Happy New Years Everyone

Happy New Years, Everyone. I think I made land speed record to DIA and back yesterday including a quick stop at McDonald's. Four and a half hours round trip. So the kids are gone and it's just the Funny Lady and myself.

Before they left we walked through Vail Village so they could get a few things to take home.

We have regularly taken our pictures at the covered bridge on the way in. Long ago I was taller than Tracie, now I have to stand on a foot of snow to be. The views at VV are beautiful. The river that runs through it is a championship trout stream, though when I have fished I didn't catch anything. That's Adam sitting with a bronze statue of Ben Franklin, looks presidential doesn't he ?!

This morning we toured the new Westin timeshare, it's a very nice facility. We took the tour to get the $100 gift card. No, we didn't buy anything. I thought we would take our gift card and go out to dinner tonight. Course the Funny Lady had a different idea. We wandered over to the exclusive (joking) and very busy Wal-Mart and get ourselves a salmon. How about that big guy, $7.52 for a pound and three quarters. So we'll have grilled salmon with asparagus and rice tonight and salmon patties with fried potatoes tomorrow. I think I talked her into eating out on Friday. There is a German restaurant in the village that looks pretty good.

We have a jucuzzi tub in our bedroom and we bought some fresh strawberries. That along with some chocolate fudge is going to ring in our New Year, but a lot earlier than midnight. Your imagination can take care of the rest.

Have a safe and Happy New Years

Bob and Teresa

Monday

Adam and Tracie went out one more day - Here's Adam coming in f0r lunch. I know, for the younger set, going skiing is irresistible but even for the youngest of hearts by the end of the third day in a row mother nature and the snow gods win. Adam was whipped by 2:30 this afternoon. They went to Beaver Creek today. It's owned by the same Vail company but it's not quite as big. They vote Vail as better.

Was a nice day out. Before we headed out to meet the kids for lunch I put the top down and we cruised around town all afternoon that way. Lots of looks and lots of fun.

Tomorrow around noon I've got to take the jont back over the hill to take Adam and Tracie to the airport, we've sure enjoyed them.

We'll probably hang out here until Saturday then back to Ponca City and back to Dallas on Monday.

This evening at the t/s they had a reknowned story teller telling local historical stories around the firepit, and S'mores too.

Bob and Teresa

On the Move

Today is Saturday, time to move. For the past week we've been at the Christie Lodge and today we're moving over to the Sheraton Mountain Vista till next Saturday. The Christie Lodge is nice, but it's, well, kind of like the Motel 6 of timeshares. Everything is here and most of it works. It's three bedroom and three baths so there is lots of room and that's the biggest advantage. It's the first t/s we bought back 8 years ago and we still like it.

Yesterday I took Andrea back to DIA to head back to Chicago. We watched for the weather, as good truckers do, and noted that we were going to have a pretty good snow overnight. As I am wont to do I woke up at 0410 and looked out. Yep, they were right. I decided we better hit the road. I woke up Teresa who then woke up Andrea and the bustle started.

Wednesday night we played a little Texas Hold'm, this is Andrea in here gamblers outfit... Note her hat. It's from the liguor store across the street; "Beaver Liquors" get it ?

It looked like the snow plows had spent the night up by the Eisenhower Tunnel because I could see them headed west, but our direction (east) looked pretty untouched and I would guess there was at least 5 inches on the road. You could hear the snow rubbing on the underside of the Bug. The trip usually takes about 2 hours, depending on stops and traffic, which there was very little of going east, and this one took a little over 3 hours. I dropped Andrea off and made the turn around back. Going west was a different story, lots of traffic, and this trip was closer to 3 1/2 hours. Successful anyway and no accidents for me. Did see a few unfortunate ones though and several brushings of the guard rail.

I forgot to mention I made the same trip on Christmas day to pick up Adam. On this trip the roads were clear and dry and each direction was closer to 2 hours. While I was waiting for his flight to come I took this picture of the front range from the waiting area at DIA.

In case you didn't know, there is a bridge here in Avon named after me.

Here's a picture of my wonderful and still Funny Lady in front of one of the many decorated trees in Avon.

I just got the call for "where's my tea" and it's time to make breakfast so I better get going.

The kids are skiing at Vail today.

Happy Holidays to all from Avon, Colorado.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Merry Christmas Everyone !!!

The girls skiied yesterday...

Cute little ski bunnies aren't they ?

Adam flys in from Monterey this morning - another trip over the mountain.

We're having a great vaca here.

Merry Christmas.

Bob and Teresa

Avon or Bust

Tuesday in Avon, Colorado. Got about 8 inches of snow overnight. Beautiful everywhere. I went out this morning at 0500 and nearly got stuck, I mean really close several times. Wby did I go out driving in 8 inches of snow you ask. Because I could, and I can't ENJOY getting stuck, etc. with Teresa. You know how ladies panic.

I walked to the bread shop this morning to get some ciabatta (sp) for making pannini sandwiches for dinner tonight. This mountain is the entrance to Beaver Creek ski resort and it goes straight up from there.

Last night we took the girls ice skating. They had a DJ and the magic globe. Snowed the whole time.

The girls may not like all my pictures here, but I can tell you they like my cooking... a little early don't you think ? They didn't even have a chance to get some funk on !

Got one for you... whassis ? Hint; I made it for the truck.

On the bench

Monday morning came in real cold in Oklahoma and windy. With wind chill it was 1 degree. Delivered at Eaton in Shawnee and by 0830 we were empty and waiting for our next w/a. FINALLY, about 1000 we got a message that we were being released for vacation, now. We dropped the trailer at the drop lot in OKC and bobtailed down to Dallas to drop the tractor. You may recall that we had dropped the VW down there a couple of weeks ago.

I warned you guys, no freight, no work. We're home in Ponca City and will be until Saturday when we'll head for Vail for two weeks. Thank goodness Teresa's family is not tired of us yet. We breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa and dinner with Joe and Beth. Don't want you to think we're entirely mooches, I made Gumbo for dinner last night and will make scalloped potatoes tonight with the remaining ham.

Nothing much else to share. The girls fly into Denver on Monday, I'll be sure to get some pictures and update our blog with them and scenes from the Rockies.

We think we'll make it to Vail/Avon sometime Saturday evening, depending on the weather and roads.

Ironic isn't it that I had to fight for the two weeks off, then they forced an additional week on us.

Bob

Weather Bug Bob

I guess becoming a weatherman is in my future, NOT ! But we're sure getting to see lots of variations.

Thursday night we delivered as expected and spent the night there on the lot. Recall we are in St. Johns, MI. Our next w/a was to go to Troy, MI and drop our empty trailer and pick up a pre-loaded trailer. Whoops, no trailer. They were ready to load us up but wait, I've still got air bags in the trailer. They make you take them away at Sav-a-lot.

Just like getting the air out of an air mattress, little bigger and little tougher.

I got them out and worked on deflating them while they loaded us.

The whole way east to Troy it flurried a bit. On our way to Battle Creek is started really coming down.

First snow of the season, and first snow for Teresa. Can you hear her now ?

We spent Friday night in Gary and got on down to Joplin yesterday. We deliver in Shawnee, OK tomorrow morning and that's where we are tonight. When we left Joplin at noon it was 77 degrees and as we hit Muskogee it turned to 60 and as we pulled into Shawnee at about 1600 it was 42 and now it's 36. I hear it's going down to about 25 tonight. Not what I expected...

Craig and Diane - surely you recognize this picture, lousy as it is !!!

When the odometer turned over 600,000 I tried to take a quick picture, like you guys did. Didn't look like yours.

We're happy as clams, little cool, but good.

Baby It's Cold Outside

While I was napping on Tuesday (1230) Teresa went out and check the QC to see if there was any activity. One thing everyone know is that a "watched pot never boils." So what do you think, yep we get a work assignment; go back to WalMart and grab an empty trailer, then run over to Houston and drop it and pick up one loaded with 42,000 lbs. of ... RICE and take it to St. Johns, MI. Just above Lansing. My navigator read the assignment and the deliver looked like it was for 12/12 at 100. But it really was 12/12 AT 0100. I haven't quite figured out how you can do that legally and since our truck doesn't run much at night we had a tough run.

We left Houston and it was 80 degrees, we got to Tehena, TX and it was 60 degrees, we got to Mt. Vernon, IL and it was 36 degrees, and were here in St. Johns, MI and it's 26 degrees with snow everywhere. So tell me, how does one acclimate to that ?

Yesterday we ran 600 miles and today 518 and were on the consignee's lot so technically we are on private property and "off". We can deliver at 0100 and park and still get our 10 hour break in by morning. By tomorrow night we could be anywhere - just like Matt Lauer.

The long and short is that we're here and waiting. Teresa's got her satelitte dish up and running and I'm blogging and thinking of taking a nap.

Catch Up from Texas

We dropped our valuable rice in KC Friday about 1600. We had been hearing so much about slow freight we figured we were stuck. I closed out my daily log and we went to eat. When we got back, about 1830 we got our next w/a. I figured, cool, we're set for tomorrow. But noooo, the load was one of those WalMart high value loads that had to be picked up within 12 hours of assignment. Not sure when Schneider got it but by the P/U time was by 0417 the next morning.

The problem was that we if we started our break at 1700 we would not be able to leave until 0500 and be there 0600 - LATE. The only other option was to leave immediately and pick it up by about 1945. That's what we did, but it put us past our 14 hour work day. Kept getting the computer generated messages that I was out of time, but no person made an issue out of it so I guess it worked out.

That load was headed for Sealy, TX, about 40 miles west of Houston. Saturday we made it on down to Dallas. Enroute Teresa picked up the VW in OKC and followed me on down to Dallas.
Our next TAH we have to leave the truck in Dallas - any TAH longer than 5 days and the truck has to be at an OC. They say "in case we need to loan it out." It's BS, but we're ready anyway.

We dropped the load yesterday about noon and scrabbled into town. WalMart of course and spent the night there. Today - Monday we're still waiting and I'm losing my patience. We've checked into a cheapo hotel for tonight and we'll see what jibes tomorrow.

Last week in Portland, ME we paid $58 for a Super 8 hotel. Here they want $79. Go figure.

We're staying in an old Roadway Inn for $55. Schneider says they will pay $40. So we're only out $20 (including tax). Not bad actually. But it still doesn't change the fact that no one is buying so there is nothing to haul. So, get out there and buy stuff !!!

11 days until TAH (2 weeks) in Colorado.

We're haggling again, Schneider and me. They "insist" that I give them 3 prospective weeks to take vacation next year. I tell them 12/19 - 12/26. They say I need to give them 2 other weeks so they can "assign" it to me. I tell them "when you pay for my vacations you can pick them, in the absence of that I'm taking Christmas." We have timeshares there we're using, whether they consent or not. We did exchange 1 week to go to Cancun in February, but the other 1 we plan to use.

Bob

We're Doing Fine

They took the entire day to get the hose for the turbo and replace it. I don't get it. But at $87.50 I guess they don't have to move too fast now do they ? We got the truck back about 1600 and decided to spend the night again in Portland, ME. Maybe Schneider will reimburse, I'm pretty sure they will for Sunday night. Monday, maybe.

When we went out at 0700 on Tuesday our next w/a was to go to Raymond, NH pick up a trailer, got to Leominster and pick up a load of plastic things. They looked like the plastic flip top salad things. The whole truck was full and it weighed only 11,000 pounds. I love those. We did good and headed for our delivery which was today in Edison, NJ. We decided that about 1800 we would stop. On the New Jersey Turnpike there are I think 4 service plazas. We stopped at the Vince Lombardi one. I'm sure there were more than 500 trucks there.

This morning on the way to deliver we got our next w/a. Go to Brooklyn, NY. Can you imagine BROOKLYN. We got unloaded fairly quickly and headed over. The directions on the Qualcomm indicated to exit off of 278 at exit 33. Well darn, trucks over 12' 2" can't go past exit 27.

I slowly pulled off and thought OH, #$@%. Yep, that's what I thought. Where the heck are we going now ? I look up and walking towards me in the off ramp is the guy that looks like a sanitation guy. He jumps up on the truck and says "where you headed, exit 33 I'll bet" and I allowed that he was correct. He says, while still standing on the side of the truck holding onto the mirror, turn right here, and I do, and go straight and I do. Then I get the line. I'll show you all the way and I usually get $15 or $20 to save you truckers the headache. In about 10 minutes he had us back on the freeway at exit 30 and on our way. Takes him 18 minutes to walk back and do it again. Might have been a scam, but darn, it was worth it to me. The "official" truck route takes you about 10 miles out of the way.

Anyway we picked up 45,000 pounds of rice at Pong Chiens. Chinese rice and are taking it to Kansas City, MO. Don't ask me why, seems a little silly to me, but pays the same, so who am I to complain.

When you see this sign, you know you're headed for trouble. We saw going both east and west...

But we also saw some the great NYC skyline.

We're half way thru PA now. We felt pretty good getting to NJ by 0800 and over to Brooklyn at 1000 and loaded and back out to NJ by 1145. No accidents or breakdowns - I mean by us !!!

Last comment... in order to get to the dock, the Mr. Pong Chien and his brother had me ( I swear it's the only way to get a 53' trailer in ) Teresa had to stop the traffic coming off the bridge and I had to drive about 80 - 90 feet up (the wrong way) the street in order to back into their dock. Took three swings, horns a blaring. Looking at it later I still didn't see any other way and they said they do it all the time !!! Lucky me.

Glad to be out...

Bob