www.everydaythoughtsandramblings.blogspot.com I have started a new blog since I am not OTR any longer. Click on the above link if you would like to follow along!!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Cooler weather!
I am loving this cooler weather!! Here in Texas this summer we have had over 45 days of 100 degree temperatures and something like 34 of them in a row! Wow! This past week has been wonderful. Lows at night in the upper 50's and highs in the low 80's. Now that is what I am talking about!
Work is going good. I talked to my boss and I think he is going to be able to work it to where I can have every Friday off for a few months so that I can get my internship done. Our classroom work only has about another month but I have to get 50 hours of massage in before I can be finished.
We also have a semi at work now that we will be using every other week for one of our customers that will be ordering anywhere from 18-30 pallets of product each day. We have a 53' trailer also. Joe and I are the ones with the most experience driving the semi so that means we will usually be the ones that are taking that run. It is only up to Amarillo so we can be there and back in about five and a half hours so it is easy but we will have to find something else to do to get us our 40 hours. I took it up there on Tuesday and I have to say it sure was nice to be in a "big" truck again! Although it is going to take some getting used to the fact that it is a day cab! I'm not used to having a window behind me in a truck!!
We did some more work on our master bedroom. We got all of the trim stained for the walls and doors. We got some beadboard up on the pony wall that is separating the bedroom from the bathroom and we almost have the shower to the point that we can start laying down the tile. We haven't done tile work before and this shower is 6'6" long by 3'4" deep. We have decided to use big 20x20 tiles and will have to make some cuts. I guess we will figure it out and learn as we go. :-)
Today was a pretty easy day at work. I went up to Amarillo but I only had 9 stops so I was back and done by 1300. Granted I left Lubbock at 0500, but this was definitely a short day. I met Joe (he took the big truck and was back by 1030) and we got both of the vehicles inspected and now I'm back at the house. I have class tonight. Fun Pathology! (..<--- insert sarcasm there). I am thinking a nap is in order. I don't usually get one of those but I almost feel like I may be coming down with something. My eyes are itchy so definitely need to get a nap. I think I will do that now.......
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Another new post!
Two days in a row! I think I am on a roll here!!
Ok, so I still need to give you more updates. We still have the houseboat and are still working on getting it finished. It is still in Atlanta and we are working on getting it moved to Texas. We will move it to Lubbock and then get the rest of the work done and then move it again to a lake. Still thinking about Lake Lewisville in the Dallas area but we will see what happens when the time comes for that. It is still quite a ways off.
I mentioned that I am going to school for Massage Therapy. I found a great school here in Lubbock. I have been taking the night classes which are every Tuesday and Thursday from 1800-2200 and then every other Saturday from 0800-1600. The night classes take a year so I have about 3 months left. Some nights it is all I can do to concentrate since I get up at 0330 for work. So nights that I have class are usually 18-19 hour days. I get home and get in bed by 2230 and am back up at 0330. This girl needs more than 5 hours of sleep a night! but I keep telling myself that it will all be worth it in the end.
One thing that I learned about Massage Therapy is that is is WAY more involved than I thought it would be. I mean, I thought, "Hey. I'm gonna go to school and learn how to give an awesome massage. No Problem!" Boy, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I probably would never have attempted this if I had known ahead of time how involved it was. But, here I am. Since you have to have a license from the state to be a Massage Therapist (or LMT Licensed Massage Therapist) you have to be licensed through the health department. A massage therapist is part of the medical field. So, I have to learn Anatomy and Physiology, Pathology, and Kinesiology. Holy Cow! And of course the business classes and technique classes and different types of modalities of massage. There is the most common, Swedish Massage. But then there are other things that you can do such as Thai Massage, which is more of a stretching type of massage, or you can do hot rocks, Reiki (which is energy work), Myofacial, Trigger Point and the list goes on. Crazy! So far we are all taught the Swedish, which is what all LMT's do. But then we can specialize in other modalities. I am really interested in Energy work and Thai massage. Both have to to with realigning your body. But there is more to it than that. It is aligning your energy and Chakras and auras. I find it all fascinating but a little out there. Kinda New Age-ish. But it is still interesting and I will say that I am skeptically optimistic about the kind of work that can be done in the Energy fields.
Well, I had class last night, Kinesiology, and I worked this morning. I delivered in Amarillo and Plainview today. I got up to the Hastings Distribution center in Amarillo around 0730. I had 10 pallets for them. In Amarillo, we usually have two drivers. It is divided into East and West routes. Today I had West but it was a short day. After Hastings I only had 5 stops in Amarillo. then I headed back to Lubbock stopping in Tulia for fuel and in Plainview for my last 3 stops. I was back to the warehouse by about 1225 and doen with cleaning my truck and doing my paperwork by 1245. That means I made it home by 1300 and my short day was only an 8 hour work day! Usually they are 11-12 hours, so I will take an 8 hour day whenever I can.
Tomorrow they have me doing what they call the Shuttle Run. I will be going to Turkey, Silverton, Floydada, Ralls, Crosbyton, Lockney and Petersburg. Turkey is about 2 hours away so I think I am going to leave Lubbock around 0700. I have one of the new guys riding with me tomorrow. He isn't the newest and he is kinda already trained but tomorrow is a slow day so I guess they are just trying to give him hours to make his 40. Joe will be going up to Amarillo with Jason. Joe hasn't done Amarillo a whole lot so it will be good for him to go with Jason. I don't think it is a lot of stops, or they could have split it up and given Joe West and Jason East, but I guess they figure it will take longer if they go together and do all the stops instead of splitting them so they can get their hours. Sometimes I wonder why I bother guessing why they do what they do. Because they never do what you think they will do when it comes to scheduling.
One thing I do really like about this job though is that I don't have anyone watching over my shoulder. I was dreading having to report to someone after being my own boss for the last 4 years. But they really don't do that here and it is nice. For instance, each evening I line out my stops for the next day. That means I put my tickets in the order that I want to make my deliveries, and then that night the warehouse loads the truck. They next day I show up, get my truck and go. When I am done, I come back, clean out my truck, do my paperwork and leave. Of course I get the occasional calls but I don't have anyone telling me how to do my job. It is really nice.
I guess that is all for today. Hopefully there will be more to come tomorrow. I do have class so whether or not I blog will depend on my schedule. Have a great evening!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
I'm back!!!
Ok, not back out on the road, but back to blogging! I can not believe that it has been over a year since I last posted! A lot has changed in that year and we are not OTR drivers any more. Let me start at the beginning and go from there.
Last year I had decided to come off the truck in October after our vacation in Honduras so that I could go to massage therapy school. I came off the road and settled down here in Lubbock,Texas. I started school November 1st. This coming November I will finally be through! I am taking night classes and working full time during the day.
I am still driving a truck though. Although not a semi. I got a job with a local company doing delivery. It is called Empire Paper and we deliver mainly paper products, but really anything from Bic pens to 55 gallon drums of chemicals. Having a Class A and my Hazmat has come in real handy! Even though it is considered "local", we usually cover an average of 350 miles a day. I usually deliver in Amarillo every day and every other Monday and Tuesday I go to New Mexico and deliver in Tucumcari, Santa Rosa, Santa Fe and Albuquerque. That trip I spend the night in Albuquerque. I don't have the hours to legally drive back home. It has been quite an experience. I am the only female driver they have and the first they have ever hired. Mainly because it is a very physical job. It is all hand unload and I can have up to 30 stops a day dealing with full pallets or one or two items. And boy has it whipped me into shape. I have lost all the weight I gained sitting behind the wheel of the semi and I'm now down to 118 pounds! It sure beats going to the gym. One thing that does suck though is doing these deliveries in temps over 100 degrees in the summer and below 0 in the winter. Oh, we did have some runs to some schools a few weeks ago that I got where I actually got to drive a semi again. It was a lot of fun! :)
Joe finished our lease with Prime at the first part of May and he came back home. We bought a house here in Lubbock where we are planning to stay so that we can be closer to my parents. Dad's health isn't great. Joe also got on with Empire Paper. About 2 weeks before he turned in the truck we had a driver quit and my boss hired him over the phone. Of course, he had met Joe before, but what a blessing that Joe didn't have to go hunt a job. And the supre great thing about this is that it is a Monday-Friday job. Off weekends and holidays. Granted it is usually a 12 hour work day and I get up around 0330 and leave town around 0500 to get to Amarillo by 0700, but it is a nice gig. Lots of overtime and I only work 4 days one week and 5 the next. So every other week I get a three day weekend. :)
I have lots more that I can post, but I have to get ready to head to school. I have to be there in about 30 minutes. I can't post a lot about being over the road anymore, but if you are interested in what we are doing now, stay tuned!
Oh, Smokey is doing well and says "Woof!!" :-)
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Springfield,MO
Another day with the truck in the shop! UGH! But as soon as we are done with this we will be back on the road again. We had to bring the truck into the shop Thursday night for an 0800 appt with the APU shop on Friday morning. It is too darn hot out here to be without an APU. Especially when we are at shippers/receivers that don't allow you to idle the truck while we are being loaded or unloaded.
We also had to get a PM done, which we are getting now, and get two new drive tires. Picked up a nail in one that must have had a slow leak because it never actually went flat. Just lost enough air that it caused both tires on that side to wear extremely fast. So now that we have that taken care of, I am hoping that we will be good and ready to roll.
We have a load that we broght with us and we will hook back up to that one and deliver it out to Apple Valley,CA on Monday. From there we aren't sure where they will send us. We are supposed to be in Lubbock,TX on Saturday July 24th. That gives us about 5 days. I don't know if they will send up to the east coast and then to Lubbock or maybe something to the Chicago or Midwest area and then on down to Lubbock. My birthday, the big 4-0 is Sunday the 25th so we are celebrating on Saturday the 24th. So we HAVE to be back for that!!
Not much else going on. We have been fairly busy. I just keep forgetting to blog. I have to tell J that he needs to start reminding me! After almost three years of daily posting, I have seriously fallen off the wagon!
We also had to get a PM done, which we are getting now, and get two new drive tires. Picked up a nail in one that must have had a slow leak because it never actually went flat. Just lost enough air that it caused both tires on that side to wear extremely fast. So now that we have that taken care of, I am hoping that we will be good and ready to roll.
We have a load that we broght with us and we will hook back up to that one and deliver it out to Apple Valley,CA on Monday. From there we aren't sure where they will send us. We are supposed to be in Lubbock,TX on Saturday July 24th. That gives us about 5 days. I don't know if they will send up to the east coast and then to Lubbock or maybe something to the Chicago or Midwest area and then on down to Lubbock. My birthday, the big 4-0 is Sunday the 25th so we are celebrating on Saturday the 24th. So we HAVE to be back for that!!
Not much else going on. We have been fairly busy. I just keep forgetting to blog. I have to tell J that he needs to start reminding me! After almost three years of daily posting, I have seriously fallen off the wagon!
Monday, June 21, 2010
LasVegas,NV
Do you see my location?? Finally got the truck fixed and got the heck out of Atlanta. We were there a total of 20 days and only 9 of those were working on the boat I think. UGH! Small blessings though, I did find out that I was getting breakdown pay so we will about break even, even with the down time, so I am very thankful about that!
Once we had the truck back last Thursday evening, we picked up a load in Calhoun,GA and ran it up to Plainview,TX and dropped it off Saturday morning. We picked up a load in Plainview fron EXCEL but I had to make a stop in Lubbock because the reefer was having issues. Luckily that was a 2 hour fix and we were on the road again. We have two deliveries on this load. We delivered the first in Casa Grande,AZ on Sunday morning and now I am sitting in Las Vegas,NV waiting to drop the last of it here at Sysco which is about half a mile away from the Petro that we are parked at.
When we delivered in Casa Grande yesterday, they unloaded 32,ooo lbs of beef which left me with only 3 pallets weighing about 3,000 lbs. I am so glad things worked out that way and that I was super light, almost empty, because losing that weight saved me from being in an accident yesterday and most likely saved me from killing some people.
I was driving west on I-10 on the west side of Phoenix. It is a really long stretch of road for at least 60 miles I bet without a single curve in the road. There was a truck on the right shoulder that was broke down and he had his triangles out. There was a black Camry and a brown Toyota Tundra passing me in the left lane and as soon as they passed me, I got in the left lane to pass the broke down truck. As soon as I got passed the truck, I signaled to get back in the right lane and out of nowhere, a black Honda comes flying up to pass me on the right. So I stay in the left lane to let the idiot pass. I swear he was doing at least 90 mph. Anyway, he goes to the shoulder, even though I am still in the left lane, to finish passing me. Meanwhile, the Camry, which was in front of the Toyota, signals to come back to the right lane. As far as she can tell, the lane is clear because the idiot in the Honda is still on the shoulder. At this point, they are about 100 ft in front of me and I start to merge back to the right again. Well, as the Camry comes to the right lane, to let the Toyota pass, the Honda decided to swerve into the right lane behind the Camry, but he is going to fast. So he jerks it back to the shoulder to pass her on the shoulder! He gets a little loose and tries to get in front of her but he clips her on the right front quarter panel and he comes over. This basically means the Camry did a pit maneuver to the Honda which sent him spinning into the left lane. The Camry bounced to the left, and hit the Toyota, which then made the Camry go spinning onto the right shoulder down a ditch. The Honda was now spinnng in front of the Toyota and the push from the Camry into the Toyota had the Toyota and the Honda spinning, side by side, into the center median. And all of this was no more than 100 ft in front of me!
Anyway, I manage to get stopped and pulled to the right shoulder just past where they went off the road. In my rearview mirror, I couldn't even see the road because of all of the dust and sand from the wreck. I was sure that all three cars had rolled. I grab the CB and tell everyone to slow down and that the lanes were clear, even though they couldn't see, because of the sand, and that the cars had went off the road. Then I call 911 and jump out of the truck while I am still on the phone to go check for injuries. I don't know how, but the good Lord was watching over everyone, because none of the cars rolled and there were no injuries. Amazing. But like I said earlier, if I had not unloaded that 32,000 lbs earlier that morning, there is no way I could have stopped and I would have rammed right through those three cars when they got together. When I say the Honda slip in behind the Camry and slam on his brakes, I started shutting the truck down because I just knew this was going to be bad. Since I was almost empty I was able to get slowed down enough to not hit anyone.
So, lesson for the day. Don't be an idiot and try to pass on the shoulder!! Get your head out of your ass and pay attention. Slowing down for 5 seconds to let someone slower that you pass BEFORE you go around them, in the left lane, could save your life or someone elses life!
Once we had the truck back last Thursday evening, we picked up a load in Calhoun,GA and ran it up to Plainview,TX and dropped it off Saturday morning. We picked up a load in Plainview fron EXCEL but I had to make a stop in Lubbock because the reefer was having issues. Luckily that was a 2 hour fix and we were on the road again. We have two deliveries on this load. We delivered the first in Casa Grande,AZ on Sunday morning and now I am sitting in Las Vegas,NV waiting to drop the last of it here at Sysco which is about half a mile away from the Petro that we are parked at.
When we delivered in Casa Grande yesterday, they unloaded 32,ooo lbs of beef which left me with only 3 pallets weighing about 3,000 lbs. I am so glad things worked out that way and that I was super light, almost empty, because losing that weight saved me from being in an accident yesterday and most likely saved me from killing some people.
I was driving west on I-10 on the west side of Phoenix. It is a really long stretch of road for at least 60 miles I bet without a single curve in the road. There was a truck on the right shoulder that was broke down and he had his triangles out. There was a black Camry and a brown Toyota Tundra passing me in the left lane and as soon as they passed me, I got in the left lane to pass the broke down truck. As soon as I got passed the truck, I signaled to get back in the right lane and out of nowhere, a black Honda comes flying up to pass me on the right. So I stay in the left lane to let the idiot pass. I swear he was doing at least 90 mph. Anyway, he goes to the shoulder, even though I am still in the left lane, to finish passing me. Meanwhile, the Camry, which was in front of the Toyota, signals to come back to the right lane. As far as she can tell, the lane is clear because the idiot in the Honda is still on the shoulder. At this point, they are about 100 ft in front of me and I start to merge back to the right again. Well, as the Camry comes to the right lane, to let the Toyota pass, the Honda decided to swerve into the right lane behind the Camry, but he is going to fast. So he jerks it back to the shoulder to pass her on the shoulder! He gets a little loose and tries to get in front of her but he clips her on the right front quarter panel and he comes over. This basically means the Camry did a pit maneuver to the Honda which sent him spinning into the left lane. The Camry bounced to the left, and hit the Toyota, which then made the Camry go spinning onto the right shoulder down a ditch. The Honda was now spinnng in front of the Toyota and the push from the Camry into the Toyota had the Toyota and the Honda spinning, side by side, into the center median. And all of this was no more than 100 ft in front of me!
Anyway, I manage to get stopped and pulled to the right shoulder just past where they went off the road. In my rearview mirror, I couldn't even see the road because of all of the dust and sand from the wreck. I was sure that all three cars had rolled. I grab the CB and tell everyone to slow down and that the lanes were clear, even though they couldn't see, because of the sand, and that the cars had went off the road. Then I call 911 and jump out of the truck while I am still on the phone to go check for injuries. I don't know how, but the good Lord was watching over everyone, because none of the cars rolled and there were no injuries. Amazing. But like I said earlier, if I had not unloaded that 32,000 lbs earlier that morning, there is no way I could have stopped and I would have rammed right through those three cars when they got together. When I say the Honda slip in behind the Camry and slam on his brakes, I started shutting the truck down because I just knew this was going to be bad. Since I was almost empty I was able to get slowed down enough to not hit anyone.
So, lesson for the day. Don't be an idiot and try to pass on the shoulder!! Get your head out of your ass and pay attention. Slowing down for 5 seconds to let someone slower that you pass BEFORE you go around them, in the left lane, could save your life or someone elses life!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Atlanta,GA
Trying to be optomistic, this is our last day in the hotel. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they will give us the release tomorrow so we can get the heck out of Dodge.
So for our last day, we are being extremely lazy. Went to bed last night around 0300 and got up around 1100 today. Had some coffee, warmed up some left over pizza and now we are enjoying and NCIS Marathon on tv. It is shaping up to be a great last day! Now to just get a nap in at some point. :)
So for our last day, we are being extremely lazy. Went to bed last night around 0300 and got up around 1100 today. Had some coffee, warmed up some left over pizza and now we are enjoying and NCIS Marathon on tv. It is shaping up to be a great last day! Now to just get a nap in at some point. :)
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Atlanta,GA
Nothing much new to report. Unfortunately we are still in Atlanta waiting on the truck to be released. From what I can gather they have torn it apart and replaced the DPF (something to do with the regen system on the 08 and newer models) and are still waiting for Detroit Diesel to give them the ok to release it. After they replaced it, the had to run more tests and send the results to Detroit. Now we are just waiting to get a response back from them. The bad part is that Detroit is closed on the weekend. So here we sit for another two nights until they open back up on Monday. I am really hoping that we get a response back by then. We have got to hit the road. Now we will get going on two weeks without a paycheck and that means two weeks in the hole. It isn't looking good and I think I am about to start developing ulcers!! LOL
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Atlanta,GA
Hello everyone! We are currently stuck in Atlanta,GA. UGH!!
We took time off starting on May 29th so we could work on the houseboat. We got a LOT done this trip. We got the upper deck done, got it joined with the lower deck and we got the roofing material on. We also decided to go with aluminum siding, in 4x10 sheets and we got the siding on. Now the boat is completely dried in. YAY! Next trip we are hoping to get the electrical wiring done and get the plumbing in. We were exhausted and sunburned, but after over a week, we completed everything we could for this trip.
We were available this Monday for a load and then ran into problems with the truck. It started shaking real bad so we had new drive tires put on and that took care of the problem. It is still pulling to the right some so we need to get it in for an alignment as soon as we can before it starts wearing these new tires. After we got that done, we took it to Freightliner to have them look at the regen system. Our check engine light was on and the regen light was flashing, but it wouldn't let us do a manual regen. So bright and early Tuesday morning we got it to Freightliner and now it is Thursday and it is still in the shop. They have the regen system torn apart and have sent pictures to Freightliner (corporate I guess) and are waiting for them to look at the pics to figure out the next step. We also had an air leak, but they found out it was an airbag on the cab yesterday and have already gotten that fixed.
So, here we sit. Tomorrow will be two weeks that we have been off counting the vacation time to work on the boat. That means two weeks that we haven't been working. The first week wasn't bad because we got paid since we came in on Friday and had trips that we delivered after payroll cutoff. But now we aren't getting paid. So they need to get this fixed so we can get back on the road!
We took time off starting on May 29th so we could work on the houseboat. We got a LOT done this trip. We got the upper deck done, got it joined with the lower deck and we got the roofing material on. We also decided to go with aluminum siding, in 4x10 sheets and we got the siding on. Now the boat is completely dried in. YAY! Next trip we are hoping to get the electrical wiring done and get the plumbing in. We were exhausted and sunburned, but after over a week, we completed everything we could for this trip.
We were available this Monday for a load and then ran into problems with the truck. It started shaking real bad so we had new drive tires put on and that took care of the problem. It is still pulling to the right some so we need to get it in for an alignment as soon as we can before it starts wearing these new tires. After we got that done, we took it to Freightliner to have them look at the regen system. Our check engine light was on and the regen light was flashing, but it wouldn't let us do a manual regen. So bright and early Tuesday morning we got it to Freightliner and now it is Thursday and it is still in the shop. They have the regen system torn apart and have sent pictures to Freightliner (corporate I guess) and are waiting for them to look at the pics to figure out the next step. We also had an air leak, but they found out it was an airbag on the cab yesterday and have already gotten that fixed.
So, here we sit. Tomorrow will be two weeks that we have been off counting the vacation time to work on the boat. That means two weeks that we haven't been working. The first week wasn't bad because we got paid since we came in on Friday and had trips that we delivered after payroll cutoff. But now we aren't getting paid. So they need to get this fixed so we can get back on the road!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Carlisle,PA
Today we stopped in Carlisle,PA when I finished my shift. After we made the run up to Lathrop,CA and delivered our next load picked up in Salinas,CA and we are bringing it to Florence,NJ. They gave us two and a half days to go 3000 miles. Yep, as you can guess, it wasn't happening!
We have ran so many loads lately back to back that were rush rush rush to get there. I put my foot down on this one and decided I wasn't going to waste fuel to make the appointment when that just means more money out of my pocket and less profit. So we told our FM that we would need another appointment. It looks like this receiver is open 24 hours because they told us basically to get there when we could based on the eta that I gave them. So that worked out.
Of course we ran into the usual problems getting out of California. Rush hour traffic meant that J made a whopping 180 miles in about 6 hours. That included getting pulled into a scale house for a Level 1 Inspection. Passed with flying colors. Unfortunately, J wasn't as lucky earlier in the day when a box truck decided to go 50 mph in front of us. J jumped out in the left center lane to go around him and got pulled over for it. :( In California trucks have to remain in the right two lanes. This was a 4 lane road and he got in the wrong lane and got a ticket for it. Not sure how much it is going to cost yet as the court makes that decision and mails us the info. And knowing how strapped California is for money, it probably isn't going to be cheap. But I didn't give him a hard time about it. He was mad enough at himself. Lesson learned.
After all of that, he only made it to Sacramento since we got loaded around 2000 hours. I took over and it took me another 4 hours to go the next 120 miles. You gotta love climbing Donner Pass when you are extremely heavy. I had also heard on the news that the Rockies were expecting a foot of snow. I figured I better check the weather and see what it was doing. If you have kept up with me for any length of time, you know that Wyoming is my nemesis and always gives me problems. Sure enough, it was snowing across the WHOLE state, I-80 was a mess all the way across and was closed between Laramie and Cheyenne again. Thankfully by the time J made it there they had cleared up. When I took over in Rawlins, I only had a little ice on the top of the mountail between Laramie and Cheyenne so I was pleased.
The rest of this trip has been uneventful. Hit a little rain just as J was leaving Carlisle,PA. Pretty nasty looking clouds according to the National Weather Service radar. I think we are about to come out of it though.
We have our next load already. After we deliver this we are heading over to Phillipsburg,NJ which is about 100 miles away and we are picking up a hazmat load going to Chandler,AZ. This works out really well for us since J is almost out of hours. He can pick it up tonight and get it scaled and then he can park. Then I will get up and cover around 550 miles tomorrow and J will get the afternoon off. That will give him a reset on his hours. Then Sunday we can both cover around 550 miles each and that will leave me around 250 miles or so to do Monday morning. piece of cake since our appointment is at 1000 Mountain time.
Now for the SUPER FUN information! We have some friends that are going on vacation in October for her 40th birthday. J's birthday is just 6 days before hers. They invited us to go along and after pricing flights (which are running about $300 less per person than what they usually pay) we decided what the heck and bought the tickets!
Well now you want to know where we are going, right? Roatan,Honduras!! The couple we are going with is Misty and Riaan. Riaan worked on Roatan for about 3.5 years as a dive instructor and they were married there. This is their old stomping grounds. So it is going to be a LOT of fun! We are going to stay for 7 nights. Did you know that rentals are REALLY REALLY cheap there? We can get a 1 bedroom cabin, complete with kitchen and all the dishes and everything for $175 for the WHOLE WEEK!! Check out www.hiddengardencabins.com to see some pics.
We will finish getting our dive certification and then spend most of the time diving while we are there. We have been before when we went on cruises but you don't have to be "certified" for that. Riaan is going to finish getting us our open water certification and we are going to have a blast blowing bubbles!
So there is the fun exciting part! Now I just have to seriously get in shape so I can put my bikini back on!!! At least I know have good motivation. :)
We have ran so many loads lately back to back that were rush rush rush to get there. I put my foot down on this one and decided I wasn't going to waste fuel to make the appointment when that just means more money out of my pocket and less profit. So we told our FM that we would need another appointment. It looks like this receiver is open 24 hours because they told us basically to get there when we could based on the eta that I gave them. So that worked out.
Of course we ran into the usual problems getting out of California. Rush hour traffic meant that J made a whopping 180 miles in about 6 hours. That included getting pulled into a scale house for a Level 1 Inspection. Passed with flying colors. Unfortunately, J wasn't as lucky earlier in the day when a box truck decided to go 50 mph in front of us. J jumped out in the left center lane to go around him and got pulled over for it. :( In California trucks have to remain in the right two lanes. This was a 4 lane road and he got in the wrong lane and got a ticket for it. Not sure how much it is going to cost yet as the court makes that decision and mails us the info. And knowing how strapped California is for money, it probably isn't going to be cheap. But I didn't give him a hard time about it. He was mad enough at himself. Lesson learned.
After all of that, he only made it to Sacramento since we got loaded around 2000 hours. I took over and it took me another 4 hours to go the next 120 miles. You gotta love climbing Donner Pass when you are extremely heavy. I had also heard on the news that the Rockies were expecting a foot of snow. I figured I better check the weather and see what it was doing. If you have kept up with me for any length of time, you know that Wyoming is my nemesis and always gives me problems. Sure enough, it was snowing across the WHOLE state, I-80 was a mess all the way across and was closed between Laramie and Cheyenne again. Thankfully by the time J made it there they had cleared up. When I took over in Rawlins, I only had a little ice on the top of the mountail between Laramie and Cheyenne so I was pleased.
The rest of this trip has been uneventful. Hit a little rain just as J was leaving Carlisle,PA. Pretty nasty looking clouds according to the National Weather Service radar. I think we are about to come out of it though.
We have our next load already. After we deliver this we are heading over to Phillipsburg,NJ which is about 100 miles away and we are picking up a hazmat load going to Chandler,AZ. This works out really well for us since J is almost out of hours. He can pick it up tonight and get it scaled and then he can park. Then I will get up and cover around 550 miles tomorrow and J will get the afternoon off. That will give him a reset on his hours. Then Sunday we can both cover around 550 miles each and that will leave me around 250 miles or so to do Monday morning. piece of cake since our appointment is at 1000 Mountain time.
Now for the SUPER FUN information! We have some friends that are going on vacation in October for her 40th birthday. J's birthday is just 6 days before hers. They invited us to go along and after pricing flights (which are running about $300 less per person than what they usually pay) we decided what the heck and bought the tickets!
Well now you want to know where we are going, right? Roatan,Honduras!! The couple we are going with is Misty and Riaan. Riaan worked on Roatan for about 3.5 years as a dive instructor and they were married there. This is their old stomping grounds. So it is going to be a LOT of fun! We are going to stay for 7 nights. Did you know that rentals are REALLY REALLY cheap there? We can get a 1 bedroom cabin, complete with kitchen and all the dishes and everything for $175 for the WHOLE WEEK!! Check out www.hiddengardencabins.com to see some pics.
We will finish getting our dive certification and then spend most of the time diving while we are there. We have been before when we went on cruises but you don't have to be "certified" for that. Riaan is going to finish getting us our open water certification and we are going to have a blast blowing bubbles!
So there is the fun exciting part! Now I just have to seriously get in shape so I can put my bikini back on!!! At least I know have good motivation. :)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Gustine,CA
I actually have a day off! WooHoo!! Now what am I going to do with myself?? Let's see. Slept in? Check. Had breakfast? Check. Took a nap? Check. It has turned out to be a great morning so far!
While I was getting the truck washed yesterday our FM called with our next load. There wasn't any freight in SoCal so he had us pick up a load at the drop lot in Fontana that delivers today in Lathrop,CA at 1300 local. It was a short overnight run of about 350 miles. Since it doesn't deliver till this afternoon, that meant that J drove us up here and I get the day off.
I only had about 23 hours left on my 70. J got to reset his hours in Flint,MI so he has plenty. That worked out great for us. He is going to start about an hour early today and deliver this and then we are going to Salinas,CA to pick up our next load. This load will deliver in NJ on Friday and I would have been pushed on my clock to make that if I didn't get a restart.
I was looking at our next load and I am hoping that we can make it there on time. There is no pick-up time in Salinas, just today sometime after we deliver this. I sure hope that they get us loaded fast so that we can get out of there and on the road. It delivers in NJ, 2900 miles away, on Friday at 1500. So here is to hoping that we can get in and out of there quickly.
On a side note, there were so bad storms yesterday and a tornado hit the Love's Truck Stop in Oklahoma City,OK. I pray that no one was seriously hurt or injured. Our FM told us that we had a truck at the location that had all of the windows blown out of it. I sure hope the driver was somewhere safe. They said the tornado also ripped the roof off of the building. I am definitely keeping the people that were there in my thoughts and prayers.
I guess that is all for now. Have a great day!
While I was getting the truck washed yesterday our FM called with our next load. There wasn't any freight in SoCal so he had us pick up a load at the drop lot in Fontana that delivers today in Lathrop,CA at 1300 local. It was a short overnight run of about 350 miles. Since it doesn't deliver till this afternoon, that meant that J drove us up here and I get the day off.
I only had about 23 hours left on my 70. J got to reset his hours in Flint,MI so he has plenty. That worked out great for us. He is going to start about an hour early today and deliver this and then we are going to Salinas,CA to pick up our next load. This load will deliver in NJ on Friday and I would have been pushed on my clock to make that if I didn't get a restart.
I was looking at our next load and I am hoping that we can make it there on time. There is no pick-up time in Salinas, just today sometime after we deliver this. I sure hope that they get us loaded fast so that we can get out of there and on the road. It delivers in NJ, 2900 miles away, on Friday at 1500. So here is to hoping that we can get in and out of there quickly.
On a side note, there were so bad storms yesterday and a tornado hit the Love's Truck Stop in Oklahoma City,OK. I pray that no one was seriously hurt or injured. Our FM told us that we had a truck at the location that had all of the windows blown out of it. I sure hope the driver was somewhere safe. They said the tornado also ripped the roof off of the building. I am definitely keeping the people that were there in my thoughts and prayers.
I guess that is all for now. Have a great day!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Rancho Cucamonga,CA
Yesterday I couldn't get a signal after J started driving across Iowa, so you had to wait until today. So far this has been an uneventful trip aside from the wind that we have had to deal with. We picked up this FedEx load from Flint,MI and headed out with it around 0930 on Wednesday. We made good time and I got here about an hour early. That includes stopping for a nice Mother's Day lunch yesterday where I got to use real utensils and drink out of a glass that wasn't a "to go" cup. I also got wished a Happy Mother's day from the kids, J, my mom whom I also wished a Happy Mother's day, along with many well wishes from all my friends on FB.
On top of that, I was able to enjoy an absoultely beautiful drive across I-70 in Colorado. I started driving up on I-80 in Kearney,NE then cut down I-76 and hit I-70 in Denver. The I-80 and I-76 part is really boring, but once you hit I-70 and start the drive through the Rockies, it is simply breath taking. I took some pictures with my phone but for some reason I am having problems sending them to my e-mail. If I can get it to work, I will come back and post some pics.
Right now I am just sitting here waiting for them to get me unloaded. From here I am going to go get the trailer washed out and get the truck washed also. With all the storms and snow and salt we have been through lately, it looks like I have taken this truck mudding! I will let ya know where we are headed next. Until then.....
On top of that, I was able to enjoy an absoultely beautiful drive across I-70 in Colorado. I started driving up on I-80 in Kearney,NE then cut down I-76 and hit I-70 in Denver. The I-80 and I-76 part is really boring, but once you hit I-70 and start the drive through the Rockies, it is simply breath taking. I took some pictures with my phone but for some reason I am having problems sending them to my e-mail. If I can get it to work, I will come back and post some pics.
Right now I am just sitting here waiting for them to get me unloaded. From here I am going to go get the trailer washed out and get the truck washed also. With all the storms and snow and salt we have been through lately, it looks like I have taken this truck mudding! I will let ya know where we are headed next. Until then.....
Friday, May 7, 2010
Grand Rapids,MI
Well, no, I didn't forget to post the last two days. See! I actually remembered, I just didn't post! You know we team drive and work 12 hour shifts. The past two days I have went to bed pretty much as soon as my shift was over. They have been LONG days, and I managed to barely cover a combined 640 miles. Slacking you say? Nay I say! It all has to do with the weather.
Now, I know this is May, because I have consulted my trusty calendar on my dash and double checked my BlackBerry and both are saying that it is indeed May. I am beginning to think that somehow Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming have all somehow misplaced the memo, that I am sure they have received, stating that it is Spring and not winter. Or as another driver calls that part of the country, Southern Canada.
We enjoyed a nice night off in a hotel to reset our hours and when we were available Monday afternoon, we got our next dispatch. We headed out to Yakima,WA to pick up a load of frozen french fries for Buffalo Wild Wings that was headed to Grand Rapids,MI. Wouldn't you know it that when I woke up that morning I saw on the local news that Snoqualmie Pass, just outside of Seattle on I-90, had received 7 inches of snow and they chain law was in effect. Now keep in mind, this was Tuesday, MAY 4th. Luckily by the time we got there, they had removed the chain restriction and it was just wet and slushie. Thank you Lord! From there J makes it to Yakima,WA and gets us loaded with no problems. He woke me up around 0430 and I signed the paperwork and headed out.
My route for that day was to take I-82 down to I-84 and head across Oregon and Idaho. Of course it started snowing in Oregon and that made for slooow going and I only managed to make it to Boise,ID a mere 311 miles from where I started. Not one of my best days out here, but hey, I can't control Mother Nature. I wake J up and he jokingly gives me a hard time about how I suck at this job :) and he heads out.
J did great and got across Idaho, through the top part of Utah and picked up I-80 and got me to Rawlins,WY. It was raining, but I figured if it was raining, that is better than snow. I take off and about 30 miles down the road it turns to snow. That is what I get for figuring, huh? I hit the rest area at Wagonhound (Yes, I couldn't make that name up) and decide to take a nap for an hour until the sun comes up so I can see better.
A short 50 minutes later I wake up and see that it is getting light outside so I take off again. The roads are mainly wet, with a little slush, but the important thing is that I can actually see the road now. I make it a short 100 miles further and stop at the Petro in Laramie for Smokey and I to both take a restroom break. Got that done and on the road again and before I get out of Laramie I start seeing a bunch of brake lights. Hmm Time to turn the CB on. About that time I see one of the WY DOT overhead signs advising that I-80 is shut down. Sure enough, I get another 1/4 mile up and they have the arms across the road shutting it down and traffic is turning around. Sheesh! There is a pass between Laramie and Cheyenne and aparently it was snowing pretty bad up on the hill and trucks couldn't make it up. They were spinning out and coming to a stop either blocking the lanes or actually wrecking. So, I turn around with the other traffic and head back to find a place to park.
Luckily they had just shut it down and there was plenty of room to park. When I took the exit I saw that the Pilot had a ton of room so I pulled in there instead. I talked to my mom on the phone for a few and checked the map to see if there was a way around. I was planning on taking US287 down around the south way but there was a guy on the CB that had just came that way and he said that way was completely ice covered. Okay then.
At that point I ran into the Wendy's to grab something to eat to kill some time. Finally we get word that they have opened the road. I was surprised to hear that they weren't advising chains. I guess once they got the trucks and wrecks removed that gave the salt shakers (plows with sand or salt) room to get up the hill and get the road in better condition. It worked because it was mainly slushie when I went over along with a convoy of other trucks that were waiting for it to open.
That was Thursday and I managed to get to Big Springs,NE. That was right at another 300 miles. I woke J up and he REALLY gave me a hard time about sucking at driving, in a joking manner of course, and then he headed out. When I was on my way to Big Springs I called our FM to see if we could get more time to deliver since we had been held up by the weather and the road closure. He got us until 1300 today and that worked good. I got there around noon which was still later than the original appointment of 1000 but earlier than the new appt time.
Today all I had to deal with was rain across Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Rain isn't so bad as long as it isn't a torrential downpour. The only thing I really hate about driving in the rain is when other trucks pass and they get back in the lane right in front of me. There is so much spray coming up from the back of their truck it makes it difficult to see. I usually slow down and let them get some distance on me. I just wish they would give me at least a truck length before coming back over, any little bit would help. When I pass someone, if no one is behind me, I give them probably two truck lenghts before I get over. They probably don't know why, but it is just my way of being nice so that it is easier to see.
Anywho, I delivered and am now sitting at the 76 St Auto/Truck Plaza on US131 at x75 here in Grand Rapids. Our next load picks up tomorrow morning at 0730 in Flint,MI and it is going to Rancho Cucamonga,CA (I probably spelled that wrong). It is a FedEx load. Doesn't pay great, but at least gets us in a good freight area for produce and it is a dry load so I won't have to pay for reefer fuel.
That is my happenings for today! What are all of you doing??
Now, I know this is May, because I have consulted my trusty calendar on my dash and double checked my BlackBerry and both are saying that it is indeed May. I am beginning to think that somehow Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming have all somehow misplaced the memo, that I am sure they have received, stating that it is Spring and not winter. Or as another driver calls that part of the country, Southern Canada.
We enjoyed a nice night off in a hotel to reset our hours and when we were available Monday afternoon, we got our next dispatch. We headed out to Yakima,WA to pick up a load of frozen french fries for Buffalo Wild Wings that was headed to Grand Rapids,MI. Wouldn't you know it that when I woke up that morning I saw on the local news that Snoqualmie Pass, just outside of Seattle on I-90, had received 7 inches of snow and they chain law was in effect. Now keep in mind, this was Tuesday, MAY 4th. Luckily by the time we got there, they had removed the chain restriction and it was just wet and slushie. Thank you Lord! From there J makes it to Yakima,WA and gets us loaded with no problems. He woke me up around 0430 and I signed the paperwork and headed out.
My route for that day was to take I-82 down to I-84 and head across Oregon and Idaho. Of course it started snowing in Oregon and that made for slooow going and I only managed to make it to Boise,ID a mere 311 miles from where I started. Not one of my best days out here, but hey, I can't control Mother Nature. I wake J up and he jokingly gives me a hard time about how I suck at this job :) and he heads out.
J did great and got across Idaho, through the top part of Utah and picked up I-80 and got me to Rawlins,WY. It was raining, but I figured if it was raining, that is better than snow. I take off and about 30 miles down the road it turns to snow. That is what I get for figuring, huh? I hit the rest area at Wagonhound (Yes, I couldn't make that name up) and decide to take a nap for an hour until the sun comes up so I can see better.
A short 50 minutes later I wake up and see that it is getting light outside so I take off again. The roads are mainly wet, with a little slush, but the important thing is that I can actually see the road now. I make it a short 100 miles further and stop at the Petro in Laramie for Smokey and I to both take a restroom break. Got that done and on the road again and before I get out of Laramie I start seeing a bunch of brake lights. Hmm Time to turn the CB on. About that time I see one of the WY DOT overhead signs advising that I-80 is shut down. Sure enough, I get another 1/4 mile up and they have the arms across the road shutting it down and traffic is turning around. Sheesh! There is a pass between Laramie and Cheyenne and aparently it was snowing pretty bad up on the hill and trucks couldn't make it up. They were spinning out and coming to a stop either blocking the lanes or actually wrecking. So, I turn around with the other traffic and head back to find a place to park.
Luckily they had just shut it down and there was plenty of room to park. When I took the exit I saw that the Pilot had a ton of room so I pulled in there instead. I talked to my mom on the phone for a few and checked the map to see if there was a way around. I was planning on taking US287 down around the south way but there was a guy on the CB that had just came that way and he said that way was completely ice covered. Okay then.
At that point I ran into the Wendy's to grab something to eat to kill some time. Finally we get word that they have opened the road. I was surprised to hear that they weren't advising chains. I guess once they got the trucks and wrecks removed that gave the salt shakers (plows with sand or salt) room to get up the hill and get the road in better condition. It worked because it was mainly slushie when I went over along with a convoy of other trucks that were waiting for it to open.
That was Thursday and I managed to get to Big Springs,NE. That was right at another 300 miles. I woke J up and he REALLY gave me a hard time about sucking at driving, in a joking manner of course, and then he headed out. When I was on my way to Big Springs I called our FM to see if we could get more time to deliver since we had been held up by the weather and the road closure. He got us until 1300 today and that worked good. I got there around noon which was still later than the original appointment of 1000 but earlier than the new appt time.
Today all I had to deal with was rain across Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Rain isn't so bad as long as it isn't a torrential downpour. The only thing I really hate about driving in the rain is when other trucks pass and they get back in the lane right in front of me. There is so much spray coming up from the back of their truck it makes it difficult to see. I usually slow down and let them get some distance on me. I just wish they would give me at least a truck length before coming back over, any little bit would help. When I pass someone, if no one is behind me, I give them probably two truck lenghts before I get over. They probably don't know why, but it is just my way of being nice so that it is easier to see.
Anywho, I delivered and am now sitting at the 76 St Auto/Truck Plaza on US131 at x75 here in Grand Rapids. Our next load picks up tomorrow morning at 0730 in Flint,MI and it is going to Rancho Cucamonga,CA (I probably spelled that wrong). It is a FedEx load. Doesn't pay great, but at least gets us in a good freight area for produce and it is a dry load so I won't have to pay for reefer fuel.
That is my happenings for today! What are all of you doing??
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Ferndale,WA
I'M BACK!!!! Did you guys miss me? I feel like all I have been doing on here lately, when I post, is to apologize for not being on here. I told J yesterday that he just had to remind me to get on here and start blogging again. I really enjoy it. Things have been so crazy for us lately with other stuff that I just haven't been on here. I have gotten e-mails from some of you and Iwant you to know I really appreciate the concern. I sometimes forget that I actually have people that read this and follow me and may start to worry when I don't post. :) I will try to do better from here on out.
We have had so much going on that I don't even know where to begin. I guess I will start with what is going on now and work my way back. Right now we are in Ferndale,WA taking a night off. Last Monday we left Clackamas,OR and picked up in Yakima,WA. We delivered that load to Norfolk,VA and then went to Miami,FL and picked up a load that we delivered yesterday to Blaine,WA. That load was actually going to Canada but we dropped it with a driver that was able to go to Canada. So in this past week we have travelled 7500 miles. We were worn out when we delivered yesterday so we decided it was time for a night out of the truck. The last day we took a week off was two weeks ago, so we were overdue.
On our way up to Blaine,WA we had to drive through Nashville,TN and deal with the torrential rains that they were having this past week. I am sure that everyone has seen the news coverage of the flooding. I am also sure you saw the picture of I-24 in Antioch just south of Nashville where all the cars and trucks were submerged and where the portable building was floating down the road. What a mess! Well, we drove right through that. When we got to that part of I-24, traffic was stopped because of water over the road. Several cars had tried to cross and stalled out. Some of the drivers of the stalled vehicles got out and were helping each other push the cars out of the way. By this time, the water was about 3 feet deep and about 500 feet across. There were 3 other semi trucks in front of us. When they got one of the cars out of the way and cleared a path for us we decided to attempt to cross it. We only had two choices. Try to cross, or end up on the news with the other vehicles. The water was just rising too fast. So the first truck took off, then the second, then the third and then us. We were pushing water with our hood and water was coming up over the wheel welds. That is some deep water. Thank God that our trucks sit up higher and our engines are higher so we didn't stall out. We managed to make it through and then got the heck out of dodge. Looking back I wish that we had maybe stayed to help some of the other people. But then again, other people were out helping and there is no way that we could have known how bad it was going to get.
The next time we have off will be at the end of May. Our anniversary, thirteen years, is at the end of May. So we will spend a nice romantic week off working on our boat in Atlanta. LOL! We are hoping to get the top deck rebuilt and then get it comletely dried in and get an exterior put on. We aren't sure what to use on the exterior though. Ideally we would use the filon panels that are used on boats and RV's, but at a cost of close to $7500 that is out of the question. We are looking at aluminum because it is weatherproof and can be painted. Plus, I don't want seams on the exterior. We just need to find a manufacturer so that we can get sheets of aluminum that we can cut down to fit. But I am having a problem finding those places. What we need is something that we can get in any length but with a height of about 6 feet. Anyone have any suggestions?
I got to thinking that we have been driving now for three years. By the time that we finish our lease it will be four years. I can honestly say that we have enjoyed 99.9% of the time we have been driving. Of course that .01% of the time we didn't enjoy would have been the times that we have had to drive in the snow, throw chains, deal with extremely high winds and other extreme weather conditions. All in all, it has been a very enjoyable experience. But we are thinking that we will not drive any more once this lease is up. We are missing having a normal schedule, sleeping in the same bed and eating home cooking. We are looking at what our next adventure is going to be after this last year is over in the truck. We are currently looking at going to massage therapy school. We have been thinking of that for a while. We have decided that we really don't want to work for someone else after being our own boss the last few years. So our plan right now is to get the boat finished before our lease is up. Then we will go to school and then probably work for someone for maybe a year. At that point we are wanting to open our own spa. Something small with maybe 4-6 massage rooms. Our son's girlfriend is a massage therapist and she wants to come work for us. So we are hoping we can start a small spa and kind of keep it as a family business. We shall see, but that is what we are looking at now. We are actually really excited about it. :)
But, until then, I will continue to keep you updated with our adventures and I will continue to vent when need be! Like having to drive through the worst wind yesterday that I have driven through since we have been driving. They were even talking about it on the news this morning. So until I post next time, take care out there!
We have had so much going on that I don't even know where to begin. I guess I will start with what is going on now and work my way back. Right now we are in Ferndale,WA taking a night off. Last Monday we left Clackamas,OR and picked up in Yakima,WA. We delivered that load to Norfolk,VA and then went to Miami,FL and picked up a load that we delivered yesterday to Blaine,WA. That load was actually going to Canada but we dropped it with a driver that was able to go to Canada. So in this past week we have travelled 7500 miles. We were worn out when we delivered yesterday so we decided it was time for a night out of the truck. The last day we took a week off was two weeks ago, so we were overdue.
On our way up to Blaine,WA we had to drive through Nashville,TN and deal with the torrential rains that they were having this past week. I am sure that everyone has seen the news coverage of the flooding. I am also sure you saw the picture of I-24 in Antioch just south of Nashville where all the cars and trucks were submerged and where the portable building was floating down the road. What a mess! Well, we drove right through that. When we got to that part of I-24, traffic was stopped because of water over the road. Several cars had tried to cross and stalled out. Some of the drivers of the stalled vehicles got out and were helping each other push the cars out of the way. By this time, the water was about 3 feet deep and about 500 feet across. There were 3 other semi trucks in front of us. When they got one of the cars out of the way and cleared a path for us we decided to attempt to cross it. We only had two choices. Try to cross, or end up on the news with the other vehicles. The water was just rising too fast. So the first truck took off, then the second, then the third and then us. We were pushing water with our hood and water was coming up over the wheel welds. That is some deep water. Thank God that our trucks sit up higher and our engines are higher so we didn't stall out. We managed to make it through and then got the heck out of dodge. Looking back I wish that we had maybe stayed to help some of the other people. But then again, other people were out helping and there is no way that we could have known how bad it was going to get.
The next time we have off will be at the end of May. Our anniversary, thirteen years, is at the end of May. So we will spend a nice romantic week off working on our boat in Atlanta. LOL! We are hoping to get the top deck rebuilt and then get it comletely dried in and get an exterior put on. We aren't sure what to use on the exterior though. Ideally we would use the filon panels that are used on boats and RV's, but at a cost of close to $7500 that is out of the question. We are looking at aluminum because it is weatherproof and can be painted. Plus, I don't want seams on the exterior. We just need to find a manufacturer so that we can get sheets of aluminum that we can cut down to fit. But I am having a problem finding those places. What we need is something that we can get in any length but with a height of about 6 feet. Anyone have any suggestions?
I got to thinking that we have been driving now for three years. By the time that we finish our lease it will be four years. I can honestly say that we have enjoyed 99.9% of the time we have been driving. Of course that .01% of the time we didn't enjoy would have been the times that we have had to drive in the snow, throw chains, deal with extremely high winds and other extreme weather conditions. All in all, it has been a very enjoyable experience. But we are thinking that we will not drive any more once this lease is up. We are missing having a normal schedule, sleeping in the same bed and eating home cooking. We are looking at what our next adventure is going to be after this last year is over in the truck. We are currently looking at going to massage therapy school. We have been thinking of that for a while. We have decided that we really don't want to work for someone else after being our own boss the last few years. So our plan right now is to get the boat finished before our lease is up. Then we will go to school and then probably work for someone for maybe a year. At that point we are wanting to open our own spa. Something small with maybe 4-6 massage rooms. Our son's girlfriend is a massage therapist and she wants to come work for us. So we are hoping we can start a small spa and kind of keep it as a family business. We shall see, but that is what we are looking at now. We are actually really excited about it. :)
But, until then, I will continue to keep you updated with our adventures and I will continue to vent when need be! Like having to drive through the worst wind yesterday that I have driven through since we have been driving. They were even talking about it on the news this morning. So until I post next time, take care out there!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Springfield,MO
Well, we have had a nice couple of days off here in Springfield,MO. We had to get back here and get our drivers side windshield replaced due to a small chip that had decided to run. We also had to get our Hazmat recertification done and our annual review done. Now the only thing we need to get done by the end of this month is our DOT physical. We just ran out of time here so we will have to get it done somewhere else. We had planned on being in Atlanta this coming weekend to do some work on the boat, but there is rain in the forcast so we are going to go to Lubbock instead and see the family for a few days. Hopefully we will be able to get the DOT medical done while we are there and then that will be all taken care of.
Not much else to report. Now that we are back moving again, hopefully I will have more to blog about!
Not much else to report. Now that we are back moving again, hopefully I will have more to blog about!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Ontario,CA
Howdy folks! Been busy, busy, busy! Not so much work related, but busy with personal stuff. We are super excited to get back to work on the boat and get it finished. While we were taking out time off, we found the perfect marina to put the boat at there on Lake Lewisville. Now I have to figure out what to buy for our 14'x18' deck! FUN!!
Anyway, we did have a productive time off and then unfortunately we had to get back to work. We headed out Monday with a produce load out of Garland,TX and we had two stops. One in Los Lunas,NM and the other in Temecula,CA. We hit a snow storm in the Texas panhandle all the way to Albuquerque,NM. The road was probably the worst ice I have driven on, except for maybe when we picked up in Schuyler,NE after being stuck for three days over Christmas this year. We shut down and because of that both of our appointments were rescheduled. Because of that we didn't deliver our last drop until this morning.
On a positive note though, we did have our next load before I could make it to get the trailer washed out. I can't say where we are heading, it is top secret, but it does look like we will be dealing with snow again. Thankfully this is a drop at the receiver and we have until Monday at noon to get there. It definitely won't take us that long, but we won't have to push it if the weather turns nasty on us. We technically should be able to be there by Saturday night, and that is what we are going to push for, but it nice to have that cushion.
Not much else going on right now. It will probably be a few days before I post again since I can't really tell you much about this load or where we are going. So everyone take care and I will be back in a few days! Keep your fingers crossed that we have good weather!
Anyway, we did have a productive time off and then unfortunately we had to get back to work. We headed out Monday with a produce load out of Garland,TX and we had two stops. One in Los Lunas,NM and the other in Temecula,CA. We hit a snow storm in the Texas panhandle all the way to Albuquerque,NM. The road was probably the worst ice I have driven on, except for maybe when we picked up in Schuyler,NE after being stuck for three days over Christmas this year. We shut down and because of that both of our appointments were rescheduled. Because of that we didn't deliver our last drop until this morning.
On a positive note though, we did have our next load before I could make it to get the trailer washed out. I can't say where we are heading, it is top secret, but it does look like we will be dealing with snow again. Thankfully this is a drop at the receiver and we have until Monday at noon to get there. It definitely won't take us that long, but we won't have to push it if the weather turns nasty on us. We technically should be able to be there by Saturday night, and that is what we are going to push for, but it nice to have that cushion.
Not much else going on right now. It will probably be a few days before I post again since I can't really tell you much about this load or where we are going. So everyone take care and I will be back in a few days! Keep your fingers crossed that we have good weather!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Miami,FL
Sunny Miami! As I sit here I can hear someone playing Tejano music, which I can't understand a word of, but it makes me think of Cancun and that makes me happy. :)
So here is the deal. We dropped this morning at UPS. We actually made it directly to the place, no thanks to anyone helping us. Prime did not have directions on file and the receiver didn't open until 0900 so we couldn't call them for directions. Streets and Trips showed the street but didn't recognize the address on that street. So that was no help. Thankfully a while back I downloaded Google Earth and that is what saved us. It actually showed the address and showed semi's parked there so we figured there was a good chance that was correct.
J stayed up with me to make sure I got there and so he could give me directions off of the computer. At one point I had to pull over because it looked like the road dead-ended. I couldn't go any farther because there was a runway there. Yes, a runway with planes! We were adjacent to Miami Int'l Airport. But I went ahead and went down the street because there was a sign showing the road turned. Thankfully it did and once we made that turn we were only a block away from our destination. When we got there the first Prime truck was there that left UPS in LA before us. We were both there at 0700 (him earlier) because we were told our appt was at 0800. Come to find out they didn't even open until 0900. Sheesh! Anyway, they finally open, I get a dock and by 1130 local I am unloaded and pulled away from the dock.
After I pulled out of the dock I parked along the side out of the way so that I could shut my doors and sent in my depart call. I planned on staying there as long as possible since I didn't know where I was going next and there is basically no where in Miami to park a semi if you are not at a shipper or receiver. I took time to take Smokey for a walk and when I got back, I had my next work assignment. I had been hoping for a flower load and not a juice load, but I actually got both.
As I was reading the work assignment, my FM called and told me the plan. I need to take the flowers up to Prime Floral in Pierson,FL and drop them there but there were no other flower loads. After that, I am to head over to Bradenton,FL to pick up a juice load going to Los Angeles for Monday morning. I'm not happy with the juice load, because I know it will be heavy. BUT. It does deliver in Los Angeles on Monday and that will put me in a good position to get freight out of there. And it does give me good revenue for the week and I-10 is a good road as far as not many pulls on it. Oh, and it keeps me out of the northeast where all the storms are at.
But here is the funny part. I just checked the weather and there is a 90% chance of snow in New Orleans tomorrow and an 80% chance in Mobile,AL tomorrow with accumulation of 2-4 inches! What the heck??? You go any farther south than that and you will be in the Gulf of Mexico!! It isn't supposed to snow that far south! Ahhhh I guess that is why they call me the Snow Queen. If it is snowing, then that is where I am going to be going!
So here is the deal. We dropped this morning at UPS. We actually made it directly to the place, no thanks to anyone helping us. Prime did not have directions on file and the receiver didn't open until 0900 so we couldn't call them for directions. Streets and Trips showed the street but didn't recognize the address on that street. So that was no help. Thankfully a while back I downloaded Google Earth and that is what saved us. It actually showed the address and showed semi's parked there so we figured there was a good chance that was correct.
J stayed up with me to make sure I got there and so he could give me directions off of the computer. At one point I had to pull over because it looked like the road dead-ended. I couldn't go any farther because there was a runway there. Yes, a runway with planes! We were adjacent to Miami Int'l Airport. But I went ahead and went down the street because there was a sign showing the road turned. Thankfully it did and once we made that turn we were only a block away from our destination. When we got there the first Prime truck was there that left UPS in LA before us. We were both there at 0700 (him earlier) because we were told our appt was at 0800. Come to find out they didn't even open until 0900. Sheesh! Anyway, they finally open, I get a dock and by 1130 local I am unloaded and pulled away from the dock.
After I pulled out of the dock I parked along the side out of the way so that I could shut my doors and sent in my depart call. I planned on staying there as long as possible since I didn't know where I was going next and there is basically no where in Miami to park a semi if you are not at a shipper or receiver. I took time to take Smokey for a walk and when I got back, I had my next work assignment. I had been hoping for a flower load and not a juice load, but I actually got both.
As I was reading the work assignment, my FM called and told me the plan. I need to take the flowers up to Prime Floral in Pierson,FL and drop them there but there were no other flower loads. After that, I am to head over to Bradenton,FL to pick up a juice load going to Los Angeles for Monday morning. I'm not happy with the juice load, because I know it will be heavy. BUT. It does deliver in Los Angeles on Monday and that will put me in a good position to get freight out of there. And it does give me good revenue for the week and I-10 is a good road as far as not many pulls on it. Oh, and it keeps me out of the northeast where all the storms are at.
But here is the funny part. I just checked the weather and there is a 90% chance of snow in New Orleans tomorrow and an 80% chance in Mobile,AL tomorrow with accumulation of 2-4 inches! What the heck??? You go any farther south than that and you will be in the Gulf of Mexico!! It isn't supposed to snow that far south! Ahhhh I guess that is why they call me the Snow Queen. If it is snowing, then that is where I am going to be going!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Cantonment,FL
Whew! What a day! I didn't get much sleep night before last so last night, or rather yesterday afternoon, when I was finished driving, I went straight to bed. How wonderful over 10 hours of sleep felt last night! This morning I woke up ready to face the world.
When I woke up this morning, J had stopped at a Petro in San Antonio,TX and that is where I took over driving. We usually go fairly slow, depending on how heavy we are, so we can get the best possible fuel mileage. This trip we are fairly light, at only 22,500 in the box, so we have been able to kick the speed up some and still manage to get over 6.8 mpg. Now that isn't as great as we like, and we usually do better, but if we can go 65 and still get 6.8 then I am going to go 65.
Today was a good day and I was just driving along, admiring the beautiful sunrise and the scenery of East Texas and Louisiana when I realized that by going 65 all day, I was going to get some serious miles. The most I have done in a day to this point is 689 miles. It was one of those rush rush rush jobs only to find out about 150 miles out that they can't get us until Monday (that was on a Friday) so at that point I called it a day. So as I was driving, I thought, hmmm, I wonder if I can get 700 miles today. Well, I had a good rest so it was something to shoot for. J has done 714 in a day, driving 72 all day basically with just one restroom stop. I knew I couldn't beat that, but I was going to strive for 700.
Off I go and make it close to the 300 something miles I had left to go in Texas. Damn that is a big state! Then I cruised through Louisiana. Next came Mississippi and then Alabama. Wow! I am moving today! Next comes Florida. Well, you know that is about as far east as I can go on I-10! I actually only made it to the Welcome Center right past the Agriculture Inspection Station and the Weigh Station. But that was good enough for me. That was 702.9 miles from my starting point this morning! And right as I pulled into the rest area, my Qualcomm beeped that I was officially out of hours. Talk about cutting it close! On paper logs, you can fudge a little here and there. Not on electronic logs though. But, as Larry the Cable Guy would say, Git 'er done! And that is what I did!
Now J is driving and we have about 695 miles to go. When we left Los Angeles, we didn't have a delivery time. We have been driving for two days and still hadn't gotten one. Of course about 1430 this afternoon I get a message asking if we can be there by 0700 in the am. Thank goodness I did over 700 miles today or it wouldn't happen. Not that we can't get that far by tomorrow morning at 0700, but we are talking Miami here. Rush hour traffic on I-95 that goes for about 100 miles through all the Beach cities. But we should make it.
So that is where things stand right now. We are hoping for a flower load coming out so we will see what happens.
When I woke up this morning, J had stopped at a Petro in San Antonio,TX and that is where I took over driving. We usually go fairly slow, depending on how heavy we are, so we can get the best possible fuel mileage. This trip we are fairly light, at only 22,500 in the box, so we have been able to kick the speed up some and still manage to get over 6.8 mpg. Now that isn't as great as we like, and we usually do better, but if we can go 65 and still get 6.8 then I am going to go 65.
Today was a good day and I was just driving along, admiring the beautiful sunrise and the scenery of East Texas and Louisiana when I realized that by going 65 all day, I was going to get some serious miles. The most I have done in a day to this point is 689 miles. It was one of those rush rush rush jobs only to find out about 150 miles out that they can't get us until Monday (that was on a Friday) so at that point I called it a day. So as I was driving, I thought, hmmm, I wonder if I can get 700 miles today. Well, I had a good rest so it was something to shoot for. J has done 714 in a day, driving 72 all day basically with just one restroom stop. I knew I couldn't beat that, but I was going to strive for 700.
Off I go and make it close to the 300 something miles I had left to go in Texas. Damn that is a big state! Then I cruised through Louisiana. Next came Mississippi and then Alabama. Wow! I am moving today! Next comes Florida. Well, you know that is about as far east as I can go on I-10! I actually only made it to the Welcome Center right past the Agriculture Inspection Station and the Weigh Station. But that was good enough for me. That was 702.9 miles from my starting point this morning! And right as I pulled into the rest area, my Qualcomm beeped that I was officially out of hours. Talk about cutting it close! On paper logs, you can fudge a little here and there. Not on electronic logs though. But, as Larry the Cable Guy would say, Git 'er done! And that is what I did!
Now J is driving and we have about 695 miles to go. When we left Los Angeles, we didn't have a delivery time. We have been driving for two days and still hadn't gotten one. Of course about 1430 this afternoon I get a message asking if we can be there by 0700 in the am. Thank goodness I did over 700 miles today or it wouldn't happen. Not that we can't get that far by tomorrow morning at 0700, but we are talking Miami here. Rush hour traffic on I-95 that goes for about 100 miles through all the Beach cities. But we should make it.
So that is where things stand right now. We are hoping for a flower load coming out so we will see what happens.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Los Angeles,CA
Yay! We finally made it to California! We did drop down from I-80 to I-40 to avoid the snow over I-70 in Colorado only to run into snow in Arizona. It snowed off and on from just east of Flagstaff to Kingman. But it was a wet snow and the roads were in good condition, so I am thankful for that.
We delivered last night in Apple Valley,CA and were told we wouldn't have a load until this morning. We were liking that news so we headed to the Motel 6 in Hesperia, which has truck parking, so we could catch the highlights of the Super Bowl. What a great game! We listened to it on the radio which was a lot of fun. Reminded me of when we were kids and would listen to the games on the radio. I had a feeling of nostalgia. :)
Anyway, we woke up this morning and had a load picking up down in Los Angeles at UPS so we took off to get the trailer washed out and then J headed to the bunk to get to sleep and I headed to go pick up. I got there right on time, noon Pacific, but it took them about 4.5 hours to load us. I think they were waiting on stuff from LAX or something. But we are not loaded and fighting rush hour traffic to get out of here.
This load delivers in Miami,FL and I can't even explain how happy I am that we are going somewhere warm that doesn't have snow! I have been hearing on the news that the New England area is going to get socked again with another storm. Yep, thankful to be headed to Miami! This is also finally a good paying load and our FM said that we will probably get a flower load out of Miami after we deliver. That rocks also because those pay well also, other than the fact that they are physically tough loads. All hand unloads with multipls stops. But I don't mind the work. It is good for the body after sitting basically all the time!
We delivered last night in Apple Valley,CA and were told we wouldn't have a load until this morning. We were liking that news so we headed to the Motel 6 in Hesperia, which has truck parking, so we could catch the highlights of the Super Bowl. What a great game! We listened to it on the radio which was a lot of fun. Reminded me of when we were kids and would listen to the games on the radio. I had a feeling of nostalgia. :)
Anyway, we woke up this morning and had a load picking up down in Los Angeles at UPS so we took off to get the trailer washed out and then J headed to the bunk to get to sleep and I headed to go pick up. I got there right on time, noon Pacific, but it took them about 4.5 hours to load us. I think they were waiting on stuff from LAX or something. But we are not loaded and fighting rush hour traffic to get out of here.
This load delivers in Miami,FL and I can't even explain how happy I am that we are going somewhere warm that doesn't have snow! I have been hearing on the news that the New England area is going to get socked again with another storm. Yep, thankful to be headed to Miami! This is also finally a good paying load and our FM said that we will probably get a flower load out of Miami after we deliver. That rocks also because those pay well also, other than the fact that they are physically tough loads. All hand unloads with multipls stops. But I don't mind the work. It is good for the body after sitting basically all the time!
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