restaurant up there at one time, too). It was quite a feat to build, and it’s sad that it’s gone. An avalanche in 1996 took out the gift shop, so the tram was shut down. The mangled gift shop sat there empty for years before they finally tore it down, along with the tram, which also burned in 2008. There was nothing like rolling into Provo, UT at Christmas time. The streets were beautiful, and I think their lights were some of the best synchronized in the country back then. I can remember when they were restoring the Brigham Young Academy Building, which sits along University Ave. on Hwy 189 in Provo. Built in 1892, it is a beautiful and historical structure, and saving it instead of demolishing it was a great decision. If you are heading west on I-80 toward I-15 to head south, if you take Hwy 40 to Hwy 189 back to I-15 through Provo, it cuts off 35 miles and saves you from going over Parley Summit and down the 12 miles of 4-6% grade into Salt Lake City – and it’s a much prettier drive. One time, when on the east coast, we dropped our trailer and went to see the USS Constitution in Boston. The USS Constitution, known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She is the world’s oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat. Launched in 1797, she was one of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and the third constructed. It was pretty cool! The tour was free, and I do remember that the ship (and museum) was definitely worth visiting. With places like Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Shasta, all a sight to see, especially in the summer, the Pacific Northwest is truly a majestic region to drive through. Running on I-84 along the Columbia River Gorge in northern Oregon is awesome, and Multnomah Falls, just east of Portland, is stunning. Just beware, it can oftentimes be very windy along this route. Our country has much to offer when it comes to scenery and various climates, and as truckers, we are blessed to get paid to see so much more than the average person. And when it does come time to hang the truck keys up and “settle down” to be like “normal people” who are home every night, we will have seen so much. We will know the places we like and the places we don’t, possibly making our retirement home choice easier. We have friends who have retired by choice or by circumstances, and we are here to tell you, there is life after trucking. One of our old trucking friends who retired has a small camper and now travels to all the places she couldn’t get to with her truck. Taking pictures and documenting the history of the local places she happens to be at, she then shares them all on social media, and her pictures are amazing. Another friend has settled into home life and recently got married to the love of his life. To them, we say, “Congratulations! And thank you for all you gave our industry during your trucking career.” The young drivers today should start planning for the day they too will retire. It will be here a lot sooner than you think! But there’s more to life than work, even if we do have a cool job. In 2015, I never could have imagined how my life would change when John Jaikes made up his mind that he was going to win my heart. It took him over a year, but he did it. He told me I wouldn’t just “exist” but live. In 2021 we had what everyone there said was a fun wedding – a perfect day with the perfect service for us. We make the most of the places we end up, but also plan time off together to enjoy truck shows and to catch up with friends. We spend a lot of time in Florida in the winter, and I have come to love the beach
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA1MjUy