Hello friends,

Happy Tuesday to you wherever you call home, I write you finally from the Bay area city of Hayward, California. I arrived here Sunday morning from Oregon after driving all night down I-5 in the rain and ice. I’m here with my oldest son Anthony, his wife Melina and my three grandchildren Isaiah, Jordan and Jayden.  Ahh the joy of being with my family after months of being on the road is indescribable as you can imagine! I was thrilled to be able to watch my team the Patriots (I hope I don’t lose any followers) win the Super Bowl here instead of some dirty, smelly truck stop lounge where I probably would have gotten assaulted by all the Brady haters for cheering on Tom Terrific!

I was finally able to lay my head and get relief from the arm rest in my backseat of the gigs mobile. I had not slept in a bed since I stayed in a Motel 6 my last night in Colorado almost a month ago today amidst the snow storms and deep freezes of the past thirty days in the west. This week also marks the beginning of my ninth month of being on this amazing road tour. As I have mentioned lately in prior post, I never imagined being on the road this long and almost covering all four seasons across the nation. It was the winter that I dreaded from the outset and now that I have virtually come to a halt due to the elements and the shrinking job opportunities of late, I realize why I so wanted to be done before the year was out. I missed calculated many aspects of this journey but none more than the timeline. If you recall from my preparation blogs back in April it predicted a 6-7 month journey and home by New Years at the latest; I was so wrong!

I don’t regret any of those decisions and plans I made; how was I to know the actual outcome with a project as random and unpredictable as this? Living day to day and job to job has been my life since May 5^th and now that I’m so close to visiting all fifty states I have no choice but to finish strong no matter what. The real struggle at present is not my physical or emotional state but my financial state. I haven’t earned a dollar in well over a week, a record, and since this is first and foremost a working tour, I will be stuck in neutral if I don’t find work really soon. The CL in the Bay area is active but the continuing rain doesn’t help me with the type of work in seeking so my chances are cut in half the bad weather situation. Luckily for me I have a house to dwell in if I totally bottom out, but I continue to stay positive and hope for the best with the gig search.

Well I hope you are safe and warm and I thank you for checking in on me. Your support is well appreciated and treasured by yours truly. #Yo-Ga-Fla

Juanjohn

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

Hello friends

Hoping you find yourself well this hump day wherever you call home. I’m starting my third day here in Oregon and writing you from the Holgate Library in east Portland. The weather is about to take a turn for the worst again and I’m still searching for that elusive gig. Going on the now well documented time frame, I should score something at any time, as it usually takes on average three days to find a job.

My Washington experience is posted and well behind me now and I’m ready for a good stay here in Oregon. The Northwest is an amazingly beautiful area but taking any pictures of all the scenic spots has been difficult both in Washington and Oregon. The problem is simply the rain and clouds, and there is plenty! It certainatley has lived up to its billing as a wet and soggy part of the country. I have seen the sun for a grand total of 15 hours, if that, since I crossed the Cascades two weeks ago. I don’t know about you but a desert dweller like me needs that vitamin D to charge my batteries and clear my thoughts and senses after a day or two. The local folks swear that I came at the wrong time and explain that the summers are the real reason they choose to live in this damp, glooming, grey world. No gracias, I’ll take and suffer through the hot Arizona summers in my pool and live with the 300 plus sunny days we enjoy every year. The misconceptions about my home state is that it is all desert and baking heat 24/7/365 days a year. Yes we only have two seasons; Hot and hotter, but that is mainly in the desert regions of Phoenix and my home town of Tucson. The truth is that we have snow, mountains and valleys. A few rivers and streams along with some lakes reservoirs scattered throughout the entire state. We have a range of different climates to choose from depending on your preference. Having options is what I enjoy the most! And no; I didn’t get paid to say that!

Despite being a bit worn out by now, I’m looking forward to my last four states and continue to fight to stay positive and excited about finishing off strong. My next stop is in Hayward, Ca. just across the bay from San Fran. I will be staying at long last with my son and his family while I wait for my flight to Juneau and Honolulu, taking a last dip into Nevada in Reno/Lake Tahoe to complete that state.

It hasn’t hit me yet how much I have covered in the last nine months probably because I’m always focused on the state I’m in but I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to reflect once I lay on the north shore of Oahu in a few weeks. Until then I pray for success, endurance and good fortune along the way. I hope to check in soon with some good news from here in Portland, so until then, take care and be safe! #Yo-Ga-Fla

Juanjohn