In 2017, I dated Matthew Gutierrez, a long-haul truck driver. During this time, I hopped aboard as his “rider,” and we together traveled over 25,000 miles along his routes throughout the western United States.
Mike begins piloting a video commentary series "Trans/America" to chronicle his months abroad his boyfriend's flatbed tractor-trailer, as they traverse the western states of the United States together.
Mike begins piloting a video commentary series "Trans/America" to chronicle his months abroad his boyfriend's flatbed tractor-trailer, as they traverse the western states of the United States together.
Two years after the 2020 West Coast wildfires, Mike opens up and shares the series of traumatic events he faced mere months after moving to Portland, Oregon.
Two years after the 2020 West Coast wildfires, Mike opens up and shares the traumatic events he faced mere months after moving to Portland, Oregon.
Bearing such emotional weight has been a lonely journey, as I was reminded while trying to share this with loved ones who would find themselves overwhelmed afterwards.
Matt and Mike share one of their routine trips along Interstate 15 delivering goods for Walmart from their distribution center to the various stores across the state of Utah.
Matt and Mike share one of their routine trips along Interstate 15 delivering goods for Walmart from their distribution center to the various stores across the state of Utah.
Mike basks in the beautiful spring weather of Montreal, in anticipation of reporting to the police station in 24 hours.
Mike basks in the beautiful spring weather of Montreal, in anticipation of reporting to the police station in 24 hours.
Matt and Mike spend a few days in San Francisco, delivering rebar to the construction site of a new water treatment plant in Pacifica, California.
They discuss the concept of "pride” and the fluidity that one’s personality can take, adapting to various social situations. Mike mentioned Matthew's "bro mode," acknowledging the influence of others' personalities and accents.
Mike: Good morning, Facebook Live! This is Mike George here with Matthew... well, Matthew, let's just say "Equality" isn't his real middle name. For those of you wondering, his actual middle name is a mystery for now.
We're on I-580, one of the ring roads around San Francisco. I guess they have ring roads even with the water surrounding the city. We're heading towards Modesto, California, from South San Francisco, near the airport. It's about 8:00 AM, so we're in some rush hour traffic, but it's not too bad considering.
Matthew: Yeah, and I have to watch the mirrors here.
Mike: We've got someone coming up in the right lane. Anyway, the left side is the passing side, and the right side... well, let's just say it's riskier.
Matthew: My rule is, if I see an open right lane, I'll take it. It's the truck driver's responsibility to be in the right lane, not mine to worry about it.
Mike: In some states, you can get a ticket for passing on the right.
Matthew: Would the responsibility be on the driver to be in the right lane then?
Mike: You'd have to talk to a lawyer about that. Anyway, good morning, Bernie! We're excited to hopefully meet you soon.
Matthew: Bernie's been this fictitious character to me, so I can't wait for a proper introduction.
Mike: Yesterday was an interesting day. Our original plan was to deliver a load to Pacifica, California, south of San Francisco.
Matthew: The delivery was rebar for a drainage project, but they couldn't accept it at that time due to an active job site with limited space.
Mike: This rebar was for reinforcing concrete for a water diversion project. It's interesting how important water diversion is, especially with what's happening in Houston. Our prayers go out to the people there.
Matthew: Yeah, stay safe, everyone.
Mike: They sent us to a nearby parking lot to stage the trucks. The manager there got upset and kicked us all off the property. We had to find a new place to park. I was worried about making it up some hills with the heavy load.
Matthew: We did stop moving forward a couple of times, but the truck didn't stall.
Mike: Right, crucial correction. We finally made it out of Pacifica and rescheduled the delivery for the next day. We decided to go into San Francisco. We took a Lyft to the BART station.
Matthew: The BART was incredibly loud. It was like nails on a chalkboard. I think it was going too fast or was lightly loaded.
Mike: Shout out to Montreal for their comfortable Metro system. We took a Lyft back later because the BART gave me a migraine. We went to the Castro. We were hungry, so we went to a Thai place recommended by a local.
Matthew: I got pad see ew, my go-to Thai dish.
Mike: We went to the HRC store and got some things. Matthew got a compass necklace.
Matthew: So you can find me on the road.
Mike: According to Grindr, you're 13 miles away. We met at neither a bar nor online.
Matthew: We went to the Twin Peaks bar, which is a local landmark.
Mike: The ginger ale was terrible.
Matthew: It's in the opening credits of Sense8. We sat there and used Grindr and Scruff. It was like gay bingo. It's great to have a boyfriend I can do that with.
Mike: It's always just for fun.
Matthew: We decided to get pedicures. It was my first time.
Mike: It was fantastic. It was like a "Sex and the City" barbershop vibe.
Matthew: They trimmed your toenails, which was stressful for you.
Mike: I bite my toenails. I'm not ashamed.
Matthew: After that, they massaged and painted your toenails.
Mike: They're green.
Matthew: We met a guy named Patrick and had a good conversation. Then we went to dinner at Flore.
Mike: I had a $14 cheeseburger, but it was the best burger ever. It was made with Wagyu beef.
Matthew: I had a flank steak salad. We had a delicious hot chocolate and a gluten-free peanut butter chocolate cookie.
Mike: We heard about a karaoke place called Mint Bar, which is on our list for next time.
Matthew: We had an amazing trip to San Francisco. It was a nice break. It's great to be back in a place where we can be ourselves.
Mike: It's interesting how we adjust our personalities depending on where we are.
Matthew: Mike said I go into "bro mode" sometimes. I don't hide who I am, but I do change my mannerisms a bit.
Mike: It's funny how people's accents and habits rub off on you.
Matthew: It's important to have role models. I met a Swift driver who was out and proud. I wrote her a note and signed it "the mo flatbedder."
Mike: Don't be afraid of change.
Matthew: Sometimes I'm a “McKinsey 6,” sometimes I'm “McKinsey 4.” It doesn't mean I'm betraying anyone.
Mike: We're outside Modesto now. We're going to sign off. From the San Francisco area, this is Mike and Matt.
Suffering from the early stages of heat exhaustion while helping Matt secure his flatbed load, Mike reflects on the recent solar eclipse that they viewed from Arizona.
Suffering from the early stages of heat exhaustion while helping Matt secure his flatbed load, Mike reflects on the recent solar eclipse that they viewed from Arizona.