Wyoming to Denver
Mike and Matt travel along I-80 amidst the windy landscape of Wyoming, approaching the Utah border enroute to Denver. Emphasizing the safety responsibilities of flatbed truck drivers, their plan includes dropping off a trailer with broken landing gear before finally taking a long-awaited vacation.
Good morning, this is Mike George here, along with Matthew Gutierrez, your friendly neighborhood truck driver. We’re coming at you live from somewhere in Wyoming — one of those rectangular states. Fair warning: we’re in a rural area, and the signal out here can be pretty spotty, so we might lose reception on this broadcast intermittently.
We’re currently on I-80 in southwest Wyoming, about 46 miles from the Utah border, heading back toward Salt Lake City and Ogden. I’m getting ready to drop this trailer off, because Matthew managed to break the landing gear handle. He says he didn't need the crank and could just do it with his muscles, but now we’ve got to get it fixed!
Our plan for the upcoming week is to head down to Cedar City, Utah, and hopefully pick up a load that takes us toward Denver, Colorado. We’re both looking forward to a much-needed vacation there. It’ll be our first real break that isn’t just a quick weekend stop in whatever city we happen to be passing through.
Matt:
I want to reach out to all my Colorado friends and family: I’d love to see you! If you want to meet up, inbox me so we can figure out a time to catch up. Maybe we can grab a bite at Old Chicago or somewhere similar. I’m especially hoping to see my friend Jeremy Moore if he isn’t too busy with his work at CU Boulder.
We also want to give a quick shoutout to some people joining the stream. Hello to Philip Brettschneider in San Francisco; I remember his apartment always smelled like sausages, because it was right above a sausage restaurant! And a big thanks to Kyle Davidson in Columbus for his service; he’s a fellow queer military member and a great guy.
Speaking of Columbus, I was just thinking about the 'Kiki' on the Econ Lodge we stayed at. I will never stay there again! The room felt sketchy, the door looked like it had been kicked in before, and they even overcharged us after a booking error. On the bright side, the Mexican food at Red Iguana across the street was amazing—it tasted just like home.
Matthew was also talking about the challenges of being a flatbed driver. He gets bored with the same routes and doesn't always have a say in how his loads are secured before he picks them up. He takes safety very seriously, though, and always 'over-secures' his loads, imagining his own family driving beside him.
As we drive, we’re passing a wind farm. It’s interesting to see how they generate power, though many aren't even spinning right now. We were discussing the mechanics of it—the gears, the brakes, and why they usually have three blades. It’s a bit of an interactive process for us to learn as we go.
Anyway, things are getting real, and we’re preparing for a busy week ahead. Thanks for following along with our Trucking Adventures. Stay safe out there, and we'll talk to you soon!
