Seems like I left off when we were in TX... ok... so Trapper reminded me it's been a week since I updated the blog... then a friend of mine (Misty) sends me a friendly email reminder... so here is our week in review... this is trucking!
Tues (2/17) You would have found us sitting in San Antonio, TX waiting and then waiting! The worst part of trucking is the waiting you do at times. We were dispatched to LaPorte, TX to pick up at Dow Chemical.
The second worst thing in trucking are the directions you're given at times. Our street address was 9705 and we figured since it was Dow Chemical it wouldn't be hard to find... the directions said Hwy 225 to Millercut Rd exit... that's all the directions said... ok so Hwy 225 was easy enough to find and Millercut Rd exit was clearly marked.... but after 3 trips up and down the access road we can not find 9705 or anything that says Dow! I talked Trapper into stopping at the truck stop on the corner and I told him I'd run in and get directions. He laughed at me and in his manly "I am man... no directions needed" voice he says, "You probably won't get any information."
I walked in and asked a fella that looked to be a local resident but it was a fellow driver who spoke up and told me precisely what I needed to know. I thanked him and found my way back to the truck.
Trapper was on the phone with our dispatcher, who was also looking for correct directions, and Trapper asked me if I found anything out....
In my "I am woman... hear me roar" voice, I repeated exactly what the other driver had told me! The building we were looking for was marked Exel and it was way behind 9705... through the gate, etc.
Morale of the story.... Never underestimate the power of a lost woman at a truck stop!
We were loaded and on our way to Warrenton, GA...
Wed (2/18) We drove all day! We stopped, for the night, in Newnan, GA. Two memorable things happened here... one... there were tornado watches out (which ultimately ended up yes... there were tornado's in the area that night) and I was weather.com(ing) a lot! Especially when it started hailing!
Then, the most touching thing happened. A man knocked on the cab door, explained he didn't mean us any harm and didn't want any money... he simply asked for food. Neither of us hesitated to fullfil his request.
Thurs (2/19) We delivered our load in Warrenton, GA to a place that only had one car in the front. We originally thought we were at the wrong place. I was thinking maybe the place had closed up shop during our trip there. Turns out it was their warehouse. They make plastic film for bags, etc. and we had hauled 42k pounds of these tiny platic pellets to them!
After sending the empty call via the qualcomm... we sat and waited. Our preplan came across the qualcomm and we were to pick up (relay) a load at the drop yard in Atlanta, GA on Friday morning. Finally, we had a place to go!
Never know what you might see on the Interstate.... Red Bull anyone?
Fri (2/20) The drop yard in Atlanta had been changed since Trapper was there last. I had to wonder, when I saw the State Penitentiary close by, if they moved from the original lot for security purposes??? I'm not sure if I would have stayed here had I been alone in this truck.
Our relay was made at 9:30 a.m. this morning and we have to be in Richmond, VA tonight at 10:00 p.m. This is one of those runs that every driver must hate. We passed within 15 miles of our house and were within 30 miles of my son, who lives in Charlotte, NC. Absolutely no time to stop at either place. It's depressing to say the least. But, you have to remember this is your job and with every job comes disappointments.
Here is a picture of the peach water tower in Gaffney, SC (I-85). This has been a peach since I can remember and so far... by far... the most interesting water tower in the USA!
I-85 doesn't pass close enough to downtown Charlotte, NC to get a good picture, but the city has a gorgeous downtown area.
Sat (2/21) We were loaded early this morning in West Point, VA at a paper mill called Smurfit. No one at the plant looked real excited about working on Saturday. After driving all day, looking for a truck stop was my top priority. We stopped in a place called Nitro, WV and the only thing on our minds were showers and a movie.
Sun (2/22) I woke up early, freezing cold, and a little lost. (Imagine that) We had the curtain up in the truck, which was diffusing the daylight... or so I thought. It had been really nice and warm yesterday and now Nitro was supplying snow! I knew I should have checked the weather!
Today took us right through the town that Trapper's son lives in, so we made a stop to see him and his new car!
After our little visit, we finished our run to Indianapolis. Stopping at a TA truck stop for the night. You never know how long you're going to be sitting.... maybe an hour, maybe a day... I thought it would be best to finish dinner, shower, do laundry.
It was a balancing act that went something like this.... get the laundry out, get the shower stuff out... go to truck stop... go to shower... shower... go to laundry... start washing clothes... take stuff back to truck... back to truck stop... throw clothes in dryer... 67 minutes drying time... back to truck... finish dinner... clean up dishes... pack up dishes to wash... back to truck stop.... clothes are still wet... add change to machine... wash dishes... check clothes... take clean dishes to truck... back to truck stop... clothes are still wet... wait around... Trapper shows up because he was worried about me and it's taken forever... clothes are finally dry... fold them... back to truck... put everything away in truck.... day is done! Whew....
Mon (2/23) Our delivery was made at 8:30 a.m. but we sat until our appointment time at 10:00 a.m. We returned to the truck stop, from last night, and at 2:00 p.m. today we have been dispatched to pick up tonight at 9:00 pm in Plainfield, IN. Trapper has been resting off and on today (I'm sure we'll be driving all night) and I've taken time to finish my son's taxes, work on the blog, and work on our budget. Sitting and waiting is the hardest part of this job.
We picked up our load, on schedule, and headed towards PA. I stayed up with Trapper until the sleep fairy struck me in the head and I had to crash for the night.... I left Trapper in good hands though... a diet pepsi and a bag of white sugar coated donuts.... comfort food!
Tues (2/24) We stopped last night somewhere close to Columbus, OH. I made my way to the front of the truck and it looked like someone had had a white powder sugar fight! There was sugar all over the front. By the looks of the donut bag... the donut's lost the fight!
We finished our trip to Greencastle, PA and dropped our trailer at the terminal. With our empty trailer we found a local truck stop and parked it for the night.
Wed (2/25) Of course we woke early and we were ready to hit the road... problem is... we haven't been dispatched.
Finally at 9:00 am the beeps start and we are off to Hagerstown, MD to pick up a load and deliver it today at Sam's in Newport News, VA. A couple of weeks ago we were running the land of the outlaws and today I feel like we're running the land of the first settlers.... Williamsburg, Jamestown, Newport News.....
I will hand it to VA.... they have a handle on their poop problem. I snapped this at a rest area.... I have not seen this anywhere else in the US and for some reason it just struck me as being funny.
Our load was delivered safely to Sam's Club and while I ran across the parking lot to Wal-Mart, for a few items, we were dispatched to pick up a load tomorrow morning in Colonial Heights, VA and take that load all the way to Laredo, TX. And just for the curious.... that's approximately 1660 miles....
And just to think... this time last year, Trapper and I had our first real date. We boarded the cruise ship Sovereign in Port Canaveral Florida and headed to the Bahamas for the week... I'm glad he asked me and I'm really glad I said yes!
WHERE HAVE I BEEN?
9 years ago
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