10:47 p.m.
The football was busted out for some catch after we ran out of quarters and things got slow in the parking lot. During a break in the football action, Cappa swore he saw a UFO. We blamed it on the non-refrigerated meal he ate off the tailgate of our dualie, but saw something suspicious when the photo was developed.
There was noticeably less traffic after 10 p.m. Hundreds of idling semi trucks had parked for the night, and the civilian traffic was limited to cars and a few diesel rigs pulling motorboats. With not much happening, we killed some time watching tasteless comedy DVDs in the truck.
2:11 - 4:42 a.m.
Two charter buses packed with people destined for Las Vegas arrived in the parking lot for a rest stop just after 2 a.m. We're the idiots who chose to vacation at a truck stop, but even we know if you can't afford a car, you probably shouldn't be taking a midnight bus to Vegas on payday-but what do we know? That was the last activity we'd see for the rest of the night, so we grabbed some uncomfortable shuteye inside the Dodge (oh, how we wished for a Mega Cab that night). Cappa had brought along some hair clippers for a late night prank, but, luckily, he wasn't smart enough to bring a cordless unit. Instead of shaving our heads, he woke up periodically and took creepy notes about our sleeping habits such as: "Much like my Apple computer, David simply shuts down quietly into sleep mode," "Trevor sleeps with his eyes open-scary as hell," and "Mark's snoring sounds like the idling big rigs outside. His head is tilted-back like an open Pez dispenser."
5:48 a.m.
After waking up way too early, we visited each of the three truck stops to experience the morning rush. As expected, each stop was humming with activity as truckers got ready for another full day of hauling. Drivers emerged from sleeper cabs and made their way to the overused bathroom facilities in the truck stops. After watching guys wash coffee mugs and brush teeth in the public sinks, we were extra disappointed in the lack of clean restrooms. It's bad enough to deal with a nasty bathroom when you're stopping for fuel, but imagine having to deal with those conditions every single day. Truck stops can also improve conditions for their biggest customers by providing electrical hookups for overnight stays. The EPA says a big rig uses about 0.8 gallons of diesel per hour while idling, and without an outside power source, running the engine is the only way to heat or cool the trucker's living space. The government estimates each combination truck could save up to 1,900 gallons of fuel (about $5,700) every year if electricity was provided at truck stops.
9:53 a.m.
Editor Kennedy spotted some diesel-powered earth movers across the street from one of the truck stops. The tractor is a Caterpillar 988F wheel loader with the Cat 3408 V-8 turbodiesel engine that is rated at up to 525 hp. The price for a used 988F is about $350,000-that's more than three times the median home price in Barstow. The water truck we found near the tractor is an OshKosh 6x6 that can hold nearly 4,000 gallons of liquid. It's powered by a Cat 3306 engine that's rated at 350 hp.
1:16 p.m.
After spending an entire day at the truck stops, we left Barstow in search of the church used in the Kill Bill movies that was supposedly just outside Palmdale and Lancaster, the home of Edwards Airforce Base. We drove up and down paved and dirt roads, but never found the site of the fictional intersection between Caliente and Agua Streets. We did discover the entrance to EAFB (no civilians allowed), saw some new jet-powered cargo planes making practice runs, had our truck attacked by two angry guard dogs, and called about a '70 GMC Camper Special that we saw for sale. We finally came to our senses and started driving home. No one said much during the ride, but we didn't have to. We were all in agreement. Truck stops are sufficient for fill-ups, but they don't make good homes. On the plus side, you can count on some good hearty food, plus, you're more likely to see cool military and construction equipment when you fill-up at a truck stop. So next time your tank is getting empty, forget the convenience store with green pumps, find a truck stop, buy a Heater Meal or a leather vest, and inject some fun into your road trip.