Dasher Diary: From Roadrunners to Donkeys: Amarillo Delivery Surprises

The thing about delivering in Amarillo is you really don't know what to expect. It could be an easy day of pickups and drop-offs. You might even avoid construction altogether. These are the dream days.

Then there are days that you wait forever at the restaurant. You end up having a hard time finding the customer at drop-off. Sometimes everything just seems to go wrong. Those are the days that you hope you don't encounter too often.

The Ups and Downs of Delivery Life

On those days, with zero or very low tips, you just want to call it quits. Sometimes that is exactly what you do. Then there are times that you stick it out for a few more deliveries and everything just magically fixes itself. The customers start tipping and the delivery world is great again.

When Low Tips Kill Motivation

You never know what you are going to face in Amarillo. Sometimes it is not even the customers who make a delivery unique. You can run into all kinds of animals while you are out delivering as well.

Animals That Make Deliveries Unpredictable

Some are harmless kittens. Sometimes you have an unusual bird run past you. I was out recently at a house outside the city limits when the customer had a cute roadrunner sign. I thought it was just for decoration until I saw a roadrunner quickly scoot past. I wished I had my camera ready.

Read More: Dasher Diary: Some Amarillo Customers Have No Shame |

I run into horses and other livestock. Even a donkey or two. I mean, why not? There are countless dogs that I have to worry about. Sometimes I worry about being attacked, and sometimes I don’t. I always worry if the food is going to be snatched from the neighborhood pooch.

Why Every Route Becomes a Story

I can deliver. I can take a photo of it showing it was delivered, but if there is a dog in the neighborhood sniffing around, there is really nothing that I can do to protect it. Animals can really make the delivery interesting.