Willin

The first time I heard Little Feat's song "Willin" I knew it was going to be a tune I would like for a long long time. It wasn't until I was a big truck driver and crossed the the Louisiana/Texas line way up in the piney woods that I understood the line "driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed". You see back then, carrying used railroad ties was a short margin business, so loading on more weight than was legal was one of the only ways in which to make a profit. But in the long run, it wasn't worth it because wear and tear on the truck and trailer caught up with any extra dollars made.
About three weeks ago I reserved a Penske truck to move all my stuff to El Paso. I started doing some math and figured out that I can move my belongings in boxes shipped by UPS at about a third the cost of renting that truck and paying for the gasoline. Besides, I have a car here, and the cost of towing it behind the truck is outrageously expensive in my mind. So, this week I've been hauling one box at a time on my trusty BOB trailer, then pedaling back home with an empty load (a big no no in the trucking business). Today though I decided to haul two boxes. It was during this trip with a wobbly load, a twisting frame, and generally treacherous trip that I was reminded of the song, and I love humming that line "driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed" again and again.
Tomorrow we will be back down to one box.