I’ve probably driven half a dozen rental trucks in my life, with the latest occasion being just this week. My father passed away just over two years ago (my mother having predeceased him by about a year), and I and my family are at long last claiming the few items we want from their house prior to its sale. Because my parents lived out their final years in San Diego County, and because I live in Redwood City and my kids live in the Pacific Northwest, it made sense to rent a truck and transport the handful of items wanted by my wife and I, plus those wanted by our kids and their spouses, in one go. Accordingly, on Monday I flew to San Diego and met with my oldest son, who had flown in from Oregon. Together we made our way to a nearby U-Haul rental location where a pre-reserved 10-foot box truck was waiting. We then drove to my parent’s house and loaded up a motley assortment of items that included a woven Mexican wall hanging, two paintings, an antique telescope, an antique toy fire truck and a fire hydrant (yes, a fire hydrant — but I’ll save that for a future column).
With the contents of the truck carefully wrapped in packing blankets and strapped to the inner side rails, we set off for L.A., where my youngest brother lives. There, we spent the night and then loaded up some additional, larger items that had come from my folks’ Los Angeles place: a king-sized four-poster bed (in pieces, thankfully), a tall-case clock, and a butler’s tray with a folding stand. Next, we made the six-hour drive to Redwood City, where we unloaded the items that my wife and I had put our names on (including the fire hydrant) and loaded up some chairs that we’d been holding for our kids. After spending the night at home, my son and I rose early on Wednesday and made the long drive up Interstate 5 to Eugene, Oregon, where he lives. There we unloaded the truck and had dinner with his family. Finally, on Thursday, I flew home.
Thankfully, the truck performed beautifully, and the trip was remarkably smooth. Thankfully, we encountered very little traffic — even while passing through downtown L.A., surprisingly enough — and saw only one accident. Plus, we got the opportunity to do something I’ve always been curious about, but have never actually been able to do: navigate a couple of the weigh stations alongside the freeway that all trucks (except pickups) are expected to pass through when the station is open. Sadly, I must report that the experience was pretty anticlimactic: The scales weigh your vehicle while you move (slowly; at 10 mph) so you don’t even stop. And you aren’t told what your truck actually weighs. Still, I need not wonder about weigh stations any longer.
Overall, we drove about 1,100 miles over 2 1/2 days, and spent close to 21 hours together in the cab of that truck. A truck with a radio that had neither a USB input nor Bluetooth, I should note. Thus, we couldn’t connect our smartphones to the radio, and thereby listen to streamed music, podcasts or an audiobook (the noise of the engine combined with the wind noise around the truck itself would have overcome the speaker on our phones). Instead, we left the radio off, and spent our time together in conversation.
I’ve never been much of a phone talker, and because my kids don’t live nearby, my wife and I only see them two or three times a year. Although we are kept apprised of the more important goings-on in their lives, we don’t often get to hear about the smaller things that help us stay more personally connected with our kids. So, this trip provided an unanticipated bonus: Forced to spend time alone with my son for more than 20 hours with little else to do but talk, we covered a range of subjects, some important, and some trivial. And our together time allowed me to remember and then ask about things I’d been meaning to ask about, but had forgotten when talking to him on the phone.
We didn’t solve all of the world’s problems, but I feel closer to my son than I have in a long time. This trip really reminded me of the value of spending time with people rather than relying solely on modern communication methods. Emails, texting, even voice and video calls have their place, however, they can’t give provide the deeper, more meaningful interactions you get with people when you are physically together. So, log out of Facebook, put down the smartphone and go spend time with the ones you love. You won’t regret it.
Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.
What Mr. Fowler said… And I’d add that folks should spend time with their loved ones before they don’t have time. However, it takes two to tango, so if they’re not willing to tango, I’d leave them be.
BTW, thanks for the info on weigh stations… When driving a rental truck (too many times to recall), I’ve never stopped at any weigh stations. Oops! My excuse is that they were closed when I passed or that regulation wasn't in effect. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.) I wonder how many of our dear DJ readers driving rental trucks know about and have stopped at weigh stations.
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(2) comments
Good morning, Greg
Great column... a lotta work and a lotta fun plus a valuable lesson for us all.
What Mr. Fowler said… And I’d add that folks should spend time with their loved ones before they don’t have time. However, it takes two to tango, so if they’re not willing to tango, I’d leave them be.
BTW, thanks for the info on weigh stations… When driving a rental truck (too many times to recall), I’ve never stopped at any weigh stations. Oops! My excuse is that they were closed when I passed or that regulation wasn't in effect. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.) I wonder how many of our dear DJ readers driving rental trucks know about and have stopped at weigh stations.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.