The upscale New Yorker ran a generally favorable 15-page account of Don Ainsworth’s day-to-day travels.
HIGHBROW MEETS THE HIGHWAY
Don Ainsworth, a hazmat hauler who travels with his boot collection (mule, eel, anteater, alligator, crocodile) and searches truck stops for the Wall Street Journal, got more than his 15 minutes of fame. The upscale New Yorker ran a generally favorable 15-page account of his day-to-day travels.
Author John McPhee quickly learned that the love of an owner-operator for his truck is no small thing. Ainsworth, who wore T-shirts bearing his truck’s picture, insisted on having his Peterbilt and stainless-steel double-conical trailer washed only at one of the three places he knew of with reverse-osmosis or deionized rinse water to achieve spotless drying. He gladly tipped $15 to make sure the job was done right.
“This is as close as a man will ever know what it feels like to be a really gorgeous woman,” Ainsworth told McPhee. “People giving us looks, going thumbs up, etc.”
EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY
Some male attendees at the Mid-America Trucking Show found themselves barking up the wrong tree when it turned out the model at Mack’s swimsuit event had not two sleek legs, but four furry ones. Nevertheless, lovers of Macks – and dogs – were not disappointed when Cavalier Mack (a.k.a. Cavvie), accompanied by bodyguards, made his entrance.
Cavvie also appears in the eight-page “Swimsuit Edition” of Bulldog, which Mack mails to customers, dealers and enthusiasts. If you missed it, you can view its shots of the famous canine, occasionally sporting accessories such as snorkel gear or a volleyball, at www.mackswimsuit.com.
PHANTOM HITCHERS
“You drive too many hours, you get too tired, you start hallucinating. You see hitchhikers that aren’t there.”
– Jerry Smay, a California driving school instructor quoted in the Sacramento Union-Tribune
ISN’T ONE BABE ENOUGH?
“I’ve never taken a caffeine-fueled, demolition-derby-style road trip across the U.S. in an 18-wheeler to win the hearts of eight beautiful women.”
– Sega of America VP Mike Fischer, describing The King of Route 66, a video game released this spring
AT LEAST HE WASN’T TALKING ON HIS CELL
“Talk about asking for an accident.”
– Sheriff’s Capt. Tom Emerson of Grand Traverse County, Mich., after the arrest of a 19-year-old four-wheeler who was driving while watching a dash-mounted television
