Pooped and ready for TAH

We've been to PA down to VA back to PA over to NY and are now in NJ waiting to go back to PA. We're pooped out.

Just thought I would let you all know we're fine.

Bob

Whewy Again !

During the night on Friday our next w/a assignment came in. By 0700 we were supposed to leave the Dallas OC go over to the WalMart DC in DeSoto drop the trailer, bobtail back to the Dallas OC, pick up another empty take it back to the WalMart and then pick up our real load.

So we had to get up a bit early and hit it, but as you can guess we got it done. So we headed for Alachua, FL. How about that sunset ? See those spikes beside the Funny Lady's legs ? Thats a riverboat casino (no, we didn't go) down on the water in in Ol' Miss.

We made it on down to the Panhandle of FL Sun night and delivered Monday am. Our next w/a was to jet (literally) down to Lakeland, FL and pick up a load of pallets and take them up to Gaffney, SC. Who would think they would have to bring pallets all the way from FL to SC ? Anyway we dropped them on Tuesday and got another w/a enroute. Did you know that Nestle's owns Stouffers ? Neither did we. Anyway that's where we dropped the pallets. Turns out down the street that had a "Stouffers Thrift Store." After we dropped the trailer of pallets we stopped in and got several frozen dinners. The stuffed peppers were real good today.

It instructed us to bobtail to "Atlanta Roadway" in Braselton, GA. No problem with Braselton, but the rest of the instructions were a bit vague. At least we were bobtailing. We had to turn around three times.

Finally found it - it was a real racing roadway. I think they used the trailer for advertising. We got to drive all over the grounds to get it. Way cool !

We took this empty to McDonough, GA - just south of Atlanta and picked up a load of female products and kleenex and are headed for Pittston, PA.

There's these weird vines that grow along the freeways, all over the south, I'm sure other places, but this is what I can see.

They grow like Mongolian hordes over everything in their path. Their scary weird. They completely envelope anything in their path trees, fences, houses, really anything.

Several long and early days in a row. I really like to go 350 - 400 miles a day and we've been getting over 500. More money but more tired and less time to walk/exercise.

Caught up now...

Friday Night Lights

We dropped of the load of salt in Grand Saline and headed over to the local Wal-Mart to get some stuff. It was unusual that this WM would not allow trucks to park in the lot. So I found this place to "squeeze" the big dog into. Quite a slope.

Then we headed over to the Dallas OC. We're here waiting for our next w/a which is supposed to come soon. It's a HV load from WM going somewhere, we don't know where. Now you'll have to come back and see "where in the world the Funny Lady is."

We've been here several times and I always wanted to get this picture. I HATE to touch garbage cans to put garbage in. Some enterprising "genius" has come up with this little handle. You can open the front with one little finger, and you basically know that know garbage has been up that far on the face. I LOVE IT...

That's about it for Friday, but a least I get credit for two days in a row !!!

We're on the Road Again

I made it all the way back to OKC Friday afternoon. I was lolly gagging across Missouri and wondering what time I was supposed to meet the other driver and then got a message that I was to meet him by 4:00 Friday. It was 1130 Friday morning and I knew I had 250 miles to go.

I was at a rest area getting ready to take a nap ( remember I thought we were meeting Sat) and I was planning to go to the casino in OKC/KS/MO Friday afternoon and getting into OKC about 1300. Little wrinkle there. I ran to the potty and hit the road.

I followed that with a call to the Funny Lady and hit the road and didn't stop until I got there at 1530. Teresa hit the road about 1330 and we met right at 1530. Since I got in a day early we went back to Ponca City and stayed until 1900 Saturday night. Then we drove down and spent the night in the truck to catch a 0600 flight to Idaho.

We spent 3 days with my Mom, son and aunt. Great time. Scott's got a cute boy - 3 in Jan.

Teresa spent some time showing my Mom how to put together 3 new quilt tops ( Teresa had cut them out before we went). Mom says she's making good progress. Teresa also gave Scott's fiance Jennie one. She's a pretty busy lady, we'll see.

We arrived from Idaho at 1100 and headed for the truck. At 200 they sent a message, not a work assignment mind you, to "head towards Hutchinson, KS and they would send the w/a while we were enroute." We got there about 1800 and started to settle in. At 2000 the w/a came in to go 50 miles to Wichita and pick up a trailer at 2300. I said nope, no-can-do. I can go back in the morning. Left at 0430 and got back to Hutchinson by 0700. We picked up 43,000 of Morton salt and are taking it to Grand Saline, TX. We are now in OKC, showered and fueled and ready to go tomorrow.

Bob

Almost Heaven

It's 4:35 Thursday and I'm done for the day !!! One more and a wake up.

Tuesday I had all my loads dropped (Springfield, Leominster and Wilmington) all in MA by 10:00 am and ready for the next w/a. I expect the next ones to be tricky. 10:45, OK here we go. Wilmington is on the north side of Boston. Th next w/a has me going to the south side of Boston and picking up a load of GM transmissions/engines headed for Detroit. Wondering if I really had to go to Detroit I headed out. Whew - they routed me to Seville, OH to relay it.

I headed for Seville and got there Wed 1300. OK now what. Dropped the trailer, picked up an empty trailer and showered in 30 minutes...The next w/a was to run up to Cleveland 38 miles away and pick up some stuff for Dollar General in Ardmore, OK. PERFECT !!!

I get to the shipper and the load is canceled. DARN. Now I'm a positive thinker and doer, but this is starting to stretch. So I hang around Cleveland about an hour and I get ANOTHER w/a !

This time 80 miles to Clyde, OH - Whirlpool and pick up a load of appliances headed to Mexico. I didn't know they went out of the country I thought they were making them outside (cheaply) and shipping them back into the country. Learn something new every day.

So Wed about 5:00 I picked up a the appliances and this morning at 4:00 I headed out. I'll probably have to stop that when the Funny Lady gets back on board. I'll take it...

And now, as I said before, I'm in E. St. Louis, IL. Obviously just across the river from St. Louis. MO. I'm hanging around here in case Sarah Palin wants a little working man coaching before the debate with Joe Biden. At least I could tell her what magazines and newspapers make good reading ! "All of them" doesn't really cut it.

Anyway this load of appliances is headed for Laredo, TX but I'm expecting to meet another Schneider driver at my drop spot in OK on Saturday and be done for 5 days.

Since this is really what they call a high value load the hand off has to be face-to-face. So I'm waiting for the dispatcher to QC me an expected arrival time on Sat.

I don't have enough running hours to make it all the way to OKC from here so I'm planning to stop after about 6 hours at the new casino we were at a while back - the one that you enter from MO, park in KS and gamble in OK.

As I was driving in a bit ago I was reflecting that Friday last week I was delivering at Macy's on the west side of St. Louis and have since been up to Green Bay over the top of the UP and over to MA and all the way back to St. Louis in 7 days. I don't actually know how many miles that is, but I'm guessing real close to 3,500. And that's three weeks out.

I need a break and the Funny Lady.

Bob

In Mass -

I'm in Springfield, Mass. I've covered the 1,200 or so miles. As I planned it out I noticed there was only 1 truck stop between CT and MA and I made it. It's at exit 4 in Springfield.

From conversations today it looks like Schneider has conceeded to letting me have two weeks at Christmas. I only had to give up Thanksgiving. So it looks like the Funny Lady and I will be dining on the road. Small sacrifice.

Also, from conversations it looks like they are trying to renege (sp) on my guaranteed TAH in OKC starting Sunday. That's not definitive yet, I think they were trying to soft sell me on it.

After updating my blog I'm going to send out a couple of ranting emails. We'll see what develops.

Since I don't have anything to report I thought I would throw a couple of pictures up that I had promised awhile back.

This is Teresa's prize winner in the county fair. It's the one with the red ribbon mixed in with all the others.

The round basket is the ones Joe makes and the satchel behind it was made by Beth. Creative folks aren't they ?

Here are two more Teresa finished during our last TAH.

This is Joe's T Bucket roadster. Adam and I took it for a spin while he was here. What a blast.

Bob

Three In a Row...

When I got back to the truck last night my NEXT w/a was chirping into the QC. A whole day early. I'm guessing that since I would be done Sat morning they shipped the next one.

Hold on to your hats. After delivering in DePere, WI I'm to go over to the Green Bay OC (10 miles) and pick up an empty trailer to take to Quinessec, MI. If you think Green Bay is north check out Quinessec on the map. It's 100 miles straight north from Green Bay in what they call the UP - Upper Pennisula. Anyway back to the w/a. After picking up 44,610 lbs of newsprint I'm to take it to three locations around Springfield, MA and start delivering at 0700 on Monday 9/29. Can't be done. It's 1200 miles from Q to Springfield and that's at least 24 hours of driving and at 11 hours per day thats over 2 full days + 3 or 4 more hours. And I wasn't even in Green Bay yet, I was still on my 10 hour break in Rockford, IL.

I called the after hours shift support and they said "Oh go ahead and pick it up, we'll work with the deliveries after you've made it part way by Sunday."

So, eager beaver that I am I got up at 0500 this morning and headed out. Made it to DePere by about 0915 and off to GB at 0930. Grabbed a shower, at some cereal in the truck and picked up the "MT" (empty).

Got up to Quinessec at 1230 dropped and hooked and headed out.

WOW what a colorful ride. I drove US 2 all around the north shore of Lake Michigan.

I've stopped for today at this overlook at a little fishing village called Epoufette, beautiful !!!

Here's my sunset view.

Here's a look at the colors. Ignore the bug splatters on the windshield.

454 miles today which gets about 150 out of the way to Springfield. So I figure 2 days of 550 miles and then one day to deliver to the three consignees. AND THEN I have to get back to OKC some time on Saturday. We have plane tickets to go to Idaho leaving Sunday morning at 0600.

And that is about 1,800 miles back to OKC for Wed-Sat. Not really too far, just if they can get me loaded.