One of my many parking tickets!

Good evening friends,

Greetings to all from the T.A. truck stop here in Troutdale, OR. just outside of Portland. I hope you are well and safe this Friday the third of Feb. Boy has the months flown by for me as I enter my 10^th month on the road this Sunday. I’m just finishing my forth complete day here in the metro and I still haven’t had any success scoring a gig. I have come close with a few opportunities but nothing has materialized for my efforts.

The CL here is not as active as the Seattle list but it seems to be flooded with a lot more scammers and misleading ads meant to manipulate any who can’t identify their sly and sinister schemes to rob you of your identity and personal information. I learned a few ways in which these Godless individuals use the list and job posting to lure people into their traps. I will surely dedicate a section to my book hoping to offset some of these predators.

The weather has also become an issue besides the weak job scene and today was a total wasted day as me and the rest of the folks who travel and work outside for a living were confined indoors as a big storm of snow and ice descended on the state. Sheets of frozen ice and fifty mile an hour wind gust made driving nearly impossible and downright dangerous for all. I awoke in my truck with the windows frozen shut and semis and cars everywhere that had slid off the roads overnight.

I was hoping for quick success when I arrived late Monday from Washington but as the week has ended the hopes of being in the Golden State for the Super Bowl are fading fast. Time I have to wait it out but what has been the story almost from the start; money and resources are in short supply. Every day I don’t work I consume and that sadly is the deciding point on how long I can’t continue to hold out for that elusive gig. I might have a lead from a nephew who studies in the area with his landlord but it’s a long shot at best. The Home Depot hasn’t worked either for supplemental work and the local labor pools don’t pay daily or even weekly.

So on I continue knowing that things could change at any hour and hoping that they do. I feel so close to California but yet so far at present. My truck is running better so that is one less thing to worry about but I continue to lose weight and muscle tone with my crappy diet and lack of exercise. I also notice the grey hairs making their presences on my scalp in great numbers, must be due to the stress and lack of protein in my meals, chips and donuts fill the belly but they are killing me slowly. I will make sure to make it all up once I’m back in my home and kitchen in Arizona! From what I hear about my little puppy Kalani, she also is missing her gourmet diet as well.

That is all for now friends, I have been trying to corral a few drivers to post a trucker story but they all seem shy and apprehensive out being part of the adventure. They must be wanted in one state or another!

Thanks for checking in and for your loyal support all these months. I greatly appreciate your encouragement and interest in my crazy journey. Have a good night! #Yo-Ga-Fla

Juanjohn