Evening before departure, the truck needed packing, that's when the rear window stopped working which meant the tailgate couldn't be dropped so 25 boxes had to be loaded through the rear passenger doors
Guess now I need to explain the purpose of the road trip Mrs Ahab and I were about to set off on. Like everyone on here we've been shocked by the news coming out of Ukraine and we decided a a few months ago we really needed to help in some small way.
I found out earlier this year a local business man had been taking 4x4 trucks/vehicles filled with humanitarian supplies into Ukraine, we had a chat, it sounded well organised, the chairty more than legitmate ie not fueling the black market
Without a moment of hesitation we offered to donate our old Toyota but with one previso, we drive it over and hand over the keys ourselves. Once we convinced the charity that we we're experienced travellers, wouldn't be a liability, they agreed!
Before each trip, a brief description of each vehicle is sent over and the guys organising everything out there decided where best to send each vehicle. We were more than pleased our old truck was to be driven over filled with medical suppliers, given to a unit near the front line and will be used as a 'snatch ambulance, evacuating injured troops to field hospitals
We stickered up the truck and then all signed it for good luck
Like any good road trip, it was early start, we left our house in convoy with one of the trucks towing a 3.5ton trailer which was part of a 4 truck convoy
We met the other trucks and drivers at the motorway services, brimmed the tanks and then straight to the Eurotunnel to jump on the next heavy goods train.
I managed to drive straight past the French customs window as I hadn't spotted it was a 1st floor window due to the height of the big rigs, no harm done, Mrs Ahab and I ran back, passed our passports up and jumped up and down so the officer could see our faces
Not like the usual car carriages we use where you can sit in the car walk about, we had to park up the Toyota and jumped on the truckers carriage
Our convoy was made up of 2x 2007 Nissan Navara's, a 2007 Mistubishi L200 towing a trailer of truck spares and our old Toyota. Our little motely crew of drivers were a great bunch, a local brewery/pub MD, an ex-drinks company MD, an ex-accountant now property developer, a mortgage adviser, an ex-close protection police offcier who has kept Prime Minsters, MP's and Royality safe, myself and Mrs Ahab
We assumed our positions in the convoy order, we were 2nd, our job was to keep the momentum going by pulling out in between the gaps in the traffic to help the lead truck with trailer with it's over taking of slower traffic. Just like an IB convoy but much slower, Mrs Ahab was exceptional at this, I just drove like an Italian, pulled out as I liked which at times didn't go down to well with our German friends
1st day was longish, drove all the way to a town near Koln, 550 miles or 15hrs of travelling, we would stop for fuel, food or just to rest the trucks and stretch our legs every couple of hours or so. One of many fuel stops
A bit of modern Porsche eye candy at an autobahn services somewhere in Germany, colour matching coupe and targa, hope they maxed out both cars
A beer, hearty meal and then straight to bed as day 2 would be a long day too!