To continue where I left off on my last post.....
We were not able to get reloaded right away out of North Carolina and there was a driver in Raleigh NC needing to go home and still had part of his load to deliver so we were asked to help him out. We went to Raleigh and traded trailers with him. We took his load to Chapel Hill for delivery to a construction site on the UNC campus. Then the fun REALLY began. We were first directed down a long narrow entrance to the site which ended in a T intersection. Then we were told we were in the wrong part of the construction site and had to turn around and go back. With a 20 foot wheelbase and a 48 foot trailer and two other trucks in the same area, turning around was not an option. So with a little help from me and a lot of prayers and, ok a bit of skill, Herb managed to back up over a hundred yards around a crane and up a hill out onto the street to await guidence to the correct site. We were taken to the other side of the constuction site to get unloaded. This time it was a cul-de-sac type area of the campus. One way in same way out and we were blocking half the road. There were all sorts of deliveries being made all around us and watching the traffic weave its way in and out was comical at times. One of the delivery trucks was carrying electrical cable for the job site and Herb and the other driver got to talking and discovered the had served on the USS Nimitz at the same time and knew each other. How cool is that?
When we finished unloading Herb was able to make a Y turn (although he had to nearly jack-knife the truck to do it) and got turned around to leave the job site. Some of the other drivers didn't appreciate having to back up or detour into parking spaces to allow us to leave.
We then returned to Raleigh to leave off a forgotten bundle at the other reciever and continued on to Monroe NC to pick up a trailer loaded with PVC pipe going to Houston TX.
While on our way to Houston we talked to a friend from Lafayette, he and his family were on their way home from Orlando and was going to be in Atlanta GA near the same time we were. So arrangements were made to meet with the Townsend Family for lunch. They had been vacationing in FL and had visited Disney. The lines at Disney were not very long, not too many people wanted to ride rides in 15 degree weather.
We swarmed the Petro Truck stop with a sqaud of eleven. The three of us and they with their six kids! It was wonderful to spend time with friends from home. All too soon we had to leave, they headed North and we headed West.
Thanks Townsend Family for a wonderful afternoon. Many Prayers for a safe journey home.
We will be in Houston on Monday, will it be any warmer there? Stay tuned, the quest for a warm spot in the US continues. LOL
10 January 2010
09 January 2010
Catching up since the New Year!
I was trying to think of something profound to write about for the New Year's blog, but, the words never came. I guess that I am not much of a profound writer.
Since my last post , we left OK and headed North to Bangor Maine. It was still cold in ME. They have Moose crossing signs instead of the usual Deer crossing signs that we are used to in Indiana. We continualy looked for moose but never saw any. After getting unloaded in ME we were dispatched to pick up a load of "kiln dried" lumber in Brattleboro VT. Loading at the same place was another Prime driver and his wife, Lloyd and Coral H. we chatted briefly with them and then went on our way. Our load was delivering to Warroad MN just 7 miles South of the Canadian Border.
On the way to Warroad MN we made a small detour to Lafayette, for Christmas.
We arrived early on Christmas Eve day, Kaitlynn went to visit with her Grandparent's and Aunt A, and Uncle D, while Herb and I did all of our Christmas shopping in about 4 hours. We then went to Elston Family Church for the Christmas Eve service and it felt like comming home. We were able to briefly catch up with friends before everyone was off to their family Christmas Eve traditions.
Christmas Day was spent with family at my Mom and Dad's house. Kaitlynn recieved the two things she wanted most for Christmas......Clothes and A Puppy in a Purse. Those were the only things she asked Santa for. She got several pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts as well as desperatly needed snowpants and the Puppy is a little Yorkie named Bo, who has now taken residencey on her bed along with a pretend horse named Rainbow, a (pretend) Husky dog and an invisible baby cow. We have quite the entourage.
This is the new Paris Kaitlynn as we were leaving Grandma's house after Christmas.
The day after Christmas we continued on our way to MN stopping in Merrillville IN to have a short Christmas visit with Colin. It seems like he grows a foot everytime I see him.
We then continued on to MN, stopping in Hampshire IL for the night. The moon was full and it had been snowing, it was actually really neat. I enjoyed a short walk in the brisk night air, it was the kind of cold that made the snow "squeek" when you walked on it.
The next morning we awoke to find we had parked next to the couple from Prime, Lloyd and Coral. We found they were going the same place we were so we decided to travel together. It was fun to be able to talk back and forth on the radio and to have another couple to "hang with" when we stopped.
When we got to Warroad MN, it was only 6 degrees so we all helped on both trucks getting them ready to be unloaded. It was so cold that the tarps had to be folded instead of being folled like we usually do. With four of us helping we were able to get both trucks unloaded in about an hour.
After leaving Warroad we were sent to Minneapolis to load Bobcats going to Mississippi and Louisiana they loaded the same place only going to PA and NJ. So we were able to spend another day and a half traveling together. We parted ways in Rockford IL and continued on to MS.
We were able to get the first two stops unloaded on the 30th and the last one off on New Years Eve. We had hoped to toast the New Year with Sparkling Cider and watching the ball drop in Times Square on TV, but we didn't find any cider and the TV was on ESPN, so we sat in the restuarant at the TA and talked with a few other drivers and had a subdued celebration.
We picked up our load in Leeds AL and headed to Cleveland TN from there we reloaded in Knoxville and went to Bridgeport CT. Then to Philladelphia PA to deliver in Greensboro NC. It was even cold in NC, they said it was only 16 degrees when they came to work that morning but it had warmed up to 52 while we unloaded. To us that seemed like a heat wave.
Since my last post , we left OK and headed North to Bangor Maine. It was still cold in ME. They have Moose crossing signs instead of the usual Deer crossing signs that we are used to in Indiana. We continualy looked for moose but never saw any. After getting unloaded in ME we were dispatched to pick up a load of "kiln dried" lumber in Brattleboro VT. Loading at the same place was another Prime driver and his wife, Lloyd and Coral H. we chatted briefly with them and then went on our way. Our load was delivering to Warroad MN just 7 miles South of the Canadian Border.
On the way to Warroad MN we made a small detour to Lafayette, for Christmas.
We arrived early on Christmas Eve day, Kaitlynn went to visit with her Grandparent's and Aunt A, and Uncle D, while Herb and I did all of our Christmas shopping in about 4 hours. We then went to Elston Family Church for the Christmas Eve service and it felt like comming home. We were able to briefly catch up with friends before everyone was off to their family Christmas Eve traditions.
Christmas Day was spent with family at my Mom and Dad's house. Kaitlynn recieved the two things she wanted most for Christmas......Clothes and A Puppy in a Purse. Those were the only things she asked Santa for. She got several pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts as well as desperatly needed snowpants and the Puppy is a little Yorkie named Bo, who has now taken residencey on her bed along with a pretend horse named Rainbow, a (pretend) Husky dog and an invisible baby cow. We have quite the entourage.
This is the new Paris Kaitlynn as we were leaving Grandma's house after Christmas.
The day after Christmas we continued on our way to MN stopping in Merrillville IN to have a short Christmas visit with Colin. It seems like he grows a foot everytime I see him.
The next morning we awoke to find we had parked next to the couple from Prime, Lloyd and Coral. We found they were going the same place we were so we decided to travel together. It was fun to be able to talk back and forth on the radio and to have another couple to "hang with" when we stopped.
When we got to Warroad MN, it was only 6 degrees so we all helped on both trucks getting them ready to be unloaded. It was so cold that the tarps had to be folded instead of being folled like we usually do. With four of us helping we were able to get both trucks unloaded in about an hour.
After leaving Warroad we were sent to Minneapolis to load Bobcats going to Mississippi and Louisiana they loaded the same place only going to PA and NJ. So we were able to spend another day and a half traveling together. We parted ways in Rockford IL and continued on to MS.
We were able to get the first two stops unloaded on the 30th and the last one off on New Years Eve. We had hoped to toast the New Year with Sparkling Cider and watching the ball drop in Times Square on TV, but we didn't find any cider and the TV was on ESPN, so we sat in the restuarant at the TA and talked with a few other drivers and had a subdued celebration.
We picked up our load in Leeds AL and headed to Cleveland TN from there we reloaded in Knoxville and went to Bridgeport CT. Then to Philladelphia PA to deliver in Greensboro NC. It was even cold in NC, they said it was only 16 degrees when they came to work that morning but it had warmed up to 52 while we unloaded. To us that seemed like a heat wave.
01 January 2010
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