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?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
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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