One Delay After Another

When we arrived at the pick up sight in Louisville this morning four trucks were ready. Forecast is rain for this morning so I got on the inspections. Got them done and went in to have them signed. Turns out that one of the trucks wasn't really ready after all.

Another truck was brought out and I got that one done. One of the mechanics had left a tool on the back of this truck so I took the greasy thing in with me to get my papers signed.

Rain began pouring down before I left the office. At the door, my "Chariot" was waiting for me. Joe had driven to the door so I wouldn't get all wet. I am such a lucky woman to have a thoughtful husband.

Now we sit to wait out the rain before we finally get our work done. Joe got me all hooked up while I messed with the paperwork. Time to get him hooked up.

While we waited the rain out it seemed a good time to call our daughter who has a birthday today. Left a singing (badly) birthday message for her to get later. We sing "Happy Birthday" to all of our kids on their special days.

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Our Next Trip

I had previously said we were doing Louisville, Kentucky to Baltimore, Maryland. I was misled, we are going to end up in Albany, Georgia instead.

In Louisville, the dealership we are going to tomorrow morning will have four trucks ready for us. There is a total of 13 going to Albany. I don't know how many we will be taking, if we will do some or all but one. You'll know when I do.

Last night we stayed at the Treasure Town Inn in Tunica, Mississippi. The hotels down there, except for the casino hotels, were nearly empty. By the time we got checked in, around 10 pm, there were only four other vehicles in the parking lot. The number hadn't changed this morning.

The Treasure Town Inn had their water softener cranked up. The soap didn't want to rinse off me in the shower. I really hate the sticky feeling I have when the soap doesn't wash all the way off.

Deadheading to Louisville, Kentucky this morning we made a stop in Germantown, Tennessee at a FedExKinkos to get our logs copied and our papers FedEx'd to the dispatch office for payment this Friday. While there we went to an IHOP for breakfast before we really got on the road.

Our trip was pretty hot. Local radio stations said the temperatures were in the low 90's with a heat index of 104. The air conditioner in our pickup couldn't seem to overcome the bright and hot sun. When we made fuel stops the humidity felt almost oppressive.

Once in Louisville the temperature started to come down but not by much. Tonight we are at a Holiday Inn in Louisville. Tomorrow, we will have about seven miles further to travel to get to the pick up site.



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5+ Reichter Earthquake Hits California

Blythely traveling I-40 in Tennessee, early in the afternoon, I got a phone call from our daughter who lives around Los Angeles.

She warned me telephone service may be down most of the day and when we heard the news of the earthquake it may be too late to call and check on her. She was letting me know all was well in her world, except for the major fright she had suffered.

According to our daughter, the building she works from began shaking and rattling. Raised voices all around her were calling out the instruction to "Get under your desks". There was much screaming and wailing, according to our daughter, some of it coming from herself along with the clatter of desk chairs being pushed and bumped away from the workers as they crammed themselves under the desks.

Our daughter said she got as far under her desk as she could and waited the shaking out with intense fright. This was her first major earthquake in all five years she has lived there.

According to our daughter, the building she works in is built on rollers to move with the quakes thus ensuring minimum to no structural damage. Try telling a frightened person that the worst is over when that person is certain the ceiling is going to drop in the next few minutes.

She sounded rattled and apprehensive. The doubt in her voice as she told me things were okay was heart wrenching to me. Poor thing and I can't do anything to help her get through this. She's on her own. I have faith in her resilience. This will turn out to be a topic of conversation and one upmanship for the next couple days.

Way to go girl, you survived it and lived to tell about it.


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I Have Become A Fuddy Duddy

Maybe this term escapes you, it means old and kind of jaded. Not fun to be with anymore. Or something like that.

We went to Harrah's Casino in Tunica, MS. The lights and sounds of a casino used to ramp up my excitment and get my blood going. I could not wait to put money in the slot machines, press the buttons and watch the wheels go round. Visions of Jackpots were in my eyes. The thrill was palpable. With each spin of the machine my hopes for the big payoff had me stuck to the seat and my eyes glued to the dancing screen before me.

I loved the sounds the casinos made. The musical machines, the spinning wheels, the clanging of someone winning big. I knew it would happen to me as soon as I sat down.

Over the years the excitment had been tempered by a lot of losses. The $20.00 I allotted myself went faster and faster. There have been a few times I cashed out with $50.00 and was ecstatic for my win.

Joe gave me $20.00 tonight and it was gone before he finished his business in the bathroom. While I waited for him I found more enjoyment in playing a "Brain Game" on my iPhone than wanting to put more money in a machine.

When Joe came out of the bathroom we headed for the escalator to go up and eat. On the way I saw a penny Wheel of Fortune game area with an enormous spinner that was, more or less, communal. Everyone sitting around this huge wheel would get a chance for their shot at the big Bonus Spin.

We decided to give it a try after we ate.

$40.00 later we walked away having had thirty minutes of entertainment and ready to leave.

The alure is gone. The bright lights and musical machines are just noise now and no longer beckon me to sit for a while.

I've become jaded - a Fuddy Duddy.

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Last Load For This Trip

The four trailers are delivered, we are on the last leg of this trip.

The truck Joe is towing has no transmission in it. The transmission is in one of the trailers already delivered. The truck he is driving is one he's been driving these past three days. That is so unusual for us.

We have, finally, learned the art of less is more in this job. Everything brought into the trucks, by us, has to come back out. Everything!!!! This means either a simple move in and out or a very complicated move in and out. Grab three items to take in and three items go back out with you when the truck is delivered. Take everything you own in and you will take everything you own back out. Simplify it.

A major rule in this job is "Do Not Use The Cubby Holes". Totally "Out of sight, out of mind". We've had to go back a few times to get stuff we forgot, not fun.

Our next trip is in Louisville, KY to Baltimore, MD. We'll head that way tomorrow.

We may go to one of the casinos in Tunica, Mississippi tonight or tomorrow. I'm not sure which one has a Blackjack Tournament on Tuesday's. Joe is making noises like he wants to participate. I'll let you know what we do tomorrow.

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Right Lane Closed Ahead 1 Mile

Every time I see this sign I cringe. There are workers just barely on the other side of the barracades, or traffic is being shunted off to the other side of the highway and it is two way traffic with very narrow lanes, or there are deep drop offs just at the edge of the barricades.

No matter what it is there are a lot of vehicles jockeying for the next space in line. Some twits wait to the last few feet before the barricades to move to the open lane.

There is road construction from one end of this country to the other end, and about everywhere in between. We can't escape it.

Even though it is inconvenient, irksome, and time consuming, it is a necessary part of the highway system. If repairs weren't made and new roads put in we would be back to the early days of travel with deeply rutted mud tracks.

The route we took today from La Vergne, Tennessee to Tunica, Mississippi was Interstate followed by a city part of Memphis where we traveled surface streets with all of their traffic lights. This lead us into Mississippi and finally off surface streets to US and State roads.

Going south on US 61 near Tunica we passed a sign for I-69 to Memphis. I asked Joe if we were going to try that road on the way back? Yes, he said. We'll give it a try.

So we did. It was an Interstate for about 17 miles to I-55 where it ended abruptly, which was what we needed to be on anyway. No surface streets, no traffic lights to wait through, just zip zip zip.

This is when all the whining I do about road construction makes me feel like an ass. A road was constructed, all be it, to make it easier for the people of Memphis to spend their hard earned money in the casinos in Tunica, as well as an easier trip back to La Vergne, Tennessee for Joe and I.

It is a good road. And when it is finally finished in years to come it will be a connecting road from Mexico to Canada. That is what I-69 is supposed to be.

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Spazz, Not A Panic Attack!

We arrived at Palm Truck Repair in La Vergne, TN just after 8 am.

We located the three trucks and four trailers we are taking to Tunica. While I did the inspection job, Joe got the truck with no transmission hooked up to our trailer in readiness of the final trip out.

Things went alright, some little glitches but nothing big. Okay, I had to walk around the truck and trailer about three times before I remembered to check ALL the lights.

We were on our way out and on a surface road when I totally spazzed out!!!

Where the heck did Joe go???? I am directionally challenged, pretty bad. When I didn't see Joe I flipped out. Which way do I go now????

Yes, it was frightening for a few moments until I remembered we are taking trailers. I will not see a lightbar this time to follow. So "Get a Grip" and "Get with it".

It took me 50 miles to settle down but I'm okay now.

See girls, you just thought I was tough and had it all together.

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Change Of Plans

In the dispatch we had for Spartanburg, SC one of my trucks was "to be determined". Meaning one or more could go but it would be which one was ready to go when we were on the way to pick up.

We stopped in Resaca, GA for fuel in our pickup and called dispatch to see if my truck had been "determined".

An hour later. There will only be three trucks on that dispatch and we were pulled from the load. Joe went into the Flying J at Resaca to receive our dispatch fax. It didn't come and he waited, called dispatch to resend it. It finally came; six pages he was charged $6.00. When he looked at what was handed to him it turned out to be three of the pages twice. Some of his dispatch was missing and all of mine was not there. Ten minutes later, after voice escalation and much gesturing and showing the papers, he got his money back.

When he came back to our pickup, still a little hot, he called the dispatch office again while I called Kinkos in Chattanooga for their fax number.

We are going to La Vergne, TN, which is south of Nashville, for our weekend load. We have three trucks (one doesn't have a transmission) and four trailers going to Tunica, MS to an auction.

We deadheaded 150 miles from Resaca, GA to La Vergne, TN, which is excellent for deadhead miles, and stopped at the Super 8 for the night. We will stay here for two nights.

Our game plan is: take two trailers with the two running trucks, deliver the trailers, drive the trucks back to La Vergne and stay at the hotel. Next day do the same thing to deliver the last two trailers. We will leave one of the trucks at the auction and come back to La Vergne in one. The next day do our normal hookup for the dead truck and the one we have been using as a "horse" and finalize the delivery to Tunica.

That is our plan for now. It can all change when we see the actual condition of the two running trucks.



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Long Weekend In Spartanburg, S…

We drove 565 miles yesterday, didn't quite make the 600 we planned on doing. Stopped for the night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at a Ramada. After we were there, about an hour, we realized across the street at the Pizza Hut parking lot we had our picture taken for the cover of Trucker's News in November 2003.

We awoke at 4:30 this morning and left the hotel by 5:20 to get these trucks delivered. Traffic was good and we made good time to Chattanooga. Took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to unhook. We had sprinkles when we started unhooking.

Now we are going to TRY to get in Chili's for something to eat. The parking lot is full, full, full.

The trucks we are going for in Spartanburg, we have details on three of them the fourth one hasn't been decided on. The Kenworth place in Perrysburg, OH is supposed to have decided what trucks they want.

The Dealership in Spartanburg closes at 5 pm Eastern time, maybe they will stay for us to get the trucks off the property. If we don't hear from Perrysburg long before that we are going to be stuck.

This is normal for us. Doesn't happen often Thank God.

One last note, my Crack Pot thing yesterday was not serious. I get so tired of all the Chicken Littles, "The sky is falling" crap.


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My Crackpot Theory On Global W…

Having countless hours "with myself" as I drive the interstate ideas percolate, and notions simmer until a half baked thought bursts through like steam emitting from a boiling water bubble.

My thought today was "Dinosaur Methane (farts) opened a hole in the ozone and let the meteorite find it's way into our atmosphere".

I heard, again, how cattle methane is being blamed because of the feedlots. Everybody has gone past a feedlot and found it very aromatic.

Now stick with me here. If you have never been around horses you, at least, may have seen them on Americas Funniest Videos. Even heard the escaping gas as they trotted or kicked.

I do know there are diagrams of the height difference of humans, elephants, and dinosaurs.

For just a moment, think about every creature on this earth now that passes gas because of "our digestive systems".

Now imagine a family group of dinosaurs eating leaves and grasses. I have read where fossilized "scat" has been found. So we know they had bowel movements, and we can surmise gas.

Over thousands of years, hundreds and hundreds of thousand dinosaurs ate and eliminated all over our world. Therefore, the methane emissions from these animals caused the ozone layer to be disturbed enough to let a meteorite through and destroy all of the dinosaurs.




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Huge Peeve Of Mine

Ladies...if you don't wish to sit on the public toilet, yet you HAVE to hover as you pee. WIPE THE DAMN SEAT OFF BEFORE YOU LEAVE. I don't want to handle, wipe, or sit in your pee.

Also, if you are conserving water by not flushing after you pee, DO WATER CONSERVATION at home.

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Summary Of Today's Events

Neither one of us got a full night of sleep last night. Having so many days off made us both a little less industrious in getting away from home. It always works that way.

We stopped in Pauls Valley, OK for fuel and breakfast. Dallas traffic would still be in full gear so we dawdled a little to, hopefully, miss the worst of it.

Traffic wasn't too bad. We had one little annoyance with a pickup truck laden down with sod going 45 mph on the Interstate. He was ahead of us for about 15 minutes, he then got out of the way of all traffic.

When we got to Linde (Lindy) Gas, we easily found our trucks and were advised to drive the Kenworths. The Freightliner and the Mack have some troubles, we were told.

I did my inspections of the trucks. Make sure all the lights, front and back, work. Check the damage on the trucks and make sure none of it will interfere with our ability to drive/tow them. Also make sure there are no pieces that will come off in traffic and cause a hazzard. Check fluids - don't need to have the equipment fail for lack of fluids. Check the fuel level in the tanks-surprise, surprise-these trucks actually have more than 5 inches of fuel in them.

It was so hot, the sun was intense and I was just going on my merry way. I had both of our back trucks staged while Joe took a bathroom break so I went to work on the brake assemblies on the trucks. The Mack would need a "Cross Over Yoke" to work the brakes, while the Freightliner would only need a fitting on the airline at the firewall. I mixed them up. I put the Cross Over Yoke on the Freightliner and headed to the Mack with the airline fitting. That was when I realized what I had done. Made extra work for myself. Now I have to have both of the Cross Over Yokes on. Oh well, the trucks have the required brake assembly for the DOT should we get checked.

Other than the relentless heat, things went well. We had to stop a few times and get out of the heat for a bit.

We left Linde Gas and went to the T/A Truckstop to get some food and replenish the loss of water. Both of us were sapped and ready to call it a day.

We are at the Best Western in Canton, TX for the night. Me and my runny nose are going to bed after a shower to wash off today's grease, sweat, and grit.

Tomorrow is about a 600 mile day through the remainder of Texas, through Louisianna, up through a bit of Mississippi, into Alabama, and we might get into Tennessee.

I'll keep you posted.

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We Are Slipping

Two hours and fifty-one minutes it took to get hooked up. We had to stop and cool off in the pickup a few times. Maybe this sweating profusely will sweat Joe's cold out of me sooner.

He's got air conditioning, mine is 65 by 2. Two windows down at 65 mph. I don't need refrigerated air right now.

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New Hire Problems

When I come back after weeks off I make silly mistakes.

Today I hooked Joe's brake assembly for his back truck on mine. When I went to use my brake assembly stuff on his truck there was something wrong with that picture. Our back trucks are different. Mine's a Freightliner and his is a Mack.

New hires, you have to teach them everything!

Hey, it's super hot and sunny here. Give me a break.

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Best Laid Plans...

Alarm set for 4:30 am. Get up, shower, dress, get all the little stuff not loaded yet. Be out the door come 6:00 am.

About every two hours during the night I hacked myself awake and breathless. Joe was so concerned come 2:20 am he told me we were going to the doctor. Get real, this is just a cold. The doctor is going to tell me what I already know. Lots of fluids, aspirin, and rest. I can do the first two - rest will come later.

Joe feels so bad for giving me his cold. I'm taking advantage of his concern. I tell him his kisses are unwelcome right now.

Didn't get up until 6 am. We didn't get all loaded and on the road till 8:00 am.

Fuel stop coming up. Need to get more water, some coffee, and something to eat. More later.

Geolocate this post

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My Thoughts On Sharing

Sharing is one way to let someone feel included in your life. It is a form of acceptance, a display of welcome.

Children are taught to share as part of their Social Skills development. Share with siblings, or other children in their age range.

Sharing is done in a myriad of ways. Ideas, compliments, and experiences. Older people share memories of their youth by telling stories of their lives. Employees share their experiences in the work environment by offering tidbits about a copier or printer, a heads up about another employee who could cause trouble, or an employee who would be the "Go To" person.

Share a meal with someone, half of a dessert, something to drink. Share clothing with someone that wears the same size as you do.

My husband and I share a lot of stuff. We share the work load, our knowledge, our talents, ourselves. Sharing can be just as rewarding in intimacy as good sex. It says "I love you, and I want to give part of me to you". Whatever I have I will share with you.

I have received something from my husband that I really wish he had kept all to himself.

HIS COLD. I would not have minded his being stingy with his cold.

Okay, That Wasn't Too Smart

Thought it would be a "Bright" idea to put a map up of where we are going. That part worked fine. I just had to see what it looked like. Wow. Cool.

I went back to it in edit mode to add stuff and things got all wonky. Before I really screwed up I just decided to start a new post.

Lesson Learned? Next time I put the map stuff in, get all my blah blah blah done before I post it.

Like I said before, I am not totally computer literate. In fact, I know just enough to be dangerous. Well, dangerous to myself. Swear like a sailor or truck driver. Stomp around a bit. Repeat over and over again "What just happened?" Then follow it with "What did I just do?" After much lamenting and gnashing of teeth an idea will strike me and I'll try it. If it doesn't work there is more swearing and stomping. In full panic mode by this time I will be calling people to get my computer over to have it fixed only to be told I can drop it off and have it back in a couple weeks. That escalates the panic mode. More stomping and swearing ensue with some occasional hopping.

Needless to say, I have had enough experience with my bonehead tendencies that I restrain myself quickly before the bad stuff starts.

What harm can one more post do for the day?

FINALLY - We Go Back To Work Tomorrow

Background music for tomorrow - Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again".

Both Joe and I are ready to get back to work. Terrell, TX to Chattanooga, TN.


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Motorcycle Endorsement

Joe bought me this Metropolitan "Scooter" for Christmas 2006. I have tried to ride it several times. Biker Mama I am NOT. Fraidy Cat I AM. In October of 2007 I decided to give it a try.

I made it out of our neighborhood to a street with no speed bumps. A clear stretch for 3/4 of a mile. I was so excited. The thought of going fast on the scooter with no impediments to navigate would be thrilling. I was up for it. I was psyched. I was stoked.

Idling at the opening of this street I had some concerns for other people's safety. I'm not experienced enough to go to the grocery store and handle traffic so a quiet street with no traffic would be ideal. This street has two "S" curves that are long so I should have no fear of dumping the scooter. There is plenty of room at the other end to turn around and come back. My confidence could use a boost and today would be the day.

The thought of wind blowing across my face and through my hair. The freedom to zoom down an open road and remember the feeling I used to get as a passenger on a motorcycle. I was getting more and more excited and pumped. I was ready to tackle this street. No traffic, no speed bumps, no people. I can do this.

I rev up the engine a little, release the brakes, and off I go. The further I got down the road the better it felt. Wobbling a little but it was manageable. I got to the end of the street pleased with what I had just accomplished and I was ready to go back. Faster this time.

The results were: A blistering, heart pounding......10 mph.





Chicken me - Joe rides "Polly" now. He has taken her to get his prescriptions filled, a small grocery run, get MRI film from the hospital for his prostate cancer treatments. He gets her out and opens her up to the 40 mph she will do.

When he bought the Honda Metropolitan from Moddrell Honda in Chickasha, OK they told him he did not have to have a motorcycle endorsement on his license because it was rated at less than 2 cc's (whatever that is - guy lingo). When he got Polly tagged and licensed he found out otherwise. Still need a motorcycle endorsement on our driver's licenses.

The licensing place told him to be there at 5:30 a.m. to get in line for the Road Test. They don't open the business until 8:30 a.m.!!! Bureaucrats. At least he will be "Street Legal" by the time he gets back home.

What is Wander Lust, why does it get In Your Blood?

I am so ready to get back to work. I'm bored. Sitting quietly anywhere, flashes of places I've been flit through my brain like a slide show. Is that normal? Well, it is for me.

It is such a pervasive thing in my brain that I get sidetracked easily. Sometimes concentration is interrupted for a split second while a memory flits through. I can lose the thread of a conversation by these flits.

Talking with someone else who has traveled the United States, their experiences touch off a flurry of flits in my brain. I've been there, I saw that, on a related note let me tell you what I experienced. The conversation zooms from one place to another and topics change so fast. Leaving the person I just conversed with I will have had a pleasant conversation with them and hope to do so again, or I will feel a dislike for the person and don't want to see them again.

What is it about memory that connects us with other people? It happens everywhere around us with all peoples. You ask anyone where they were on 9/11 and the memory of that day will come back to them. We will feel the same emotions we felt at the time, we will hear the sounds around us, the smells will even be there.

A football game, a child's swim meet the parent attended, a baseball game, a golf tournament, the company picnic, a Christmas party, a baby's Christening, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one. These potent times in our lives have lasting memories that have a way of taking you back to where you were on that day.

The title of my blog "What Day Is It? Where Was I Yesterday?" is not so much about a failing memory as one of business in an unstructured life. By unstructured I mean this is not a job of Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with the weekends off. This job, while we are working, is one day after another. No weekends off, get up early in the morning and keep going until it gets dark. Days run into each other so much that I lose track of what day it is. I often get a day ahead of myself - think it is Saturday when it is Friday. It is so bad I have to wear a watch with the days of the week on it so I know what day it is.

I have wondered if I have a dis-associative disorder, or an ADD like thing where I can't concentrate. When I apply a few minutes to this question I come up with the answer of "Information Overload".

While normal people have a structured life - Monday through Friday - they get up, get dressed, leave the house, drive the same roads to work, get to work, go to lunch, drive back home on the same roads. The change for them is the weekends and what they do that is different. They can keep track of the days with sayings like "Mad Monday", or "Hump Day" for Wednesday. Memorable days stand out for them, like with me, when something earth shaking happens. The boss chews them up, a piece of equipment goes to shit when they are in the middle of work, they get bad news from home or a colleague, or a child wakes in the middle of the night vomiting.

With me a typical day will begin in one city and end in another state. The highway system traversing the United States is extensive and interconnected. To get from one place to another means often taking different highways. The landscapes change from a multitude of trees to stark and barren vistas. There will be days when the only contact with another person is radio contact with my husband, either in front of me or behind me. Quick stops at a truckstop fuel island and in to pay. When we stop at restaurants we will often converse with other patrons to keep in practice of talking. We do have telephone conversations with our children but the conversations can be fraught with a multitude of distractions. Merging onto a highway, slowing down for construction, avoiding a pot hole, being launched in the air from a particularly bad bump at a bridge transition. I continually ask "What was I saying?".

This job is not for everyone. You have to be able to be "With Yourself". If you have to have constant company on your travels through life this isn't the job for you. This job has a LOT of quiet time. Anyone struggling with life's lessons can be driven crazy. "I wish I had said that. I should have done this. Why didn't I do such and such."

If you are the wife of a truck driver, and I have been one, it is difficult to stay home for days and weeks at a time with the company of children only. When the traveling spouse comes home the bed and sleep are uppermost in their mind. It is taxing on a relationship. A bad one will only get worse. The perception of the traveling spouse is they get to eat out all the time while the at home spouse has to cook. The traveling spouse gets to see so much and the at home spouse is stuck where they are.

I can attest to the fact that neither side of this situation is better than the other. The grass is just as brown on my side as it is on the other side.

When an at home spouse asks the traveling spouse what they saw on their trip and get the answer "nothing", it is true. The at home spouse thinks of all the places they would like to visit and the traveling spouse gets to see all those places. The truth is, we get to see all those places as we pass them at 60 miles an hour or the highway systems takes us far around the place and we don't see it at all.

For example - The Grand Canyon. Flagstaff, AZ is one of the places that leads to the Grand Canyon. In our travels we go through Flagstaff, AZ and just keep going. There are billboards all over attesting to the fact that you can get to the Grand Canyon from there but we don't know that for a fact. The Grand Canyon is miles away from Flagstaff, AZ and on a totally different road system.

We see America from the Interstate System, not off the beaten paths.

New York City is seen from the Interstate as we go through. I would not be able to tell you where Broadway and the Theater District are.

This is our view of New York City. When someone asks if we've been there our memories are of really bad pot holed roads, traffic up the wazoo, not allowed on roads named "Parkway", and we can't go through the Holland Tunnel. Dread, complete and utter dread is what I feel when we have to go through New York City. The George Washington Bridge is bumper to bumper traffic no matter what time we get on it. The toll prices are $15 to $30 depending on which bridge or tollway we go on. When we finally get through New York and the surrounding towns heading north to Connecticut and Vermont I can breath again. The state of hyper awareness we have to be in traveling through densely populated areas is enough to raise our blood pressure into dangerous levels.

By the time we get home for a few days I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to be in jammies and not see the outside of my house, let alone the inside of a vehicle, until I absolutely have to. At home for a week the first couple days I am really snappish and highly volatile. Not pleasant to be around at all. I just want to zone out. Watch endless television, do anything that does not require thought or movement. My husband's requests for "What's to eat" get met with attacks of "I don't know, eat some cereal. Get a hot dog. Figure it out yourself." His wanting to go to the grocery store to get food while we are home, well lets just say I have a really bad attitude about the whole subject.

Man, I'm ready to get back on the road again. Get back to work.

Wonders of Arizona

When Joe and I were going from Laredo, TX to Calexico, CA we had to go through Arizona. On our way back to Laredo for the second load we stopped by some friends of ours that live in Tucson.

My friend, Judy Ray, is amazing with wild animals. They are drawn to her. She has a family of roadrunners that come to her. One of them comes to the door with clicks and chatter to get her attention. She has prepared ground meat, formed into little balls and put into the freezer. When her little guy comes calling she thaws the meat under running water and tosses pieces to him. I had to see this to believe it. You see him requesting to be fed through the screen door, then with the meat Judy gives him. Click on the picture at the right and enlarge it. You will see this guy is missing a talon on his right (our left) foot. That had to hurt.

She throws scraps of bread, lettuce, carrot peels, and other things from her front porch. Later she will have rabbits and various other birds in the front of her house feasting. I often wonder if she is "Snow White" in disguise?

Traveling north on I-8 in Arizona - before Tucson - we noticed the saguaro were in bloom. If you live in Arizona you know they bloom in the spring. If you don't live in Arizona you (I) wonder just exactly what everyone finds so fascinating about the Arizona desert. We pulled off the road so Joe could get these pictures of a saguaro that is blooming but looks like it should be crumpled to the ground and dead. Many creatures call this home. Rats, mice, birds, lizards, bugs. The bit of information I had about saguaro cactus was they bloomed only every 100 years and a new arm came from the blooms. Judy's husband, Ron, set me straight on that. They bloom every year and don't grow arms from the blooms. If what I believed were true then the saguaro would not be as tall and majestic as they are but squat little things with really oddly shaped bodies. The complexities of life and organisms can be mind boggling if you spend much time dwelling on it.

Get Smart - The Movie

My husband and I went to the movies last night to see Get Smart. He thought I needed cheering up.

I think the last movie we saw in a theater was the John Travolta movie - Wild Hogs.

Steve Carrel. Right up there with Chevy Chase and Steve Martin in my estimation. Some people like these guys and their slapstick sense of humor. I don't.

First, let me say there are three characters in the Get Smart movie that I enjoyed. The two "tech geeks" and The Rock. One of the "tech geeks" face was so familiar to me, I just could not remember where I had seen him. I knew it was in a commercial, but which one. My husband I debated about this for a while and could not agree that he had been in the Capital One commercials with Dave Spade. I had to Google it to see. And he was in those commercials.

The teens attending the movie with us were laughing hysterically at the mishaps and self inflicted harm the characters went through in the movie. Truth be told, I would have laughed just as loud at the dumb adults were I a teen. Being an adult and seeing the antics on the screen were not funny. The teens laughing have better judgment about self inflicted pain than the character Steve Carrel played. If you shoot yourself with a 3 inch harpoon connected to a wire one time, why would you try to do it again? This character did it several times. Way past funny and into just plain stupid.

There were only 2 (two) funny places in the movie - in my opinion. The dancing scene with Steve Carrel's character and his partner. She gets a sassy look on her face that indicates "I'm just as good as the skinny ones at this". The second funny part was when Steve Carrel's character took a bow to the orchestra people at the end. His bare butt exposed in torn pants to the audience now behind him.

Would I go see this movie again? Not just no but, Hell NO. Would I rent this when it comes out in Netflix or from Blockbuster? Hell NO. I could not wait for the movie to end so we could leave. Joe found it funny and he was enjoying it.

As miserable as I was, he didn't need to leave just because I was not amused. I could have left, as I have done in other movies he's taken me to that I did not want to see. The hurt on his face when I do get up and leave is not worth it. He tends to berate himself for a while after. This man with confidence and strength, whom I adore, stricken down because he thinks he caused me to be unhappy. I did telegraph my unhappiness to him by hopping my leg up and down in nervous anxiety. So, in a way I caused him to hurt. No win situation here.

"Only if" the casting people and directors could have found someone like Don Adams who originated the part. Who knows, the movie may have been a lot better - in my opinion. I wonder if this was one of the "Critic's" picks for a good movie.

I think I'm addicted...to the internet

I can't seem to get very far from this piece of equipment.

I've got work to do, serious work. Like inputting financial information into QuickBooks. But this is more fun.

I have changed a lot over the years.

When I first encountered the internet I didn't want any part of it. Searching for something - anything - would bring up so many listings of my search it seemed overwhelming.

I absolutely HATE shopping. When I do go it is with a list in hand or in mind. Into the store I go and get the business over with. I have a foster sister who would spend the entire day at the mall going from one shop to another. She would pick up an item, look it over, put it back and go to the next. Hours upon hours of handling items and not buying a thing. It got to the point when she invited me on a shopping trip I would say "No thank you. Just hit me in the face with a 2x4 instead".

The internet is akin to shopping. You know what you would like to purchase or handle, you put your search request in and a multitude of items come up. Open one link and scroll through it to see if that site has what you are looking for. No. Back out and go to the next one and repeat the process. By the time I did find what I was looking for I was well into the phase of "What was I doing?".

By necessity I have learned how to do a quick search. Enter the search item and only read the descriptions. If one, or more, fits then click on the link and check it out. If nothing fits then alter the words in the search field for better or different results. Now I am quite versed in the search feature that my husband comes to me with his requests.

When I want to purchase an item, for example flowers as a Thank You, I enter my search request and look at the resultant entries. Click on a link I think might have pictures and descriptions and off I go. When I find an item I think is appropriate then my next search would be Florist Shops in the town the flowers are going. I get a phone number, call the florist shop, make my request and have the bouquet or plant put together to my specifications and pay for the item. Same thing in purchasing luggage. Well, mostly the same. I print pictures of the item I am interested in and go to the mall or store that handles luggage and take a look at what they have. If I like what I've handled I purchase it. If not I find it somewhere on the road.

I am not a daily diary person. I have several journals around the house that I use when the urge to write hits me. One in my bedroom for when I take a long soak in the bathtub. One in my craft room when an idea hits me, or if I've come up with an ingenious idea for a scrapbook layout. In closets I have my whining journals. The "Nobody Loves Me, Guess I'll Go Eat Worms" ones. I have to keep them behind closed doors because they can be really dark and gloomy. I only bring them out to see if I've finally got passed whatever issue was vexing me at the time. If I'm still stuck in the issue I'll write a little about any changes I have made, no matter how small.

Life is about growth, and I'm still growing. Or, when I stop growing it means I'm dead. So I guess I'll try to keep growing. Even when I get stuck in an addiction, like the internet. I do know this will pass, or at least be sporadic like the rest of my journals.

I love to read what other people post. If a blog piques my interest I will revisit it and read more. If I don't like the content I just get out and don't go back. I love it when I find someone who (in my opinion) is all put together and they struggle in everyday life like me. It makes me think I am normal and not some "totally out of touch personality that desperately needs therapy or medication". I tend to be my own worst critic.

So here I sit, nattering on while the work I need to do is about two feet away. I need to admonish myself, as I would one of our children when they get mired in a problem and don't want to get out of it because it might turn worse. "Get over yourself and just do it!"

In a whiny voice: Alright. Okay. I'm going. I'll do it. Just give me another minute here to finish what I'm doing. I promise I'll get started in two minutes.

Dispatch?

Not yet. Things have changed.

Once in a while this happens. We plan on taking a run and things happen.

The trucks out of Dallas, TX and Kansas City, MO to Youngstown, OH have sort of evaporated. Only sort of. There is still a peek of them through the closing shroud.

Seems the purchasers of the trucks (25 trucks in total) want to personally hand pick the first six to leave. This has been the working assumption since the middle of last week. Each day that passes it makes it more difficult for us to go with one of our other dispatch offices because we may not be in a position to take these trucks we've said we would do. We've committed to taking them and we have to honor that commitment.

The really bad part about all this is the customer is not communicating with our dispatch office. We are not the only one getting frustrated by the delays, and we are not the only ones losing revenue.

We'll be home this weekend and come Monday we have to do something. Commitment or not we can't wait for the customer to step up. We've been home since July 4th and it is about time to get back out. And I'm getting bored. I'll have to spend the weekend thinking of something to do. Something like really clean the kitchen. Or move all the furniture in the livingroom and vacuum under it. Or fine tune my business expense/income filing system.

I'll have to think about that.

Along the lines of finding something to do...we are going to be grandparents come November. A brand new baby, and it is a boy. The finding things to do here is looking at the baby items for sale on the internet. June of 2001 was the most recent time I've purchased baby items. Things have changed dramatically from 1979 to 2001. 1979 was when my last child was born, 2001 was when my second grandchild was born. The things available are astounding.

I used cloth diapers for a while, until the disposable ones really came to market in 1979. There are a plethora of diapers in the stores now. From newborn to toddlers and the pull ups for potty training. Car seats were not mandatory back in 1979 but are now. I got a brain freeze trying to figure out which car seat would be the better purchase. The magical one that is an infant porter thing that turns into a car seat that turns into a stroller, or the one that is an infant porter that turns into a car seat, or separate porter and separate car seat.

When my youngest was born I thought I had hit on the best item around with a burp pad made from rubber and had flannel on each side. Now the burp pads come shaped for the neck and shoulder of the burper.

Clothing I know is going to be a must have, but the choices are vast. Where is the sack with the little folding part at the end of the arms to keep baby from scratching him/her self? Man those were must have items for me. Untie the bottom of the sack and have access to diaper changing. Nearly all the onesies have something to say on the front. Our grand baby will be born in winter in Colorado. Onesies won't cut it. I disliked those things anyway. To get at the dirty diaper was easy. Moving the crotch flap up behind squirming baby's back was manageable. Changing a really soupy, messy diaper with the squirming infant was like painting poop all over everything. Then I nearly gave my kids whip lash trying to pull the onesie back into place and fasten the snaps. I ended up unsnapping the crotch and pulling the whole garment off the kid, change the diaper and put the garment back on the kid. Man I hated those things. Loved the sack though. That thing had lots of room to shove up under baby and out of the way of messes.

I'll find some stuff to send to our Little Mommy. When we get back out on the road I am sure to find baby clothes with State names on them. He can be a well traveled guy without having to go anywhere. Sounds good to me.

Travel, I must. Into the kitchen to start supper.

Grrrrr Arrrrgh Friklefrak

I had a nightmare on my hands. Joe's iPhone and its contacts.

I am only slightly computer literate. Problem solving is in the realm of Sherlock Holmes or Sam Spade. I have to be a detective sorting through all the gobbeldy gook and menus to figure out what I need to do.

Someone who is wise to ways of computers would have had my problem solved in 10 minutes. Not being computer savvy it took me seven hours. By the time I figured it out I was ready to commit major mayhem and foolishness.

We have had a (one - 1) .Mac account for seven years. Now that both Joe and I have iPhones we each have to have an account. I upgraded our account to a family one and he got his own little account. Now the fun began.

He synced his phone and MobileMe sent all of his information into my stuff. I had his stuff mingled with my stuff. What's the problem you might ask? I don't want clutter in my Address Book. I won't be calling his contacts so why have them.

I spent the next hours working to get his stuff under his MobileMe account.

I called the support number and had a 45 minute conversation with a young woman that did not understand what I wanted to do. I explained over and over that I wanted my husband's stuff in his account and my stuff in my account. As I said earlier - once she understood me it took 10 minutes to accomplish.

I then ended up causing Joe's iPhone to lock up.

Besides banging the iPhone with a hard implement, I figured the next best thing would be to just reset his phone to the factory settings.

All is well in our household now. Both iPhones work as they should. His stuff is in his place and my stuff is in my place. The good thing about this mess: We are home and I can take the time to do this stuff. Had we been on the road it would have been a nightmare. So all is good.

Fixed my iPhone

After getting freaked out about this phone not working, I went to the Apple site and took a look at the Troubleshooting tips for the iPhone.

Did the things they recommend and still no luck. Can't hear the keyboard clicks, nor the phone ringing.

What's this? As I look my phone over - all over - I see a switch at the very top on the left side just above the volume toggles. There is a little red dot showing. That's new. Hmmm. Wonder what that is for. Looked at my old iPhone and saw a similar switch but it is inset where this new phones switch sticks out. Oh, I remember now. That is the switch for the silent ringer option.

Well, duh.

I moved the new switch to cover the red dot. Success. I now hear my ringer and the key clicks.

Why would anyone buy an iPhone?

It takes me a long time to decide to buy something that is really expensive - unless it is scrapbook items then I go momentarily insane. I swear there is a subliminal message beamed to me from the overhead lighting in places like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and all the scrapbook shops everywhere. Surely, it can't be my fault that I spend money in these places.

Three years I flipped and flopped about a PDA. Glorified address book is what I thought of it. I didn't want to spend over $200 on something that would not be useful. The deciding factor in purchasing a PDA was a Quicken software I could install on a PDA and keep our business expenses up to date. All I was supposed to do was enter the items then sync with my computer when I got home. I got really excited about that and purchased a Sony Clie and the Pocket Quicken. My excitement fizzled to frustration the first time I synced three months of expenses. This was in 2003 and we had work up the wazoo and hardly were home.

When I did finally get home to catch up on paperwork I found my expense entries were all over the place in my Quicken stuff on the computer. I spent over a week playing hide and seek with my stuff. The Clie went on the shelf and it sits there still.

Last year, when I first heard about the iPhone and saw the demo I had to have one. No flipping or flopping, no hemming or hawing. I had to have one. The selling point for me was the map feature and getting business listings with address and phone numbers right there.

I broached the subject with my husband and he didn't even hesitate. "Get one" is what he said. So when they became available, I bought one. Needless to say, it is not on the shelf collecting dust.

We were on the Interstate near Perry, GA when Joe had a tire blow out. He called the dispatch office for a tire repair place near where we were. While he was on the phone I used the map feature on my iPhone and entered "Tire repair Perry, GA". Several items came up and I told Joe what I had found. He relayed the information to dispatch and they gave the go ahead to contact the service closest to where we were.

The result was this. We waited about 1 & 1/2 hours at the exit ramp before the service truck came. When he arrived he got to work. 30 minutes later we were back on the road.

That was my first attempt at using the maps feature to get us help on the road. The second one was when I had a breakdown in Louisiana and had to be towed to a shop. My back truck had a problem to begin with so switching trucks was out of the question. Now my front trucks transmission quit and I was, effectively "dead in the water".

Using my iPhone to find a wrecker in the area we were in resulted in this. I think it was Crestview, LA where this took place. The shop I was towed to fixed the problem with my back truck so I could switch them out and finish the trip.

The next event took place west of Tulsa on I-44. We were deadheading to Tulsa, almost made it when a tire blew on our trailer. The fender got mangled and the remote control box that worked the hydraulics on the trailer was destroyed. My iPhone came to the rescue yet again.


When we needed to find a hotel and knew about where we were shutting down for the night I would get a selection, look in the Corporate Lodging Book to see which were in their account and called for a room reservation.

When we needed to find a delivery location or a pick up location that our GPS didn't have, search the maps feature. This phone came in so handy and became an indispensable tool in our work. So much so that Joe said he wanted one, too.

When I bought my first iPhone I also purchased "The Invisible Shield" for it. I can be clumsy. I've dropped phones from heights of 10' or more and watched them fly apart right before my eyes. I thought $20 would be a good price to pay for protection. Good thing I did, too. In December of last year I dropped my iPhone and cracked the glass. I thought I had just destroyed this really expensive phone. The Invisible Shield has held the glass in place and protected it. I could still make calls, search the map, take pictures, get my emails...everything except sync. I had broken it in such a way that it quit syncing in May. It worked from December to May though.

When the new iPhone was coming out I had to have this one replaced. I really need one that will sync all my stuff. The calendar, especially, since I have to prove to my CPA how many days we were out on the road each month.

My advice to anyone that has the iPhone. Go to http://www.Zagg.com and check them out. Buy it. You will be really glad you did. They sell these covers for all kinds of cell phones, not just the iPhone.

The new iPhone...I'm having some trouble with it. My phone does not always ring and I miss calls when I don't have my Jawbone in my ear. I have had to update my calendar on my iPhone, in my Mac, and my .Mac account. I've had to adjust each one so they all have the same information. What a pain in the butt. I'm so glad I keep a handwritten "Day Book" with me or I would have been in real doo doo.

This thing sucks the power too. With my old iPhone I could go 2 & 1/2 days before recharging the battery if I did not use the maps or internet. Now I have to charge it every day. I've turned off the "Push" stuff. That seems to be the biggest battery drain. Well, it will take me a while to learn my way around this phone. It sure doesn't work like the old one.

I Got Randomed

Got a call from Worldwide Freight. Drug and alcohol random test time for me.

It is no biggie while we are home. The fun times are when we are in an unfamiliar city with trucks and (a) can't find the place, (b) find the place in a medical complex with a parking lot full of cars on a very busy street, or (c) find the place and circle the block looking for a curbside spot big enough.

Don't let any girl tell you they don't pee in the shower. If we have to go bad enough we'll do it. The urge didn't hit me till I had the water running for the shower.

By the time I got to Concentra I was uncomfortable. The sign in and wait process had me squirming. All I could think about was relief. Finally my name is called. Take off my Bluetooth ear piece, empty pockets, remove sunglasses, set purse down then begin the dance while the water is running to wash my hands. I'm given my cup with the fill to line marked, instructed to not flush when finished and "outta my way" I've gotta pee.

That's done. On my way out of the driveway I call Worldwide to tell them it's done. "The alcohol test, too?" Crap, I forgot.

Turn around and go back. More papers to sign, sit until I'm called back then get a tour of the facility getting to the exam room. All I can think is Thank God I don't have to pee.

A new disposable mouthpiece is put on a device and I'm instructed to take a deep breath and blow until I hear a click. Just before it clicked I was running out of air. I wonder if anyones passed out on this test? Probably not.

Called Worldwide again. This time I'm REALLY done.



Posted with LifeCast

Test. This Is Only A Test. OOPS PUSHED WRONG BUTTON

Trying to see if this LifeCast application will work for me.

I have a couple other blogs somewhere on the web. I don't remember my screen names or passwords - worst is I don't remember the site name.

My iPhone goes with me everywhere. Maybe I won't forget this site.



Posted with LifeCast

CONFIDENCE comes BY DOING

I've had many jobs over the years. Began waitressing in my teens, went to Business School in my mid 20's to be a Secretary, worked my way up from Receptionist to Office Assistant over the next eight years, was a Stay At Home Mom in my late 20's early 30's, took apart electrical transformers and put them back together again in my mid to late 30's and early 40's. The kids all grew up and moved away in my mid 40's, went back to waitressing in my late 40's while my husband (I'm happy to say is my best friend and confidence booster for 18 years this August) drove around the United States keeping hearth and home secure.

I got bored. No one to talk to but myself - that could be a troublesome thing at times. I got into Tarot Cards in search of myself since I had all this time with myself. I did a lot of soul searching and trying to figure out who I am and why I do the things I do. Many days were spent crying over why I couldn't seem to get myself into a place where I felt like I was contributing to our life. I made myself miserable, and I put Joe in a wobbling tailspin a time or two. I felt useless and like I wasn't doing my part in our marriage and our life. This is akin to seeing all the beautiful people in shiny clothes and jewelry and wishing you had that life instead of the one you were in.

After Thanksgiving and before Christmas of 1999, I got my butt fired at Denny's. I was now free to do something. So I chose to ride along with Joe and help him. For the next year and a half I rode with Joe across the country. Worked side by side with him in his hooking up and delivering of the trucks he transported. I began taking pictures of our trips. My photography skills were really bad. I once took 25 rolls of film and only three photos were any good. $180 wasted? Sort of - but I learned some lessons in how to work the camera and be more picky about what I'm trying to photograph. So it wasn't really a waste. I generally have big learning curves.

Around mid to late 2000 Joe began making noises about me getting my CDL so I could drive. We would make more money and I could be with him "legally". I didn't want to do that. I had found a comfort zone and I didn't want to be budged. Since Joe is who he is, he would gently raise the idea again and proceed to tell me I could do it.

Come March of 2001 I was getting a little closer to agreeing with him, but not entirely. June 2001 was the turning point. He had succeeded in getting me to take the test for my CDL. By July 2001 I had the written and driving tests passed, now it was up to him to convince the people he worked for to sign me on.

July 28, 2001. A little reluctantly I was hired on with strict admonitions that I was only to take "Bobtails" for the first six months. Well, that went right out the window on my first day of work. I was given a tractor (Bobtail) to go to Melrose Park, IL and a trailer to go to Jefferson, MO. First job out was a tractor/trailer with the same company that said I could not do that. Oh well.

Scared? You bet. I spent the next couple days with a crusty build up on the roof of my mouth from breathing heavily with my mouth open. I was too scared to get a drink of water. Besides, I couldn't get the fingers of my left hand off the steering wheel. I had to pry them off each time we stopped and got out.

Then "Baptism by Fire" was my next job. Taking tractor/trailers from Kenosha, WI to Morris, IL. I was going through Chicago and all of its toll booths for the next two weeks. WTF had I been talked into???? Oh, my God.

In 2004 I had a month off and I took up scrapbooking. These are from my first attempts at scrapping our life. I have come so far in my truck driving abilities that I no longer have a crusty mouth and I know the highways well enough to know where we are going. My scrapping has improved over the years also. So, Confidence comes by doing.

There are a lot of things that influence the business we are in. Money, fuel prices, mortgage rates, lending institutions, holidays, EPA regulations, and the drivers themselves.

In the "good old days" the large companies like Swift, Werner, Covenant, JB Hunt, US Express, to name a few, would have lease packages with Freightliner. These companies would lease the trucks for three years then trade them in for new ones. When I started in 2001 this industry was akin to "Mobile Storage". We would pick up the "Trade Trucks" from these companies and take them to a storage lot or a Freightliner dealership. Then we would move the trucks from one storage lot to another. Our deadhead was nothing (picking up at the same location we delivered to) or minimal - 250 miles.

A market opened overseas and we began taking trucks to ports to be shipped out to Vietnam and Africa. The trade truck part of the industry was still strong and kept us busy. Things began slowing down a little by 2004 when the fuel costs were in the $2.50 range and we grumbled alot. Around 2006 the fuel prices hiked up to $3 for a while and hovered there and went back down to $2.80. Now the fuel prices are near $5 and we get excited to see $4.60 fuel. Such a deal.

The overseas market expanded to Russia. I've heard that Russia makes 20% on the money they spend to buy the used trucks before the ship even docks at their ports. Russian buyers have made a profit before they get the trucks. With used trucks going to the ports and shipped out we have that many fewer used trucks in the market here.

The EPA wanted stricter regulations on emissions from truck exhausts and in 2006 truck manufacturers were building truck engines that would emit less fumes and be fuel efficient. They had their glitches and have worked them out. The first few that went to the larger trucking companies were so bad in performance and maintenance, purchases of the new type of truck stopped until better changes were made. Some larger trucking companies were stockpiling older engines because of the glitches in the newer type engine.

Now with the cost of fuel being high, the insanity of the housing industry and lending institutions, and the general cost of doing business the larger companies are holding on to their older trucks. There are trucking companies going out of business all over the place.

These things effect us. They affect our deadhead. Typically we will go 500 miles for a load that is 300 miles long. Not very profitable. The longer trips get us in places we have no way out. California, Florida, Oregon. Any one of these delivery points mean we will have to deadhead at least 1200 to get back to work. Split loads for us is more common that it used to be. And if we take time off we have a harder time getting back in the mix for better loads.

We made our last delivery on July 2nd to New Orleans, LA and decided it was time to go home for a while. We've been home since the 4th and we are preparing to leave today for a split load. Dallas, TX for two trucks then go to Kansas City, MO for two more and deliver to Youngstown, OH. We will be pestering our dispatchers over the next few days for more work. We don't know where we are going after Youngstown. It used to be we would have a minimum of three trips planned out at any given time. Now it is harder to plan ahead.

I have to get out of here and get to packing and loading so we can get on the way to Dallas. My next posts will be from my iPhone while we are on the road.

The whining starts now.....

"Breaks over. Back on your heads."

In December of last year my husband, Joe, went to the hospital for Prostate Surgery to remove his cancer. That didn't go very well. He still has the cancer. It is being managed and he is doing better. We (I) am waiting for him to decide when he will do the Radiation Therapy. He says it will be this winter - November or December. Hey, it is his body and he should have the ability to choose what gets done to it.

December, January, and February were rough months for us. He spent a couple weeks of December and January in the hospital and all of February recuperating from the procedures. I told our dispatchers we were taking this slow until Joe feels up to getting back to his normal (or what will be normal) working pace. That will be me begging for a day off to sleep.

The following is what our daily work life is like in the trucking industry.

March 5, 2008 to March 10, 2008
Pick Up: Fleet Truck Sales (Werner) Omaha, NE
Delivery: Fleet Truck Sales (Werner) Portland, OR

Wednesday - March 5, 2008 about 10:00 a.m. we left for Omaha. 547 miles of deadhead. Long and tiring day. We are both tired and sore from all the bouncing, we haven't done this since November. Joe gets winded easily when walking more than 50 feet. This is going to be a long and frustrating trip for him.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - LINCOLN, NE

Thursday - March 6, 2008 about 9:30 a.m. we arrive at Werner Transportation in Omaha, NE. Find the person we need to work with getting the keys to the trucks, locating them, and getting our inspection papers signed. That done I get Joe's trucks located and inspected. Joe is really disgusted since I have to do the heavy lifting and most of the work. I spend about 10 minutes reassuring him that this is not a long term thing. Helps a little (very little). By 12:30 p.m. we are ready to get Joe's trucks loaded. Now the fun begins. Air won't build in the truck he is going to drive. The air dryer seems fine, the compressor might be bad. The truck gets taken to the shop for repairs and we leave for lunch. Two hours later the truck is ready and we get the final part of the hook up done. Leave Werner Transportation at 3:45 p.m. Been there all day long, but in my opinion we did good. Heading west on I-80 we encountered a skiff of snow, not much.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - YORK, NE

Friday - March 7, 2008. Woke to a cold and harsh wind. Brrrrrr. Let the truck warm up a bit while I get stuff packed back up in the suitcase and shower bag. Weather reports of cold wind all across I-80 today. Stopped at Holding's Little America in Cheyenne, WY for lunch. Wasn't as cold in Cheyenne as it was in York, we had wind all the way. Hit some slick spots west of Laramie, WY which made this chicken do a whole lot of yelping. I absolutely HATE driving on ice and snow. The wind across Wyoming blew snow across the highway and into cooling puddles. Come nightfall I hope to have that ice skating rink far behind me.
TRAVELODGE - RAWLINS, WY

NOTE: We use the Corporate Lodging Card for our business and we get reduced rates on our hotel stays. The Travelodge in Rawlins, WY stuck it to us. $95.50 for a room that is $35-40 in the Corporate Lodging book. I've called several times to say "WTF" and no one seems to know what I'm talking about. TRAVELODGE - RAWLINS, WY HERE IS WHAT I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT YOU. Anyone planning to stay in Rawlins, WY go to some other hotel - stay away from the Travelodge.

Saturday - March 8, 2008. Still cold and the roads are clear. We stopped in Rock Springs, WY for food and continued on. The weather turned really nice by the time we went north towards Boise, ID. I had to turn the heater off.
HOLIDAY INN - BOISE, ID

Sunday - March 9, 2008. Chilly when we left Boise. Not much snow. Our next set of trucks will be in San Jose, CA and we are discussing the merits of going to Casa de Fruta in Hollister, CA. We will get to Portland, OR tonight. Our destination for today is the Jubitz Truckstop in Portland to unhook our trucks and deliver them tomorrow morning just about 1/2 mile from the truckstop.
DAYS INN - PORTLAND, OR.

Monday - March 10, 2008. Got our trucks delivered and signed for. Deadhead 635 miles down to San Jose, CA. Called ahead to the place where the trucks are to get directions and find out who we have to talk to. Left messages most of the day. Part of our job description - WING IT. I got us lost three times trying to find a Walgreens for Joe's prescriptions and a Ritz Camera shop for Joe. We found a Walmart in Portland and purchased a Garmin c330 GPS, our original one was given to our son whom we've conned into doing this work. Maybe I won't get so lost now. I'll still get us lost but not as frequently. Joe is fading fast. We need to find a place to stop for the night.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - YREKA, CA

March 10, 2008 to March 17, 2008
Pickup: Bayshore International & Valley Relocation San Jose, CA
Deliver: Ft. Wayne Truck Center Ft. Wayne, IN

Tuesday - March 11, 2008. Got to San Jose at 5:00 p.m. (cdt) to a North American Van Lines place. The person Joe talked with gave him the keys to the truck and would not sign the inspection sheet. They just wanted rid of the truck. About 8 miles away is the International dealer where the other truck is. The truck at Bayshore International STUNK LIKE POOP. It will be towed. It was 8:00 p.m. (cdt) by the time we were all hooked up and ready to head for Casa de Fruta. No big problems today, no stormy weather.
The hotel we are staying at tonight is supposed to have truck parking. NOT. Bobtails yes, but not tractor/trailer parking. Joe had to tie up the traffic getting his set backed up in the parking lot.
COMFORT INN - GILROY, CA

Wednesday - March 12, 2008. Leaving Gilroy, CA at 9:00 (cdt) we headed for Casa de Fruta. We stayed there till noon our time. Joe drove from Gilroy to Santa Nella, CA. I drove from Santa Nella, CA to Verdi, NV. I MADE IT OVER DONNER PASS. Wooohooo. Man was that scary!!!!!!! We were going to stay the night in Sparks but Joe had a bad feeling about leaving Boomtown in Verdi so we just opted to stay there for the night. We have learned the hard way TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. The two hour time difference wrecks havoc on us. According to our time we haven't been to bed before midnight the last few nights. We are both so tired we can't seem to function. Time to stop.
BOOMTOWN HOTEL/CASINO - VERDI, NV

Thursday - March 13, 2008. We are burning up the highway. NOT. Left Verdi, NV about 10:00 a.m. (cdt), stopped in Winnemucca, NV for a potty break, stopped in Elko, NV about 4:00 p.m. (cdt) for something to eat, stopped in Wells, NV for another potty break and turn in some audio books we have listened to. We arrive in Wendover, NV at 8:30 p.m. (cdt). We encountered snow, wind gusts occasionally up to 50 mph it is time to quit for the day. We go to the Red Garter Casino in Wendover, NV and went to the Black Jack tables. With my $20.00 I left the table with $42.00. Big win for me (I play the $2/$3 tables and I don't go overboard with double downs so I made out BIG for me) and Joe left the table with $25 from his $20.
SUPER 8 MOTEL (soon to be America's Best Value Inn) - WENDOVER, NV.

Friday - March 14, 2008. I chickened out in the driving today. I drove from Wendover, NV to just west of Lake Point, UT when the weather turned snowy and slushy. Joe took over the driving then. Getting us past the worst weather I then took back the driving. We switched back and forth several times from Lake Point, UT to Kimball, NE.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - KIMBALL, NE.

Saturday - March 15, 2008. I drove from Kimball, NE to Gretna, NE. Joe took over because of the high winds. I felt like we were going to blow over and I spazzed out a few times. Joe took pity on me and he did most of the driving today.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - STUART, IA

Sunday - March 16, 2008. I drove 400+ miles today and Joe drove the last 130 to Ft. Wayne, IN. We are about 4-5 blocks from our delivery place. We will deliver tomorrow.
AMERICA'S BEST VALUE INN - FT. WAYNE, IN.

Monday - March 17, 2008. Got the trucks delivered. Now we are deadheading 671 miles to Omaha, NE back to Fleet Sales (Werner).

Pickup: Fleet Sales (Werner), Omaha, NE
Deliver: Fleet Sales (Werner), Dallas, TX

Joe is driving today. We won't get all the way to Omaha but we will get a good whack at it. Rain all the way from Chicago, IL to Altoona, IA. Cold, cold, cold, and wet.
MOTEL 6 - ALTOONA, IA (next to Bosselman's Truckstop)

Tuesday - March 18, 2008. We are taking only two trucks out of Werner. One of the two is still in the shop. Arrive at Fleet Sales in Omaha at 1:00 p.m. and we get out of there at 3:00 p.m. We stop at the Sac & Fox Casino in Hiawatha, KS for food and a break. They have changed that place since the last time we were there. I didn't recognize it. Joe drives all day today. He is feeling better. Still has some pretty bad days but he is making progress.
COMFORT INN - WICHITA, KS.

Wednesday - March 19, 2008. Deliver the trucks in Dallas at 3:00 p.m. We are going home to get my boom put together so I can take two trucks. With both of us driving it will put more of a work load on Joe but he seems to think he is up for it.
HOME SWEET HOME - March 19th to March 23.

Sunday - March 23, 2008. Leave for Chattanooga, TN today. Deadhead 823 miles. We leave home about 12:30 p.m. Our first stop is the Pig Out Palace in Henryetta, OK. I don't know what happened but I got choked on a corn kernel. Joe had to do the Heimlich maneuver on me. That scared the jeezers out of him. Such an odd sensation to me. I couldn't get any air but I was cognizant of my surroundings and what was happening to me. His Heimlich maneuver wasn't working so well so I motioned for him to bang on my back. That finally worked. Now every time I have a coughing fit he spazzes out and thinks I'm choking again. I tell him as long as I'm coughing I'm okay.
DAYS INN - BRINKLEY, AR

March 24, 2008 to March 29, 2008
Pickup: World Wide Equipment, Chattanooga, TN
Deliver: Ryder, Phoenix, AZ

Monday - March 24, 2008. We leave Brinkley, AR about 8:00 a.m. and arrive in Nashville, TN around 3:00 p.m. Joe has to make a stop at the Trucker's Lighthouse for some flashlight stuff and pick up a few items he is in need of. We get to Chattanooga at 6:30 p.m. It has been quite a few months since we have hooked up four trucks. Hopefully getting back in the swing of things with just the two trucks this month will be like we hadn't stopped. We got finished at 8:30 p.m. all hooked up except for the pick up loaded on Joe's setup. We use the pickup to get food and go to the hotel. We'll do the final hookup tomorrow morning and leave.
TOWN & COUNTRY INN - CHATTANOOGA, TN

Tuesday - March 25, 2008. These are brand new trucks. They have touchy steering and the new Clean Air EPA stuff on the engine. The exhaust system has some implementation to burn the soot build up in the smoke stack with unexpended fuel. This should prove to be interesting. The older mufflers on the trucks cost about $400 to replace. This new get up will cost $4000 to replace.

Our mortgage company has sold all the notes to another company and this new company lost records of some of our payments over the years. The guy Joe dealt with was like a junk yard dog - pure dee nasty. The next time we get home I get the task of copying all the checks (front and back) that have cleared over the past five years. That should prove to be fun. I'll tie up their fax machine when I get done.

In McCalla, AL we fueled up. $600 worth. Man, I hope we can get 5+ mpg on these new trucks. 6 mpg would be great.
QUALITY INN - JACKSON, MS

Wednesday - March 26, 2008. We have just recently signed on with another transport company and now we have to take a pre-employment pee test. They directed us to a LabCorp in Shreveport, LA. By the time we got there I had to pee so bad I couldn't walk but a few steps at a time. We walk across the parking lot to the LabCorp office and find they have closed and moved to another location. Fast walk to Walmart across the street to use their facilities. Do some shopping while we are there. The next place is a Concentra in Fort Worth, TX. We'll do that tomorrow.
MICROTEL - FT. WORTH, TX.

Thursday - March 27, 2008. We went to the Concentra for the pee test. Today wasn't too bad in our travels and we are making good time. I'm listening to a book by Patricia Cornwell - "Book Of The Dead". I have liked her books in the past. This was 11 CD's of just awful, what is up with her. I was really disappointed by her book "Isle of Dogs", the reviews say it is an irreverent look at politics. I thought it was just plain nonsense.
DAYS INN - VAN HORN, TX

Friday - March 28, 2008. Windy today. So windy that passing trucks send me all over the road from their turbulence. It is really difficult to keep the trucks in my lane with the wind pushing against me one way and then the wind being blocked off by the passing trucks. My shoulders and upper arms hurt so bad from fighting the truck. We had to stop in New Mexico and Arizona for permits to travel their highways, climbing in and out of the trucks is a chore with my sore shoulders and arms. These trucks are getting 4 mpg, this has been a very costly trip in fuel.
EXTENDED STAY - AHWATUKEE, AZ

Saturday - March 29, 2008. Delivered our trucks this morning. We have the weekend to rest up and do some things. Bridal shower for one of our daughter's friends. I get to attend and photograph the event. Our daughter planned this thing and put it all together. Hawaii theme since the wedding is happening in Hawaii. I'll have to post pictures of this event. Later.
EXTENDED STAY - AHWATUKEE, AZ

Sunday - March 30, 2008. Today we are traipsing around Casa Grande, AZ and going to the Hohokum Indian Ruins.



The weather was so good, not hot - just comfortable, the cactus were in bloom all over. It was really beautiful traveling from the Phoenix area to Casa Grande. One last night here to visit family before we have to leave again. Man I needed this time off to get caught up on laundry and my rest.
EXTENDED STAY - AHWATUKEE, AZ

Monday - March 31, 2008. Going to IKEA in Tempe, AZ. We need a few things for storage issues, plus I just like going into the store and looking around at their displays. As usual, we left with more than we intended - oh well it's all good. This is the last night in Phoenix before we get back to work.
EXTENDED STAY - AHWATUKEE, AZ

NOTE: IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON STAYING IN AN AREA FOR A FEW DAYS CHECK OUT THE EXTENDED STAY HOTELS IN THE AREA YOU WILL BE IN. THEY HAVE LITTLE KITCHENS WITH ALMOST FULL SIZE REFRIGERATORS, A WORKING RANGE AND OVEN, A SINK, SOME PANS AND DISHES. THEIR PRICE IS REASONABLE AND THE ROOMS ARE CLEAN AND WELL MAINTAINED.

April 1, 2008 to April 3, 2008.
Pick Up: Border International - El Paso, TX
Deliver: Port of Houston - Houston, TX

Tuesday - April 1, 2008. Only two trucks to take this time. Heard there is supposed to be an Owner/Operator strike because of fuel prices today. I'm wondering if it is an April Fools Joke. You can't get any two truck drivers to decide on any one thing, except how much they don't get paid. We'll see how this turns out later in the week. Leaving Phoenix we headed east on I-10. In Willcox, AZ there is a little out of the way spot that makes fruit pies and ciders. I could not imagine such a thing as fruit trees in Hell. The place is called Stout's Cider Mill at exit 340 off I-10. Leave the exit like you are going to the T/A Truckstop, turn right at the light before the truckstop and head up the road. Turn right at the road after the new hotel they are building (already built by now) and follow the road a little passed the next building. You'll see the signs for the Stout's Cider Mill. It is a touristy place. Pies are pretty good. I've had better but watching the apple peeling machines at work is quite interesting. Joe didn't like his piece of pie but I liked mine.
MICROTEL - EL PASO, TX

Wednesday - April 2, 2008. Arrived at Border International at 9:00 a.m. (cdt) and were out of there by 11:00 a.m. (cdt). We had been told there was a management meeting and we would have to cool our heels until 11:30 a.m. before we could get out trucks. Seems there was someone there that was expecting us and smoothed the way for us. These trucks have a really weird automatic transmission and we can't get the stupid thing figured out. No clutch to push, a button on each side of the shifter handle, takes forever to get in gear. We'll get this thing figured out the day we deliver it, as is usual. Once in gear it starts out real slow, then Holy Crap Hang On, because it is going. The sensation of running away with you is heightened when in Reverse. Man am I glad I don't have to drive that truck every day.
ALAMO COUNTRY INN - SEGUIN, TX

Thursday - April 3, 2008. Leave Seguin, TX this morning and we are heading to Schulenburg, TX for breakfast. Oakridge Smokehouse and Restaurant. This is a good place to go. It is at the intersection of US77 and I-10 in Schulenburg, TX, exit #674. The sell jellys and jams of all sorts, touristy stuff, their food is really home made stuff. If you are squeamish about dipping into an opened jar of jelly or jam then don't do it. They have an assortment of jellys and jams on the tables that people dip out of to smear their toast and/or biscuits. Our immune systems are pretty healthy because of all the dirty, sweaty, stinky trucks we get into. The finger jammie junk left on the steering wheels and toggle switches from the previous drivers. We arrive at the Port of Houston mid morning and have to show the Supervisor how to shift the trucks when they get ready to be loaded on a ship. The next set of trips we were going on have fallen through. We are going home.
DAYS INN - ENNIS, TX.

Friday - April 4, 2008. Traveling home. Making plans of what we need to get done while we are at home to get ready to get back out come Sunday - going somewhere. Laundry, copy logs, get papers off to dispatch offices for payment, trailer and boom maintenance. We have a good weekend to do it.
HOME.

Saturday - April 5, 2008. I spent the whole day making copies of checks (front and back). While I was at home doing that, Joe was scooting about town - literally on our Metropolitan Scooter - running his errands. Dropping my film off at Walgreens, picking up prescriptions, going to Lowes for supplies, a new cover for the scooter. He had a blast.
HOME.

Sunday - April 6, 2008. Deadhead to Kansas City, MO. We left home about 1:00 p.m. and had a relatively uneventful day.
AMERICAN INN - KANSAS CITY, MO.

April 7, 2008 to April 11, 2008.
Pick Up: All Trucks Kansas City, MO & Prime, Inc. Springfield, MO
Deliver: Dundalk Marine Terminal & Rukert Marine Terminal, Baltimore, MD

Monday - April 7, 2008. We have a split load. These always are problematic and today is no exception. Everything started out well in Kansas City, MO at the All Trucks place. Trucks started and moved around well. These were my trucks. Got hooked up and out of there in two hours. Now I drive my set up to Prime in Springfield, MO and follow Joe with the pickup and trailer. About 47 miles from Kansas City, MO the truck I'm driving decides it has had enough. The automatic transmission is not getting the proper compressed air flow to shift the gears and I am getting slower and slower. Almost to a dead stop. We find a little out of the way truckstop and switch my trucks around. That worked, now I can go the highway speeds. Upon arrival at Prime in Springfield, MO we find that one of Joe's trucks is ready the other one has not been "de-identified" and won't be ready until tomorrow. Since we are close to Ozark, MO we thought we would try to get in Lambert's Restaurant. This is a very busy place and is packed all the time. Their billboards proclaim "Throwed Rolls" and they do throw the dinner rolls at you, and they are hot. Check them out at http://www.throwedrolls.com . They not only throw the rolls at you, servers come around with sorghum for the rolls, pots of fried potatoes, bowls of fried okra, bowls of macaroni and tomatoes, and other stuff. Food is served in humongous skillets, beverages are served in gigantic mugs, the place is as noisy as a Chili's on a Friday night, and you've got to know where your feet are at all times so they don't get stepped on. Pretty good food, the entertainment value is better.
DAYS INN - SPRINGFIELD, MO.

Tuesday - April 8, 2008. Joe's trucks are finally ready. It is pouring rain that stopped long enough for us to get Joe's trucks hooked up then started up again. Rain on and off from Springfield, MO to Sullivan, MO. We are stopping in Sullivan, MO to visit with some friends we haven't seen in a couple years.
ECONOLODGE - SULLIVAN, MO.

Wednesday - April 9, 2008. Sometimes this job sucks. Today is one of them. My voltage meter is overcharging and just at the edge of the red. My dispatch company won't let me stop to get the alternator replaced. I just need to keep a close watch on it. Putting the headlights on only makes the matter worse so the idea of using the battery and drawing current isn't working. The people at the Port in Baltimore will have to deal with it, or the Russians will when they finally get these dandies. Today was not really such a bad day, just a little nerve wracking for me. Wondering when I'll see smoke from a fire because of the overcharging voltage, worrying the truck will blow up because the batteries get too hot and explode. I have a vivid imagination if you can't already tell that.
RAMADA LIMITED - CATTLETSBURG, KY.

Thursday - April 10, 2008. Taking the long way to Baltimore today. Joe decided to follow the GPS instead of going our normal route. We took I-64 through West Virginia today. That road is a B****. Tight curves, up and down hills, heavy traffic, tight bridges, over 200 miles of winding and twisting roads. Thought I was going to be sick a couple times from the motion. Finally make it to Baltimore. We will deliver tomorrow morning.
AMERICA'S BEST VALUE INN - BALTIMORE, MD.

Friday - April 11, 2008. Can you say "Goat Rope"? What a day. Six miles to the Port of Baltimore from the hotel took us 13 miles because of the GPS. Joe's titles that had been sent beforehand to the T/A truckstop haven't shown up yet and we can't deliver his trucks until we get the titles. We go and get Joe's trucks unloaded at the Rukert lot then he follows me over to the Mid Atlantic lot to deliver my trucks. I had my titles so delivery went fairly easily there. We went back to the T/A and the titles finally show up at 2:00 p.m. Now Joe has to go to Customs to get the proper paperwork to finish delivery of his trucks. It was late afternoon by the time we finished. We had to find an Office Depot to get our paperwork copied and UPS'd off for payment, the rain began pouring again, we were in search of a gas station to fill the pickup and almost missed it from the deluge of rain. We stopped and got something to eat and decided to call it quits for the day.
CLARION INN - HAGERSTOWN, MD.

April 12, 2008 to April 15, 2008
Pick Up: Penske - Wickliffe, OH
Deliver: Nebraska Truck Exchange - Omaha, NE

Saturday - April 12, 2008. Deadhead from Baltimore, MD to Wickliffe, OH 372 miles. It is foggy, gray, cold, and some rain today. We will be spending the weekend in Wickliffe about one mile from our Pick Up site.
COMFORT INN - WICKLIFFE, OH

Sunday - April 13, 2008. Chilly and damp today. A day of rest. Maybe some picture taking of the Ohio area, veg out.
COMFORT INN - WICKLIFFE, OH.

Monday - April 14, 2008. We arrived at the Penske place at 6:00 a.m. (cdt) and got the shock of our life - well, we just got shocked. The supervisor at Penske asked "Where's the check?". Dumbfounded we looked at each other. This was the first we heard about needing a check. We were INFORMED we were not getting the trucks without the check. He decided to call his supervisor and see what the problem in communication is. Half hour later he comes back to tell us they had already received the check and we were cleared to do our job. We are taking three trucks out of here - I will be going "Bobtail". Get Joe hooked up and we go to the hotel. While parked at the hotel I park on an angle and what little fuel I have bleeds over to the downhill tank. Can you guess what happened next. Nothing. I was effectively out of "gas". I strong armed the steering to get the truck pointed in a downhill position and coasted to the bottom of the hill and waited for Joe to come and pump a little fuel from his back truck into my truck so I could make it to a fuel stop. On the road we have a few troubles. One of the outside mirrors on Joe's back truck has been blown off the support. After four bungies and seven tie wraps later we finally got it stabelized. I have a bucking bronco to drive. Hang On There Girlie. By the end of the day my hands hurt so bad I can hardly work my fingers from hanging on so tight, my shoulders and upper arms are screaming.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - WALCOTT, IA.

Tuesday - April 15, 2008. Leaving Walcott, IA we knew we didn't have enough fuel nor money to purchase more fuel today. We'd get as far as we dared until we could get advance money from the dispatcher to finish the trip. Got that about 2:30 p.m. (cdt). At the Weigh Station in Newton, IA Joe got pulled in for an inspection. He got dinged for not having the chains tightened on the pickup. This held us up for two hours and we got told by the person at our delivery sight we are NOT to deliver the trucks after hours. They are not in a good area to leave trucks unattended.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA.

Wednesday - April 16, 2008. We delivered our trucks. During the delivery we had to take a bit of fuel (with the permission of the site foreman) from one of the trucks we delivered and put it in our pickup. We were so out of fuel it died on the way down the ramps. This speaks volumes to the customers doesn't it. "We are professionals" it says, doesn't it? Our various dispatch offices are having trouble coming up with work for us. By late afternoon we finally got a call for "Emergency" load in Moline, MI. We are deadheading 700 miles to do this trip.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - PORTAGE, IN.

April 17, 2008 to April 18, 2008
Pick Up: Big Truck Sales - Moline, MI
Deliver: Brush Mountain Transport - Spring Mills, PA

Thursday - April 17, 2008. Got to Moline, MI about 3:00 p.m. (cdt) and loaded the four trucks. Got out of there around 5:30 p.m. (cdt). The air was HOT, HOT, HOT. Poor Joe, he was dragging. We went a few miles down the road to a truckstop to cool off and get something to eat and drink and get Joe's oofta built back up. Off we go, to Spring Mills, PA.
HOWARD JOHNSON INN - PERRYSBURG, OH.

Friday - April 18, 2008. We get delivered. IN THE DARK. I hate that. We can't see what we are doing, we leave important stuff behind, we lose things, we hurt ourselves. After we finally get the trucks unhooked and papers signed for I take a look around with my itty bitty flashlight and find an axle chain left on the ground. That would not be a good thing to leave behind. In strange territory, in the dark, narrow winding twisting roads, going through little villages and hamlets at 25 mph (sometimes that is too fast). Several of the houses had electric candles in every window - I mean every window. Three story houses with a light in each window. That was quite a beautiful sight. Don't know the reason they do it, but I was pretty all the same. I started thinking about these steep and twisting roads. What are they like to travel on in the winter with the ice and snow. I don't want to find out is all I have to say.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - MIFFLINVILLE, PA.

Saturday - April 19, 2008. Have the day to just wander around and see the sites. In Bloomsburg, PA we found a place that a man has bought all kinds of cabooses and turned them into cabins people rent out for the summer. Down in the town of Bloomsburg is a Civil War statue that is quite something to see. I have packets of processed film I will have to dig out when I'm home for the winter and get those pictures uploaded.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - MIFFLINVILLE, PA.

Sunday - April 20, 2008. We left Mifflinville, PA and are heading to New Jersey. There is a glimmer of some work in the area but our dispatchers are not ready to give us the dispatch until Monday. In Fairfield, NJ is the Versailles Diner. http://hugemenu.com Their address is 516 US Highway 46 Fairfield, NJ. This was our very first encounter with an east coast diner several years ago. Every time we get near Fairfield we go to this diner. It is beautiful inside. First time we were there I wasn't sure we would be served in our frumpy casual attire, but we were served some really great food.
LA QUINTA - FAIRFIELD, NJ.

April 21, 2008 to April 24, 2008
Pick Up: Mystic Tank Lines - Astoria, NY
Ultimate Spray & Wash - Elgin, IL

Monday - April 21, 2008. Joe called Mystic Tank Lines and found our trucks won't be ready today but will be tomorrow. Not having a whole lot of experience in almost downtown New York, Joe decided to make a practice run there to see what our obstacles will be to get our trucks loaded and out on the highway. Time for me to spazz out. The roads are narrow. People double park in the streets. Oh, what has he got me into this time???????? Fraidy Cat!!
Am I glad he decided to check the route out. At least we know where we have to go and how to get out of there.
LA QUINTA - FAIRFIELD, NJ.

Tuesday - April 22, 2008. We arrived at Mystic Tank Lines and got hooked up to all four trucks. I'm still spazzing out. We leave the lot and I am scared I won't make the first corner. I do. Now comes the next one. Okay, I can make that one. There is some road construction at the next intersection and I'm not sure I'm going to make the right turn without falling in the whole. Ooooo, made it with room to spare. Now getting on the highway. Have to make sure I'm in the correct lane to follow through and get on the interstate. Crap there is a wreck up ahead and a gazillion vehicles beside me. Put the turn signal on and pray for luck. They let me over and off I go. Pass the accident, get back in the proper lane and head for the highway and watch for the heavy oncoming traffic on my left. I've got to scootch clear over to the second lane from the left in all this mess. Crap, crap, crap. Make it. I'm clear. I'm on the highway. I'm out of town. That was not so bad.

NOTE: THE DRIVERS IN NEW YORK CITY ARE REALLY GREAT. THEY DO LET YOU IN TO THEIR LANE IF YOU NEED TO, THEY GIVE WAY. THEY HONK AND GESTURE BUT THEY DO KEEP THE TRAFFIC MOVING. WAY, WAY BETTER THAN THE DRIVERS IN CALIFORNIA.

Joe ran out of fuel at an intersection on our last trip to the Versailles Diner. I had to be traffic manager while he pumped fuel to get him out of the intersection. This job is so much fun, this job is so much fun, this job is so much fun.

Wednesday - April 23, 2008. Really long day. Stopped about every 150 miles to check the amount of fuel we have since the gauges don't work and/or put fuel in. I am Super Crabby today. Found out there was a note left on our door by the new mortgage people that we have to pay up or move out. We are not behind. Decided not to fax all 81 pages of proof of payment when we were home last because Joe wanted to go directly to their door in Nashville, TN. We won't be any where near there. May these jerks rot in Hell.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - PORTAGE, IN.

Thursday - April 24, 2008. Got trucks delivered to Elgin, IL. We will be on our way to Mt. Vernon, IL next. Really, really windy and down pour of rain on our deadhead to Mt. Vernon. We stopped in Effingham, IL for a really late dinner and bed. Joe woke during the night with his stomach upset from eating too late then going to bed. Joe needs to have his prescriptions filled so we will have to find a Walgreens on our way to Mt. Vernon.
RODEWAY INN - EFFINGHAM, IL

April 25, 2008 to April 28, 2008
Pick Up: Truck Centers - Mt. Vernon, IL
Deliver: Blount Island Marine Terminal - Jacksonville, FL

Friday - April 25, 2008. Got up real early and worked on getting the laundry done. Finished it by 9:00 a.m. Finish our deadhead to Mt. Vernon with powerful gusting winds. Got to Mt. Vernon, IL late in the afternoon. Wind was gusting so hard Joe couldn't get the hood of his back truck to stay opened. He got pinched in the hood once before he called for help. We only have the two trucks so we should get this loaded, permitted the wind doesn't blow us over first. We got all loaded just in time. While getting in the trucks to take them across the highway to the hotel the rain really got with it and seemed torrential. Oh well, we are done. The room we stayed in, the door isn't sealed very well and the wind blew in around the door all night long.
BEST VALUE INN - MT. VERNON, IL

Saturday - April 26, 2008. Leaving Mt. Vernon and heading to Jacksonville, FL. We stopped in Ringold, GA at a Cochrans truckstop. Joe met a man that makes pocket knives out of wood and sells them for $10. Joe bought one. I'm impressed with the workmanship on the thing.
COMFORT INN - CALHOUN, GA

Sunday - April 27, 2008. Paperwork can be a sticky problem at times. We are short one dock receipt. No dock receipt, no delivery. If we don't get the other dock receipt we will have to leave the truck behind somewhere and let someone else make the final delivery. We'll deal with that tomorrow.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - WAYCROSS, GA.

Monday - April 28, 2008. We still don't have a dock receipt for one of the trucks. We will leave it at the Long Term Parking Terminal at Jacksonville International Airport. The weather was clear while we unhooked. Started raining again just as Joe was driving the truck to the Long Term Storage place. We can be so fortunate. Now to find an OfficeMax to copy papers and get FedEx'd for pay.
DAYS INN - FLORENCE, SC.

April 29, 2008 to May 2, 2008
Pick Up: Thompson Trucking - Concord, VA
Deliver: Sooner Truck Sales - Catoosa, OK

Tuesday - April 29, 2008. Deadhead to Concord, VA. Stopped at JR Tobacco in Selma, NC to pick up a few things. This is a HUGE outlet store. Kind of like Big Lots, but they specialize in cigars and pipe tobacco. The rest of the store is dedicated to cosmetics, housewares, some clothing. You can find a good deal or two there. Pick up two daycabs for Joe to take to Catoosa, OK. It doesn't take very long to get him hooked up.
RODEWAY INN - ROANOKE, VA

April 30, 2008 to May 1, 2008
Pick Up: Knoxville Car & Truck Rental - Knoxville, TN
Deliver: A-Aaron Moving, Inc. - Lakeland, TN

Wednesday - April 30, 2008. I am picking up a Class C Motor Home in Knoxville and delivering it to Lakeland, TN. You see these Motor Homes on the highway - Cruise America, Rent an RV. I had a 25 foot one. That was an experience. The wind blew me near ditches, shoved me to the tops of exit ramps, gusted me into the other lane a couple times. By the time I get to the delivery site I will be SO GLAD TO SEE THE BACK OF THAT VEHICLE. Fighting that RV down the highway I feel as though my fingers are dislocated and my shoulders have been shoved through a knot hole. Note to self. If you ever rent one of these, check the weather conditions and put it off till calmer weather.
DAYS INN - LEBANON, TN.

Thursday - May 1, 2008. Thank God I made it. Got that bad boy delivered. Now I need help getting into the truck with Joe to make his delivery. Seriously. I can't get in the truck. I can't pull myself up. Today is the longest day Joe has driven. All the way to Muskogee, OK from Lebanon, TN. He is getting tired and worn out.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - MUSKOGEE, OK.

Friday - May 2, 2008. Early in the morning at 7:45 a.m. (cdt) we get Joe's trucks delivered and we are heading home. Joe has an 11:30 appointment with his doctor to see how he is doing. He will have blood drawn for a PSA test, get another Lupron shot to keep the cancer from growing in his prostate, get prescriptions filled. We will have quite a busy afternoon before we can really drop at home.
HOME.

Saturday - May 3, 2008 to Monday - May 5, 2008 Monday morning early I faxed 81 pages of our mortgage payment proof to the new mortgage company. That should bung up the works in their office.
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May 6, 2008 to May 9, 2008
Pick Up: Steven's Transport - Dallas, TX
Deliver: General Rigging - Detroit, MI

Tuesday - May 6, 2008. Left home about 10:45 a.m. for Dallas. Arrive at 6:30 p.m. One accident after another has the interstate system snarled up. Joe is having some trouble with his breathing today. I persuade him to shut down early after we get hooked up.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - MESQUITE, TX

Wednesday - May 7, 2008. Left early from Mesquite, TX. Only two trucks so we will share the driving. A light is flashing on the instrument panel and we need to have it looked at. Stop at a Peterbilt place in Little Rock, AR. They didn't fix the problem. We are going to have to switch trucks out. We'll do that in Brinkley, AR at the hotel.
DAYS INN - BRINKLEY, AR.

Thursday - May 8, 2008. Switched the trucks last night. Leave Brinkley at 5:30 a.m. (cdt). We have been doing some thinking about getting out of this business and going into Expedited Freight. This is a really huge decision. This means we will have to buy a big truck to do this and sign on with a company we don't know anything about. We've heard the pay is good and the work hours are much like what we already do - you want to make money you honk down the road and don't piddle at it. We have decided to talk to someone at Tri-State Expediated Freight in Perrysburg, OH when we go through there in the next couple days. Rain from Brinkley, AR to just south of Ft. Wayne, IN. There will be lots of flooding going on come the end of this month if the rains don't stop.
BEST VALUE INN - FT. WAYNE, IN.

Friday - May 9, 2008. We stopped in Perrysburg, OH to talk with people at Tri-State. Man, can we even swing a loan for $50,000+ and in the current market? We get told the normal spiel and company propaganda to expectant drivers. Everything is just peachy, all is rosy, come work for us and you won't regret it. Later in the day we got Joe's trucks delivered to Detroit. Now go back the way we came. Deadhead back to Ft. Wayne, IN for some more trucks.
BAYTOWN INN - FT. WAYNE, IN.

May 10, 2008 to May 12, 2008
Pick Up: Penske - Ft. Wayne, IN
Deliver: Sahling Kenworth - Kearney, NE

Saturday - May 10, 2008. We spent an hour driving around Ft. Wayne in search of a donut shop to take a couple dozen to the Penske place as a thank you for getting our trucks for us on a Saturday. We finally found a grocery store. Got our trucks and got out of their in the early afternoon - around 1:00 p.m. (cdt). Weather was good, cool but not cold. No more rain. It felt good to be outdoors.
WALCOTT INN (Formerly Super 8 Motel) - WALCOTT, IA

Sunday - May 11, 2008. Windy this morning. Driving rain. It is coming down so fast and hard there is no protection from it except to be indoors which is not an option for us. This pounding rain was with us all the way to Cedar Rapids, IA. Just west of there the rain finally quit. Stopping for food in Council Bluffs, IA at the Ameristar Casino. It is Mother's Day and I am wondering if we will even be able to get in. Yep, we got in okay. We got to Kearney, NE about 8:00 p.m. (cdt) and took the pick up off to go to the hotel.
BEST WESTERN - KEARNEY, NE.

Monday - May 12, 2008. Got the trucks delivered and are now deadheading over 1000 miles to Laredo, TX. One of our dispatch companies have eight trucks from Laredo, TX to Calexico, CA. We will be stopping hme for the night on our way there. I predict numb butts by the time we get to Laredo. The fuel mileage on our pickup usually runs in the 11.5 to 12.2 range, which is good considering we are pulling a heavy trailer. Not today. We have one fierce wind we are contending with. 5.8 to 6.9 is what our mpg is today. Glug, glug, glug. Got our papers turned in to the companies we drive for.
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May 13, 2008 to May 21, 2008 - 2 trips
Pick Up: French Ellison - Laredo, TX
Deliver: TBM Carriers - Calexico, CA

Tuesday - May 13, 2008. What a bonehead thing I did. The FedEx package I sent to one of our companies - I addressed to come to our home. Thankfully we hadn't left town already when it was delivered to our house. Have to find another FedEx place and fill the paper out correctly this time. Long, long day.
DAYS INN - LAREDO, TX

Wednesday - May 14, 2008. HOT, HOT, HOT. Almost 90 degrees and feels like 104. The humidity is palpable. Got our trucks hooked up. Brand new trucks - again with the new style engine. Man I hope we get better fuel mileage than the last new trucks out of Chattanooga. Automatic transmission - not thrilled with this prospect. Put in 90 gallons of fuel and stopped the thing at $400.00. I don't look for the fuel prices to go down at all. Joe says we'll see $5.00/gallon come September. Oh goody.
DAYS INN - DEL RIO, TX

Thursday - May 15, 2008. Some wind. It didn't get real bad until we came to El Paso. From El Paso, TX to Lordsburg, NM we had a strong headwind. In Van Horn, TX I bought another $300 in fuel and that is not going to get me to deliver. I still need to buy another 60 gallons or $250 to finish this trip then we need to buy fuel for our pick up to deadhead from Calexico, CA back to Laredo, TX. This wind is eating our lunch. We traveled on State Roads from Del Rio, TX to Van Horn, TX. Not a bad way to go.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - LORDSBURG, NM

Friday - May 16, 2008. Still windy but not as bad. Crossing from Yuma, AZ into California there are some actual sand dunes. They were really spectacular. I'd like to stop and get some pictures of that. Got delivered late in the evening - after we got a little lost.
RAMADA INN - YUMA, AZ

Saturday - May 17, 2008. Leaving Yuma, AZ we finally get a break in the wind. It has quieted down. In Tucson we stop to visit with some of our friends for a couple hours. I haven't seen my friend Judy in a couple years and she is doing well. Really late in the evening we get to El Paso, TX. Joe has to park the pickup and trailer across the street, a party is going on and the hotel parking lot is full.
TRAVELODGE - EL PASO, TX

Sunday - May 18, 2008. Not very well rested we leave El Paso. We are going to share the driving and napping today. Our goal is to get to Ozona, TX and to the Hitching Post Steak House. This is a little out of the way joint, you can see it from the highway if you know what your looking for. I-10 Exit 363, head north to stop sign and turn right. Go about 1 1/2 miles and it is on the right. If you go there to eat a steak I CAUTION YOU The steaks are GINORMOUS!!! Really big and thick. Plan to share.
DAYS INN - DEL RIO, TX

Monday - May 19, 2008. We get to Laredo at 11:00 a.m. for our second trip. One of the trucks is dead and needs to be jump started. Joe go overheated today and is feeling sick. Another HOT, HOT, HOT day. Got him cooled off and filled with water and gatorade. Made him sit in his air conditioned truck until he felt better. Headed out about 3:00 p.m.
DAYS INN - DEL RIO, TX

Tuesday - May 20, 2008. NO WIND. Great, wonderful. Todays trip was good, all in all. The wind picked up and hit us hard in Deming, NM. We called it quits for the day in Lordsburg. Get some sleep.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - LORDSBURG, NM

Wednesday - May 21, 2008. The morning started out good. At Tucson and our turn from I-10 to I-8 things picked up and got hairy. The wind was so bad I thought I was going to be blown over. My the time we got past Yuma and near the sand dunes the wind blew the sand across the highway and reminded me of winter in Wyoming. The road was covered over by sand. I could see where the road was and was not afraid of driving off the road, I was afraid of being blown off the road. Our delivery was a little gritty and I did a bit of spitting and eating sand. Got it done though. Crossing the state line from Arizona to California I got taken into the Weigh Station for an Inspection. That was 1 1/2 hours of down time we hadn't planned on. We got the job done and in daylight.
RAMADA INN - YUMA, AZ

Thursday - May 22, 2008. Doing laundry this morning. Joe wants to go to the hot tub so I'll go with him. The two hour time difference in this instance helps me. I can get my laundry done and we get a soak and leave the hotel in plenty of time before check out. We don't have any work planned, no one seems to have anything right now and have told us to just hang loose. We are going to meander home unless told otherwise.
EXTENDED STAY - AHWATUKEE, AZ

Friday - May 23, 2008. 86 degrees in Phoenix can you believe it. It felt so good. It rained from about 2:00 p.m and through the night. Spent a couple hours with one of our daughters and her husband. Our Son-In-Law is a really great guy. We found out he is making a Hydrogen Engine for his dad who gets to be the guinea pig. Hope it goes well. We had a good and noisy dinner at Texas Roadhouse.
EXTENDED STAY - AHWATUKEE, AZ

Saturday - May 24, 2008. A little rain and some wind on our way out of town. At this point we are heading home since no one has anything.
HOLIDAY INN - DEMING, NM

Sunday - May 25, 2008. Joe wants to go to the Big Texas Steak House for Sunday Brunch in Amarillo, TX. Doesn't sound too promising to me. We get in there and the fare plonked down is really no better than what we could have gotten at the hotel this morning. Very disappointed. We went across the highway to the Petro truckstop. Heading home and get there about 4:00 p.m. My laundry is already all done so I can pretty much relax.
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May 26, 2008 to May 29, 2008
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May 30, 2008 to June 2, 2008
Pick Up: Penske - Omaha, NE
Deliver: ABCO - Crestwood, IL

Friday - May 30, 2008. We leave for Omaha, NE. Neither one of us really want to leave so we get a real late start. It is after 5:00 p.m. before we are on the road. Get to the hotel in the wee hours of the morning.
KOCH MOTEL - SABETHA, KS

Saturday - May 31, 2008. Get to Penske in Omaha around 1:30 p.m. 4 1/2 hours sleep and I'm dragging. Get hooked up and on the road. Four daycab trucks so hook up is easy.
WALCOTT INN - WALCOTT, IA

Sunday - June 1, 2008. Left Walcott early in the morning. We were given specific instructions about the delivery site. It is to be in Indian Head Park, IL. We spend 1 1/2 hours driving around trying to find it. We give up and go to the address in Crestwood, IL. By the time we find the place it is late afternoon, the weather is cool and feels real good. We get our trucks unloaded and parked at the gate for early delivery tomorrow morning.
BAYMONT INN - ALSIP, IL

June 2, 2008 to June 13, 2008
Pick Up: Cannon Freight Corp - Harrison Township, MI
Deliver: Trader Jack's Flea Market - Presto, PA

Monday - June 2, 2008. We get to the delivery place at 7:00 a.m. There are people there, the gate is opened. We go in search of the person we need to get signed and delivered and we are done by 8:15 a.m. Back to the hotel to get packed up and ready to head to the next place. Off to Harrison Township, MI, near Detroit. The trip north was pretty good until we got to the bypass around Detroit going north. We crept along for 3 hours and went 5 miles. An accident with fatalities had shut down both sides of the highway and we were being routed off and around.
MICROTEL INN - ROSEVILLE, MI

Tuesday - June 3, 2008. We have a task in front of us. 24 trucks to be moved to auction. Today will be spent in seeing which trucks run, which need jump starts, which are so bad off they need to be wreckered out, measure the fuel tanks for fuel, get the trucks moved around in an orderly manner that will help with the hooking. Joe went as far as the moving trucks around - he put a stop to that one. We got the trucks checked for runners and we picked four out for delivery tomorrow. Long day today anyway.
QUALITY INN - MT. CLEMENS, MI

Wednesday - June 4, 2008. Left with our trucks from Cannon Freight at 7:00 a.m. (cdt). The trip was uneventful - UNTIL - we got to Presto, PA and tried to find Trader Jacks's Flea Market from the directions we were given. We were up hills, down hills, around tight corners, two lane roads, blocking traffic, the GPS was no help at all. I finally flagged down a ComCast truck and asked for directions. The young man was giving me directions and saw the glazed look in my eyes and said we could follow him. He waited until we got turned around and we followed him back the way we had come and we turned the opposite direction at a junction we had been through and then a mile down the road was where we were going. I flagged the young man down before he left and gave him $20.00. He didn't want to take it at first, but I was so grateful he got us untwisted that I asked if he had a girlfriend or any children. He said he had a daughter. I told him to buy something for her as my thank you to him. I grumble and complain about things but I am always appreciative of the blessings I receive. We get unhooked and now we have to make that trek all the way back to Harrison Township, MI. It is going to be real late by the time we get to the hotel.
QUALITY INN - MT. CLEMENS, MI

Thursday - June 5, 2008. Got to Cannon Freight for our next go round. We need to get eight trucks checked out to work this weekend when no one will be available to let us in the gate. Now we have to go back through all those trucks and find 8. Four we will put outside the gate in the order we will take them, our towed units and the driving units. Back in the gate to find four more to hook up and take with us back to the hotel. It is growing dark by the time we get done. I just want a shower and go to bed.
QUALITY INN - MT. CLEMENS, MI

Friday - June 6, 2008. Left the hotel early in the morning 5:30 a.m. (cdt) to get out of the way of rush hour traffic in Detroit. We got to Presto, PA around 12:30 p.m. (cdt) and got unhooked. Our only stop was at the Flying J in Perrysburg, OH for breakfast. We took a different exit this time and went - pretty much - directly to Trader Jack's Flea Market. Sweaty, dirty, grease stained we walked into Damon's Grill in Presto, PA and had a fantastic lunch. http://www.damons.com It was cool in there, the food was fantastic, the service was exceptional, and the Trivia Game on one of the TV screens was informative. Once we had eaten and cooled off it was time to drive back to Harrison Township, MI.
QUALITY INN - MT. CLEMENS, MI

Saturday - June 7, 2008. Back at Cannon Freight Corp and hook up in the driveway with the four trucks we had left out. Got my trucks all hooked up and Joe's mostly. We took the pickup back to the hotel and I did laundry. Day to rest up and recharge. Take a nap, get a really good shower and hair wash. Search for a familiar restaurant like Olive Garden or something.
QUALITY INN - MT. CLEMENS, MI

Sunday - June 8, 2008. Left the hotel at 5:00 a.m. (cdt). Got to Trader Jack's with the trucks at 1:30 p.m. and off again to Damon's Grill for food and refreshment. Another good meal. Head back to Hamilton Township and the hotel.
QUALITY INN - MT. CLEMENS, MI

Monday - June 9, 2008. All day long. Sorting trucks out. Jump starting trucks. Three of the trucks in the yard we have to get parked under or near three trailers for other drivers that will be coming in to take the tractor trailer combinations to Trader Jacks. Started this work at 7:00 a.m. (cdt) and didn't get out of there until 6:30 p.m. (cdt). We managed to get our last 8 trucks check out and positioned to leave. We hooked up the first four trucks and headed to the hotel.
QUALITY INN - MT. CLEMENS, MI

Tuesday - June 10, 2008. Joe had a flat tire on the truck he was driving. We had to get that fixed in Perrysburg, OH before we could go on. Got to Trader Jack's about 3:30 p.m. (cdt) and stopped at Damon's Grill before driving back to Harrison Township. Arrive in the wee hours and just flop.
QUALITY INN - MT. CLEMENS, MI

Wednesday - June 11, 2008. Packed everything up and cleared out of the room. Went for the last four trucks at Cannon Freight. One of Joe's trucks had a problem with the air suspension so it was taken to a shop for repairs. Later that day they called and said it was done. We left to go get hooked up and all hell broke loose. The truck was worse now than it was to begin with. Back to the shop we go. They have it until 4:30 p.m. (cdt) and we are finally able to leave town. We are going as far as Perrysburg, OH tonight and no further. On the way down, the transmission in my truck is acting up and won't shift. I block traffic at the Michigan/Ohio border for about 5 minutes before the d**** thing gets back to working again. ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?????
SUPER 8 MOTEL - PERRYSBURG, OH

Thursday - June 12, 2008. We were supposed to come back to Perrysburg tomorrow on our way to Griffith, IN when we finished the Trader Jack's stuff. Plans have changed, that run is off and we are asked to go to Delanco, NJ. Joe had already scheduled a tire change on our pickup for rear tires we are in desperate need of. We will just have to do this the way we had originally planned and Delanco, NJ will be one day late. We get to Trader Jack's in early afternoon, make our final visit to Damon's Grill and head back to Perrysburg, OH.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - PERRYSBURG, OH

Friday - June 13, 2008. Joe gets the tires changed on the pickup, we find an Office Depot to get our paperwork copied and sent off. Catching up on some of our rest today and off we go tomorrow to New Jersey.
SUPER 8 MOTEL - PERRYSBURG, OH

June 14, 2008 to June 18, 2008
Pick Up: Jevic Transportation - Delanco, NJ
Deliver: Gregory Poole CAT - Hope Mills, NC

Saturday - June 14, 2008. Deadhead to Delanco, NJ. Rain on and off and from hard driving rain to sprinkles.
RED ROOF INN - MT. LAUREL, NJ

Sunday - June 15, 2008. We arrive at the Jevic place to get our 8 trucks. Much to our dismay someone is sleeping in one of our trucks.