Tripp Wheeler—C1

Tripp Wheeler Adventures
THE RED, WHITE
AND BLUE PARTY
BY Linda Hagopian AND Debbie Ruane Sparks
ILLUSTRATED BY Kenny Kiernan
BOOK #1

BOOK #1

Tripp Wheeler Adventures
THE RED, WHITE
AND BLUE PARTY
WRITTEN BY
Linda Hagopian AND Debbie Ruane Sparks
ILLUSTRATED BY
Kenny Kiernan

TRIPP WHEELER ADVENTURES
The Red, White and Blue Party
Copyright © 2018 by Delinda Enterprises, Inc.
Illustrated by Kenny Kiernan
Book designed by Andi Harris, Spectrum Creative, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without written permission from Delinda Enterprises, Inc.
Printed and manufactured in the United States of America.
First Printing, July 2018
ISBN: 978-1-7322771-0-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018906772

“Tripp, come on up and accept your Truck
Driver Rookie of the Year Award,” Bill Lading, the company
safety director, said proudly.
Jack Wheeler, Tripp’s dad and owner of the company, was
smiling ear to ear as Tripp was handed his award. “Now
your adventures will get more exciting because you can
drive anywhere!”
Bill announced, “Your next haul is a real sweet treat.
You’re delivering ice cream for the 4th of July Party in
Washington, D.C.!”

Tripp left the meeting feeling happy. He went outside to
get into his truck when he heard an irritated voice say,
“Hey Junior!”
“Huh?” Tripp looked up and saw Rusty Hooligan, a mean
old truck driver who never had anything nice to say.
“I said ‘Junior’ because you’re the boss’s son and that’s
why you got this special load!” Rusty said rudely.
“That’s not true,” Tripp replied.
“I can’t believe they are putting a rookie on such an
important haul,” Rusty said. “Don’t mess this up, Junior!”

Tripp fumbled for his keys, got in his truck, slammed the
door and mumbled, “He’s not the boss of me.”
As he settled in for the night, he realized how dark and
quiet it is in the yard and thought, “I hope I can fall asleep
because I need to be rested for tomorrow.”
Just then, Tripp heard footsteps on the gravel.
“I bet it’s Rusty trying to scare me. Oh, it’s only you, Detour!
Come in and hang out with me.”

As Tripp climbed into bed, he said, “I hope Coach is right
and I’m ready. Right now, I’m not feeling so sure. What do
you think, boy?”
Detour yawned and jumped into bed with Tripp.
“Good night, Detour. I’m glad you’re here.”

The next morning, Tripp and Detour walked around the
truck to make sure it was safe and ready for the road.
Tripp climbed into the truck after the inspection and said,
“I’m road ready, Detour!”
As he pulled away to start his adventure, he yelled, “See
you later!”
Detour barked loudly, once.
“Keep that dog quiet!” Rusty grumbled.
“What is it, Detour?” Tripp walked over to where Detour
was standing.
“Are you kidding me?” Tripp said.
“I knew you’d forget to hitch the trailer! What a rookie
move, Junior,” Rusty yelled.
“I fixed it, Detour,” Tripp said beaming. “You saved the day!
Do you want to come with me? I could use a helper like
you.”

Tripp and Detour rolled down the highway with their load
of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream.
“I’m so excited to visit Washington, D.C.!”
“I’ve never been there. It’s even more special because it’s
the 4th of July and we’ll get to see the most awesome
fireworks display!”

“Let’s stop here,” he said to Detour. “We’ll get the truck
washed so it looks shiny and new for the party.”
Tripp whistled and said, “Detour, look at that truck with
those decals! I want to talk to her!”

“Hi! Your truck looks so patriotic! Where did you get those
cool decals?” Tripp said.
“You can get them right here at the TRUXTOP,” the driver
said. “They have everything you need for the holiday.”
“Can you help me? I want to look perfect because I’m
carrying ice cream to the 4th of July celebration in the
Nation’s Capital.”
“You are?” she said. “I’m hauling the chocolate syrup for
the same party! What’s your name?”
“I’m Tripp Wheeler and this is my sidekick, Detour. He just
got promoted from yard dog.”
“Nice to meet you both,” she said, with the warmest smile.
“I’m Dollie Hauler. I’ve known your dad for a long time and
heard that you were driving for Wheeler Transport. Let’s
get your truck looking good for the party!”
“Now we can convoy to Washington, D.C.!” Tripp said. “We
will look awesome rolling along together!”
“Great, let’s keep in touch while we’re on the road,” Dollie
replied.

“Tripp calling Bumper. Are you there?”
Bumper is the dispatcher. She’s
also Tripp’s grandma. Everyone
loves her and relies on her for
help while they are on the
road.
“Yes Tripp. How’s your trip?”
Bumper giggled.
“I just met Dollie Hauler.”
“Oh, that’s great!” Bumper said. “She has her own trucking
business and always pulls through when we need extra
help. Dollie’s one of our favorites. You’ll learn a lot from
her. Bumper out.”
“Wait! Before you go, I want to let you know that I have
Detour just in case you were wondering where he was.”
“He’ll be good company for you while you’re on the road,”
Bumper said.

As they got closer to
the party, Tripp called
Dollie on the radio.
“Have you been to
Washington, D.C?”
he asked.
“I have, but never
for the 4th of July,”
Dollie said.
“WOOF,” Detour
interrupted.
“What’s going on? Why did Detour bark?” Dollie asked.
Tripp said, “I heard that bark this morning. I think it’s his
warning bark.”
“Detour has done it again! My temperature warning light
for the reefer unit just flashed on. All of the ice cream
could melt!”
“Well, we can’t take any chances,” Dollie instructed.
“There’s another TRUXTOP just up the road. Let’s pull in.”

Tripp called Bumper to tell her about the problem and to
ask her if the next TRUXTOP had a mechanic on duty.
A few minutes later, Bumper called Tripp to let him know
that they could help. They weren’t sure how long it would
take.
Tripp contacted Dollie. “I don’t know what I am going to
do. It might be a while. You should go ahead without me.”
“I can’t! If there is no ice cream, the kids won’t have
anything to put my chocolate syrup on! And, I’m not
haulin’ it for nothin’!” Dollie replied.
They parked their trucks, and Dollie rushed into the drivers
lounge for help.

“If we don’t do something, this ice cream’s going to melt,”
Tripp told Detour. “I’ll try a few of these switches before the
mechanic gets here.”
When he realized nothing worked, he checked the
temperature and saw that it was rising!
“Oh no! Where’s the mechanic? If we don’t fix this problem
now, we are going to ruin the party for the kids,” Tripp
said. “I might not be going to Washington, D.C. after all!”

“HELP IS HERE! The restaurant has freezer space, and they
are willing to store the ice cream.”
“Everyone is going to help unload the trailer,” Dollie
cheered.

Just then the mechanic arrived. “Hold on. I have a few
ideas.”
Tripp turned to Detour. “Cross your paws. I’m crossing my
fingers and toes. We need an ice cream miracle.”
Everyone froze as they watched the mechanic work on the
problem. After a few minutes, he turned around and gave
a thumb’s up as the unit started cooling the trailer again.
“Looks like we’ll stay together as a team! We’ll be driving
into Washington, D.C. after all!” Tripp shouted.

“Detour, there’s the Washington Monument!” Dollie and
Tripp finally arrived at the National Mall, just in time to
unload.
“Wow! They know how to throw a party. They even have
cherries to top the ice cream sundaes,” said Dollie.

After an exciting adventure, it was time to hit the road, but
Detour was missing. Tripp walked through the crowd and
found Detour and a new pal sharing a sundae.
“Oh, there you are, Detour!” Tripp said. “Glad to see you’re
enjoying the ice cream!”

As they left the party, Tripp called Dollie and said, “It was
so great how we handled the challenges today. I’m glad
you were with me. You rock!”
Dollie replied, “We worked well together as a team! You’re
going to do fine on long hauls, Tripp. I’m sure I’ll see you
on the road again.”

Tripp made his final call into dispatch and spoke with
Bumper. “The Red, White and Blue Party was a success!”
“That’s great news! I have your next trip planned. See
if you can guess where you’re going from this riddle,”
Bumper replied:
“It is going to be a home run and your hot dog
Detour will love it!”
Tripp turned to his trusty companion, “Detour, based on
that riddle, where do you think we’re going?”
Bumper said, “Be safe Good Buggy.”
Tripp signed off, “10-4!”

Tripp Wheeler Adventures
Ride along with Tripp, a truck driver, and Detour,
his sidekick, as they roll down the highway from
one adventure to another. You’ll see exciting
places and find out how they solve problems with
the help of people they meet along the way.
In this first book of the 10-4 Good Buggy series,
Tripp and Detour need to work with others to avoid
an ice cream meltdown in Washington, D.C.
BOOK #1