So Much for Vacations…

I told my husband, Tom when we first met that I don’t usually take vacations because something always happens on them.  This one was no exception, the weather wasn’t cooperating, it was in the 100s without the heat indices.  Tom couldn’t do much outdoors, so not much work was accomplished on our project to build a home out of shipping containers. The well we had dug came up dry so we’ll have to go with city water as the well we originally had drilled only runs about 3 gals per minute.  This well is fine for washing, but it’s salty so no drinking it and when we invited my sister in law and her husband Ronnie to live in Oklahoma with us we put the first well in for them and it can’t accommodate two households.  So when we got a call from the office with a distraught dispatcher asking us to help them out by filling in for another driver whose truck was damaged after it blew a steer tire (the front tires), I agreed to go so Tom wouldn’t have to stay hidden in the RV for another 2 and a half weeks.  We picked up in Denver and headed for Portland, Oregon where we spent a week with a group of other team drivers bbqing and shopping (We rented a car and I drove the other ladies around town).  The weather in the Northwest was beautiful, around 80 degrees F, nice breezes and good company.  We then packed up South Pacific and took it to Toronto, Canada.  We are now on our way to Louisville, Ky to pick up The Jersey Boys and take it to Austin, Tx. Then it is back to Oklahoma to finish the last of our vacation.   In Portland I took a day to travel the Historic Columbia River Highway, near Troutdale.  I brought one of the other ladies, Donna with me as she also shares my interest in photography and we proceeded to stop at several of the waterfalls in the area to grab some photos.  Here is one of the waterfalls we stopped at, Multnomah Falls.  Be Safe!

Oklahoma… where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain

Vacation time….My husband and I have taken very little time off since we came out on the road.  So we decided to take a month off!  And what is it but Hot, Hot and more Hot, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything.  We’ve been lucky enough to be able to choose where we want to live and we picked Oklahoma, the eastern side.  Yes I know they have tornadoes, but then so does most of the rest of the country these days according to the weather reports.   We love it here, 20 acres high on top of a nice hill.  It’s quiet, no idling trucks, no honking air horns and no jake brakes (engine brakes that make loud noises). My sister in law lives here too with her husband and two dogs and what she calls her ‘cog’, a very large tiger cat that doesn’t know he’s a cat, he thinks he’s a dog.  I was raised that family is family and you do for family.  When my brother in law lost his job, we invited them to come live peacefully down in the boonies with us.  If you want to learn more about their life here in Ok follow this link…Green Country.  In any case, for the next few weeks we’ll be off the road.  I’ll see you in August once we are back on the road.  Be safe!

Hot, Humid, no Freight and a small Confined Space…the downside of trucking.

 Two more downsides of trucking, slow freight and excessive heat. (The others are having to deliver a load ASAP and doing it in an ice storm). We are in Dallas, things have been slow and it’s been unbearably hot.  We’ve been sitting for almost 3 weeks, with a solo run in the middle.  And it’s been hot here in the south, very, very hot.  Even the dogs don’t want to go out much in this humid climate. So we’ve been mostly staying inside the truck, no zoos, no BSing with the other drivers, nada.  Yes, we could have gone to a hotel, but I hate schlepping all that stuff to and from the hotel room, so we stayed put, dividing our time between the TV and the computer.  And you will know if you have a good marriage or not when you remain in a small, confined space with your spouse for 21 days.  If you can weather, pardon my pun, that type of situation you can handle any type of situation together.   Our truck is equipped with an Auxiliary Power Unit, which provides heating and cooling, runs the microwave and our over sized fridge (8 cu ft of fridge, which was entirely my fault, I take full responsibility for it, I wanted my ice cream and freeze pops!). We had to close of the front area with the heat being around 100 on the thermometer, outside to stay cool inside. This does not include the humidity which brings us to insane heat indexes. And it also means the hubby and I are sitting on a twin sized bed (yes we both fit) with two dogs, to stay cool enough for comfort. An inmate in  a prison has more space than we do at the moment.  One more day and we leave for Kansas City and freedom…..vacation.  We are taking a month off to get our property situated for our retirement in Oklahoma…yes it’s going to be hot and humid, no we don’t have the house built yet, but we have 30ft RV with two slides and the containers are there waiting to be put together.  Did I mention we are putting together three shipping containers, welding them together, cutting out the sections we need to enlarge certain rooms and covering them with dirt and living underground? See my Living in a Tin Can Blog for details….  One thing I’ve learned over the last 6 or 7 yrs is lots of patience and the hubby has done very well learning this too.  In our present situation, we can become to say the least, a touch on the cranky side.  We both try not to take the other’s outbursts personally, understanding that the other person is just frustrated with the circumstances and not the partner.  I’ve also learned not to speak in anger, there are some things that can never be taken back, I won’t say that I never do so, but for the most part I tend to weigh my words before I utter a single one of them.  However, this also has a down side, I tend to let things build before I explode and the hubby explodes, gets it out of the way and then forgets about it.  I don’t forget, the small sized mole hill turns into an St Helen’s sized mountain and then I blow, spewing ash and lava all over the place.  There are two things that will negate that behavior, I will immediately go off if I see someone tormenting an animal or hurting a child, I cannot, will not tolerate either.  Having had an abusive childhood I will never buy the excuse of having had a bad childhood for doing something equally horrible to another person or animal.  I believe it is a choice we make and if we remember the pain of it, we could not possibly pass that along to another. Discipline is one thing, abuse quite another and I do know the difference. 

I guess I got off subject a bit, was the heat .

In any case, trucking can be a wonderful experience, you can make money at it, but it isn’t for everyone and you have to be adaptable.  That is an absolute must because trucking is an ever changing state of affairs and you must be able to deal with those changes.  We are retiring in Dec, I have loved my time out on the road. It hasn’t been all roses and joy, but I wouldn’t change a thing.  It is an amazing adventure.  Be safe.

A Day at the Zoo

  Tigers and Lions and Bears, oh my!  One of the nicest things about this job is that I get to visit the Zoos. I started with the San Diego Zoo about 2 yrs ago and I’ve been going ever since.  So far I’ve managed to get to the Seattle Zoo, Tampa Zoo, St Louis Zoo, Omaha Zoo, Denver Zoo, Houston Zoo and the Minneapolis Zoo in addition to the San Diego Zoo.  Today I’m adding the Albuquerque  Zoo. There is also a Botanical Garden and Aquarium that can be reached through a train, though I am not that ambitious today, it’s going to be a scorcher.  Some of you might be groaning, thinking if you seen one you’ve seen them all.  Thing is I love animals and bugs and insects and snakes and I love taking pictures of them, so for me one is never enough. I started out at 9 AM and ended at 1 PM when it started getting a touch on the really really warm side.  It’s a nice zoo, lots of natural habitats for the animals and they are working on creating more of them. It was not crowded,  I had lots of time and space to get the pics I wanted to get.  I always shoot in raw format, I like the control I have over the final images, today was no different, so I only have a few of the shots processed so far.  All in all it was a good day.  We have a few more days of just relaxing then back to work.  Friday we load into the theater here in Albuquerque, load out again on Sunday and head for Dallas.  Be Safe.

Happy Independence Day, America!!!

Happy Independence Day to America.  We are sitting in Albuquerque, NM getting a well deserved break from delivering things to this place or that place.  We’ve been in and out of New York City twice, been to Washington DC and PA in the space of the last week and a half. We pick up here later in the week and head for Dallas, then sit in Dallas for a few days and onto Kansas City where we will drop our show and head for a month long vacation at our place in Ok.  We have or I should say the poor hubby has lots to do when we get there.  We have a barn that needs to go up and our shipping containers arrived (we are building our home out of these, but that’s another blog, which I intend to start shortly) and we need to get the ground ready to place them.  I am hoping to take my camera and head for the Albuquerque Zoo and Botanical gardens this Tuesday. It will be hot, but I decided I didn’t want to miss the opportunity.  Have a Happy 4th!  Be Safe.

My Truck has the flu….

 My truck has the flu, actually it has a virus or bacteria in the fuel lines due to condensation and heat.  So my hubby spent the better part of last night searching for a cure online.  It requires several shots of Bio Medical stuff into the fuel tanks, a few hundred gallons of fuel and 4 or 5 new fuel filters to fix.  When you are out on the road you might contemplate needing new tires or an oil change, but I have never considered that the truck might get sick.  Learn something new everyday. We pick up this Sunday in Ft Lauderdale and head for Washington, DC.  Last time we delivered in DC I got a picture of a secret service guy standing outside the White House.  Though I believe we’ll be going in early morning before the traffic starts flowing. Some exciting news on the home front, we bought our three shipping containers which we plan on welding together, berming and living in when we get off the road.  My husband is counting down the days.  We are planning on retiring from the road in Dec of this year.  I will be starting a new blog just on the construction of our home.  Should be another adventure. Be Safe.

Mary

A Humorous Look at Trucking….and we lost our trailer

In the summer months, our dispatchers find extra loads because the shows don’t move around as much.  People go on vacations and would prefer to hit the beach rather than the theater.  So to keep us busy and receiving an  income they find loads outside of our regular type of moves.  These could be household goods moves or empty trailers, etc. Which is why we haven’t quite made it to Providence yet, they threw in 2 more loads, which brings me to the we lost our trailer part. We delivered in Minneapolis, MN (They have huge skeeters in MN, I have proof!) and after a day’s delay (this involved our dispatchers trying to figure out where to send us, when to send us and how to send us) made our way to Pewaukee, Wi to pick up the trailer they’d told us was sitting in the yard, was nowhere to be found. They moved it to Chicago, IL to load some stuff onto it and forgot to tell us about it. Ok, they forgot to tell everyone involved about it except for the dispatcher at the company who sent the trailer to Chicago and the big wig who ordered it sent to Chicago. So off we go the next morning toward Chicago and head for the address they gave us, unfortunately they’d moved. Apparently they don’t communicate well within this company. They have told us the trailer should be available around 5 or 6 this evening, but I’m not going to hold my breath, we’ll see. And we’ll have to travel to where the trailer is, if they haven’t moved yet again. Personally, I wouldn’t mind chasing this phantom trailer all the way to Franklin, Ma, it’s final destination, we make more money, by saving on fuel.  Finally mileage tally will be 13049.9 miles by the time we finally reach Providence, RI, give or take a few miles. That is what you call taking the long way around!  As you can see trucking isn’t all fun and games, although some stories are more humorous than others.  Here are a couple.  Once upon a time, long long ago (about 5 yrs), we were in Rawlins, Wy, it was Jan, cold about 4 degrees F.  My husband got up, went into the building (there were two) where you pay for your fuel (gas/diesel) to get coffee, use the restroom, etc.  I got up after he left and went into the other building to use the restroom, knowing that he was most likely going to set off and head down the road. He came back started up the truck and off he went…..I came out of the building and saw my truck gone. I had some change on me, went in to use the pay phone, it ate my money, ran to the clerk behind the counter and begged her to let me use her phone after explaining the situation.  I call up my husband and he answers hesitantly ”Hello”….to which I reply “Hello, this is your wife, do you think you can get your butt back her to pick up mine?” We had a good laugh over that one and from then on whenever one left the truck after the other, we took the key out of the ignition so that the first person to leave knew the other was gone.  About a year or so after that incident, we were traveling through New Mexico in the dead of night with our new puppy named Baby, a toy fox terrier.  My husband stopped to take her out and heard a thud…looking around he found nothing, so he put her back into the truck and off he went.  I got up the next morning to start driving and I could only find one shoe…yes, you guessed it the thud was my shoe, of the only pair I had in the truck.  Needless to say, I sent him into the nearest Wal-Mart to get me flip flops so I could then go in and buy a regular pair of shoes.  And now I carry at least two pair with me at all times. My only regret was that those were the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever owned and they stopped making them.  Be Safe.

Minnesota Mosquitoes are Big!!!

8022 miles and counting….

From St Paul, MN to Denver, Co to San Francisco, Ca to Austin, Tx to Sacramento, Ca to Des Moines, IA to Los Angeles, Ca to Denver, Co….8022 miles. And 2851 miles to go. We are sitting in Denver, Co we pick up tomorrow and head back to Austin, Tx and then head for Providence, RI. I’m pooped but I got a lot of pics. We headed up I-15 in California, through Nevada, Arizona (Virgin River Gorge territory) and Utah where we picked up I-70. I must say that if I were only allowed to visit one state in the US, I would have to choose Utah. I love the mountains, hills and rocks. I love the rich reds and oranges of the hillsides. Bryce Canyon can be found off of I-15, as can Zion National Park. We drove through St George, Utah and through Green River (This is where you will find the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area which extends into Wyoming). On I-70 we traveled through Salina Canyon in Utah and I’ve got 4 or 5 hundred pictures to prove it. And yes, they pay me for this…ain’t life grand. I’m off to try and process some of the shots I’ve taken, wish me luck, they are all in RAW format. Be Safe.

How truck drivers spell ‘hell’….

To truck drivers, hell is ICE, combine that with a mountain and you’ve got shattered nerves and no fingernails left. My husband taught me how to go up and down the mountains, when it is dry. His favorite saying is “You can go down, slow, as many times as you want, but can only go down fast, once”. Going down isn’t bad with a light load, your engine brakes (those loud things people always complain about) and your air brakes can pretty much control you. With a heavy load you have to be more careful, lowering the gear to suit the heaviness of the weight in the trailer. Needless to say, ice changes everything. We started out with clear dry weather from Denver, Co, the hubby drove the night shift and I slept. He hit fog over Sherman, (Sherman Mountains is a mountain range in Albany County in the state of Wyoming (WY). Sherman Mountains climbs to 8,468 feet (2,581.05 meters) above sea level), which is located just west of Cheyenne, Wy. Then later he got into some rain, by the time I took over I was into snow! (Yes, it’s supposed to be the middle of May, I’m going to have to contact Al Gore and request he make some of that global warming available). However, the roads were wet and passable with little trouble. (Here is a secret for you when driving on snowy roads/wintry weather, watch the trucks as they go by, if they are throwing lots of spray, the road hasn’t frozen yet). We got through Nevada and Utah with no trouble and then hit California, I-80 and Donner. First there was what we affectionately call DE-struction, because they always seem to make matters worse before they make them better. And this was no exception, one lane each way with barriers on both sides, narrow lanes. We had about 3 or 4 inches on each side of the trailer. We came out of the destruction and hit Ice, up hill, there were several cars off on the side of the road, one had gone into the barrier (though it was a minor, accident, no one was injured) and trucks stuck in two lanes and the off ramp, unable to move. We had come to a stop, Tom (the hubby) had tried to get moving again, but we weren’t moving the tires were spinning on the tractor. He locked in the differential (If you’ve ever watched “My Cousin Vinnie” you will know what this is, makes both tires move at the same time instead of having one try to move and one spin). We started to slip and slide a little, Tom backed off the throttle and tried again, we finally started moving. Let me say, that there is no one I trust more, behind the wheel, than my husband if we are stuck in a situation such as we were last night. We got a few miles down the road and saw the dreaded works “Chain Control”, which to us means dig out the chains or pay a hefty fine and park it til the chain law is lifted. California requires you have chains on the tractor and the trailer. Tom did very well got them on in an hour, I held the flashlight and moved the truck over the chains. He hadn’t put chains on in 11 yrs. And of course as Murphy’s laws go, they took the chain law down after we’d gone 2 miles. The rest of the trip was uneventful, though extremely bumpy. So here I sit, safe and sound in San Francisco, and I have one question…Where is Spring????

On a side note, today would have been my dad’s 82nd Birthday….I miss him.

This will give you an idea of what we were looking at as we drove towards Donner Pass in California.

Roscoe, IL

We are on our way to Madison, Wi, 70 miles to go, but we have hours to get there. We spent a few days in Harrisburg, Pa with a few other drivers while waiting for our load out yesterday. The hubby BBQ’d and we all sat around enjoying the sunshine and chatting. We had 9 dogs between us, and as I love animals, I had the camera out and had a good day. It was a solo run, but I drove a bit to relieve the hubby and let him get some well needed sleep. (Our #1 rule is, if the driver gets tired they pull over, no exceptions) The Pa turnpike was bouncy as usual, my brother works for the Pa turnpike, so at least I have someone to complain to when it gets really bad. Although, when I once asked him if he was responsible for the potholes, he said yes, am I doing a good job putting them in or do I need to make them bigger? He says it helps maintain job security.
That was a week or so ago, we are now in Colorado, we pick up Sunday and head for San Francisco. Hubby stops along the bay if we have time and I go out and chase the Egrets, Cormorants and other assorted birds along the beach. It’s going to be non-stop for the next severals weeks, from San Francisco we go to Austin, Tx then back up to Sacramento and onto Des Moines, Ia and from there to Los Angeles, Ca. I’m hoping that the flowers will be blooming in LA and I’ll get a chance to stop and take pics. See ya down the road….