I have followed the Anaheim (now Los Angeles Angels of) Angels for some time. It was the go-to event for a while when it came to Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, School Outings, Birthday Parties etc. When we moved to the area my family went to an Angels baseball game early, and somehow during the warmups I caught the attention of a player on the field who threw a ball squarely into the empty seat in front of me. That ball is housed in a little plastic box ready for display at a moments notice. When we bought a big screen tv that had to be wheeled in one of the first things we watched was the Angels World Series 2002. I remember gathering around the tv and hearing the cheers from neighboring houses as the series continued and how the neighborhood exploded in noise after their victory. A few years later I had not focused on baseball as much, only to find myself cheering them on later in high school and ultimately finding many a friend who was a fan once I got my next job or two. To say that the Angels are woven into the fabric of my story is not an understatement but a fact.
Imagine my excitement when we received the message the truck would be needed for an event at Spring Training game in Arizona. It was certainly an event we would have to cruise to no matter what it took. As we were about to see, it would take a a lot to get it there.
For the past few years the truck has been in a resting phase to put it lightly. Advised by our mechanics to not take drives longer than approximately 30+ mile round trip to LA, our out of state trips and longer trips have been off the table. This especially applied to driving to Arizona, which gave us a problem to solve. How do you get a truck to Arizona? We knew a few people who cruise to auto shows and haul vehicles to Arizona from time to time. Calls were made, messages were sent, even an email or two was sent out and everyone was either busy or not answering their messages. Many offered suggestions on how we could go about it ourselves.
Eventually we settled on renting a U-Haul pickup truck and vehicle trailer for the trip. Figuring out the budget and pickup plan was up in the air until a day or so before departure. I had never hauled/towed a trailer before. My previous experience in the piloting of larger vehicles only includes when I drove a friend’s full sized pickup back from the Palladium in college or, if you want to go on an aquatic tangent, when I used to drive boats around for a summer job. Luckily I was able to get in contact with a few people who offered tips for the drive. Due to the trips length and wet weather we would need an experienced co-pilot too. After the storm had spoiled some filming plans, Jason was able to join for the trip.
The night before we left I left work, changed clothes and drove to U-Haul. The Haul Truck was prepped and the Pizza Planet Truck was loaded onto the trailer. I cautiously drove home as rain began to fall, arrived home safely and promptly went to sleep for a bit before rising at 4am. We hit the road.
To save money the u-haul was picked up late in the day, to be returned two days later. This meant that our timeline was a little tight. Our initial plan was to leave around midnight on the second day to arrive home in time, but fate had other plans. As we cruised out there was a slight mist for most of the drive. Potholes appeared in the road, erosion in full effect after the recent storms. Once the sun rose and the clouds cleared I had a realization. While rushing to pack I had overlooked the need for sunglasses and only noticed my oversight when I was literally driving in the direction of the rising sun. We pulled off at a rest stop and we were nearly blown away when we opened the doors. The wind was whipping through the hills but we did not feel it too much due to the combined weight of the truck and trailer. Some mild gymnastics were performed to get into the glove compartment of the Pizza Planet Truck where I found a packaged pair of promotional glasses from an Otterbox giveaway from many years ago.
Since returning from this trip I have tossed several pairs of Knockaround Sunglasses (use discount code Knocksquad_Marco for 15% off) in the glovebox since I hope to never be without sunglasses on a road trip ever again.
Our drive continued and the sun made way for more sun and even more wind as we stopped for breakfast. Del Taco hit differently when you have been driving for hours. I have fond memories of a basket of Del Taco burritos providing fuel for the crew as we built the rocket in 2015. We finished breakfast and hit the road. As we barreled along the road we listened to many an album and chatted about anything and everything. Current problems, future plans and beyond. It was refreshing to feel the progress while making actual progress on the trip itself. We arrived in Tempe a little after noon, parked the truck, were told to come back later for check-in, and went on a search for food and something to fill the time. A short walk down the road and we found a Jack in the Box, which provided a few snacks during the remainder of the trip, on the way back we perused the aisles of a Goodwill for useful items. Once back to the hotel we sat in the lobby for a bit until we hit the time we were told to return for check-in.
Not to dwell on this too much but the hotel we stayed at was lacking in many ways. To go into every detail of this would distract from the main story, but I’ll return to that in a moment.
After sitting in the lobby for another 45 minutes (I ended up falling asleep on a leather lobby chair) we were told that even though we waited past the time we were told to return, we could not be checked in to our rooms. It was now 3pm local time and we decided to unload the truck and go for a cruise.
We crossed the river and cruised to Graduate Tempe for a quick stop. We had contacted the hotel before parking out front. Thankfully the lobby and food hall here was much more accommodating. Due to this we were able to reenergize while the truck drew the attention of many a passerby.
Once we finished up at Graduate Tempe the truck was driven back to the hotel. Due to the early call time the next day at Tempe Diablo Stadium (4AM) our dinner plans were based solely on proximity and high reviews. We crossed the street to a small pizza shop and dined on some freshly made pizza.
To some it may look like it’s too many slices, but for us it was perfectly portioned so we could save some for later. We made our way back to the hotel to wind down and sleep as well as we could. I’d like to think I could sleep anywhere but I was no match for the one-two punch of paper thin walls and the bent springs of a pull out. I rose well before the sunrise to take the truck over to the stadium for a very early live broadcast. The truck handled well in the chill of the early morning, and the roads were quiet except for a small section that was under construction. The truck rolled up just as the news crew was finishing one of many live spots. As early as I had to wake up, I cannot imagine how early the rest of the crew had to wake up.
After a few more news hits it was our time during the broadcast. The weather for the upcoming week was predicted to be cold and we had a quick chat about the truck and what it has been up to recently. It’s been a while since my last live interview but I think it went pretty well. I’m used to being on the other side of the camera, especially when the term live is being used. From there I headed back to the hotel and slept for a bit. Waking up just in time to head back to the stadium for setup.
The truck was part of a Visit Anaheim promotion where you could take a photo with the truck, enter a sweepstakes that included a trip to Anaheim, as well as a spot where you could pick up free sunglasses, orange air fresheners and drink koozies. Many of the fans were excited to see that truck parked in front of the stadium before the spring training game. Once the game started we headed to our seats and watched. the game from the upper deck. It was at this point that Jason and I discussed the upcoming schedule adjustments for the drive back. Our original plan was to leave around midnight to beat some of the traffic. Jason pointed out that while this would get us back to his place by 5-6ish, I would then have to drive the rest of the way home in the morning commute traffic, something that I wish to avoid. It was decided that we would leave closer to 11 which would allow for an easy drive for Jason’s drop off and the remainder of my drive home would clear as well.
Once the game finished we loaded up the truck and drove to Joe’s Italian Ice. While the truck has cruised to the Anaheim location on many occasions this was our first time making it to the original location in Arizona. Reenergized from some early dessert, we then cruised to the hotel for a quick chat with friends of the truck the Vibberts.
Then it was time to rest. I did my best to pack most of my bag up minus a few essentials for the road and relax before dinner. Our dinner plans quickly became an adventure when the spot we ventured out for on foot ended up being closed. Jason and I were craving ramen and according to the main page the restaurant was supposed to be open. We continued down the road and eventually weaved our way through a neighborhood to find a small Mexican food spot that hit the spot after a long day. After that we went back to the room to try to sleep again.
Due to the location of our room and the brightness of the exterior lights our room was always illuminated. Even in the dead of night. Jason and I had a laugh about how we kept thinking we had overslept and bolted up when we thought we spotted midday sun. Needless to say, this didn’t help us rest soundly before the drive home.
We drove the truck and trailer over to the nearest gas station, filled up the tank, grabbed a few bottles of water for the road, and hit the road again. As we left the city lights that refracted off of the clouds soon gave way to nearly pitch black sky. Several time the two lane road was reduced to a single lane and we performed the delicate dance of driving alongside big rigs during unexpected lane detours. A light rain sprinkled as we drove further into the desert. I started to get drowsy and luckily Jason had slept more soundly than I had and took over a little before the halfway mark home. I was able to get some shut eye during the drive, waking only for a gas stop and when we started descending the hill. By the time I fully woke up we were in the rain and due to Jason’s skillful driving we had gained time. By the time I dropped off Jason the rain had slowed to a drizzle.
Driving home was a stark contrast to the drive up. I can say with confidence that if I needed to haul the truck again it would be closer to hopping on a bike after not riding for some time versus general nervousness. The last two hours of the drive home was calm and easy, I ended up taking routes I was used to taking in a much smaller vehicle and was surprised to find how easy it was to maneuver from off ramp to off ramp. Essentially driving home with autopilot once I hit a specific freeway I ended up arriving home just before 6. The truck and trailer were parked down a residential street, locks were checked and I tromped home. After a grand total of maybe under 10 hours of sleep over 48 hours I was ready for a good night’s rest.
Thank you to the VisitAnaheim team as well as the stadium stuff at Tempe Diablo Stadium for such a fun and smooth running event/game. I’d also like to thank the team from Graduate Hotels and Graduate Hotel Tempe for their help during our quick afternoon stop (we’ll have to return to Tempe and stay there some day). Also, thanks to Jason who was one heck of a co-pilot during my first truck hauling trip.
Go Halos!
MISSION LOG 