Peace and quiet

The breeze is cool, in the odd moments when it gets through the cab windows. Not a lot of scenery—this truck stop actually is in an industrial district—but at least it's been cloudy and more or less cool.

It's hotter in the truck, of course, for the usual reasons. Not too hot to stand, but warmer than the air-conditioned spaces nearby. So why am I here?

Quiet.

It's a relative thing—a big diesel idles about six feet from the open window beside me, for instance—but it's the kind of quiet I need. And it's out of reach at every other seat within walking distance.

Most truck stops fall into one of two categories, and I have one of each right here. One type is described by some of the competition as “fuel-and-get-lost.” Take a convenience store, add diesel pumps, bring in a fast-food joint. Put in some showers, stock some trucker toys and supplies. If there's room, have a big parking lot in back.

And that's pretty much it. If you're lucky, you might find a table to sit at.

The other type tries to offer a bit more. A real sit-down restaurant. A lounge. A TV room. A real arcade. Maybe a movie room, and real shops. Some have barbers and massage therapists and even clinics. One chain tries for something like a hotel convention center.

One thing neither type has a lot of, though. Places where you can just sit and think.

Like the rest of the world, truck stops have apparently found distraction is more profitable. The “fuel and forget” places may not have a place to sit at all. The “trucker malls” may have a dozen different rooms. But where there's a seat or a table, there's usually a TV. You might can choose* between news, sports, and sitcoms, but silence is usually not an option.

For someone like me, who almost can't tune anything out, it's kind of tough. That's why I'm here, in my truck, rejoicing at every breeze that deigns to come thought the window. How can my quiet thoughts compete with Jim Carrey, Denzel Washington, a room full of Major League Baseball fans, or Jennifer Anniston?

A truck idling next to a warm cab works better. At least till I'm done writing.

And maybe napping. Talk to you later.