TWO-LANE TRUCKIN’
By Writers and Owner Operators Rod & Kim Grimm

Progress is not always such a good thing. Because of the rapid growing popularity and success of franchises and home builders who seem more interested in creating mass-produced developments instead of quaint neighborhoods, most big cities in America are becoming carbon copies of each other. With the same rows of fast food chains, the same stores in all the malls, and housing tracts where every third house looks like the third one back in another color, it’s hard to tell one American town from another anymore. That’s why we recommend, if you have the extra time, to get off of the interstate and take a nice two-lane drive to one of your next destinations.

But as Elmer Fudd would always say, “be vewy vewy caweful” when planning your two-lane getaway. When we first got on the road, forever ago, I had never been west of Nebraska, and back in the Midwest we go around the mile (in Iowa, streets are every mile, so a detour usually takes you “around the mile” so to speak). I was to quickly learn on my first trip into California (which is laid out much differently than Iowa) that sometimes it’s better to go around the 100 mile then try taking a scenic two-lane shortcut without checking it out first.

We loaded oranges in Porterville and had to go to Gonzales to finish out with carrots. Looking at the map I thought, why go clear up to Hwy. 152 or back down to Hwy. 46 when you can just go across Hwy. 198 to Hwy. 101, then head north up into Gonzales? I asked the guy who had loaded us if this was a good road for trucks and of course his reply was, “Trucks run that way all the time.” Don’t always trust the guy on the dock! It was good until we got west of Coalinga, but I (Kim) was petrified till we got on top of a hill where I could stop and we could switch seats. Of course, after that, the road got considerably better. Rod kept saying, “My, isn’t it pretty up here,” and I kept telling him to take pictures because we weren’t coming back! At the time, we were driving a cabover Freightliner and pulling a 45-foot trailer. So if you are new to California and think this looks like a good shortcut, mark it off of your map – it’s NOT!! Beautiful ride, yes. It didn’t take the several overturned loads of tomatoes and oranges, sitting on the sides of the road, for me to figure out that this road was made to run in a car. I now understood why it was such a great idea to run up to 152 or back down to 46.

One other California two-lane that was just peachy until the dump trucks in front of us turned left toward a quarry was Hwy. 23 from Moorpark to Fillmore. The first seven or eight miles were nice, but the rest of the trip was rough. Yes, Rod took pictures and no, we haven’t been that way again either. This time we had a cabover Kenworth and a 48-foot trailer. Usually, I somehow end up driving and Rod gets to take all the pictures on these adventures – and I don’t know how he always seems to work that out!

A two-lane road you can run as long as you have a 48-foot trailer (no 53-footers are allowed) is Hwy. 189 north of Provo, Utah up to Heber City. From there, you can catch Hwy. 40 west to I-80. This used to be a wonderful winding road along the Provo River, with Bridal Veil Falls being a neat stopping point along the way. Now a lot of the two-lane is being widened to four lanes because of the heavy traffic, but there are still some nice two-lane stretches. You can still get close to Bridal Veil Falls (in the summer) but watch out for avalanches in the winter. If you are lucky enough to go this way, watch out for the deer.

Back home in Iowa (and in Illinois and Wisconsin), there are some beautiful two-lane roads that pass through wonderful old towns with courthouses, town squares and houses that have character – big old houses that people are restoring or turning into Bed and Breakfasts. Many of the yards are filled with bikes and toys and lawn ornaments in the summer, and then cornstalks tied together, pumpkins, hay bales and scarecrows in the fall. Winter brings Christmas lights and displays beyond belief, and when spring comes and the trees start blooming and tulips and daffodils come to life, it all starts again.

I do sometimes miss running some of the two-lanes in the south. I remember the first time we went across Hwy. 190 in Louisiana; we learned that sugar cane doesn’t just come from Hawaii! Along that route, we found old houses with porches and people actually sitting on them, waving at us as we went by. The people there just seemed to be kicked back and taking life easy.

One time in New York, we had to deliver in this gorgeous little town along a river; there was so much to look at, 15 mph was still much too fast. Which brings me to another point: when you go through these little towns always remember to slow down – not just for the local cops, but so you don’t miss the uniqueness of that place. Also, at any time, a child could run out in the street, no matter how careful their parents are. And be extra polite in these smaller towns. Almost every town we go through now has “No Engine Brake” signs posted. The place for the jake is going down a mountain, not on the flat in some little town.

A few more of my favorites include Hwy. 17 in the state of Washington where it intersects with Hwy. 2 in Dry Falls. Once three times the size of Niagara, Dry Falls now, as the name implies, is dry. But still a sight that you won’t soon forget. Another scenic piece of road is Hwy. 287 south of Laramie, Wyoming (this is also a great way around the mountain between Cheyenne and Laramie when I-80 is closed). Hwy. 52 from Dubuque, Iowa south to Bellevue along the Mississippi River is also very nice.

In Eastern Pennsylvania, from Lancaster heading east across Hwy. 30, you’ll find some historic old buildings and houses, as well as some beautiful Amish country. We had to detour off Hwy. 30 one day because of an accident, which really put us out in the sticks. The people (and cows) were looking at us on their little road like they’d never seen so much traffic. In this part of the country, many people still work the land with a horse hitched to a plow instead of a big, green, John Deere tractor. And the quilts that these folks still make by hand are far and away the most beautiful in America. One word of caution: when driving through Amish country, you really need to look out for their horse and buggy rigs creeping along down the road, especially on a foggy day.

It’s four lanes now, but years ago, when we used to go down Hwy. 86 from Coachella, California to Brawley (along the Salton Sea) on our way to load produce in the winter, I always loved the smell of the fresh cut hay in January – it was like being back home in Iowa in the summer. I guess we like different routes for different reasons; some for the sheer beauty, some for the history and some just because of the memories they bring back to life. I guess you won’t know which roads you like best until you get out there and drive some.

Of course, the best two-lane road of all is the one that leads you home to your family and friends and, when it’s time to leave, back to the big road and the limitless possibilities for new adventures (the Army doesn’t have anything on trucking when it comes to adventure). So plan to get off the interstate sometimes and see a little more of the great country we so freely travel around. If planned well, you won’t regret it.