Riding in a Penske Truck: Texas to Pennsylvania

Big enough to haul the trunks and Suzie's stuff, but not too big that I'd be afraid to drive - that's the criteria Ed and I used in selecting a Penske rental truck for my run from Texas through Missouri and on to Pennsylvania. Our choice ended up being a white 12 foot box truck. We picked it up on a Thursday night. Friday with the help of the high school kid who works as a cook at Rodberg's Diner in Whitehouse, we emptied the rented storage space and loaded the trunks. Packed and padded to prevent damage to our stuff, I left Texas on June 9th.

I went as far a Joplin, Missouri on that first day. When I called Suzie to tell her that I was in Missouri, she and her roommate Kaylee squealed into the phone, "Mama, we can be there by midnight!" I was tickeled by their offer but I convinced them that I was tired from the drive and tomorrow would be soon enough to see them. The next day by 3 PM, their live squeals and hugs greeted me at an Interstate 70 gas station when I arrived in Montgomery City, Missouri.

Suzie and I waited for the sun to drop before unloading the truck. We hauled boxes maked "Suzie" into her summer rental and placed the kitchen table and chairs (the only unsold furnishings from our former home) in her empty dining room. She welcomed that little piece of home where we crowded around for meals, played aggressive games of canasta, and held family conversations.

I visited with Suzie until the morning of June 13th, a calculated date based on the seven day limit of the Penske rental agreement and the miles I still had to cover. When I once again manuvered onto Interstate 70, I was bound for Pennsylvania. Audio books made the miles roll by as I crossed through Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio.