Just Starting

I've have thought about for a long time.. I had a ol'buddy who drove for many year.. I ride with him for almost 6 week and then ago for 8week... I enjoyed it.

Well... I know have my CDL and a company looking at my app. Yes Im a new grad. student and can't wait to hit the road with the trainer.

So.. how many of you have hobbies you do during your "reset times". What do you do if you dont make it home for your reset? fishing, hiking, backpacking, indoor/outdoor activities..

Leonard (Handle - Black Thunder)

I've have thought about this for a long time.. I had a ol'buddy who drove for many year.. I rode with him for almost 6 week and then again for 8week... I enjoyed it.

Well... I now have my CDL and a company looking at my app. Yes Im a new grad. student and can't wait to hit the road with the trainer.

So.. how many of you have hobbies you do during your "reset times". What do you do if you dont make it home for your reset? fishing, hiking, backpacking, indoor/outdoor activities..

Leonard (Handle - Black Thunder)

Oh my writing sucks tonight! Sorry

I enjoy playing Euro Truck Simulator on my laptop after shutting down for the night. It lets me do stuff that I would never do in reality.

Driving the wrong way on a freeway. Dropping my trailer right in the middle of an intersection while I go drive around town. Driving on the shoulder to get around traffic stopping for red lights. Fun stuff like that.

I enjoy playing Euro Truck Simulator on my laptop after shutting down for the night. It lets me do stuff that I would never do in reality.

Driving the wrong way on a freeway. Dropping my trailer right in the middle of an intersection while I go drive around town. Driving on the shoulder to get around traffic stopping for red lights. Fun stuff like that.

Oh it's great to know you have those urges to satisfy! That's not terrifying!!

I'm totally kidding. I was always big on flight simulators and naturally that's one of the best perks. A lot of my situations started with the thought, "I wonder what would happen if...."

When I was on the road I had various hobbies. I liked to go jogging. I also had some free weights with me for some exercise. I loved reading books, and man did I read a ton of em! I've also been into computers since I was a kid so I would learn some programming on the side.

Balance is very important out there. You have to get out of that truck sometimes and put it out of your mind. Unfortunately a lot of drivers turn to eating as one of their escapes. They go sit down in the restaurant, order a big steak, and enjoy the newspaper for a while. Then of course what's better after a hard day and a big meal than a long, hard sleep?

I've always been a "foodaholic" you could say. I come from an Italian family where food is pretty much the focal point of life. It's what you do when you're celebrating, grieving, or bored. I never have to be hungry to enjoy eating. And of course I can't watch 30 seconds of TV without food in front of me. So for me it has always been really important to have some hobbies and get good exercise. I can't just run inside for a big steak every time I have the chance. I mean, I could! But I wouldn't let myself.

So it's good to have some hobbies out there.

And of course whenever I had the chance I'd hit the town.....Vegas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago - there's so much to do. I used to go to NASCAR and NHRA races, NFL and NCAA football games, and anything I could find. I've watched dozens of high school football games, got a ride in a dirt late model one time ($50 donation to charity - best money ever spent!), been to concerts, festivals, sightseeing tours, and even took a few flying lessons in a Cessna 172.

There's no limit to the things you'll come across out there. The limiting factor is time. You won't have much of it. But when you do, there's plenty of things to get into.

Well here is what I enjoy now..

Backpacking and hiking.. Hunting wild mushrooms (yes I know what to eat and what not to , and how to cook them!) Fishing, fly fishing. ( Man if I get to Colorado .. Im hoping I have a reset.. Shhhhh .. dont tell the wife this one!) fly tying.. yes I tye my own flies .. hunting.. guns... I love shooting! (see reference for archery..LOL) Archery shooting (Im sure not many places will allow me to pull out my bow and targets and fire away at a rest stop). camping cooking

and I like FOOD! Pizza is my weakness. So is down home cajun cooking (Boudin, crawdads, gumbo, andouille sausage , and jambalaya {and I like it HOT} ! )

Im not a gamer.. dont do video games..

Im so excited .. I hoping to be hitting the road by (or about) the 14th..

BT

Fishing, fly fishing. ( Man if I get to Colorado .. Im hoping I have a reset.. Shhhhh .. dont tell the wife this one!) fly tying.. yes I tye my own flies .. hunting..guns... I love shooting! (see reference for archery..LOL) Archery shooting (Im sure not many places will allow me to pull out my bow and targets and fire away at a rest stop). camping cooking

BT

Sooo much to do here, this summer as the weather's been wonderful (lots of monsoons and plenty of sunshine.) Archery is not too much of a problem here. There are plenty of archery ranges, shooting ranges, and some truck stops (along I-25 for example) are right next to "open space" where you'd have room, even with a compound bow. Example, Baptist Road truck stop in Monument, off of I-25, just 1 mile South of the port-of-entry weigh station. I was there last night in my personal vehicle and right across the street from the stop, to the West, there's plenty of open space to set up a target, shoot for a while and pack back up again.

These stops also have those really cool, tall Colorado Recreational map books by Mapsco - worth the purchase.

Check out the Renaissance Festival every weekend in the summer, just off of exit 172 on I-25. Food, shopping, beer, festivities, archery, Old World silliness, great entertainment, step into a different world for a day, kind-of-a-feel.

Fishing licenses, etc, easy to obtain at Walmart and when you come upon these little towns with just one stop sign and one corner store, you'd be surprised to find that these local guys sell flies right at the gas station and are pretty knowledgeable about which fish are biting which flies.

Mountain biking/hiking trails galore.

Re that GTA-like video game for trucking? Dropping your trailer in the middle of the road? I was going to confess, here that I'd actually had a nightmare about doing just that, a few nights ago. A true nightmare. lol.

-mountain girl