1/18/16 – Heat wave in KY

Hello again. Glad you could make it today.

Guess what? It’s still cold. The temperature hovered between 0 and 3 degrees for most of today. As I sit here tonight in Georgetown Kentucky, Charlotte tells me it’s 20. Hey, a heat wave!

1/17/16 – Frigid

Hello there. How’s everybody doing?

I started my day in Gary, Indiana, scooted on over to Davenport, Iowa to pick up a loaded pumpkin and headed on down the road. Tonight I sit in a Pilot in Bloomington, Indiana.

The day started off cold, as Charlotte told me it was 7 degrees this morning. It didn’t warm up at all. As a matter of fact, it got colder. Most of the day it was 0. As in no temperature. As in 32 degrees below freezing. Add to that, the wind was howling for most of the day.

1/16/16 – Chillin’ in Gary

Good morning! Today we find ourselves in Gary, Indiana where Charlotte gets some personal attention from the mechanics and I will take the opportunity to be off-duty for 34 hours and reset my weekly work hours.

Charlotte’s appointment was for 7 this morning. Imagine my surprise when someone knocked on the door at 5 and told me to pull in the shop. I was all groggy and stuff and was like, “oookay.”

1/14/16 – Winter Wonderland

Hi there. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Did you miss me?

I’ve been gallivanting all over the north, with a quick stop in Virginia and one in Kentucky. Otherwise, it’s been New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and northern Ohio for the past week or so. By the way, did you know it’s winter?

I must say, 7 degrees fahrenheit is friggin’ cold! Like really, really cold! Like super duper frozen tundra kind of cold! Like … well, you get the idea.

1/6/16 -Something new

Hello readers. Nice day, isn’t it? I’m here in Bethpage, New York as my pumpkin is getting unloaded.

I told you yesterday that I was working on something for you. Well, I think I’ve got it working now. You’ll have to test it out and see for yourself.

I’m not sure how I feel about doing this yet, but I’ll play with it for a while and see where it goes.

I’m curious to know what you think, so please let me know.

Now, without further ado, here is a look into my day on the road, January 5th, 2016. Click play. 🙂

1/5/16 – Working on it

Before we start, I need to say a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little sister today and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my father yesterday.

Hope you both had great birthdays!

Last night I didn’t have internet, so you lost out on all my charm and wit. Tragic, I know.

Not much happened yesterday, anyway. I delivered my loaded pumpkin and got a new load in the afternoon. I only drove a couple hours, as I wanted to get an early start today, which I did.

The reason for my early start today was so I can get an early start tomorrow. I want to get across the George Washington bridge before morning rush hour.

That’s right, boys and girls, I am back in the north east, headed for Long Island. Grrrrrrr …… This has got to stop!

The driving today was really nice, but alas, no pictures for you. I am working on something else for you, but I can’t tell you yet. It’s taking a bit of time to get together, so you’ll just have to just be patient … Like Kirk Cousins was patient as he waited for receivers to get open, then dismantled the Cowboys defense on Sunday. Yeah, like that.

So, Let me get back to work and see what I can finish tonight. I’ll try to get you all up to speed tomorrow. I know, you’re waiting with baited breath, right?

Thanks for checking in and making sure I was still out here. I appreciate it!

Until next time then ….

 

1/3/16 -Where to next?

Howdy Y’all!

Lot’s more lollygagging today. I did get some grocery shopping done, so that’s good. Tomato and sweet basil bisque for dinner tonight. Mmmm, yummy!

Today I continued my trek through West Virginia, took a quick peek of south west Virginia and I’m finally in North Carolina.

Not much to write about. It was a gorgeous day. At one point, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Quite a rare occurrence recently.

I would tell you where I’m going after I deliver my loaded pumpkin tomorrow morning, but I don’t know yet. I haven’t received my next assignment so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Could it be back to New York or Maine? Perhaps Wisconsin or Minnesota? Maybe Texas or Oklahoma? That’s kind of the exciting part of this job, you just never know where you might end up.

Guess what? The Redskins beat the Cowboys today. YAY!!! Now it’s on to the playoffs for the team nobody gave a chance before the season started. Will they be Super Bowl bound? Most think not, but that’s why they play the games. It’s happened plenty of times before where a team that was supposed to be inferior to the rest all of a sudden get hot and next thing you know, they’re the only one’s standing at the end.

I will continue to root for them, no matter what. That’s about all we can do as fans. It’s been a fun season and I hope it continues for several more weeks. Then it’ll be time for baseball!!! Whooohooo!!!!!

Okay, that’s all I’ve got tonight. I’m going to go eat my soup now. Thanks for reading along today.

There’s a few dandy pictures from today’s ride down below, so have a gander.

Until next time then …

 

1/2/16 – Milking it

Who knew the Rio Grande was in Ohio? I need to go back to geography class!

If you were in Nitro, West Virginia on a Saturday night, what would you do? I’m thinking real hard about some Arby’s and Netflix. You’re jealous, I know. Not everyone can lead my glamorous lifestyle.

So, how was your Saturday? I’m guessing some of you are enjoying a long weekend due to the New Year. Make it count, because Monday it’s time to get your butts back to work with the rest of us.

I’m still lollygagging my way to Charlotte, North Carolina. Lots of time on this load and I’m really milking it to save hours so I might not have to do a reset next week. There really is a method to my madness. I’d like to put it off until next Sunday if I could, but the freight will determine that as the week progresses.

Today I got up late, stared at the parking lot for a while and then got a shower. Of course, Phil was filled and we were on our way to pick up our loaded pumpkin.

Once we got it, we went and got scaled. The whole load is only 22,000 pounds and I can get almost 46,000 in a pumpkin legally, so there was no good reason to scale other than I just wanted to … it makes me feel better.

There does seem to be a trend going on with my short term memory. After I went over the scale, I parked Charlotte and went inside to get my ticket. I had to use the little boy’s room, then I got Phil another fill… I basically just made a trade.

I went to the cashier and paid for Phil’s fill and then went back to Charlotte. As I settled in the seat, it suddenly came to me. I forgot to get my scale ticket! DOH!

This is not the first, second or even third time I’ve done this. My brain seems to get distracted fairly easil… look, a squirrel!

See what I mean?

Anyway, I went back in and got the ticket and we were off again! Zooooom!

Have you ever seen one of these signs?

Right after I passed this and went over the “dip,” I saw this sign…

Sorry, it’s a little fuzzy. It reads, “BUMP.”

That’s right, there was a “BUMP” right after a “DIP.” Is a “DIP” an upside down “BUMP” or is it the other way around?

Here’s an idea. Why not just shave off the “BUMP” and fill in the “DIP.” Seems logical to me, but I guess the sign makers and installers wouldn’t have anything to do then. Is that what out government means when they say they are “creating jobs?”

Anyway, I got to go over the majestic Ohio river today, which is always cool. I love the big rivers in this country. I like the small rivers, too … I don’t discriminate.

The sun showed up today! YAY!!! I was beginning to think it would never come back. My sunglasses were feeling neglected. It was a fight for the ages, but as you can see, the sun burned a hole right through those stubborn clouds.

Soon after, the clouds gave up the fight completely and it turned into a glorious day of trucking, although it was still cold. I did see 40 degrees once, though. Heat wave, right?

Well, that about wraps things up for today. I’ll have another short day tomorrow. I’ll spend the night at one of the company’s operating centers so I think I’ll do some laundry since it’s free. Ah, perks of the job.

Thanks for taking the time to check in on today’s adventure. We’ll do it all over again tomorrow. Remember, it’s about the journey, not the destination.

Until next time then …

1/1/16 – White new year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Too loud?  Still nursing that hangover from last night? Not me! I’m rip-roaring ready to go!

Actually, the only place I’m going is to bed. It was a long, stressful day, albeit very pretty.

It seems mother nature finally realized that it is winter time. For most of my day I had white-out conditions where I was just trying to stay in other vehicles tracks through the snow that were quickly disappearing.

Several years ago, a handful of motorcycle riders gathered for the first of what would become a yearly gathering for many years. This first event was in October. We were riding through the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia when the sky decided to open and soak us. The downpour severely limited visibility and I stuck to the motorcycle in front of me as we very cautiously made our way down the slick mountainside.

What the hell does that have to do with today and all the snow, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you if you’ll just be patient and listen for a minute. Sheesh!

As I drove through the white out today, squinting through the heavy snow and trying to stay on the road way, I remembered coming down that mountain all those years ago. I remember thinking, “I sure hope Steve doesn’t ride off the side of this mountain, because I’ll follow him right over.” I was following his tail light and couldn’t see much of anything else, just like I was trying to follow tracks in the snow today, hoping that whoever made them stayed on the road, because I was going where they went.

That was a long, cold day, but friendships were made that still endure to this day. I’ll never forget that crazy bunch of bikers standing in the parking lot of that dinky motel, drinking beer after a long day, shivering our butts off while we got to know one another. It was so cold, I don’t think we even had ice for the beer. Brrrrrrr. I mean, BRR! 🙂

Sorry, I tend to reminisce sometimes. Okay, back to the whole trucking thing!

Like I said, the snow lasted most of the day. Tom told me that after 100 miles, my average moving speed was 35 miles per hour. I wasn’t making much money, but at least I was moving.

It finally cleared up once I hit Ohio, and there is no sign of snow here at the Flying J just north of Columbus. Hopefully tomorrow will be clear as I pick up my next loaded pumpkin and make my way towards Charlotte, North Carolina.

Alright, let’s see some of my favorite pictures from December as we welcome in the new year.

My mid-west love affair was over for a while, as I somehow got turned into a north east regional driver. Most of the month I traipsed around the upper east of the country. On December 4th, I found myself driving along I-95 through New York City. It was a trend that would continue for a few days. I think I went through about five times total in early December.

December 6th I found myself in Maine for the second time. I would be back. They are crazy about Moose up there!

By the 11th of December, I was back in my home state of Virginia. She is so beautiful!

In Kentucky on December 12th, imagine my surprise when I found my favorite drink at a Wal-mart! Sadly, I am drinking my last one as I type tonight’s post. I was surprised by people who knew about Vernor’s. It might be hard to find, but it’s not as big of a secret as I thought.

I talked about my obsession with the sky yesterday, but if you’ve read along for a while now, you know I also love pictures of farms. Here are two pictures capturing both from December 16th.

There were a few more working days in December, but nothing really sticks out as memorable. I worked out the days until it was time to go home for Christmas.

Now that the holidays are over, I look forward to all the adventures Charlotte will take me on in 2016.

Thank you all for hanging out with me a bit and I hope you continue to come along and see cool new places along my routes. That pretty much wraps things up for today.

Until next time then …

12/31/15 – Closing it out

Over 100 people gather just to the south east of Buffalo, New York mere hours before the clock strikes midnight and brings in a new year.

Are they ready to celebrate? Maybe gathering in circles, drinks in hand as they reminisce over the past year? Are they all wearing funny hats with noise makers at the ready for midnight?

The answer to these questions are no. Here at this nice, big Flying J, some are asleep, others fuel and still others dine in the Denny’s before taking a rest after a long day of trucking. Oh, sure, some have televisions and might watch that famous shining ball drop that’s become synonymous with New Year’s Eve. For most of us, though, it’s just another night.

I am happy to be parked and off the road for the night. For all of you making your living driving at night, make sure to be extra cautious out there. Keep alert and prepared for the crazies and stay safe.

My day was spastic, going all over New York state chasing empty pumpkins and phantom loads. I finally got loaded late this afternoon and I am headed to Ohio, where I will exchange this load for another and then scoot down towards North Carolina.

Seeing as it’s the end of the year, I thought I’d share some of my favorite pictures from this year. I’ve only been doing this blog since October, but I’ve managed to accumulate a ridiculous amount of photos. Check out some of the better ones ….

On October 27th, I rounded a corner and was a bit surprised to see that the low clearance warnings I had seen were not for a bridge or overpass, but rather a mountain.

I’ll never forget the morning of October 30th when I came out of a truck stop and walked to my truck, only to turn around and see the most amazing sun rise. It literally left me breathless for a minute before I could grab my camera and take a picture.

Later that same day, I had the rare pleasure of having some spare time and no pumpkin attached. It was right in the middle of the World Series and I was in Kansas City. The games had shifted to New York, but I decided to go check out Kauffman Stadium. I’m a baseball fan, in case you didn’t know. I actually got chased away by security after getting some stadium pictures.

On November first, I found myself wandering around Kentucky. You all remember what town is in Kentucky, right? It’s sooo fun to say, join me and say it out loud …

By the tenth of November, I was firmly back in the mid-west. With flat land as far as the eye can see, there is nothing to slow the winds. In some places, the windmills go on forever in every direction. I really like this picture.

By now, you should all know my infatuation with the sky. It is such an amazing and wondrous sight, never failing to let a day go by without leaving me in awe. On November 12th, the clouds and sun raged in a battle all day.

The battle continued into the next morning, neither giving up their fight.

On November 14th, I shared with you a little about the Ohio bicentennial barns. There is at least one in every county in the state and they were all painted by one man. Amazing!

On November 23rd, the first snow of the year graced Wisconsin and I was there to see it.

Before I got home for Thanksgiving, I had fun playing with the sepia tone feature. I kind of like how this shot came out.

Well, that pretty much takes us through November. I need to get to sleep so I’ll share some favorites from December tomorrow to start 2016.

Thanks for reading the past few months. I hope you’ve enjoyed riding along as I wander around this beautiful country.

Enjoy your celebrations bringing in the new year, but please, if you celebrate a little too much, stay where you are or find a designated driver. Remember, some of us are out there just trying to make a living and we’d really rather not have to dodge drunk drivers. Stay safe folks!

Until next year then … (see what I did there?)