Boy Meets World

So my lovely boyfriend is off on his great adventures as a trucker. He's been on the job for a little more than 2 weeks and has already seen more of the country than he's ever seen before. If he keeps it up, he'll be caught up with me, although he's been to several states that I have not, and I've been to states that he has yet to see. Since he's driving for 10 or so hours everyday, we don't talk as much as we used to and it's mostly confined to the hours of 10pm and 2am, not counting the few times he call to check in from truck stops and food breaks. It's been hard on us to be sure, but it's also been a valuable growing experience for him I'm sure. Being on his own, seeing new things, and driving new places. Even though I wish I could be seeing these places too, I have been making the most of it by tracking all of the different places that he goes, what he picks up, and mapping his route on Google Maps. Last night, he told me he was in love with his personal GPS :) I keep him up to date on how far he has until his next stops, his final destinations, and how many mountain chains he has to drive through because according to him, "downshifting is a nightmare".

In this blog post, I've decided list all of his destinations so far and give some sort of interesting fact about each place (if I can find one), if there's nothing interesting about the city then I will at least say something about the state. So here goes nothing:

• Kennesaw, GA- It has a population of 29,783. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. During the Civil War, Kennesaw was the staging ground for the Great Locomotive Chase on April 12, 1862.
• Tuscaloosa, AL- Tuscaloosa is named after Tuskaloosa, the chieftain of a Muskogean-speaking people, who battled and was defeated by Hernando de Soto in 1540 in the Battle of Mabila. From 1826 to 1846, Tuscaloosa was the capital of Alabama. During this period, in 1831, the University of Alabama was established. ROLL TIDE!
• Little Rock, AR- Little Rock was named for a stone outcropping on the bank of the Arkansas River used by early travelers as a landmark. La Petite Roche (French for "the Little Rock"), named in 1721 by French explorer and trader Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe, marked the transition from the flat Mississippi Delta region to the Ouachita Mountain foothills. In 1957 The Little Rock Nine are enrolled at Little Rock Central High School after public protests, and the Arkansas National Guard under the direction of Governor Orval Faubus, prevents their first attempt at enrollment. At the time, Arkansas was the third most segregated state in the country (behind Mississippi and Alabama respectively). President Dwight Eisenhower dispatches federal troops to ensure the students' safety and enforce their right to attend school. These events are collectively referred to as the Crisis at Central High.
• Pottsville, AR- Pottsville is a town in Pope County. As of the 2000 census the population was 1,271. There are few large businesses in Pottsville with most or all being family- or self-owned. Workers for large companies usually commute to larger cities like Russellville. The major events in the year are Butterfield Days, celebrating the history of the town when the Butterfield stagecoach Route ran through the town. This directly caused the rise of the town when the Potts family set up a boarding house for travelers to rest, creating a place for people to stay, instead of continuing onward. The Potts Inn is now a museum.
• Las Vegas, NV- The most populous city in Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. Las Vegas bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World. Established in 1905, Las Vegas officially became a city in 1911. At the close of the 20th century, Las Vegas was the most populous American city founded in that century. The city's tolerance for various forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City, and this image has made Las Vegas a popular setting for films and television programs. The first reported European visitor to the Las Vegas Valley was Raphael Rivera in 1829. Las Vegas was named by Spaniards who used the water in the area while heading north and west along the Old Spanish Trail from Texas. In the 19th century, areas of the valley contained artesian wells that supported extensive green areas or meadows (vegas in Spanish); hence the name Las Vegas.
• Colton, CA- Colton is a city in San Bernardino County. The population was 52,154 at the 2010 census. Colton was named after David Douty Colton who was the Vice President of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Colton is the site of Colton Crossing, one of the busiest at-grade railroad crossings in the United States. The main transcontinental trunk lines of Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe cross at this point. Famous residents include Kit Carson, Kat Von D, and Virgil and Wyatt Earp.
• Cheyenne, WY- The capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It was named for the American Indian Cheyenne nation, one of the most famous and prominent Great Plains tribes closely allied with the Arapaho. Cheyenne has one of only three enclosed shopping malls in Wyoming, the Frontier Mall. Cheyenne Frontier Days, which occurs during 10 days centered around the last full week in July, is the largest outdoor rodeo in the US. The events include professional bull riding, cattle roping, barrel racing and many others.
• Pingree, ID- Yes, he picked up potatoes in IDAHO! Pingree is an unincorporated community in Bingham County, ID. It is located on Idaho State Hwy 39, SW of Blackfoot, and NW of Pocatello. Idaho’s largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state. Idaho's nickname is the Potato State and the Gem State, because nearly every known gemstone has been found there.
• Salem, VA- Europeans first explored the area of Salem in 1671, when the Totero people had a village nearby. Explorers Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam gave the area its first recorded name: Totero Town, after this tribe, who supplied them with a guide to help with further exploration. It is bordered by the city of Roanoke to the east but otherwise adjacent to Roanoke County. The population was 24,802 according to 2010 U.S. Census.
• Kingsport, TN- a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County. It was originally referred to as “Salt Lick”. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County. The population was last recorded as 47,356. The name is a simplification of "King's Port", originally referring to the area on the Holston River known as King's Boat Yard, the head of navigation for the Tennessee Valley. Douglass High School in Kingsport was one of the largest African-American high schools in the region when it closed for desegregation in 1966.
• Grand Prairie, TX- Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Ellis, and Tarrant Counties and is a part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Grand Prairie is a suburb of both Dallas and Fort Worth and in 2006 had a population of 153,812. The city of Grand Prairie was first established as “Dechman” by Alexander McRae Dechman in 1863. The town of Grand Prairie was eventually incorporated as a city in 1909. During World War II and since, Grand Prairie has had a long history with the defense and aviation industry. Selena Gomez is from Grand Prairie.

As we speak (or as I type), Thomas should be somewhere between Little Rock and Grand Prairie. Exactly where I have no idea because he does not have his microchip in yet and I have not yet talked to him today. Since he was going to be driving until about 8am, he's probably asleep in his bunk right now. But when I do finally hear from him, I will have all sorts of fun facts for him about the places he's been visiting. Hope you guys enjoy the knowledge as well....


Hasta Luego!