Round Robin

I'm back in Carlisle, PA. The same place I was two days ago when I last posted. I have come back from Kentucky where I dropped off a load of lawn tools, and picked up a load of toilet paper headed for New Jersey. I know there is a really funny joke about t.p. going to Jersey, but I'll leave that for you.

I have been trying to dodge the bad weather again. This is a constant battle. The more time I can spend moving, be it day or night, surely beats sitting out a storm somewhere. It looks like I will get to Jersey on time for my delivery. Maybe it is more important for the people living there? I'm just saying...

Anyhoo, had some blue sky on I-64 in southern Indiana. I was bobtailing from Louisville to my pickup location, and decided to find a truck stop and grab some lunch. I have a small book I keep near me showing all the truck stops in the country my state and interstate exit number, very handy seeing as though parking one of these things at your local McDonalds will usually clog up the whole lot.

I find a stop in my book at the exit I'm getting off at, so all looks good, my book tells me that it is an AMBEST (Americas Best for short) which is a chain store like a Pilot or Travel Centers of America, so I'm expecting a "reputable establishment".

When I pull off the interstate, all I find is a big deserted parking lot with a porn store and a topless restaurant. Now, I have nothing against this, 1st amendment and all that, but one cannot look discrete driving an 13 foot tall orange Freightliner, and all I wanted was a place to park.

I found another place to park...

One thing I've learned this year, even the best information can be incorrect. My truck stop guide is only a year old, but this is the third truck stop that has been out of business when I got there. I did have to turn around in their lot to get going in the right direction. This was when the midget with the crutches came out and tried to flag me down, seriously. I couldn't shift fast enough to get out of there! Maybe after drinking a case of beer or something, this place might be entertaining?

I thought they put these things FAR AWAY from the highway!

Watching the wheels go round and round...

Hello from the road, I am back behind the wheel after a rather exhausting time at home. This was supposed to be a three day stop for Christmas on the 24th through the 26th. Unfortunately, I had to drive from midnight to 7am on the 24th to get home on time. The 25th is always a mad dash to see everyone and eat way too much good food, which leads to nappy time!

On the 26th I was asked to help save a load that had been left at a truck stop in Maine. It only had to be delivered 100 miles or so north, but the original driver had left it to go home for the holidays. For reference, this is a fantastic way to lose your job! I was asked if I could complete the run, and I agreed to do so. The hard part was it needed to be delivered at 8am I had to get up around 3am to make this work, so nappy time from Christmas day was cut a little short. I drove to the truckstop and coupled to the trailer, which the original driver had left pushed against a snowbank, and pulled it out a few feet to get to the rear of the trailer to check my lights. I went to drive away, and all I did was spin. I had parked on a sheet of ice.


Did I mention it was about 10 degrees? Brrrr. %$#@! trailer.


After 30 minutes I got underway, and made it to my stop, thankfully on time for a live unload. This is where I back up to a loading dock and people unload the trailer while I wait. This was a load of windows that had to be carried by hand off the truck which took hours to complete.

I got back home that afternoon, and took the rest of the day off. The next morning, Linda and I were up at 3am to go to Boston to pick up Samantha at the airport, another early morning, followed by a fabulous nap! Even my days at home are surrounded by being on the road.

So, here I am, back in the truck. I picked up a load of paper in Maine, which I delivered to the OC in Pennsylvania.



It's good to be back to work....maybe I can get some sleep!

Back in the "pumpkin patch"

Merry Christmas to all

I made it home safe and sound. It took some night driving, and a little crazy traveling, but I'm back in Maine for the holiday. Only a three day stop this time, but I'm not complaining, I totally escaped all the bad weather that has been hampering the country, and I would like to catch up on some money now.

Gonna get some sleep now, I've been awake for about 30 hrs. and I don't roll like that anymore.

Does anyone else see the humor in this?

Well, here it is, Christmas time, and I'm off to Bethlehem...

PA that is....

I'm definitely not Joseph, so I must be one of the wise guys (er...men)
maybe it's a load of frankincense?
sometimes I crack myself up!

I'm still in OH, waiting for a trailer to be delivered here for me to take to PA. It is supposed to be here today, and all looks good for another 300+ mile run east for me very soon. This will definitely put me within a days drive from home. The timing is getting a little tight on being home for the full day on the 24th, only time will tell on that front.

As I've said before, if there is a bright side to being home a little late, it is that Samantha will be home after Christmas, and my current time at home will make me miss her trip by a day. If I get home a little late, my time will overlap with hers for a day, and that would be nice. Linda and I have talked on the phone to her, but I haven't seen her since she left for Cali. and it would be good to have everyone home for at least one day!

I've been going through some of my old photos I have taken over the last year and trying to upload them to the BLOG. My one rule about the blog photos it that they all come from my camera phone. All of my previous postings are pictures taken from my phone. I kinda like the challenge of working with a simple device and trying to make the best with it. Quite frankly, I really like some of the shots. I have an awful lot of really good camera gear at home, but this has been fun to work with, and easy to cary around.

Texas does their rest areas up right!

I'm thinking my real trick is that I still have a little bit of shopping left to do. It looks like I will be making a mad dash at the last minute to finish it up. Oh well, I shop well under pressure, it looks like this year will be no exception to that...

miles and miles

I'm in Seville Ohio, this is a good thing. Having spent many a night here at the OC. I know that I am only a day and a half drive from home. I have made it from here to CT. in a day, the only thing stopping me now is a load heading that way. My dispatch people will have to put that together, so that part is out of my hands, I will wait here for the go ahead.

I made it to Indiana on time yesterday for my unload, then did a quick drive up to Michigan to drop off my empty trailer, and spent the night in Toledo. I have really run some miles since I my Dallas misadventure, and that is a good thing, unfortunately, it won't show up on my paycheck until next week due to the time it takes to process the paperwork. I also had to front the cash for the two days in the hotel, I will be reimbursed for that, but not until next weeks check. Needless to say, this check was kinda small.

I have been able to add Wyoming and Nebraska to my list of truck driving states now. I have driven through there before, but not in the big truck. I have also finally travelled all of I-80 from San Fran to New York. I was missing Wyoming I-80 from previous drives out west. Chalk up another milestone!

Texas Cotton...Who knew???

Truck stop neighbor's attack poodle...