Loves-Truck-Stop-Love-Bob Davis Podcast 1091

Loves Truck Stop Love

Firstly it’s time for some Loves Truck Stop Love. I’ve spent a lot of time in these places. Details in Loves-Truck-Stop-Love-Bob Davis Podcast 1091.

Tom Love Passes Away

Secondly the guy who built the Love’s Truck and Travel Stop chain Love’s passes away recently at 85.

Live Podcast

Therefore it’s time for a podcast live from the Love’s.

National Highway System

Above all this subject gets me going on the history of first the National Highway System and it’s successor the Interstates.

Trucking

In addition while I am not an expert on the history of trucking I’ll spend some time on this subject.

Independent Businesses

As well as discussing the whole subject of how the truck stops starting as independent refueling stations grew with the Interstates and the US from the 1960’s.

Logistics

Certainly it’s fair to say that over the road trucking coast to coast…

And the container system with railroads…

Has contributed greatly to America’s logistics systems.

Truck Stops

Of course the Truck Stops of all kinds have been a big part of that.

Nationwide

As a result Truck Stops like Love’s are nationwide.

Most importantly the truck stops also cater to travelers and nomads.

More Comfortable

That is to say fuel, great food, products we need and showers make life on the road a lot more comfortable and enjoyable than it was back in the day.

When The Interstates Were New

Likewise I am old enough to remember when the Interstates were still in construction.

Family Road Trips

Taking family road trips that often detoured onto two lane highways through the South and central US.

Passion For Travel

Moreover these trips fueled my passion for the travel experience.

Mom And Pop

Including the mom and pop truck stops of old.

Lamenting Change

Finally you often hear people lament the changes in this country.

Good Changes

But some of those changes have produced results that we will remember fondly someday when they too pass into the mists of time.

Truckers Travelers and Nomads

In short for Truckers, Nomads and Travelers Truck Stops are a necessity.

So here’s to Tom and Judy Love…

Built From A Small Business

And what they built from a small business back in the day.

Sponsored By 36 LYN The Independently Owned And Operated Refueling Station

Loves-Truck-Stop-Love-Bob Davis Podcast 1091

2017 Solar Eclipse Point of Totality Part 2-Podcast 658

Seeing a complete solar eclipse at the point of greatest totality is a peak experience. Getting there might be a challenge. But it’s worth it. I take you all the way through it in 2017 Solar Eclipse Point of Totality Part 2-Podcast 658.

Path To The Eclipse

We start about 40 miles south of Chicago, Illinois. Taking Illinois 1 all the way down to US 45. Then onto the Shawnee National Forest. Our target is a place called Makanda. This is the location for the longest point of totality for the solar eclipse of 2017. This is a town very close to the southern border of the Land Of Lincoln.

Little Town At The Edge Of Illinois

Lots of talk about about Carbondale, Illinois as the point of totality. Truth is, the longest period of totality at a little more than 2 minutes occurs in Makanda, a little town about twenty miles south of Carbondale. During Part 1 of the eclipse podcasts we talked with some locals and spectators. In 2017 Solar Eclipse Point of Totality Part 2-Podcast 658 we experience it.

A Peak Experience

With all the media these days it seems like people want to experience everything through media. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to actually go to an event and experience it in person. In 2017 Solar Eclipse Point of Totality Part 2-Podcast 658.

Eclipse energy is a real thing

On the trip and at the event we saw people struggling with pre eclipse issues. We were pushing so hard to get everything perfect it made for a very stressful trip. At one point my friend Steve said, “We’re in the path of totality now, so it really doesn’t matter where we see it”. Twenty minutes later we found the perfect spot.

Hope To See Everyone Again

Especially relevant is the real feeling of camaraderie we experienced with all the people in this little town, who came to experience the total eclipse of the sun. I think it’s fair to say we all want to come back in 2024 for the next total solar eclipse. In April of 2024 the path of totality runs through Makanda, again. In 2017 Solar Eclipse Point of Totality Part 2-Podcast 658.

Sponsored by Brush Studio in The West End Saint Louis Park Minnesota

2017 Solar Eclipse Point of Totality Part 2-Podcast 658

 

 

 

Dad Dog And Son Road Trip Meet Up-Podcast 635

Father and Son have taken many trips together over the years. We’ve crisscrossed the nation. Taken the train to ski out west. Gone to China and hit the highways out east. Father is storm chasing in North Eastern Oklahoma. Son is heading North East from California to New York, hauling an oversized U-Haul trailer with a little jeep. There’s a dog in the story too. In Dad Dog And Son Road Trip Meet Up-Podcast 635.

Two Different Road Trips Meet Up In Kansas

Used to ‘red balling’ it from the campaign trail, it’s a hop, skip and a jump from Miami, Oklahoma to Wichita Kansas. Taking a run across highway 133 all the way to 35 North, onto the Kansas left exit rest stops. I spent the night at Belle Plaine service plaza. Later in the day we figured out my son was emerging onto 35 from Kansas 400, about twenty miles north.

Meeting Up Ain’t So Easy

No problem! Back on the highway. Hauling ass for the next service area, north of Wichita. Towanda! This is where we met up in Dad Dog And Son Road Trip Meet Up-Podcast 635. Obviously when father and son get together there will be a podcast involved. And a dog. And some fast food.

Relaxed and Calm On The Road

Don’t worry I’m not missing any storms. Blue skies and sunshine out here in Kansas. Not a cloud in the sky. Being On The Road for any length of time changes my energy. I am much more relaxed and calm. More at home out here on the highways and interstates than when at home. A little bit of an energy mis-match between Andrew Davis and his father Bob Davis.

Lots of Content in This Podcast

Yes, he wants to talk about politics. We cover traveling with a dog that weighs about as much as me, and a giant U-Haul full of other people’s stuff. China’s history also comes up. The desire people seem to have these days to tear it all down. Andrew has concerns about losing our stability. That’s all it takes for dad to engage. And we’re off!

Son and Father Enjoy A Deep Connection

Discussions between us have always been this way, since he was a little kid. My favorite moment is when I ask him, “So you’ve traveled from California to Kansas and all you noticed is there are more trees?!”. We also talk about rural America’s trials and tribulations, how geographically large the United States actually is, and a lot more.

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul and X Government Cars.

Dad Dog And Son Road Trip Meet Up-Podcast 635