It's up to you, New York, New York!

Once upon a load, Nick & Kathy got sent to New Jersey to pick up a load...

It wasn't difficult to find the pickup location, we got there a little early,  and the shipper was ready when we got there. It seemed fortuitous! After we got loaded up, we headed out. Looking forward to seeing the Big Apple

But a block and a half down the road, Agatha (Nick's pet name for the truck) had other things on her mind...

Mr Jason saved the day and the load!

We didn't even make it 2 blocks down the road when lights were flashing and alarms were going off! Looking under the hood, we saw a small spray that became a big spray of coolant, and that was it. We called maintenance about the truck, dispatch about the load, and sat in the Burger King parking lot in Raritan, NJ. Maintenance sent us Mr Jason who showed up, fixed our leak and got us back on the road. We only lost about 2 hours, so we headed into the NYC.

Our first view of Manhattan from I-95 in New Jersey.

We took I-95 through New Jersey, to the George Washington Bridge, one of the few ways to get a big truck into New York. I googled getting into NYC, and used the map from the www.NYC.gov website! I figured New York City wouldn't lie to me! 

The famous George Washington Bridge.

Our view of Manhattan from the GW Bridge.

Park Avenue, but not the POSH end...

We mostly followed the directions on our Garmin to ensure the roads and bridges were big enough for our truck, with backup from Google Maps to keep track of traffic, but only after checking and double-checking the NYC map to make sure we knew what roads we were allowed on, and which ones we MUST stay off. Once we found Park Ave, we followed it all the way to 56th St.

Preparing to make a left turn on 56th St.

As we proceeded downtown, it amazed me how life flowed in New York City. It was everywhere, all at once. Down the street, coming back up the other side, crossing the streets, and soaring up to the sky, inside all of the buildings. It was a blessing that the speed limit, traffic and pedestrians kept us moving so slowly, often stopped. I was loving the people-watching! 

I was given a request by my

son, Robert. I was to get a

picture of the Empire State

Building. I wasn't sure I

would be in a position to get

one outside the skyline

picture of ALL of the

buildings, so when I turned

the corner and saw this, I had

to take this picture! I was

VERY thankful for the Red

Light. This is for you, Beau!

Agatha parked as close to the curb as we can manage. Yet they got around us!

They loaded us up very quickly, and soon we were back on the road!

Can you see the bicyclist on the top of this bridge? It gave me vertigo just to WATCH!!

On the way out of NYC we were in slow traffic, so I was able to look at the bridge, and then ask Nick to get a picture. The High Bridge is aptly named. 

We have been avoiding going into New York City until this load. It wasn't as terrible as we were afraid. There were A LOT of cars, SO MANY PEOPLE, but everything seemed to have a reason to it. If you weren't in a rush, allowed plenty of time to get where you needed to go, and went with the New York Flow, it wasn't bad at all. 

Maybe, if we get another load to NYC, I won't be such a COMPLETE TOURIST!

OMG we went to YELLOWSTONE!!!!

Old Grumpies with Old Faithful!

We have been to 40 of the contiguous United States! (We counted!) At this point it's easier to say where we have never been: Vermont, Florida, Washington, Oregon, North & South Dakota, Minnesota & Wisconsin. We have our passports, so we may get to deliver to Alaska (our  mentors just had such a trip!) but we REALLY doubt anyone will want to pay to ship our truck (and us) to deliver to Hawaii! 

With that many states under our wheels, it isn't surprising we would get a load that qualifies as a dream load! When we were offered a load going to Yellowstone National Park, we really did have to think about it. The trick to expediting is getting paid for every mile you move. There are usually loads that need to go to remote locations, it is just a question of whether you can get a load coming out of that area or if the load will pay enough to cover moving to a busier area. With this load, it was such an iconic destination, we decided to chance it. We were hauling sound equipment for a special event, and since the equipment would need to return to Dallas, our dispatch asked if we would be interested in the return trip. It was a win-win for the Spotted Dogs!

Lots of smells in the Wyoming grass!

Dallas to Wyoming was interesting. We usually go east or west from Dallas, so heading northwest was new territory. The first point of interest was Wichita Falls, home of Sheppard AFB, and where two old farts spent 9 weeks of their lives during 1984.We went through Amarillo (we've been there many times going east or west on I-40) then through the skinny part of Oklahoma. Somehow, I missed the only weigh station in that 30 mile stretch, but they didn't miss me! They notified my dispatch, who called me and asked me about it! Weird thing was, I saw the sign saying it was ahead, but saw ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that looked like the hundreds of weigh stations I have seen! From there, we went through Colorado. The southeast corner of Colorado is FLAT, EMPTY, and GRAY. Until we headed west on I-70, I was unimpressed with the Centennial State, however I will reserve judgment until I am able to go to the Rocky Mountain National Park and actually see more of Colorado. 

Wyoming was surprising. At first glance, it looked as gray and empty as Colorado, but then you come across the hills, cliffs and striped ground. We went across on I-80 to Rawlins, then we went north and west. After driving for 5 hours, we finally reached Grand Teton National Park, and then, 2 hours later, we were stopped at Old Faithful Lodge. 

 

Most of our pictures were taken from the truck while we were driving, because we seemed to always have a time constraint. First, we had to deliver Wednesday morning, so there was enough time for the customer to set up before their event Wednesday evening. Secondly, while we were setting there, Nick noticed that one of our tires had the steel belts showing. Time to get to the nearest truck stop. That ended up being the Love's in Idaho Falls, ID, about 150 miles away!

And third, the load we were told we would pick up on Friday afternoon, giving us a full day to explore, the customer told us they would be done Thursday afternoon, and it needed to be picked up a day early. We were a little disappointed, but truck drivers are bound by their load. We were paid to come to Yellowstone, we were paid to leave Yellowstone, but now we knew we wanted to return to Yellowstone as TOURISTS! 

This scenery had us oohing and aahing when we rounded every curve!

The traffic in the park was a completely different thing than we were used to. The main road, US 191, had cars parked alongside in various places, so people could go to the walkways and see various pools. They were visible from the road by their steam clouds rising above them. The speed limit was 45 mph along the main road, but no one was interested in going particularly fast in case they missed something awesome! Of course, there was always the chance of something awesome finding you!

We went around a curve to find all these cars slowed to a stop. We weren't sure if there was a problem or if something was drawing everyone's attention. We looked up to the left, and down to the right, but couldn't see anything other than the beautiful scenery.

 

Nick was driving, so I looked ahead to see if I could spot the holdup. Pardon the foggy smudge from our dirty windshield, but this pic was my first clue what was bogging down traffic. 

Look in front of the silver Honda!

A FLUFFY COW!

He seemed completely unimpressed with the cars, trucks and people. I, however, was ABSOLUTELY impressed by him! I sent this picture to my children, my granddaughter, and my sisters who all received the text about some guy just walking along, but no pic for another 15-20 minutes due to Yellowstone being ENTIRELY without signal unless you are near one of the lodges. That's when my phone started blowing up!

We were also really impressed by Old Faithful. We joined the queue about 10 minutes before she was scheduled to blow. 15 minutes later, she was still gurgling and burbling, but not much altitude. We were discussing with some people near us the possibility of performance anxiety or even ED (elevation disfunction). Just as we were discussing possible fixes (would a geiser appreciate a good brandy?) she started to go up, and up. It was AMAZING!

The Falls at Lewis Lake caught our eyes from the road and we had to have a picture!

We were in awe of the scenery in and around Yellowstone. We didn't have a lot of time to see anything that wasn't right along the road, but what we did see didn't disappoint.  Now we know that we really need to come back with the camper and spend at least a week seeing what we can find OFF the paved path.

THIS is what we were hoping to be able to do when we came out in the truck, visit places we have always wanted to see! 

                        

Okay, I tried!

 

It's me again, Margaret...    

Nick and I got back into a truck almost exactly 3 years after we first started. We were out on the road for 5 months, and felt needed at home. Our youngest son, Tom, and his fiancee, Jess, had a new baby, Dale, and they were having a hard time figuring everything out. Over the next 2 years, and 7 months, we all began to have those issues. Starting over at jobs, starting over at home, starting over in our relationships. To quote a really great author, they were the best of times, they were the worst of times. Sometimes none of us wanted anything to do with ANY of the rest of us. Nick loved to talk about all the great things we saw and all the great places we went. I couldn't bear to think about our time in the truck, let alone talk about it. I was distraught at the idea of never getting out of Marysville, Ohio, never getting back out there, never feeling free again. 

So, I abandoned everything from our time in the truck (except the dogs!). I don't think I looked at my blog more than 3 times between November 2022 and January 2025. I ignored the LOADS of pictures Nick or I had taken. I stayed away from the friends from that time, who were still popping up on our Facebook feeds. I felt bogged down in the neverending goo of the Everyday Stuff. 

In the midst of all of this goopy glop, I had my shining star. My boss, Beth, helped me with everything that smacked me around. She listened to every tirade, gave me good advice, and sent me back out in my bus. I was the Permanent Sub for awhile, until a route opened up in the spring. When we went back to school, Fall 2023, I had a new route in an old bus. I won't lie, that route challenged me. My first route, I had lots of bumps along the way, but by the end of the school year, they were My Kids. This new route was tough for me. By the end of the 2nd year, I felt close to some of them, but overall, I felt like they wouldn't have cared if they had a sub-driver all the time. This was when I started talking with Nick about getting back into the truck. 

Once we decided to sell the house and go back out after school was out, a plan sort of fell into place. We worked with Robert's county people to get him better paying job(s), and an apartment. We're still working on the job situation, but he is in an apartment with a buddy from bowling. We minimized what we did for/with Tom & Jess. They are both 24, and want to have their own lives. We have always wanted that, but the more we "help" the more we expect them to do things our way, and the more stress between us and them. We want them to succeed, but their own way. They are working on that, and we are trying to be supportive.

When we got out in the truck, I didn't expect it to be as easy as just picking up where we left off. The company we lease our truck from has a mentor program for new drivers. We participated in it the first time, and learned so much! Since we were away for 2 and a half years, we decided to participate again, so they could help us avoid any problems from recent changes. Our mentors have been wonderful! When we first started out, they were great about offering help, suggestions, answering questions, and just being supportive. As we took load after load, the rhythm came back, and we didn't need as much guidance and hand-holding, and they let us decide when we need them. 

I was expecting the rest of "being in the truck" to also pick up where we left it, and THAT was the fly in the ointment. 

Nick and I couldn't seem to find the happy medium. There was a lot of sniping, a lot of grumping, and a lot of sighing. At one point, I was glad I was driving on a long stretch of interstate, because if I had to stop to make turns, I'm not sure I wouldn't have shoved him out. I won't speak for my partner, but I'm pretty sure that was the reciprocal mood. I was ready to break into tears most of the time, because if we couldn't make a go of this, we were SCREWED. We have no home, no cars, no way to support ourselves unless we make it in the truck.

SO WE TALKED. 

He explained that when he asked me if I had done something, he wasn't checking up on me because I'm stupid. (Yeah, I accused him of that.) He was asking because he had done that. We talked out all of the stupid stuff we had argued about. It sucks to find out that you can spend 40 years hanging out with someone, the best person you know, and still act like an idiot.

NOW, all of that is just to say that I meant to jump in on my blog early in July.  Putting up pictures, telling everyone where we went, how cool it is, how cool we are, EVERYTHING! We covered half of the country in the first couple weeks, we were griping and sniping at each other, and we were EXHAUSTED. I could put some ideas together, select a picture or 2, but then I would drop like a rock. 

We are figuring out how we want to run, where we like to go, and how best for us to get there. With his support, I can wrangle my thoughts, put them in sentence form, and get them out on my blog so my friends and family can keep up with us. 

We aren't perfect people, but we like each other, and he tells me I'm still hot. I guess we'll keep hanging out.

Under Construction!

 

Spotted Dog Trucking is Under Construction! 

We are COUNTING DOWN!  School gets out May 22nd, we have to be out of the house June 30th, and we are SO EXCITED to get back into a truck! 

There is so much to do in the meantime. Look for us to have something posted here before July 4th! 

Kathy

A wrench in our plans…..

The day after Thanksgiving, 2022, Nick & I delivered our load in the Cincinnati area, and headed for home. A little Thanksgiving cheer with the Fam, especially giving thanks for the safe delivery of TWO new grandsons, was EXACTLY what the doctor would’ve ordered for us! We weren’t sick, but we definitely were missing being with family on Thanksgiving. And since we didn’t get home for the holiday, we decided to treat ourselves, and take off the entire week after Thanksgiving.

We got to spend extra time with Baby Dale (Tom & Jess’s baby), because almost as soon as we got home, Jess went to the ER with stomach pains. Grammy & Grumpy were back in the saddle, making bottles, changing diapers, and burning the midnight oil with #1 grandson. We also found out how out-of-practice we are! Gem & Stray were very freaked out by all the coos, squeals, and shrieks that came out of that "new puppy!"

That long weekend sitting at home, caring for a tiny infant, with very little else to distract us, made us take stock of the complete disarray at home. We had hoped the boys would be able to take care of the house, and I think the house gobbled them up and spit them out.

For that same week, I had informed my boss at the school that I would be home for a week. If she needed help, I was available. She did indeed have a few days I could cover, and she would put the word out if anyone wanted to take a day off. After driving, I talked to her, she indicated that it would be great if I were able to come back. I told her that Nick and I were talking about just that, and I would let her know.

So today is exactly 2 weeks since we delivered in Cincinnati.

We turned the truck in today.

We were making progress in rediscovering the house, until we unloaded the truck. I think we TRULY lost the living room again. But we have come up with a plan!

1.       CLEAN THE HOUSE! We have so many boxes from when the boys moved out, then moved back home. Those boxes surround a dryer that doesn’t work. Many, many dining room chairs. A dining room that was turned into my sewing area for a while. A spare bedroom, full of junk, that is also Dale’s bedroom. Once I have a list of all the good junk mixed in with the garbage, I have the number of a guy who hauls junk. It may be time to cultivate a friendship with him. Or get a dumpster. I’m not picky.

2.      START THE RENO PROCESS! It’s so far past time to remove the 90’s wallpaper that is on EVERY WALL! And I don’t think I have to explain why the carpet in the bathrooms MUST GO! Painting the cabinets in the kitchen, and replacing the countertops. Replace the deck. Fence in the back yard.

3.      SELL THE HOUSE, EVENTUALLY. If we can afford to stay, and we don’t want to move right away, this step is negotiable.

4.      GET BACK IN A TRUCK AND GET OUT THERE!! While we’re home, we will be getting the endorsements we still need. Hazmat & Tanker Endorsements, as well as our passports will make us more marketable, more loads we can haul, more places we can go.

So, we aren’t sitting around feeling defeated. We will make the most of this time. Robert needs to get his permit and learn to drive. We need to go to the Columbus Zoo and see the Wildlights. I have 2 little grand-boys who need some Grammy attention. Nick is looking into getting a job that will let him use his machining experience, and his wood-working skills. I was fortunate enough to leave a job that I LOVE, and go back to my OTHER job that I love!

Our big concerns now are our Spotted Dogs. Estrella has been favoring her left rear hip for a couple of years now. We keep hip meds for her daily use, and pain meds for when she is having bad days. We were concerned we might have to leave her home, but I think she would HATE being left behind. Gemela is looking worried these days. She doesn’t mind being with Stray, but Onix (Jess’s dog) pesters her and sometimes Gem hides from her. While we were cleaning our stuff out of the truck, Gem went over to the truck. I opened the door, and she jumped right in. Then looked at us like, LET’S GO! Now that the truck is not in the driveway, they both look a little worried. HOW CAN WE BE TRUCK DOGS WITHOUT A TRUCK!! I think they can reconcile this bother, when they think about sleeping in a big giant bed that will comfortably hold both of us, and both of them.

I think I would be ungrateful, if I didn’t put out there how very THANKFUL we are for Hyfield Trucking, our fleet owners. When we mentioned what was going on at home, and how we felt required to straighten this out before going back out on the road, they completely understood, were supportive, and encouraged us to let them know when we were ready to get back out there. That attitude is absolutely how they do business. Hyfield Family.

Along with Hyfield Trucking, we are so THANKFUL for Panther Premium Logistics. They kept an eye on us, we might have faltered a time or two, but they never let us fall, and they never let us feel forgotten.

Now, here we sit, in Marysville, Ohio, feeling kind of left behind, kind of NOT in the driver’s seat, kind of sitting on the sideline. That big air ride seat is an awesome feeling, especially when you know you can see another state about 500 miles away! I can’t wait to get back up there! And I think Nick has gotten hooked too.

 

Leaving Esme.

 

We're all cleaned out of her. 

Thankfulness

 

Since we aren't home on Thanksgiving, I figured Nick & I would discuss what we're thankful for. Not surprisingly, with all the changes in our lives this past year, we had a long list.

 

Us

Our children (and Thomas, too!)

The Dogs 

 

Our granddaughter 

Our first grandson

Our second grandson

Home

Our friends

Our friends 

Her family

  

His family

Our Fleet Owners

Our truck

    

OUR MENTORS! 

Debb & Dana Lord 

Seeing the country! 

TRUCK STOPS

REST STOPS WITH RV DUMPS!!

Goodness we have been BUSY!

 

It's a very BLAH day in Laredo...

Hello again! 

I just looked at my last blog, and realized I haven't posted AT ALL in November! 

Whoops! Again! That's why my sister has hundreds of friends from all different periods of her life that she stays pretty current, and I have maybe 3 friends from my past who forgive me for being a lazy friend. (Love you Dawn and Lisa!) Thank God for Facebook! Other people may be able to also say that about Twitter & the Gram, but I never got started Twitting, and I only use Instagram for my quilts. 

We are currently parked outside Laredo, waiting for a load. It's beginning to look like it'll be a Southwest Thanksgiving. No big deal. We learned 37 years ago how to celebrate holidays out of sync with the calendar. We will have a celebratory meal when we get home. 

(BTW while I was typing this we got a call from Panther with a load that will have us within 200 miles of home! It delivers Friday morning, and we'll be home before dinner!)

It has been a TREMENDOUSLY BUSY MONTH for us! 

California, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and many times in, around and out of Texas! All parts in between. Daytime, nighttime, warm, cold, rain, sun, fog. Fortunately, we didn't find a lot of inclement weather, none worse than rain so far. It's been a pretty good month. 

Best of all, WE GOT OUR SECOND GRANDSON! "Noodle" was born on Veteran's Day, and is officially "Baby Jake" but we will probably always call him Noodle. We had picked up a load in New York, and were on our way to Laredo when we found out Luci was in advanced labor. And if you map out a route between New York and Laredo, Texas, you'll go right through Columbus, Ohio. So the happiest grandparents in a Panther truck, got to meet the newest member of the Stapp family before he was even a whole day old! 

Well, my break is almost up and I want to get this posted before I lose another day!

We'll see you down the road! 

Kathy

It was just a matter of time.

A truth universally known to commercial drivers, is that you go where the stuff IS, and take it where it GOES. 

With that in mind, we have gone to factories, warehouses, shipping companies, any place that has stuff to move, and delivered that stuff to wherever they need it to be. 

We have been to most of the states east of the Mississippi River, except Florida and New England. We've been to the American Southwest and California. We have crisscrossed Texas so many times!

In all those miles, we've seen the landscape and people, but it's mostly been zipping by at 65 miles an hour. We've been able to focus on the truck, the girls, and us without too much difficulty. If the truck is running rough, if the girls need another layer because the weather turned colder than we expected, or if Nick or I aren't feeling 100% and need an over-the-counter medicine, we stop somewhere and take the time to do what we need to do. We have the financial and occupational luxury to do this.

Every time we come up from the Mexican border, we drive through a Border Patrol Checkpoint. Lots of cars and trucks driving up to the guard to tell him, "Yes, I'm an American citizen," or show him the appropriate documentation. It was almost a joke between us.....until the other night.

We got waved through the checkpoint, and suddenly all lanes were stopped. They held us back so they could move 40-50 people, hands on their heads, across the traffic lanes from the semi that had all doors open, while two guards were looking through EVERY part of that truck.

We were right there, front row, watching desperate people being herded away from their dreams. Someone in the next truck was taking pictures. I felt bad enough just watching, there was no way I was going to record this.

And just that quick, the illegal aliens were gone, moved inside the BPS office, and the trucks started moving, except the one being torn apart.

I'm not making a  political statement about this, that's not my thing. It was just so sad watching people who had risked so much to follow their dreams, to the point they were truly risking their lives, being forced to make the walk of shame in front of the drivers setting there. 

What is the take-away, when the best thing you can say is, "At least they didn't die in that trailer"?

Set off the serious tone with cute baby!

Am I REALLY cut out for this?

 Oh my gosh! I think I had the WORST LOAD so far. 

Nothing wrong with the load itself, a bunch of containers, box floor was full, going to an auto manufacturer, but when we got there WE COULDN'T FIND THE DOCK TO UNLOAD!

 We went the location we were told, it wasn't the right one, so a yard jockey took pity on us and sent us to the correct place. It turns out, you go to this location, the Linker Dock, and they tell you which dock around the plant you need to go, and the Dock is the building. You go in the man door and they tell you which dock door, or bay, in that Dock you need to back into. 

So the nice woman at the Linker Dock sent us to Dock 1. 

When we passed Docks 1A, 1B & 1C, we could be forgiven for stopping there. The nice smoker told us Dock 1 was right down there, in the direction we were going, following the directions from the nice lady at the Linker Dock. 

We followed our instructions to Dock 1. We went to the first empty bay we came to and the guys out smoking there, said "You're at the wrong dock. That isn't what we get. We only get seats, so that doesn't go to this Dock." 

So we go back out, looking for another Dock 1, another man door, anything so we can unload. 

In the meantime, these little cars that have been recently put together are zipping around to be parked. 

So this one guy at Dock 1 tells us we might want to go to this Dock at the end of the building, there are bays over there. So we go looking for the Dock at the end of the building, dodging these little cars, and discover we can't get to the end of the building this guy told us about. We realize this about the time Security stops us. 

I tell the Security Guy we were told to take our load to Dock 1 by the nice lady at the Linker Dock, but the guys at Dock 1 won't take it because it isn't seats. He says we need to talk to security at the gate, follow him and he'll lead us there. So we head back to the gate and the security guy stops outside Dock 1. 

He goes in the man door at the other end of the bays, where we found nothing but a thru-way where the forklift drivers zoom back and forth. He comes back, tells us Robert will take care of us, and to be safe and have a good evening. Robert comes out, tells us to go to the next empty bay, probably bay 4. 

Well we go to the next empty bay which is 6. Robert comes out and says you're supposed to be in bay 4. I pointed out he said the next empty one and he said 6 is a designated spot, we need to move to bay 4. Ok, we move. Robert comes out at 1:27am and says they'll unload your at 2:00. They take their dinner break from 1:30-2:00. 

So we sit, relax, check our phones, get a drink, and about 2:05, we start getting shaken around as they unload the truck. About 10 minutes later, they are done and no one brings out our paperwork. 

We won't get paid without this paperwork, so I'm not leaving without it. I go in the door, see my paperwork on a shelf next to the door, unsigned, so I look for Robert. This time a few people walk by and ask if I need help. I tell them I'm unloaded, just need my paperwork signed, so they start looking for Robert. 

Finally, the paperwork is signed, we get out of the Dock, around the plant, and back to the road that goes to the security gate. The security guys wave us out and we're done, out of there, EXHAUSTED. We get to the nearest truck stop, find a spot (THANK GOD!) and park.

 Nick shuts the truck down and settles the log for the night, I get the girls and take them out real quick, then we hit the bed. 

O. M. G.

At least Esme is clean, is up-to-date on all her maintenance, and has nice, cold AC. 

My biggest pet peeve out here!

Nick, the girls, and the HUGE rocks we have to walk on when the dogs need to go out.
If you look close, you can see trash in the rocks, and boxes & such in the background.

Growing up in the 70's, I saw all the ad campaigns against littering: Woodsey the Owl, "Give a hoot, don't polute", the crying native, Iron Eyes Cody. The Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969, I was 2 years old, I've heard about it my whole life. So it runs through my bones like marrow, to be appalled by trash on the ground.

We make most of our stops at Love's Truck Stops. Our fleet owners encourage it because Love's gives them the best discount, and we willingly comply, because our company started us off with our Love's cards instantly raised to Platinum Level, which gets us at least 1 free shower per day, per driver. We have gone to some of the other truck stops, because in some areas, there aren't any convenient Love's, or we are stopping later than other trucks, and all the free parking spots are taken. This leaves the truck stops who have reserved parking (about $15 - $25 per night). All of these places have varying degrees of my pet peeve:  GARBAGE ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!

I will say that Love's usually has trashcans all around the truck parking, and most of the Love's where we have stayed at least overnight, they go around and pick up the trash in the cans. The Pilot/Flying J & TA/Petro truck stops tend to have more parking, and they have reserved parking that we can reserve online, but they don't clean up quite as much as Love's. 

The worst truck stop I've seen so far? It's probably a toss-up between a no-name place in LA (just basically run-down, no fence, poor lighting, few facilities for the drivers), and a Stripes truck stop. The Stripes location was truly a surprise to me. The building, fuel lanes & parking areas looked almost brand new! But there was SO MUCH GARBAGE!! 

The worst trash act I've seen was when we stayed the weekend outside St. Louis. A hot-shot truck parked next to us, unloaded a huge pile of junk behind his parking spot, and took off. It was clothes, food, and some kitchen appliances, in a plastic tub and a few trash bags, just dumped on the ground. Disgusting. 

I'd like to say we are a shining example of how to exist out here without leaving any trail of garbage behind us, but I really don't want to lie to you...

We try. We gather our trash and make sure it gets put into a trashcan. We try to clean up after the dogs. We pick up garbage to make it safer for the dogs. But when you drive for 11 hours, it isn't that important to clean up something that isn't your mess. When it is dark, and you can't tell if there is an unwelcome desert resident where you are walking your dog, cleaning up her poop isn't my top priority. So, we do the best we can in the moment, and always try to do better.