The OOIDA tour trailer stops in Spokane, Wash.

Thursday through Saturday you can look for Marty Ellis and the OOIDA tour trailer at the Petro truck stop in Spokane, Wash.

Ellis and the Spirit of the American Trucker trailer are scheduled Aug. 25-27 at the Spokane Petro at Exit 272 from I-90.

The Spokane Petro has parking for 200 tractor-trailers. There is no full-service diner at this truck stop. However, there is a Starbucks with coffee and sandwiches. In addition, the Deli Express offers hot food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving it cafeteria-style. The Spokane Petro opened in 2006. Back then it had an Iron Skillet restaurant, but it is closed now.

Spokane is only 20 miles from the Idaho border. The city is named for the Spokane native people’s tribe.

I-90 is just over 3,000 miles long and is the longest east-west interstate highway in the U.S. It starts in Seattle, connects to Spokane and travels east all the way to Boston.

Chippewa Chick

Ellis comes to Spokane from Gee Cee’s Truck Stop in Toledo, Wash. One thing that makes the independent, family-run Gee Cee’s unique might be the good chance that you will get to see this vehicle parked there.

The Chippewa Chick is a modified 1954 Chevy five-window truck owned by Rachel Wallace. She is the daughter of the current owner of Gee Cee’s, Jim Wallace, and the granddaughter of the truck stop’s founder, Gail Wallace.

The truck is an homage to Rachel Wallace’s other grandfather, who was a full-blooded Chippewa Indian and a Marine. His tomahawk is the gear shifter.

OOIDA members

Land Line Now

Ellis regularly discusses things he sees on the road or hears from truck drivers on Friday broadcasts of Land Line Now. Last Friday, Ellis talked about short-haul hours-of-service exemptions with host Mark Reddig.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

On Monday, Ellis plans to park the Spirit of the American Trucker trailer at the TA Travel Stop in Laurel, Mont. It is Exit 437 from I-90. It is about 550 miles from the Spokane Petro. After that, Ellis is scheduled to keep going east to two stops in North Dakota.

If you see the OOIDA tour trailer, stop by and say hello. Ellis looks forward to visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. There are copies of Land Line Magazine to pick up there. You can join or renew your membership for $10 off the regular price at The Spirit. Face masks are available at The Spirit for anyone with a commercial driver’s license.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL