Our load picked up in Salem, OR this morning so yesterday, after we unloaded we headed down interstate 5 to Portland and the Jubitz truckstop. Out here in the West, Jubitz is famous and we can see why! It's a HUGE travelcenter with 2 hotels, a country/western lounge, full service restaurant, movie theater, convenience store, gift shop, deli and tons of truck parking and service options. You can check it out here if you are so inclined.
Once we got parked and Jack walked, we went in to take a closer look. While perusing through the gift shop, we met Tom; a driver from Alaska. We talked a little about de bidness and mentioned that we were going to have a drink in the lounge a little later. Tom said he had the same inclination and he'd probably see us there. Well, we did, he did and we got a table together and talked and told stories for quite a long time. He had to be up at 0500 so we exchanged #'s and parted ways. Beth decided that we should go too and she was right. It was my time at night and instead of coffee and the water I'm used to drinking, it was beer so needless to say it wasn't long and my head was pounding. A throbbing migraine that starts at the base of my neck and travels up and over to stab me right behind the eyes. I fell asleep at 0200 our time and at 1000 my head still wasn't better. I don't know if it was the beer that caused the headache or the lack of caffeine or the lack of water, but I can always count on Beth to take care of me. Before she left this morning, she made sure I had taken something and when she went in, she brought me back a Coke and let me sleep. Obviously I'm feeling better now, but who knows where I'd be without my guardian angel. We're now travelling East on I-82 and I'll be taking over soon I just wanted to get it all down before I forgot.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Ti-i-i-ime, ain't on my side...no, it ain't...Ti-i-i-ime..
OK, so who has time to do a daily blow by blow of their life? And on top of that, who really cares that much about someone else's life when theirs is probably just a full and interesting and THEY don't have to put it down in some obscure little cobweb-ridden corner of the tri-dub? That being said, I don't promise to do better cause we both know that's a lie. When something becomes work, we have a tendency to procrastinate( or at least I do), and nothing gets done, then we get behind and then there's stress. Well, I will promise that I'm not going to stress over this thing anymore. I want to keep it fun. I do enjoy it, but it is just too time consuming to keep up with it constantly.
Beth and I had a great vacation. We went to Washington, D.C. to see Suzy and had a blast!! It was her birthday and there was a party every night we were there. After 3 days, we left D.C. and headed down to Patrick County for a little family fun on the farm. Uncle Frank recently built a FANTASTIC pond on the old home place and between enjoying the pond and seeing all the family We had a wonderful time. I hate that I didn't get to see everyone (sorry about that) but there's just not enough time in the day to do all we want to do. I suffered a bout of gravy poisoning and spent most of the day on the porta-loue, but it was worth it. I haven't eaten like that in months! It's hard to feel good about eating anything fried, but no antibiotic, hormone free fried chicken makes me feel just fine. After leaving the pond, we drove down the Blue Ridge Parkway and camped out a night at the Linville Falls State Park. We finished off the last of our chicken and what few beers we had and called it a night. Next morning, Beth and I and Jack went hiking the falls. We started out on the strenuous trails (I mean how bad can it be? .3 and .7 miles). Well, suffice it to say, we're not up for strenuous trails just yet. Even Jack was dragging his tongue by the time we got back. I've also got to remember that no matter how far you hike, you MUST take water with you! I even had a camelbak at the site, but did I take it?? No-o-o-o!
By now, we were really anxious to get home so instead of taking the Parkway all the way down, we jumped off in Asheville and rode interstate. It saved us about an hour and a half and boy were we glad of it. We had a couple of days at the house and now we are on our way back from Salinas, CA with a load of lettuce. So the next time you eat Fresh Express bag o' salad, think about us..
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Ok, so where was I?...
I've been away from the computer for a while, I know. Partly because I'm still trying to get back on my shift schedule, partly from computer problems, and partly because with my rekindled interest in hunting and the outdoors, I've spent my time on the computer mostly on hunting sites and perusing the Cabela's catalog online. I SOOOOO can't wait until I can get back out in the woods with a loaded weapon. Right now in Georgia it's turkey season. One of my favorites but unfortunately, my shotgun is resting comfortably in North Carolina and I'm in Bakersfield, CA. Meaning that even if I was home I couldn't go hunting. Ah well, the anxious anticipation is just as titillating as sitting with my back to a tree in the woods at dawn awaiting the soft crunch of leaves somewhere close by.
As for the cruise, I was on day 5 I believe. I awoke about 5:30 a.m and looked out our balcony door to take in the shining jewel of Aruba. Oranjestad to be precise. The cruise ship was not farther than a quarter mile from the main drag. In fact, the only thing between the ship and shopping was a local marina. Beth and I got up, dressed and headed for breakfast. The stewards usually leave some information about the next port of call the night before you get there so you have a chance to familiarize yourself a little. I prefer to do this over breakfast. It's fresher on the mind that way and it also avoids that awkward eye contact thing from the people at the next table. After breakfast, we headed back to the room to gather our excursion gear. We decided to take our own snorkel gear and man was that a blessing! We disembarked and caught a local bus to Malmok beach on the other side of the island. We spent most of the morning there in the water and walking around the quaint neighborhood. By noon though, we were both getting hungry so we caught the nearest local back to town. Roundtrip...$2. We found a great local hangout downtown called Iguana Joe's and had a wonderful lunch. These Caribbean towns are known for their duty free shopping so we had to do a little of that too. We bought some local artwork, a wedding band for me, and I bought 3 cubano cigaros.(a Monte Cristo #2, a Cohiba, and a Romeo y Juleitta). It was getting late and while Aruba is also known for its nightlife, we on the other hand are not. We headed back to the ship with our booty and after dinner sat out on our balcony for a while to watch the partiers head for town. It was another early-to-bed night but that was OK because day 6 was the one I was waiting on...
Willemstad, Curacao. From the pictures we saw before the trip, the storefronts on Handelskade look very much like the colorful Rainbow Row of Charleston, SC. While it was similar, it was very obvious we were worlds away from the low country. We had a paid for excursion here so we met our transportation and headed off to the snorkelling hole. Our guide took us and 3 other couples on a speedy tour through the city and over the bridge towering above the waterway. We were the only excursion going out that far but it was well worth it. Our first dive was a good introduction for the other couples, but evidently Beth and I won the confidence of the guide because she said, " we're heading over there to that pylon so if you want to go on ahead, we'll meet you over there." We did and enjoyed all the wonderful coral formations and tropical fish and the rest of the group wasn't that far behind us anyway. One drawback, however, was that Beth and I were the youngest in the group and while we could have stayed out there all day, we didn't want to be the ones everyone was waiting on so we all stayed and played together. On the way to the next spot, we stopped at a hospital that was used in the 1800's as a quarantine hospital and later during WWII as an allied hospital for wounded military personnel. Then we were taken to the fort that was built back in the 1700's and which most of is still standing and in fairly decent shape. I commented on the odd yellow bricks used in some of the buildings and the guide said that they were all imported from Denmark (it is the Dutch Antilles after all) and that at the time the fort was the most expensive of its kind in the New World. Our second dive spot was also spectacular and with the bonus of a sunken tugboat to dive. I believe I was the only one not staying on the surface and it was getting pretty crowded by that time because there were other excursion boats gathered around. We got back into town a little before 1:00PM and asked our guide for the best local lunch fare. After she dropped us off, we made our way to La Gouverneur and had a great lunch over looking the waterway and on the other side, the colorful Handelskade. An interesting note: Willemstad is on the waterway between an oil refinery and open water so a couple of times during lunch, there were HUGE tanker ships heading out to sea and looming so big and so close that we couldn't even see the tops of them from our seats without craning our necks down. After lunch we hit the markets and walked across the foot bridge to traipse across Handelskade. There were some local crafts people set up and we bought a couple pieces of local handicrafts then walked through the more commercial shopping area behind Handelskade. The ship was leaving at 5:00PM so we hurried back to the boat. Beth was tired and stayed in the stateroom but I went up and out on deck 12 to watch the whole operation of un-mooring and leaving the dock. From where I stood, I could see officers up on the flying bridge and the tenders down below. Very neat operation that. I would have loved to stay there a little longer but there's always the next cruise. After dinner, we met some friends and played some pool on the auto stabilizing tables. You'd be surprised, but on tables like these, it's actually EASIER to hit the ball after having a few drinks. Hey, tomorrow's another sea day, I can sleep late..
As for the cruise, I was on day 5 I believe. I awoke about 5:30 a.m and looked out our balcony door to take in the shining jewel of Aruba. Oranjestad to be precise. The cruise ship was not farther than a quarter mile from the main drag. In fact, the only thing between the ship and shopping was a local marina. Beth and I got up, dressed and headed for breakfast. The stewards usually leave some information about the next port of call the night before you get there so you have a chance to familiarize yourself a little. I prefer to do this over breakfast. It's fresher on the mind that way and it also avoids that awkward eye contact thing from the people at the next table. After breakfast, we headed back to the room to gather our excursion gear. We decided to take our own snorkel gear and man was that a blessing! We disembarked and caught a local bus to Malmok beach on the other side of the island. We spent most of the morning there in the water and walking around the quaint neighborhood. By noon though, we were both getting hungry so we caught the nearest local back to town. Roundtrip...$2. We found a great local hangout downtown called Iguana Joe's and had a wonderful lunch. These Caribbean towns are known for their duty free shopping so we had to do a little of that too. We bought some local artwork, a wedding band for me, and I bought 3 cubano cigaros.(a Monte Cristo #2, a Cohiba, and a Romeo y Juleitta). It was getting late and while Aruba is also known for its nightlife, we on the other hand are not. We headed back to the ship with our booty and after dinner sat out on our balcony for a while to watch the partiers head for town. It was another early-to-bed night but that was OK because day 6 was the one I was waiting on...
Willemstad, Curacao. From the pictures we saw before the trip, the storefronts on Handelskade look very much like the colorful Rainbow Row of Charleston, SC. While it was similar, it was very obvious we were worlds away from the low country. We had a paid for excursion here so we met our transportation and headed off to the snorkelling hole. Our guide took us and 3 other couples on a speedy tour through the city and over the bridge towering above the waterway. We were the only excursion going out that far but it was well worth it. Our first dive was a good introduction for the other couples, but evidently Beth and I won the confidence of the guide because she said, " we're heading over there to that pylon so if you want to go on ahead, we'll meet you over there." We did and enjoyed all the wonderful coral formations and tropical fish and the rest of the group wasn't that far behind us anyway. One drawback, however, was that Beth and I were the youngest in the group and while we could have stayed out there all day, we didn't want to be the ones everyone was waiting on so we all stayed and played together. On the way to the next spot, we stopped at a hospital that was used in the 1800's as a quarantine hospital and later during WWII as an allied hospital for wounded military personnel. Then we were taken to the fort that was built back in the 1700's and which most of is still standing and in fairly decent shape. I commented on the odd yellow bricks used in some of the buildings and the guide said that they were all imported from Denmark (it is the Dutch Antilles after all) and that at the time the fort was the most expensive of its kind in the New World. Our second dive spot was also spectacular and with the bonus of a sunken tugboat to dive. I believe I was the only one not staying on the surface and it was getting pretty crowded by that time because there were other excursion boats gathered around. We got back into town a little before 1:00PM and asked our guide for the best local lunch fare. After she dropped us off, we made our way to La Gouverneur and had a great lunch over looking the waterway and on the other side, the colorful Handelskade. An interesting note: Willemstad is on the waterway between an oil refinery and open water so a couple of times during lunch, there were HUGE tanker ships heading out to sea and looming so big and so close that we couldn't even see the tops of them from our seats without craning our necks down. After lunch we hit the markets and walked across the foot bridge to traipse across Handelskade. There were some local crafts people set up and we bought a couple pieces of local handicrafts then walked through the more commercial shopping area behind Handelskade. The ship was leaving at 5:00PM so we hurried back to the boat. Beth was tired and stayed in the stateroom but I went up and out on deck 12 to watch the whole operation of un-mooring and leaving the dock. From where I stood, I could see officers up on the flying bridge and the tenders down below. Very neat operation that. I would have loved to stay there a little longer but there's always the next cruise. After dinner, we met some friends and played some pool on the auto stabilizing tables. You'd be surprised, but on tables like these, it's actually EASIER to hit the ball after having a few drinks. Hey, tomorrow's another sea day, I can sleep late..
Friday, February 09, 2007
Panama Cruise, day 2 and 3
Day 2 was a “sea day” meaning that there were no ports to visit or excursions to enjoy. That doesn’t mean it was boring, on the contrary, I loved sea days. There were lots of activities to do or you could just find a nice place to sit in the solarium and get caught up on your reading. Day 2 started out just like I had planned. I got up at 5:30 a.m. and went to the gym. I walked for half an hour and then lifted weights for another half an hour. By the time I got back to the stateroom, Beth was up and had already been to the coffee shop onboard (Latte-tudes. Cute, huh?). She noticed in the Compass (the daily activities list, etc.) that there was an art auction that afternoon with complimentary champagne. Now there are two words that should never be used in the same sentence! Free AND champagne?! What were they thinking? Add that to “art auction” and watch out, now you’re messing with nitroglycerine. (Come to think of it, I guess that WAS what they were thinking.) We did our share of free champagne, and theirs, and theirs, and oh yeah, theirs. And we even bought a little art for the house. Beth had the good sense to stop there with the alcohol. I, on the other hand, have never been known for my sense, good or otherwise. I keep telling myself, “live and learn”, but I keep livin’ without learning a damn thing. I switched to wine at dinner, then on to the Cuba Libre’s (that’s rum and coke to you land lubbers) after dinner. Well that takes us up to 8pm and that’s all I can tell you about day 2.
My head still hurts thinking about day 3. Day 3 was our first Port-of-call: Labadee, Haiti. A private section of the island owned exclusively by Royal Caribbean Intl. We had a kayaking trip scheduled, but I wasn’t up for it. In fact, I never made it off the boat when we got there. Beth did her kayaking and shopping and graciously came back to check on me (have I said how much I LOVE this woman?). I hadn’t moved. I was frozen in time with only one leg in my pants and both fists still wrapped around the waistband and slumped sadly to one side. She convinced me to get up and showered and to at least try to see some of Haiti. The shower did make me feel better and by the time we ate a little breakfast and caught the tender over, I was ready. She had talked to the kayak people and they had agreed to move my trip to the 1 o’clock trip so I wouldn’t miss out. We saw a couple of shows and did a little shopping and wading in the ocean and then it was my turn to kayak. Normally I like kayaking but I got my payback this day. The kayaks they use are tandems meaning 2-seaters. If only one person uses it, they have to sit in the back and since it’s built for 2, they are very unstable. The offered to seat someone with me but I had been kayaking before and figured I could handle it. It never occurred to me that I had never been in a tandem kayak, let alone by myself. When one person sits in the back of a tandem kayak, the front end sticks up in the air and acts somewhat like a sail. I spent the next 2 hours fighting the currents, winds, and aggravation. Yep, I’d say I got mine back in spades that day. We did a little snorkeling and then caught the last tender back to the ship. No wine with dinner that night and we were back in the room and in our pj’s by 8:30. We were both exhausted but I’m glad I didn’t miss out. Day 4 was another sea day and man was I glad. So much for getting up and hitting the gym every morning.
My head still hurts thinking about day 3. Day 3 was our first Port-of-call: Labadee, Haiti. A private section of the island owned exclusively by Royal Caribbean Intl. We had a kayaking trip scheduled, but I wasn’t up for it. In fact, I never made it off the boat when we got there. Beth did her kayaking and shopping and graciously came back to check on me (have I said how much I LOVE this woman?). I hadn’t moved. I was frozen in time with only one leg in my pants and both fists still wrapped around the waistband and slumped sadly to one side. She convinced me to get up and showered and to at least try to see some of Haiti. The shower did make me feel better and by the time we ate a little breakfast and caught the tender over, I was ready. She had talked to the kayak people and they had agreed to move my trip to the 1 o’clock trip so I wouldn’t miss out. We saw a couple of shows and did a little shopping and wading in the ocean and then it was my turn to kayak. Normally I like kayaking but I got my payback this day. The kayaks they use are tandems meaning 2-seaters. If only one person uses it, they have to sit in the back and since it’s built for 2, they are very unstable. The offered to seat someone with me but I had been kayaking before and figured I could handle it. It never occurred to me that I had never been in a tandem kayak, let alone by myself. When one person sits in the back of a tandem kayak, the front end sticks up in the air and acts somewhat like a sail. I spent the next 2 hours fighting the currents, winds, and aggravation. Yep, I’d say I got mine back in spades that day. We did a little snorkeling and then caught the last tender back to the ship. No wine with dinner that night and we were back in the room and in our pj’s by 8:30. We were both exhausted but I’m glad I didn’t miss out. Day 4 was another sea day and man was I glad. So much for getting up and hitting the gym every morning.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Home again, home again, jiggety jig
We've been home for a few days now from our Panama cruise. It's taken that long just to get our gears meshed back in line. We're both still tired and dreamy but slowly we're returning to the normalcy of everyday life as a trucker. The trip was phenomenal and over the course of the next few days, I'll be recapping our trip as there is probably not a whole lot of new stuff going on between here and Seattle.
As I said before, we're both tired but...
We arrived in Miami about 11:30 on the 21st. We couldn't check in yet so we returned the car and walked back. It was only nine blocks back. We hung out in the lobby for a little while. I didn't want to move because I was lugging a 48 lbs. book bag around filled with our computer, money, and everything we didn't want stolen. I was eventually talked into finding a place to get a drink and since we were right across the street from the famous 'Bayside', that wasn't hard to do. Bayside is kind of like smaller, more expensive version of Myrtle Beach. Lots of boutiques, restaurants, and clubs. Beth and I settled at Bubba Gump's and started relaxing. We were to meet a couple, Steve and Cathy from Arizona, for dinner so we headed back to get ready. We met them through the cruisecritic website. Now by this point, I was feeling no pain. I don't know if it was from excitement or anxiety but I was passed my line. We met the couple at Bubba Gump's and had a wonderful dinner. Afterwards, Beth and I walked around the market and took in the Miami nightlife. I smoked one of my cigars as we walked and by the time we got back to the room, we were both ready for bed.
The next morning I realized it was anxiety that was knocking on my door. While Beth was napping, I had to call my support structure. I was feeling undeserving and even a little afraid of what was about to happen. I'd never left the country, let alone on a boat. I'd never done anything that required the involvement of so many documents and governmental regulations. I'd never been on a ship that size with that many people. There was so many things going through my head I wasn't even sure that I wanted to go. I only knew that I was going and the sooner we got going, the sooner we got back. I was excited but I was more anxious.
We showered and repacked and got a taxi to the port. We tipped our porter and went through the boarding process without a hitch. It only took us 45 minutes to get from the taxi to the lobby of the ship. Now keep in mind, I was still bogged down with a 50 lbs. pack, but we had to do a lot of stuff before I could unburden myself and relax. We had to check on reservations for the upscale dining room, Portofino's; we had to check with guest relations for the 'cybercabin' (internet) cables; we had lunch; checked on the 'wine & dine' packages. We were up and down stairs and elevators most of the rest of the morning which did nothing for my anxiety, but by 1 o'clock we could get into our stateroom. I was so relieved to put that bookbag down! We relaxed for a while then went exploring. The ship, at first, was huge! It was like a city on water. Movie theater, spa, gym, pools, casino, basketball court, restaurants, and bars, so many bars! We got back to the room and dressed for dinner. One of the few nights we could wear shorts to the dining room so we took advantage. Besides, our luggage hadn't arrived to the room yet. We were fortunate to have such wonderful tablemates. There was Bernie and Sandie from Colorado, Cynthia, Gussie, and Joanie from Florida and NY, Mike and Anne from Arizona, and Keith and Sue all the way from Kent, England. We later found out that Keith and Sue own Teapot Island in Kent and are in the Guiness Book of World Records for the most tea pots. Their website can be found at www.teapotisland.com. After dinner Beth and I were completely exhausted. We headed back to the stateroom and then to bed. Fortunately, the next day was a sea day so we could sleep in.
As I said before, we're both tired but...
We arrived in Miami about 11:30 on the 21st. We couldn't check in yet so we returned the car and walked back. It was only nine blocks back. We hung out in the lobby for a little while. I didn't want to move because I was lugging a 48 lbs. book bag around filled with our computer, money, and everything we didn't want stolen. I was eventually talked into finding a place to get a drink and since we were right across the street from the famous 'Bayside', that wasn't hard to do. Bayside is kind of like smaller, more expensive version of Myrtle Beach. Lots of boutiques, restaurants, and clubs. Beth and I settled at Bubba Gump's and started relaxing. We were to meet a couple, Steve and Cathy from Arizona, for dinner so we headed back to get ready. We met them through the cruisecritic website. Now by this point, I was feeling no pain. I don't know if it was from excitement or anxiety but I was passed my line. We met the couple at Bubba Gump's and had a wonderful dinner. Afterwards, Beth and I walked around the market and took in the Miami nightlife. I smoked one of my cigars as we walked and by the time we got back to the room, we were both ready for bed.
The next morning I realized it was anxiety that was knocking on my door. While Beth was napping, I had to call my support structure. I was feeling undeserving and even a little afraid of what was about to happen. I'd never left the country, let alone on a boat. I'd never done anything that required the involvement of so many documents and governmental regulations. I'd never been on a ship that size with that many people. There was so many things going through my head I wasn't even sure that I wanted to go. I only knew that I was going and the sooner we got going, the sooner we got back. I was excited but I was more anxious.
We showered and repacked and got a taxi to the port. We tipped our porter and went through the boarding process without a hitch. It only took us 45 minutes to get from the taxi to the lobby of the ship. Now keep in mind, I was still bogged down with a 50 lbs. pack, but we had to do a lot of stuff before I could unburden myself and relax. We had to check on reservations for the upscale dining room, Portofino's; we had to check with guest relations for the 'cybercabin' (internet) cables; we had lunch; checked on the 'wine & dine' packages. We were up and down stairs and elevators most of the rest of the morning which did nothing for my anxiety, but by 1 o'clock we could get into our stateroom. I was so relieved to put that bookbag down! We relaxed for a while then went exploring. The ship, at first, was huge! It was like a city on water. Movie theater, spa, gym, pools, casino, basketball court, restaurants, and bars, so many bars! We got back to the room and dressed for dinner. One of the few nights we could wear shorts to the dining room so we took advantage. Besides, our luggage hadn't arrived to the room yet. We were fortunate to have such wonderful tablemates. There was Bernie and Sandie from Colorado, Cynthia, Gussie, and Joanie from Florida and NY, Mike and Anne from Arizona, and Keith and Sue all the way from Kent, England. We later found out that Keith and Sue own Teapot Island in Kent and are in the Guiness Book of World Records for the most tea pots. Their website can be found at www.teapotisland.com. After dinner Beth and I were completely exhausted. We headed back to the stateroom and then to bed. Fortunately, the next day was a sea day so we could sleep in.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Writer's Bloc(head)
Dateline: Modesto, CA 1/16/2007 3:10 AM
I’m starting to get a little concerned. Most of the time after we deliver a load out here we at least know which direction to go pick up our backhaul. We don’t even have a load yet! We got unloaded early this (yesterday, now) afternoon and moved our truck to the truck stop to wait it out. We were able to sit and have a quiet dinner and watch a few movies but that’s not helping us get back home for our cruise. Last night I got to our receiver early and had a few hours of downtime but I really just felt like goofing on the computer instead of burning the wee hour oil and coming up with something to blog about. I was able, however, to get completely caught up on my sleep. Finally!!
As I said, we watched a few movies and Beth went to bed. Hopefully we’ll get a one pickup load in Yuma tomorrow and wind it out all the way home. We can manage a little over 1300 miles a day so we’re not down to the wire yet but we’re getting close.
Last night I joined Co-Op America. I was looking for some socially responsible investments to put our future nest egg into and ran across the site. I’ve posted it under our ‘links’ and I do highly recommend it. Not only is there some info on SRI as it is also known, there is also some great info on living green and shopping green and sustaining a green life style. I think it was Kermit who said it best when he said, “It’s not easy being Green.”
I feel a little guilty running the truck but then I stuck my head out the window. We’re in the middle of California and it’s 38 degrees or my name isn’t Johnny Walker. Ok, so my name isn’t Johnny Walker and I don’t know what the temperature is but believe me…it’s COLD!!
I don’t know if I’ve got cruising on the brain or my music is too loud but I really can’t think of a thing else to say. The trip’s fine, the weather’s cold, we’re on our last lap before our cruise, we’re all excited about a little fun in the sun (even Jack; he’s spending a week in Florida with Nana and Pop-Pop.).
Other than that, all’s well…How are you?
I’m starting to get a little concerned. Most of the time after we deliver a load out here we at least know which direction to go pick up our backhaul. We don’t even have a load yet! We got unloaded early this (yesterday, now) afternoon and moved our truck to the truck stop to wait it out. We were able to sit and have a quiet dinner and watch a few movies but that’s not helping us get back home for our cruise. Last night I got to our receiver early and had a few hours of downtime but I really just felt like goofing on the computer instead of burning the wee hour oil and coming up with something to blog about. I was able, however, to get completely caught up on my sleep. Finally!!
As I said, we watched a few movies and Beth went to bed. Hopefully we’ll get a one pickup load in Yuma tomorrow and wind it out all the way home. We can manage a little over 1300 miles a day so we’re not down to the wire yet but we’re getting close.
Last night I joined Co-Op America. I was looking for some socially responsible investments to put our future nest egg into and ran across the site. I’ve posted it under our ‘links’ and I do highly recommend it. Not only is there some info on SRI as it is also known, there is also some great info on living green and shopping green and sustaining a green life style. I think it was Kermit who said it best when he said, “It’s not easy being Green.”
I feel a little guilty running the truck but then I stuck my head out the window. We’re in the middle of California and it’s 38 degrees or my name isn’t Johnny Walker. Ok, so my name isn’t Johnny Walker and I don’t know what the temperature is but believe me…it’s COLD!!
I don’t know if I’ve got cruising on the brain or my music is too loud but I really can’t think of a thing else to say. The trip’s fine, the weather’s cold, we’re on our last lap before our cruise, we’re all excited about a little fun in the sun (even Jack; he’s spending a week in Florida with Nana and Pop-Pop.).
Other than that, all’s well…How are you?
Friday, January 12, 2007
{Yawn}...Are we done yet?
I haven’t written in a few days because It’s been, as Jack would say, RUFF! My whole sleeping experience( or should I say lack of sleeping) began in Texas and you can glimpse a little of what I had to deal with from my notes below…
“It is a well-known fact among truckers that at one time I-40 through Arkansas was the worst stretch of road in the entire country. In the past few years, Arkansas has done a stellar job of road repair and maintenance and has redeemed itself. I've found the replacement and can honestly say it has surpassed its predecessor exponentially.
Once my tour of duty was complete, I stayed up for a few hours talking shop with Beth and playing games on the PC. Not long after, I went to sleep. When I next awoke, I found myself in midair! Let me tell you, weightlessness is a most unusual state to awaken in. I’ve done it several times and once my body realizes my mind knows we’re in midair, every muscle and tendon tightens because you don’t know what surface you’re going to hit next. You could hit the bulkhead in the back of the cab (as has happened), you could hit the hard ABS plastic of the upper bunk or you could hit the floor and Lord knows how many things you’ll bounce off of before you finally reach it! I-20 across Louisiana is so pocked full of holes and potholes and dips and bumps it barely resembles a road. There are smoother roads on the Moon! I’m serious, I’ve seen the footage of the Lunar Rover…”
Eventually, my sleeplessness in Shreveport ended and I dozed. I took over driving in Tallulah, MS more tired than when I lay down. I had a short night (9hr drive) so that helped. We got home around 3a.m. dropped Jack off at the house and off to Wal-Mart (I’m even too tired to get into the politics on that one. Suffice it to say, we are no big fans of Wal-Mart and their Wal-Martitization of the country and it’s effects on the rest of the globe). Who knew that there was a Wal-Mart that wasn’t open 24-7! We were shocked when we got there and they were closed. Even more so to find out they didn’t open till 9a.m.!! We went back home and later out to the Mall. With all the weight I lost, I’m having to replace my wardrobe. I got some nice stuff (thanks to Beth for saving me from myself on several occasions and for her stylish input elsewhere). We finished up about noon-thirty and left. Next stop, liquor store. I was out of Jack and Beth wanted to get some Maker’s Mark to try and since the trip to New Orleans is on the books, I got a pint of Southern Comfort. We recently learned SoCo originated in New Orleans and we wanted to check it out. In a word, NICE. We got a pint and finished it over the rest of that day mixing different drinks and ingredients.
By now, I had been up for almost 24 hours and that combined with the alcohol, I was out like a light. I slept on the couch for a few hours while Beth watched TV. Beth went to bed when I woke up and I made some coffee. I’m still in work mode; one more trip to go. I guess that catches me up.
Now I’m sitting at a shipper in Dalton, GA. Our loads not ready so I wanted to get this online before I got too far behind and loose hope and/or interest. We’re on our way to Modesto, CA. Ah well, still better than the Northwest but there’s a wicked icy-weather system moving across the mid-section of the country even reaching down into Dallas, TX. We’re going to drop down and ride I-10 across but however you look at it, I’m glad we have our warm underroos with us!
This is it! Final lap before our cruise. I can’t wait to be loaded and on the way back to Georgia. Maybe thoughts of that warm Caribbean sun will thaw me out before we get back. With cold like this, who knows, maybe it’ll snow in Panama. Naaahhhhhhh. At least I hope not, I’m not ready to swallow my pride just yet.
“It is a well-known fact among truckers that at one time I-40 through Arkansas was the worst stretch of road in the entire country. In the past few years, Arkansas has done a stellar job of road repair and maintenance and has redeemed itself. I've found the replacement and can honestly say it has surpassed its predecessor exponentially.
Once my tour of duty was complete, I stayed up for a few hours talking shop with Beth and playing games on the PC. Not long after, I went to sleep. When I next awoke, I found myself in midair! Let me tell you, weightlessness is a most unusual state to awaken in. I’ve done it several times and once my body realizes my mind knows we’re in midair, every muscle and tendon tightens because you don’t know what surface you’re going to hit next. You could hit the bulkhead in the back of the cab (as has happened), you could hit the hard ABS plastic of the upper bunk or you could hit the floor and Lord knows how many things you’ll bounce off of before you finally reach it! I-20 across Louisiana is so pocked full of holes and potholes and dips and bumps it barely resembles a road. There are smoother roads on the Moon! I’m serious, I’ve seen the footage of the Lunar Rover…”
Eventually, my sleeplessness in Shreveport ended and I dozed. I took over driving in Tallulah, MS more tired than when I lay down. I had a short night (9hr drive) so that helped. We got home around 3a.m. dropped Jack off at the house and off to Wal-Mart (I’m even too tired to get into the politics on that one. Suffice it to say, we are no big fans of Wal-Mart and their Wal-Martitization of the country and it’s effects on the rest of the globe). Who knew that there was a Wal-Mart that wasn’t open 24-7! We were shocked when we got there and they were closed. Even more so to find out they didn’t open till 9a.m.!! We went back home and later out to the Mall. With all the weight I lost, I’m having to replace my wardrobe. I got some nice stuff (thanks to Beth for saving me from myself on several occasions and for her stylish input elsewhere). We finished up about noon-thirty and left. Next stop, liquor store. I was out of Jack and Beth wanted to get some Maker’s Mark to try and since the trip to New Orleans is on the books, I got a pint of Southern Comfort. We recently learned SoCo originated in New Orleans and we wanted to check it out. In a word, NICE. We got a pint and finished it over the rest of that day mixing different drinks and ingredients.
By now, I had been up for almost 24 hours and that combined with the alcohol, I was out like a light. I slept on the couch for a few hours while Beth watched TV. Beth went to bed when I woke up and I made some coffee. I’m still in work mode; one more trip to go. I guess that catches me up.
Now I’m sitting at a shipper in Dalton, GA. Our loads not ready so I wanted to get this online before I got too far behind and loose hope and/or interest. We’re on our way to Modesto, CA. Ah well, still better than the Northwest but there’s a wicked icy-weather system moving across the mid-section of the country even reaching down into Dallas, TX. We’re going to drop down and ride I-10 across but however you look at it, I’m glad we have our warm underroos with us!
This is it! Final lap before our cruise. I can’t wait to be loaded and on the way back to Georgia. Maybe thoughts of that warm Caribbean sun will thaw me out before we get back. With cold like this, who knows, maybe it’ll snow in Panama. Naaahhhhhhh. At least I hope not, I’m not ready to swallow my pride just yet.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
"Deep in the Heart of Texas....."
So I guess we’ve known each other long enough now. I think it’s time for a little political commentary and I can’t think of a better night to bring it up.
I started driving in Benson, AZ. Benson is a little less than half way between Tucson and the New Mexico state line. It was a nice ride and the only traffic I encountered was in El Paso, TX. After that, it was like being in cruise mode. Thinking about that Mega Millions Jackpot and like that there. Until I started getting queasy. I looked up and realized I was in Odessa, TX. Home to Halliburton. You couldn’t turn your head one-way or the other without getting an eyeful of ‘Big Red’. Trucks, buildings, pipes, EVERYTHING painted Halliburton red. I was expecting at any moment to be shot in the face. Then I remembered the veep shot his FRIEND in the face and it would be a snowy day in Panama before I got snuggly with that kind of evil. I was soon out of Odessa and the nausea subsided.
It returned with a vengeance just a few miles down the road as I saw the Midland, TX welcome sign slowly creep into view. I was almost heaving at this point. Midland, TX, home of the Puff-Breasted Texas Cuckoo (a.k.a. Birdbrainius Ignoramus Maximus). Easily recognized by his puffed chest and arrogant gait. This species is very territorial and aggressive and will attack even if unprovoked. Be warned, even if someone or something else attacks the Puff-Breasted Cuckoo, you may still be in danger. This Cuckoo is evidently very nearsighted and narrow-minded. If at all possible, just ignore this species; it is very short-lived and we should be safe in as little as 2 years.
Driving through Midland, it’s easy to see how dementia can set in. Everywhere you look there are stacks spewing noxious fumes and flames like some post-apocalyptic horror film. There are also huge holding tanks plopped down any and everywhere like huge cow flops. I assume these tanks are filled with chemicals and/or lots and lots of oil. You can almost hear the “Cha-Ching, Cha-Ching, Cha-Ching”; which, by the way, is also the mating call of the Puff-Breasted Cuckoo.
Well, I’m going to leave you with that to chew on and I hope there is no mistaking where I stand on current events. If there is, you shouldn’t breathe so deep next time you pass through Texas.
I started driving in Benson, AZ. Benson is a little less than half way between Tucson and the New Mexico state line. It was a nice ride and the only traffic I encountered was in El Paso, TX. After that, it was like being in cruise mode. Thinking about that Mega Millions Jackpot and like that there. Until I started getting queasy. I looked up and realized I was in Odessa, TX. Home to Halliburton. You couldn’t turn your head one-way or the other without getting an eyeful of ‘Big Red’. Trucks, buildings, pipes, EVERYTHING painted Halliburton red. I was expecting at any moment to be shot in the face. Then I remembered the veep shot his FRIEND in the face and it would be a snowy day in Panama before I got snuggly with that kind of evil. I was soon out of Odessa and the nausea subsided.
It returned with a vengeance just a few miles down the road as I saw the Midland, TX welcome sign slowly creep into view. I was almost heaving at this point. Midland, TX, home of the Puff-Breasted Texas Cuckoo (a.k.a. Birdbrainius Ignoramus Maximus). Easily recognized by his puffed chest and arrogant gait. This species is very territorial and aggressive and will attack even if unprovoked. Be warned, even if someone or something else attacks the Puff-Breasted Cuckoo, you may still be in danger. This Cuckoo is evidently very nearsighted and narrow-minded. If at all possible, just ignore this species; it is very short-lived and we should be safe in as little as 2 years.
Driving through Midland, it’s easy to see how dementia can set in. Everywhere you look there are stacks spewing noxious fumes and flames like some post-apocalyptic horror film. There are also huge holding tanks plopped down any and everywhere like huge cow flops. I assume these tanks are filled with chemicals and/or lots and lots of oil. You can almost hear the “Cha-Ching, Cha-Ching, Cha-Ching”; which, by the way, is also the mating call of the Puff-Breasted Cuckoo.
Well, I’m going to leave you with that to chew on and I hope there is no mistaking where I stand on current events. If there is, you shouldn’t breathe so deep next time you pass through Texas.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
El Finito in El Centro
Dateline: El Centro, CA 1/9/2007 8:40 AM
Finally! Almost out of California. We picked up our 1st load in Guadalupe, CA last night and my midnight EST we were ready to roll. I went south on 101 through Santa Barbara and right into the jaws of the beast. Luckily, by the time I got there the beast, L.A., was sleeping like a hung over wino, and I cruised right through. Talk about luck! Normally, you can’t even mention L.A. traffic without wincing and having those cords tighten in the back of your neck.
We were light. There was less than half a trailer load back there so the hills out of the city were no problem. That 55mph thing was starting to get to me by then. I didn’t really notice until after I was in the desert. I got through 29 Palms and Indio, then jumped on CA 86 South and headed to El Centro. It took me 8 hours to drive 408 miles. By our standards, that’s just sad. Anyway, since Beth and I watched a movie while we were waiting to get loaded, we forgot about my needing sustenance. I got on I-8 East and hit the first ramp I got to outside the city limits of El Centro. I was starving! As I was pulling to a stop, Beth peeked out and said she’d take over so I could eat. How sweet!
I ate and then got online to look up some stuff before I collapsed from exhaustion. You’d be surprised how tiring it is creeping across the desert at 55mph after 4 hours bobbing and weaving through L.A. Sorry, got no pithy quote to leave you with but I’ll be back to my clever self after a long nap.
Ya’ll come back now, ya hear!
Finally! Almost out of California. We picked up our 1st load in Guadalupe, CA last night and my midnight EST we were ready to roll. I went south on 101 through Santa Barbara and right into the jaws of the beast. Luckily, by the time I got there the beast, L.A., was sleeping like a hung over wino, and I cruised right through. Talk about luck! Normally, you can’t even mention L.A. traffic without wincing and having those cords tighten in the back of your neck.
We were light. There was less than half a trailer load back there so the hills out of the city were no problem. That 55mph thing was starting to get to me by then. I didn’t really notice until after I was in the desert. I got through 29 Palms and Indio, then jumped on CA 86 South and headed to El Centro. It took me 8 hours to drive 408 miles. By our standards, that’s just sad. Anyway, since Beth and I watched a movie while we were waiting to get loaded, we forgot about my needing sustenance. I got on I-8 East and hit the first ramp I got to outside the city limits of El Centro. I was starving! As I was pulling to a stop, Beth peeked out and said she’d take over so I could eat. How sweet!
I ate and then got online to look up some stuff before I collapsed from exhaustion. You’d be surprised how tiring it is creeping across the desert at 55mph after 4 hours bobbing and weaving through L.A. Sorry, got no pithy quote to leave you with but I’ll be back to my clever self after a long nap.
Ya’ll come back now, ya hear!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Cashier, Cashier, my kingdom for a competent Cashier!!
Dateline: Mojave, CA 1/8/2007 6:48 AM
Last nights ride wasn’t very bad at all, until… Yep, it was bound to happen. I had made it all the way to Lake Havasu City, AZ and was fueling the truck when I ran into the most inept, incompetent, lazy, indignant…. well, here’s the story(as I sent to Pilot Travel Centers Customer Service)…
“I am not usually prone to writing complaints. I understand that everyone has a bad day now and then but I believe this issue needs to be addressed. The company I drive for fuels with Pilot exclusively and I have never had any problems with any other Pilot. In fact, when my wife and I travel, we always look for a Pilot because we know they're usually clean and have great coffee. However, I pulled into the diesel fuel lanes a little after 11pm (local) all lanes were full and I had to wait behind another truck to fuel. No problem. At the pump, I "added" oil to the transaction and after fueling proceeded inside. There were only 2 people working behind the counter so I had to stand in line there also. Again, no problem. When it was my turn, the manager called next and I stepped up. I can only assume this was the manager because she wasn't wearing the usual blue smock of a cashier. I put the gallon of oil up and told her that I needed to add this to the transaction and told her my truck number, and who I drove for, and offered the EFS card I used outside. Her reply was, "What lane?". Now, quite often I remember which lane I was on or at least how many pumps over I am, but this was the exception. I couldn't remember but when this has happened before at other Pilot TCs, there has been no problem on the part of the cashier to pull up the held transaction and complete it with the use of my card or truck number or any other information. But the 'manager' said she couldn't do that, there were 4 other documents held and she couldn't go through all of them. I told her that she was the only one I had ever had a problem doing it (admittedly, my patience was wearing thin). I had to leave the line, go back out to the lane I was in and get the number, then back to the store to stand in line yet again. When it was my turn again, her gracious patronizing of the situation was not only uncalled for it was insulting. I don't know how this person ever became a manager, but I hope it is not the practice to promote such incompetence or laziness, which ever the case may be, in cashiers much less managers. I am very disappointed in the service here and were it up to me, the company would drop this site as a fuel stop. I hope that this is looked into and feel free to contact me for any further information. I drive at night so email is probably the most expedient way to reach me. Thank you in advance.”
Maybe, I was a little harsh, but come on, if a cashier in Laramie, WY can look up a transaction without “what lane” why can’t a ‘manager’ in Arizona?!?
I’m feeling much better now. I guess it’s just the cruise, but lately I’m not as uptight about the everyday deal. Traffic doesn’t bother me quite as much. Waiting around doesn’t bother me. Even the whole 55mph thing hasn’t bothered me. My intolerance for ignorance? Now that still bothers me…
Oh well, there’s always tomorrow, or should I say there’s always this afternoon.
Last nights ride wasn’t very bad at all, until… Yep, it was bound to happen. I had made it all the way to Lake Havasu City, AZ and was fueling the truck when I ran into the most inept, incompetent, lazy, indignant…. well, here’s the story(as I sent to Pilot Travel Centers Customer Service)…
“I am not usually prone to writing complaints. I understand that everyone has a bad day now and then but I believe this issue needs to be addressed. The company I drive for fuels with Pilot exclusively and I have never had any problems with any other Pilot. In fact, when my wife and I travel, we always look for a Pilot because we know they're usually clean and have great coffee. However, I pulled into the diesel fuel lanes a little after 11pm (local) all lanes were full and I had to wait behind another truck to fuel. No problem. At the pump, I "added" oil to the transaction and after fueling proceeded inside. There were only 2 people working behind the counter so I had to stand in line there also. Again, no problem. When it was my turn, the manager called next and I stepped up. I can only assume this was the manager because she wasn't wearing the usual blue smock of a cashier. I put the gallon of oil up and told her that I needed to add this to the transaction and told her my truck number, and who I drove for, and offered the EFS card I used outside. Her reply was, "What lane?". Now, quite often I remember which lane I was on or at least how many pumps over I am, but this was the exception. I couldn't remember but when this has happened before at other Pilot TCs, there has been no problem on the part of the cashier to pull up the held transaction and complete it with the use of my card or truck number or any other information. But the 'manager' said she couldn't do that, there were 4 other documents held and she couldn't go through all of them. I told her that she was the only one I had ever had a problem doing it (admittedly, my patience was wearing thin). I had to leave the line, go back out to the lane I was in and get the number, then back to the store to stand in line yet again. When it was my turn again, her gracious patronizing of the situation was not only uncalled for it was insulting. I don't know how this person ever became a manager, but I hope it is not the practice to promote such incompetence or laziness, which ever the case may be, in cashiers much less managers. I am very disappointed in the service here and were it up to me, the company would drop this site as a fuel stop. I hope that this is looked into and feel free to contact me for any further information. I drive at night so email is probably the most expedient way to reach me. Thank you in advance.”
Maybe, I was a little harsh, but come on, if a cashier in Laramie, WY can look up a transaction without “what lane” why can’t a ‘manager’ in Arizona?!?
I’m feeling much better now. I guess it’s just the cruise, but lately I’m not as uptight about the everyday deal. Traffic doesn’t bother me quite as much. Waiting around doesn’t bother me. Even the whole 55mph thing hasn’t bothered me. My intolerance for ignorance? Now that still bothers me…
Oh well, there’s always tomorrow, or should I say there’s always this afternoon.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
6 O'CLOCK AND ALL'S WELL...
Dateline: Oklahoma City, OK 1/7/2007 6:24 AM
Ok, so it’s not that bad. We’re well into our trip to California and so far no hives or lesions or heebie-jeebies of any kind. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say I’ve had an exceptional evening of driving. The roads were quiet in Memphis, and Little Rock and I love coming through Oklahoma City at this time in the morning. That’s where we are now. I just finished fueling the truck and Beth came back with her hair wet and a thermos full of coffee. And it’s roll on highway, roll on along, roll on momma till we get back home…
Not much else is happening so this one will be short. I slept through the loading process and almost all the way through Alabama. I took over in Courtland, AL and drove through the rest of Alabama, Mississippi, and Memphis, Arkansas and through Oklahoma City without incident or excitement. Just the way I like it. Hopefully it’ll still be that way when I wake up this afternoon.
Good night for now.
One point of interest: Yesterday, Beth opened an account on Webshots.com. We’re going to post our pictures there from the road, the cruise, the crescent city, and all our many splendid travels. I’m working on getting the link posted here in the ‘link’ section here on the blog. The links are listed about half way down the right side of the screen.
Ok, so it’s not that bad. We’re well into our trip to California and so far no hives or lesions or heebie-jeebies of any kind. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say I’ve had an exceptional evening of driving. The roads were quiet in Memphis, and Little Rock and I love coming through Oklahoma City at this time in the morning. That’s where we are now. I just finished fueling the truck and Beth came back with her hair wet and a thermos full of coffee. And it’s roll on highway, roll on along, roll on momma till we get back home…
Not much else is happening so this one will be short. I slept through the loading process and almost all the way through Alabama. I took over in Courtland, AL and drove through the rest of Alabama, Mississippi, and Memphis, Arkansas and through Oklahoma City without incident or excitement. Just the way I like it. Hopefully it’ll still be that way when I wake up this afternoon.
Good night for now.
One point of interest: Yesterday, Beth opened an account on Webshots.com. We’re going to post our pictures there from the road, the cruise, the crescent city, and all our many splendid travels. I’m working on getting the link posted here in the ‘link’ section here on the blog. The links are listed about half way down the right side of the screen.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
California here we come, right back where we started from...
Well, I've got to admit. I'm a little disappointed, but such is as it is and I'll get over it. I woke up this afternoon to the tune of..."I've got some bad news and some good news". God, I hate that. I always ask for the bad news first and it was, to the effect, we have a load, we can't stay home long, and we're going to California. AAAAAAAGHHH!! Will my strife never end! As for the good news, I had a full thermos of fresh, hot coffee.
I really don't like California runs very much at all, and I'll tell you why. First, we usually have to rush out there to deliver on time. Secondly, while we are out of the Northwest Tempest, anybody whose seen the weather channel lately knows that the Southwest is also getting hammered by Mother Nature. Third, it's not simple process getting loaded and out of Cali. Rare is the occasion that we have only one pickup and multiple pickups are a logistical nightmare for a driver. That place closes in an hour and we're not done loading here yet, and the other place hasn't even heard of our load number, etc... Then there's alway the fact that not only are we in California where the speed limit for trucks is 55, but there are mountains galore that make that paltry pace impossible. OK, so that was hours ago. I'm feeling much better now.
I'm sitting here at the house in ManLand for the short but ever welcome refuge from the road. We got home about 1:30a.m. I took a shower, had a beer, now I'm on to Jack Daniels and a good, albeit damaged, cigar.
Beth straightened me out on the whole "why me" thing and that helped, but to be honest the shower was the bright spot of the evening. She kept reminding me that after we get back from California, no matter what the give us next, we'll be back early for our cruise. AWESOME! That means a couple of days to decompress before we DeCoMPrEsS Caribbean-Style!! I Love it! While I was driving, Beth also booked our flight to New Orleans in March. God, I Love that Woman!!
I really don't like California runs very much at all, and I'll tell you why. First, we usually have to rush out there to deliver on time. Secondly, while we are out of the Northwest Tempest, anybody whose seen the weather channel lately knows that the Southwest is also getting hammered by Mother Nature. Third, it's not simple process getting loaded and out of Cali. Rare is the occasion that we have only one pickup and multiple pickups are a logistical nightmare for a driver. That place closes in an hour and we're not done loading here yet, and the other place hasn't even heard of our load number, etc... Then there's alway the fact that not only are we in California where the speed limit for trucks is 55, but there are mountains galore that make that paltry pace impossible. OK, so that was hours ago. I'm feeling much better now.
I'm sitting here at the house in ManLand for the short but ever welcome refuge from the road. We got home about 1:30a.m. I took a shower, had a beer, now I'm on to Jack Daniels and a good, albeit damaged, cigar.
Beth straightened me out on the whole "why me" thing and that helped, but to be honest the shower was the bright spot of the evening. She kept reminding me that after we get back from California, no matter what the give us next, we'll be back early for our cruise. AWESOME! That means a couple of days to decompress before we DeCoMPrEsS Caribbean-Style!! I Love it! While I was driving, Beth also booked our flight to New Orleans in March. God, I Love that Woman!!
Friday, January 05, 2007
And now, back to our program...
Well, the weather was CRAP!! I eventually got to leave Evanston but by the time I got to Elk Mountain (between Rawlins and Laramie) the wind was blowing and it was snowing so hard that I couldn't even see the road! I had to slow down to 25mph just so I could be sure if and when I left the road. Luckily, I didn't. I finished up in Laramie and fueled the truck while Beth stepped in and got coffee and did her morning routine. I was going to stay up awhile and practice my CW with a couple of nifty programs I downloaded, but I was just exhausted from sitting around half the night and battling the weather the other half. I fell asleep in no time.
We're on an unusual run for us. We picked up this load in Moses Lake, WA and normally we head straight back to Canton. This time we have to deliver...in Rochelle.....ILLINOIS!! What a drag. I thought I had seen the last of Chicago, but it was not to be. I really don't mind Chicago but Beth can't stand it. We're unloading now in Rochelle and our pick up in the a.m. is in Gurnee, IL which is just a whisper north of Chicago. In fact, you can't get there from here without going right through. Big surprise though; the place where we're unloading now has a free WiFi node! I'm surfing high-speed style!
Tonight before Beth went to bed, she made arrangements for us in New Orleans at the end of March. The cruise is only 14 days away and New Orleans is only 46 days after that. Busy, busy, busy but who wouldn't rather be 'busy' planning a vacation.
I'm really excited about our trips but what thrills me most is getting out of this truck. I love my job but I am so tired of driving in and through the snow. I feel like I've got cabin fever or SADS. I know I'm going to be sitting on the deck of that cruise ship and getting excited about heading back out on the road, but right now I'm getting butterflies just thinking about that deck chair! I've been told that I look a little pale; maybe that carribean sun will put the color back in my cheeks and the song back in my heart.
"Summer breeze, makes me feel fine...."
We're on an unusual run for us. We picked up this load in Moses Lake, WA and normally we head straight back to Canton. This time we have to deliver...in Rochelle.....ILLINOIS!! What a drag. I thought I had seen the last of Chicago, but it was not to be. I really don't mind Chicago but Beth can't stand it. We're unloading now in Rochelle and our pick up in the a.m. is in Gurnee, IL which is just a whisper north of Chicago. In fact, you can't get there from here without going right through. Big surprise though; the place where we're unloading now has a free WiFi node! I'm surfing high-speed style!
Tonight before Beth went to bed, she made arrangements for us in New Orleans at the end of March. The cruise is only 14 days away and New Orleans is only 46 days after that. Busy, busy, busy but who wouldn't rather be 'busy' planning a vacation.
I'm really excited about our trips but what thrills me most is getting out of this truck. I love my job but I am so tired of driving in and through the snow. I feel like I've got cabin fever or SADS. I know I'm going to be sitting on the deck of that cruise ship and getting excited about heading back out on the road, but right now I'm getting butterflies just thinking about that deck chair! I've been told that I look a little pale; maybe that carribean sun will put the color back in my cheeks and the song back in my heart.
"Summer breeze, makes me feel fine...."
Yesterday's Post
(This post was originally written about 24hrs ago, but I couldn't keep a wireless signal long enough to upload it so here it is...)
I'm supposed to be driving right now, but there is a wind storm in Rawlins with sustained winds of around 70mph. The storm stretches all the way to Laramie and they've even shut down the interstate. I'm currently in the Wyoming Port of Entry in Evanston and the truck is being rocked by wind here (Rawlins is 3 hours to the East of us). After some debate, I decided to wait it out, at least for a few hours. I got online and saw that the official weather advisory is not due to expire until 8a.m. MST. Now I'm not sure if I'm going anywhere for awhile. Beth wanted us to at least get closer to Rawlins so we'll be able to roll once the closing is lifted but that was before I knew it was going to last until morning. That doesn't mean the road will stay closed that long but if it does, I don't want to be stuck in that mess trying to find a place to park like every other truck I've seen leave here. They've all got to go somewhere and I conclude they'll all be bottlenecked up long before Rawlins. I've managed to stay on top of the advisory with less-than-dialup speed internet and have tried to log on to this blog for the better part of 3 hrs. I figure as long as I don't have anything else to do, I'll chronicle the event.
I've been listening to Sirius and my Yaesu hand talkie (scans AM up to 999Mhz). Not a whole lot on Sirius. My Cavs squeaked by the Celtics (107-104) tonight but no excitement since. LeBron made an amazing 3pt shot from 3/4 court with seconds to go in the 3rd qrtr. I would have LOVED to have seen that! I caught a QSO on a local 2M repeater (K7JL) but by the time I had everything set to talk on my radio(PL tones, etc.), they were "73 and out". Oh well. I tried to make contact after my radio was set but they were all gone. I'm really trying to come out of my shell but I can't tell you how hard that is. I had an epiphany the other day that its easy to think you're perfect if no one can tell you you're wrong and no one can tell you you're wrong if you never let anyone in. Since I'm never going to be perfect anyway(and who needs the stress of even trying that one), I might as well get out there and meet some great people and enjoy life as opposed to hiding. Not that I hide, but I could be just as happy with a week at the house and never even venturing outside as I could on a cruiseship full of fun people and caribbean sunshine and tropical breezes. Problem is I can't really experience Aruba from the living room.
I also caught some interesting broadcast in the SW band. Music and speech but I couldn't understand anything other than they were speaking english; the signal was far too weak. I'm still scanning but haven't heard anything other than static for awhile now. If I make it through the rest of the band without any luck (and the road is still closed), I'm going to try the world bands. I've picked up broadcasts from Argentina, Cuba, Korea, Canada, and there are even a couple that I couldn't place. It's a lot harder trying to get any reception while we're moving. The alternator isn't shielded and it throws a lot of RFI my way. I was on the CB earlier but I guess everyone knows by now that you can't go 5 min without somebody dropping the F-bomb, or G-D this or that. I'm no saint, especially when it comes to profanity (I've even come up with a few creative additions ;-) but come on! There is a time and place for everything and 'public' isn't the place for that kind of language.
Well, I guess I'll sign off for now. No since in trying to catch up all in one night.
73 and Out
I'm supposed to be driving right now, but there is a wind storm in Rawlins with sustained winds of around 70mph. The storm stretches all the way to Laramie and they've even shut down the interstate. I'm currently in the Wyoming Port of Entry in Evanston and the truck is being rocked by wind here (Rawlins is 3 hours to the East of us). After some debate, I decided to wait it out, at least for a few hours. I got online and saw that the official weather advisory is not due to expire until 8a.m. MST. Now I'm not sure if I'm going anywhere for awhile. Beth wanted us to at least get closer to Rawlins so we'll be able to roll once the closing is lifted but that was before I knew it was going to last until morning. That doesn't mean the road will stay closed that long but if it does, I don't want to be stuck in that mess trying to find a place to park like every other truck I've seen leave here. They've all got to go somewhere and I conclude they'll all be bottlenecked up long before Rawlins. I've managed to stay on top of the advisory with less-than-dialup speed internet and have tried to log on to this blog for the better part of 3 hrs. I figure as long as I don't have anything else to do, I'll chronicle the event.
I've been listening to Sirius and my Yaesu hand talkie (scans AM up to 999Mhz). Not a whole lot on Sirius. My Cavs squeaked by the Celtics (107-104) tonight but no excitement since. LeBron made an amazing 3pt shot from 3/4 court with seconds to go in the 3rd qrtr. I would have LOVED to have seen that! I caught a QSO on a local 2M repeater (K7JL) but by the time I had everything set to talk on my radio(PL tones, etc.), they were "73 and out". Oh well. I tried to make contact after my radio was set but they were all gone. I'm really trying to come out of my shell but I can't tell you how hard that is. I had an epiphany the other day that its easy to think you're perfect if no one can tell you you're wrong and no one can tell you you're wrong if you never let anyone in. Since I'm never going to be perfect anyway(and who needs the stress of even trying that one), I might as well get out there and meet some great people and enjoy life as opposed to hiding. Not that I hide, but I could be just as happy with a week at the house and never even venturing outside as I could on a cruiseship full of fun people and caribbean sunshine and tropical breezes. Problem is I can't really experience Aruba from the living room.
I also caught some interesting broadcast in the SW band. Music and speech but I couldn't understand anything other than they were speaking english; the signal was far too weak. I'm still scanning but haven't heard anything other than static for awhile now. If I make it through the rest of the band without any luck (and the road is still closed), I'm going to try the world bands. I've picked up broadcasts from Argentina, Cuba, Korea, Canada, and there are even a couple that I couldn't place. It's a lot harder trying to get any reception while we're moving. The alternator isn't shielded and it throws a lot of RFI my way. I was on the CB earlier but I guess everyone knows by now that you can't go 5 min without somebody dropping the F-bomb, or G-D this or that. I'm no saint, especially when it comes to profanity (I've even come up with a few creative additions ;-) but come on! There is a time and place for everything and 'public' isn't the place for that kind of language.
Well, I guess I'll sign off for now. No since in trying to catch up all in one night.
73 and Out
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
I'm back!!
Ok, so credit (or blame) TIME Magazine for this one. I just finished reading the Dec 25, '06-Jan 1, '07 edition. The "Person of the Year" edition. Well, it just so happens that the person of the year (according to TIME) is ME! (and you, and you, and you). It also just happens that most of the articles covered therein have to do with the new Web, you know Web 2.0 and all the frills that come with it. Basically, it's talking about how everyone has a blog or reads them or posts to forums etc. The whole idea being that the internet is becoming a more consumer driven media rather than corporate driven (although, that hasn't stopped them from trying to cash in!).
After reading this, I remembered way back, about a year ago, I 'started' a blog and sure enough, it still exists. It's starving, but still breathing which brings me back to present. I started the blog to stay in touch with family and friends. To let them know how and where we were and what we were doing and to, in some way, be a part of our story. Back in the old JB Hunt days, we had plenty of time to sightsee. We've seen a submarine in Little Rock, AR; 'flying' fish in Pike's Place Market in Seattle; German Village in Columbus, OH; an amazing World Market in Cleveland and dozens of other places. Now, working for Quest, we barely have time to eat! We stay at the house until the very last minute then rush as fast as we can until we get back to our warm, roomy, comfortable, everlovin' home. "It's a livin'", as they say, but it sure doesn't leave a lot of time to blog! I know that's no excuse, but as I said....I'm back!
TIME has inspired me to be more on top of my blogging. I mean really! I'm online at least once a day anyway, why not just jot down a few lines. How hard can it be? Who knows, maybe somebody will even read them.
After reading this, I remembered way back, about a year ago, I 'started' a blog and sure enough, it still exists. It's starving, but still breathing which brings me back to present. I started the blog to stay in touch with family and friends. To let them know how and where we were and what we were doing and to, in some way, be a part of our story. Back in the old JB Hunt days, we had plenty of time to sightsee. We've seen a submarine in Little Rock, AR; 'flying' fish in Pike's Place Market in Seattle; German Village in Columbus, OH; an amazing World Market in Cleveland and dozens of other places. Now, working for Quest, we barely have time to eat! We stay at the house until the very last minute then rush as fast as we can until we get back to our warm, roomy, comfortable, everlovin' home. "It's a livin'", as they say, but it sure doesn't leave a lot of time to blog! I know that's no excuse, but as I said....I'm back!
TIME has inspired me to be more on top of my blogging. I mean really! I'm online at least once a day anyway, why not just jot down a few lines. How hard can it be? Who knows, maybe somebody will even read them.
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