Hanging Around North Georgia

Welcome to all who visit me here. Woke up this morning still in Norcross, Georgia at the same warehouse I stayed at a few weeks ago. It was nice and quiet here. I returned the rental car back to Enterprise Rent-A-Car at 7:30 AM.

My delivery appointment time was at Noon, so there was still plenty of time to get it there. Gainesville, GA was only 40 miles north on I-85 to I-985. I still got there early at around 10:00 AM. I waited and waited and they FINALLY got me unloaded at 3:00 PM, 5 HOURS LATER!! I should get detention pay from Noon to 3PM though. So not a complete waste of time. There was a geocache about a 1/2 mile away, but there was also a light rain off and on throughout the day so I didn't go after it.

After they unloaded me, I drove south on US129 back over to I-85 in Jeffersonville. About 14 miles away, that was the nearest truck stop. I waited there for my next load assignment. Around 4PM, I went next and ate a Whopper at Burger King. When I got back to the truck, they had me a load assigned. 55 miles back to Atlanta to the CFI drop yard. The pickup time wasn't until tomorrow morning and it delivers on the other side of Atlanta at 10:00 AM. So not far at all to go.

There was a break in the lite showers and there was a geocache just a mile away and being that I had plenty of time I walked down to look for it. The total walk round trip was 2 miles.

Once back to the truck, I drove down to the drop yard. My loaded trailer was already there. Earlier today a trucker friend of mine called me who was also in Atlanta on the west side at a truck stop. We took the CDL truck driving class together. Anyway he had read yesterdays post and saw that I was in the area too. So after I hooked up to my trailer I drover around the I-285 bypass loop over to the Petro truck stop where he was. We met up in the restaurant and chatted over dessert. In the 2 1/2 years since the driving school, this has been only the 2nd time our paths have crossed.

That was it for today. Tomorrow we'll empty this load in the morning and then pick up another headed for Pennsylvania. Until then, I'll see ya on the road.

A GREAT Surprise Weekend!

Hello everyone. Sorry I missed a post for yesterday. I started out Saturday morning in Murfreesboro, TN and drove non-stop to Norcross, GA, just outside of Atlanta. My delivery wasn't due until Monday and instead of sitting here over the weekend again, I rented a car from Enterprise and drove down to Orlando to surprise my wife. Boy was she happy to see me.

I arrived at home around 7:00 PM that evening. After church on Sunday morning we went out to lunch with some friends. Back home to change and then by 3:30 PM its back to Georgia. I arrived back in Norcross, GA around 9:30 PM.

A really great weekend off that totally surprised my wife. See you back here tomorrow.

From Iowa to Tenneessee

Today was pretty much an uneventful day. Woke up this morning around 6:00 AM and drove around to the side of the Wapsie Valley Creamery in Independence, IA. Shortly after I backed into the loading dock, someone came out to say they were going to start loading. It didn't take too long, about 30 minutes, and I was inside the office signing the paperwork.

A short way down the road and I saw a small truck stop with a McDonald's where I just had to pull over for my usual breakfast and sweet tea.

About 6 more hours, I stop for fuel at a Pilot in Okawville, IL. Next door to the Pilot was a family restaurant called The Hen House. So I decided to go ahead and have some lunch too. Fried catfish, coleslaw, fries, and a salad. Wasn't too bad. I'll have to stop there again next time through.

Then it was non-stop all the way to Murfreesboro, TN and another Pilot truck stop. Here is where I'm staying for the night. That's about it for today. Like I said it was pretty uneventful. See you back again tomorrow.

Finally Fixed and On The Road

Well when I left you last night, I was still waiting to get the truck into the shop. Shorty after I wrote last nights blog, I decided to just go ahead and get to sleep. That was about 11:00 PM. I'm not quite sure but I think it was around 2:00 AM when they came knocking on my door and told me they were ready. I pulled the truck into the shop and tried to lay down again, but it was just too noisy inside there to sleep. They finished up around 4:00 AM, replacing the windshield, brakes on the front drive axles, and a few other minor things.

After pulling the truck out I walked over to the dispatch window to tell them my truck was out of the shop and to put me in line for a load. I was expecting to be put in line and I'd be going back to sleep for a few more hours. But instead, there wasn't a line, I was now first, and there was a load that needed to get to NE Iowa by 4:00 PM. Okey Dokey!

I grab the paperwork and headed for the truck. When I got to the truck, I put the paperwork in and grabbed my shower bag and some clean clothes. After a shower to help wake me up, I hooked up to the loaded trailer, went to fuel up, and headed north on US71. About 45 minutes later, I saw a McDonald's at a truck stop. Grabbed a #2 meal (sausage egg cheese muffin) with an orange juice, AND a large sweet tea.

Then 7 1/2 hours straight through to Ridgeway, Iowa where I unloaded at 3:15 PM! I had 45 minutes to spare! I asked the guy who unloaded if there were any restaurants in this little town; and I mean little! He says nope but go on down the road further about 10 miles to the next and there's Sue Z Q's Family Restaurant and they have enough room around back to park the truck. So I drove on over to Sue Z Q's and ordered a bacon cheeseburger with everything on it, fries, and a sweet tea. I should have known right then I was in trouble when she asked if I wanted my tea warm or iced. I said iced and she brought me back the worst sweet tea ever. It tasted like unsweetened instant tea, not brewed sweet tea. I even added 6 packs of sugar and it was still nasty! Atleast the burger and fries were good.

When I finished I had my next load assignment waiting in the truck on the Quallcom. I map it out real quick and head down south 76 miles to Independence, IA. Here's where I now sit until the morning waiting to load at 7:00 AM. This load will be going all the way down to Georgia.

So thanks for stopping by and I'll see you out on the highways.

From St Louis to Joplin, Missouri

Another early morning today, I woke up at 4:30 AM and by 5:00 I was rolling. I started out in Hazelwood behind the warehouse I delivered at last night and went just 5 miles down the road. The first stop was at a place called the Hussmann Corp. Not sure what they did there but it was a pretty big place. But I was only there to pickup one of our empty trailers.

Quickly hooking up and now down to the southeast corner of St Louis to the Anheuser-Busch brewery to pickup a load of beer. Along the way, I passed by the Gateway Arch as the sun was rising from the east. I took a picture from the dashboard for you.


Anyway, after picking up my preloaded trailer from Anheuser-Busch at 7:00 AM, I jump up on I-44 westbound to deliver in Springfield, MO. After a quick stop at a McDonald's in Dillon around 9:00, I arrived in Springfield at noon. This distributor was on the ball because they had me unloaded quickly.

Once I was empty, I asked to be brought into our home office in Joplin, MO. There were a few items I wanted to get fixed on the truck. Arriving in Joplin at 2:00 PM, I checked in and made my way first to the tire shop. They repaired a leak in one of the tractor drive tires. From there I went over to the main shop and requested they look at my brakes and a chip in the windshield.

I left them the truck and went over to the drivers lounge. Watched TV for a little while and talked to some of the other drivers. For dinner I ordered a Papa Johns pizza; medium hand tossed with pepperoni and sausage. I ended up eating 6 of the 8 slices! Guess I need to ride my bike some more.

Well it's 10:30 here local time and I'm still waiting to get into the shop. I think they cut back on the number of mechanics. Looks like only half are here compared to what I've seen before. But it's been over 6 hours now and they haven't gotten me in yet. I used to be in and done within a few hours. I just have to wait...

I'll let you know tomorrow how long it took. That's it for now. See ya on the road.

A Change of Plans

Well I woke up this morning in Bowling Green, MO around 5:00 AM. Walked over to the Hardee's for a sausage egg and cheese biscuit (the best there is) and an orange juice. After that I headed on down the road to St Louis, MO to make my first of what I thought were going to be 5 deliveries.

I arrived in St Louis at 7:30 and after checking in, I backed into the dock for them to unload. Of course while I waited I checked online for a Geocache in the area and sure enough there was one just 0.12 miles away. So I programmed the GPS receiver and went for a walk. Well, by the time I went around this warehouse and around that one, up this street and down that street, back around this fence and over to there, grab the cache and back again, it was about a mile! But that's OK. I don't mind the walk. I just didn't expect it to be that long!

Anyway, after unloading I'm back on the road by 10:00 heading west down I-70 towards Columbia, MO. Since I didn't get my sweet tea this morning because that Hardee's doesn't serve sweet tea, I was kinda thirsty for one. A few miles down the road in New Florence, MO I see a small truck stop with a McDonald's. So I decided to stop there for a sweet tea and since it was lunch time, go ahead and eat a burger.

But as I approached the exit I saw a new BBQ place that had just opened about 200 yards down from the truck stop. Well that sounds much better than a Big Mac, so BBQ it was. Called J & J's BBQ at I-70 exit 175. I got the sliced beef brisket platter with potato salad and green bean casserole. It was very good! I'll have to mark that place down in my book to remember. And they're clearing out some space out back for trucks to park too.

So back on I-70 westbound, I go past Columbia, MO where I'm delivering in the morning to Boonville to fuel up at the Pilot. Then about a mile from the HyVee grocery store for my delivery stop, I get a call from dispatch. They wanted to know if I'd be willing to switch loads with another driver who isn't able to complete his delivery on time. So I said sure and turned around back to a nearby truck stop along I-70 to make the trailer swap.

The other driver shows up around 4:30 PM and now I'm headed back to St Louis. Arriving at 6:45 PM, I check in and back the trailer to a dock. Grabbing the camera, I walk back down to the end of the street to take a photo of the street sign. I was on Fee Fee Rd which is the nickname I gave my younger sister Sophia during high school. So I had to send it to her.

Anyway, as it turns out I had to leave my trailer there so that they have a trailer for the next time we deliver. They were a new account and did not have an empty. By this time too, my clocks have expired and I'm parked out back behind their building.

Talked to my wonderful wife on the phone for a while and now it's bed time. See ya tomorrow and see ya on the road.

Waking Up Early and Eating Late

What a day. I set my alarm to wake up this morning at 4:30 AM because I needed to be at Dick's Sporting Goods for a 5:30 delivery. Well I guess the anxiety of making sure I was awake caused me to wake up around 3:00 and I couldn't fall back to sleep. And as usual, I started dozing off around 4:25 just in time for the alarm to wake me back up!

By 5:00 I'm off down the road. Dick's Sporting Goods in Davenport, Iowa was just 7.5 miles from the Flying J truck stop I spent the weekend at. So it only took a few minutes to get there. Their dock was pretty easy to get to also. Some of these shopping centers make it difficult for the big trucks to get in and out of. I got there about 5:15 and lined myself up ready to back in. They came out right at 5:30 to break the seal, and I backed into the door.

While they were unloading, I logged all those Geocaches I found yesterday into their website. I was also thinking about getting something to eat too. There was an IHOP located in the shopping center and their Harvest Grain Pancakes sounded really good then. But it was still kinda early and I thought I'd wait until I got the next store.

OH, this was a double load. Half the trailer went to the Dick's Sporting Goods in Davenport and the other half went to Cedar Rapids.

It took Davenport about 2 hours to unload, so at 7:30 I was on my way to the other store. I arrived in Cedar Rapids at 9:00. They had a storage trailer backed into their dock. Therefore I had to drop my trailer, hook up to theirs and pull it out. Then drop their trailer, hook back up to mine, and then back into the dock. Of course after they finished unloading, I had to do that all over again putting their storage trailer back in place.

While waiting for them to unload, I went looking for a place to eat. This shopping center had a lot of good restaurants to choose from. Unfortunately NONE of them served anything for breakfast and were therefore closed! Arrgh! By the time they even opened, I couldn't get something because they could be finished unloading at any minute. And Dick's doesn't allow the drivers back inside so I couldn't know for sure.

Well, because they took 2 1/2 hours to unload, I was already running late to pick up my next load. By the time I shuffled the trailers back into place, I had barely enough time to make my rescheduled pickup time for the next shipper. I rushed down the road 72 miles to Muscatine, IA arriving there at 1:00 PM. Fortunately I was picking up a preloaded trailer so all I had to do was drop and hook. Get my paperwork, setup my GPS maps, and by 1:45 I am heading to Missouri.

Heading south on US-61, I FINALLY come across a small truck stop in Newport, Iowa that had a Godfather's Pizza in it. So after almost 12 hours from when I woke up this morning, I finally get to eat. I quickly ate a mini sausage pizza and a sweet tea and continued on south.

By 5:45 PM, my clock was nearing the end and I pulled over at another small truck stop along US61 in Bowling Green, Missouri. This load has 5 deliveries on it and the next stop is in St Louis, but it's not due until 11:00 AM. So here is where I'll stay for tonight.

I walk over to the Dairy Queen for an ice cream before calling it quits for the day. That's a truckers day for today. Thanks for stopping by.

A Day of Biking and Geocaching

OK, so I have now where to go today. I'm sitting here in Davenport, IA along I-80 at the Flying J truck stop. Can't deliver my load until Monday morning, so I can either sit here in the truck all day or get the bike down and explore the area.

I choose to explore the area of course and get some Geocaches. I woke up around 7:00 AM, looked up some caches in the area, plotted a course, and wrote them all down. At first I wasn't going to eat until afterwards, but then I decided that I was charting a pretty good loop and may be a while before returning. So I went into the Flying J for breakfast. NOT the buffet this time, but 3 eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, and wheat toast. While eating I programed the GPS with the caches.

By 10:00, I have the bike down and getting ready to go. It started out as a cool morning, so I wore jeans, hiking boots, and a thick t-shirt. But it didn't take long before it warmed up. By the time I was finished, it was close to 90 degrees and I was hot!

After it was all said and done, I made a 26.7 mile loop from north Davenport up to Eldridge and back. I found 20 Geocache hides, DNF'd on 4, met another cacher at one of them, and drank 2 Gatoraids.

The first thing I did upon returning to the truck was to get a shower! I needed it by then. After that I started my laundry and got something to eat for dinner. After everything was all done and put away, I spent the rest of the evening on the phone with my lovely wife.

Now it's time for bed. Got an early morning delivery which you'll here about tomorrow. Until then; see ya on the road...

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!!!

Hello again and thanks for stopping by. Today was a get up and go go go day. I set the alarm for 5AM this morning in Mt Vernon, IL. I had to go 232 miles to Greenfield, IN which is just east of Indianapolis. Then go west for 41 miles over to Plainfield, IN by 2:00 PM to pick up my next load. Now the majority of this driving today is in Illinois (about 150 miles of it) which has a 55 mph speed limit for trucks. I think they're still living in the 70's and a big fan of Jimmy Carter. OH well.

Anyway, so I wake up at 5:00 AM to give me a cushion. I was planning on getting there by noon. By 5:30, I'm pulled up to the fuel island to top off both tanks. They hold 180 gallons and it only took 130 gallons to top them off. I'm glad I don't have to pay for it!

By 5:45 I'm on the road. After a few hours I finally stop for my McD's breakfast and a sweet tea.

I arrived in Greenfield, IN at the Sam's Club distribution center about 10:40. I check in, drop the loaded trailer, pickup an empty (which they left a mess and I had to sweep it out first), then hit the highway. Back through Indianapolis to the other side, I arrive in Plainfield to pick up my next load around 12:15. I drop the now clean empty trailer there and pick a loaded trailer.

This load is a 2-stop load going to Iowa. It's only a 302 mile run to the first stop and it's not due until Monday morning so I have plenty of time now. I at first contemplated hanging out there in Plainfield for a while. There's some geocaches in that area that I've been wanting to find for some time now but have not yet had a good opportunity. Plus there was a classic car show going on at one of the dealers a few blocks away too. But I decided to drive non-stop to Davenport, IA so that I could get there today. By doing this I'll have all day Sunday off which will allow me to reset my 70 hour clock. This will also give me a full day to go geocaching on a long bike ride and do laundry after that.

So driving non-stop, I arrived in Davenport, Iowa at 5:45 and parked at the Flying J truck stop. Here I also went in a got me something to eat too. Now it's bedtime.

Thanks for stopping by.

From Texas to Illinois With a GREAT Lunch

Woke up this morning in a little Texas town called Henderson around 6:30. I still had about an hour to go before my mandatory 10 hour break was over, so as the sun woke up I walked a 1/2 mile down the road to grab a geocache outside a local radio station office.

When I returned I went inside the little truck stop to grab a couple of Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies for breakfast since there weren't any restaurants around. Plus I didn't want to eat too much because I'll be passing through West Memphis today and that meant some good food for lunch!

So, continuing up US259, east on I-20, to US59 north, to I-30 east, to I-40 east. I drove non-stop until 2:30 that afternoon all the way to West Memphis, Arkansas. I pulled into the Con-Way terminal, dropped the trailer, and bobtailed down to the end of the road to Margaritas. In my opinion, Margaritas is probably THE best Mexican restaurant in the country. So far, I've never eaten anything there that I haven't liked. And save room for dessert because their fried cheesecake with vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate syrup is OH SO GOOD!

Anyway, after lunch I bobtailed back to the terminal, hooked up to the trailer and off I went. From West Memphis, north on I-55 into Missouri, then to I-57 north crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois. Then I arrive in Mt Vernon, IL at 7:30 PM where I pull into a Pilot truck stop for the night. Today's trip was 659 miles long.

As the sun was setting here, I look online and spotted a geocache just a 1/4 mile away so I walked down to grab it too. I hit the showers upon returning, and now it's time for bed.

Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you again tomorrow.

You Can Drive Forever and Never Leave Texas

Well I got the knock on my truck door about 2:30AM this morning. The warehouse where I was sleeping told me to back up to the dock and they'll get me unloaded. It didn't take long. I got up, got dressed, backed in, they unloaded, I parked back where I was, I sent in an empty message, and went back to bed. All that in about 30 minutes.

I woke up again on my own around 7:00AM. Got up again and drove a block down the street to a Jack-in-the-Box which had a few truck parking spots. Begrudgingly, I decided to eat breakfast there too. A sausage, egg, and cheese croissant which had almost ZERO flavor. But their sweet tea wasn't bad.

After I finished eating, another Con-Way driver pulled in too. He was unloading back at the warehouse when I left. We chatted for a bit and then I returned to my truck to wait for my next load assignment.

Finally about 11:00 AM they sent me my next load information. Yippee! I thought I was going to end up with another low mileage week, but they gave me a nice long run to finish out the week not too bad. After writing the info down in my book, I program my mapping software in my laptop. A few minutes later and heading east on I-10 towards Baytown, TX to pick up a load at the WalMart DC.

I couldn't leave Texas without BBQ, so I stopped at my favorite Jerry Mikeska's BBQ at exit #698 in Columbus, TX. One of these days I'll remember to take my camera inside for some pics to post here. It's got a really cool interior decor!

Anyway, back on the road. I get to Baytown around 5:00PM, hook up to the preloaded trailer and head back north. A quick stop for fuel at the Pilot there in Baytown, then west on I-10 back towards Houston. Once I reach the outer loop around Houston (the Sam Houston Parkway), I take it northbound. Looping around, I hop onto US59 north all the way to Nacogdoches, TX where I pickup US259 north. I continue on until I spotted a small truck stop in Henderson, TX about 10:30 PM. That's where I'm at now and that's where I'll be spending the night.

Cause I'm tired! Good night and see ya tomorrow.

A New Road For Me To Travel On

Hello again. Today was an early day. I was up and going at 5AM and headed east on I-20 out of Shreveport, LA to Simsboro, LA about 72 miles away. There I picked up a load of empty glass jars that looked to be about 10-12 oz size. Because they were empty, I was expecting a lite load. However once I received my paperwork and saw the 44,000 lbs, it hit me that they were glass! And glass is heavy!

Anyway, they finished loading me around 8AM so I head back down I-20, only now I'm going westbound. I stopped at the first truck stop, a Love's 20 miles down for the CAT Scales. I was 30,000 on the drives and 33,000 on the tandems; with the tandems about half-way back. Then again back at the Petro in Shreveport where I stopped for breakfast.

Before leaving there I checked on line at Geocaching.com, and sure enough there was a cache hidden there about 400' from where I parked the truck. So of course I had to find it and sign the log before I left.

After that, I continued west on I-20 and crossed over into Texas. I decided to take a new route down to San Antonio today since I don't have to deliver until tomorrow. It's a more direct route, but could be slower since I'm heavy and will be passing through some small towns with 35mph speed limits. So instead of taking I-20 west to I-35 south, I decided to turn south in Longview, TX on US259 a little ways until I pickup US79 southbound. Although US79 goes more southwest than south.

I've never traveled down US79 before, so this was all new to me. It's good to see something new every once in a while. It was a pretty nice drive, not too bad through the small towns. (not too many stop lights) I saw a few restaurants that looked like they may have been good to eat at, but I wasn't hungry at the time. I continued US79 all the way to I-35, just north of Austin. Also, just in time for rush hour in Austin!

By now I'm hungry but wouldn't you know it that I can't spot any BBQ with truck parking available! So finally, just before I arrive in San Antonio, I pull into a Pilot Travel Center with a McDonald's. It may not be BBQ, but at least I get my sweet tea!

After eating I finally arrive at the receiver, Bay Valley Foods, around 7:15 PM. They have parking available here, so here is where I'm sleeping tonight. They said the third shift may be able to unload me tonight, so we'll see. If not I'll just have to wait until morning.

That's "A Truckers' Day" for me anyways. Thanks for dropping by. I'll see ya tomorrow.

Where'd You Learn to Load a Trailer?

Hello all! Woke up this morning around 7:30 and walked down to Hardee's for breakfast again. I'm still sitting at the Pilot truck stop in Atlanta on the southeast side of the loop.

My appointment time to pick up my load this morning was at 11:00, but sometimes they're ready early. So I drive over at 9:00 AM and the trailer is loaded and they were getting my paperwork together. It was a Con-Way Freight load consisting of misc smaller loads all put together on one trailer headed to Shreveport, LA to the Con-Way Freight location there. Con-Way Freight handles what's called LTL (lessthan-truck-load). You may have seen the smaller Con-Way trailers running single or doubles. I drive for Con-Way Truckload which handles full 53' trailer orders.

Anyway, so I get my paperwork and review the items. There's like a dozen different orders on here with the total weight of 41,000 lbs. I look at the last order loaded; 7 pallets with a combined weight of 20,000 lbs. I knew right then that this wasn't going to be legal!

I hook up to the trailer and take it around the building to their scales. (all C-W Freight terminals have scales on sight) The weight on the drive axles = 26,400 lbs. The weight on the tandem (trailer) axles = 35,800 lbs!! That's 1400 lbs overweight and about a $160 fine! And the axles are already slid all the way to the back! So I had to haul the trailer back around to the dock where they had to either re-load the trailer putting the heavier pallets in the middle or remove some off the tail end. They elected to just remove one of those 7 pallets off the back. DARN! That's what I'd figure they'd do because it's easier and quicker. But it also means that I have to drive with the tandems ALL the way to the rear. Which means EXTRA-WIDE turns! Oh well.

But first, I drive a couple miles in the opposite direction back to that Pilot to get a more accurate CAT scale weight. The Con-Way scales don't get calibrated as often and are not always correct. Plus going to the Pilot's CAT scales will give me a printed copy in case I get stuck at a weigh station.

So, now I'm off around the I-285 loop over to I-20 westbound. My first stop was in Flowood, MS for fuel. Back on I-20 westbound, I arrived in Shreveport, LA at 9:30 PM. I dropped the trailer at the Con-Way Freight there and hooked up to an empty. It's a mess inside and needs to be swept out, but I'm too hungry to do it tonight. A mile back to the I-20 exit where there was a Petro truck stop. Petro's restaurant is called the Iron Skillet because the use small iron skillets instead of plates. I order up a bacon cheese burger, fries, and a sweet tea.

Now it's time for bed. We're headed to San Antonio tomorrow, so I hope you can return to join me. Till then, see ya on the road...

Another Boring Day Spent Going Nowhere

Well I awoke this morning around 6:30 AM in the parking lot of the consignee in Norcross, GA. It wasn't until just after 7:00 that I noticed some activity inside the warehouse, so I went inside to check in. There seemed to be only 2 people there and they were towards the back of the warehouse. I looked for and found the restrooms and then just hung around by the front and waited for one of them to come up. After about 15 minutes, someone came up and said they don't actually start until 8:00, but that I can go ahead and back into the dock. I did and by about 8:30 I was unloaded and sent in my empty message.

Figuring it might be a while before I received my next load assignment, I drove down to the southeast Atlanta loop of I-285 to the Pilot truck stop. There I finally got a shower and then walked a block down the street to have breakfast at Hardee's. A sausage-egg-cheese biscuit, a biscuit & gravy, and a large sweet tea.

It was about another hour after that before I received my next load assignment. I pick up from the shipper a couple miles down the road here in Atlanta and I'm taking it to Shreveport, LA. The bad thing is that I don't pick up the load until Tuesday morning. So another day of sitting around. If I would have known ahead of time that this was going to be my load assignment, I would have went for a bike ride BEFORE taking a shower! Therefore, I just stayed in the truck all day.

Oh well... another boring day going nowhere. And of course going nowhere means not getting paid either.

See ya tomorrow.

Sitting Here in Norcross, GA

Not a whole lot happened today. Just sitting here in Norcross, GA (a few miles NE of Atlanta off I-85). I woke up this morning and read a few of the Psalms and then another chapter in the book "The Exemplary Husband" which I mentioned the other day.

Then my sister called me about 11AM. She and her husband live about 40 minutes away in Woodstock, GA. They had just gotten out of church and will drive over and meet me for lunch. A few blocks away was Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen and the food there was excellent! I had the Seared Blackened Alaskan Halibut in a garlic butter sauce with grilled green beans and a Caesar salad. Wow, that was good!

After lunch we just hung out and talked for about another hour and then went for Bruster's Ice Cream for a cool refreshing treat. They dropped my back off at the truck around 4PM.

Spent a few hours on the phone with my lovely this afternoon/evening and that about summed up my day. Another day of sitting and waiting. Tomorrow I'll get unloaded and back on the road to somewhere. Hopefully I'll have a better week with more miles.

Stay tuned...

From Biloxi to Atlanta

Woke up this morning around 7:00 AM. Had a really good nights sleep. Since I stayed overnight at the Flying J, I decided to go in and have their breakfast buffet. Hey that rhymed! Anyway, that lasted me all the way until dinner tonight.

Drove for a little more than an hour to Satsuma, AL where I stopped for fuel. Then it was non-stop for 5 hours all the way to Atlanta. I can't deliver until Monday morning because the consignee is closed, so I tried to find a truck stop there in Atlanta to park at. Wishful thinking actually! It was almost 4PM by the time I arrived and there wasn't any parking available.

So I continued on over to Norcross, just northeast a few miles up I-85 from Atlanta. That's where I'm delivering to on Monday. I've never been to this place before and was glad to see that their parking lot is open and I can stay here over the weekend. Looks like there's a few restaurants around here as well. The only down side is that I don't have a shower. I'll have to see how it goes. If I decide to go for a bike ride in the morning, I just might have to check into the hotel down the road. Then I could at least get a shower and watch the race on TV tomorrow afternoon also. You'll have to come back and read Sunday's post to find out.

For dinner I started walking down the street, but it looked a little farther than I wanted to walk. Probably a half mile one way and it was getting late, about 7:30 PM. So I decided to drop the trailer and just bobtail down to a restaurant. It turned out to be a good decision, because by the time I finished it had gotten dark. And it rained for a little bit! Although that would have taken care of my shower problem!

Anyway, that's it for today. Till next time...

Eastbound and Down

Woke up this morning at the rest area around 6:30 AM central time there in East Texas. I had to wait until 7:15 to drive in order to reset my daily clock, so I looked up online and sure enough there was a geocache there that I had not yet found. By the time I found it in the woods, signed the log and returned, it was time to go.

I drove just 40 miles down the road to my exit and there was a truck stop there so I stopped in for a quick shower. From there I headed down Hwy 146 to Baytown, TX. About an hour later they had me unloaded and I was headed to my next load.




Just a few miles down and across the water is La Porte, TX where Dow Chemical and my next load is coming from. Another hour later and I'm loaded up and good to go. Back up to the truck stop where I showered to roll across the CAT Scales and have the truck weighed. Another heavy load, 44,000 lbs of those small plastic BB's. I also grabbed a bite for lunch there at McDonald's since I already had to stop.

Now it's off to Georgia. I ran into a 10 mile traffic jam from about 4 miles west of Baton Rouge, LA all the way to I-12 eastbound. I finally decided to park for the night here at a Flying J near Gulfport, MS.

That's it for today. See ya on the road...

From Alabama to Texas

Another long day today. Like I said in yesterdays post, I didn't do much of anything. Sitting around in the truck all day except twice when it came time to eat. That also means I don't burn much energy, so I don't need much sleep. I awoke this morning around 3:00 AM, fully rested and not able to fall back to sleep. I hate when that happens.

Anyway, the crew from the Michael's store arrived about 5:00 AM and began to unload their half of the trailer. The Michael's loads half to be unloaded by hand for the most part. They only put 2 wrapped pallets at the tail end just to hold the rest of it in place. The rest of the 6000+ boxes are just stacked inside the trailer. They usually have a crew of 5-6 store employees who unload by hand. I normally help out too because it just makes things go faster and I can move on to the next stop.

After they started unloading here though, I went back to the truck to catch up my log book from yesterday and get my GPS software ready for the next stop. Then as soon as they're done, I can take off. However, they closed the little side door and I couldn't get inside to help out. Oh well. So I just continued in the truck and waited.

They finished up about 7:00 AM and I was off to Mandeville, LA which was 134 miles away to another Michael's store for the rest of the load. After a quick fuel stop and a run to McDonald's for breakfast, I arrived at the 2nd Michael's store at 10:00 AM. This one was tight backing into their loading dock. I just don't get some of these architects who design these buildings sometimes. What were they thinking?

Anyway, their crew wasn't due in until 10:30 so I had to wait a while yet. That's OK because I looked up online and there was a geocache in this shopping center parking lot. So I went and found it before they arrived. This time I was able to help also and that lasted until about 12:30 when we finally finished. Signed the paperwork, swept out the trailer, and off to pickup the next load.

I arrived in Baton Rouge, LA about 1:45 PM to pick up my next load going to Baytown, TX. They got me loaded pretty quick. They loaded 26 giant bags of Polypropylene weighing in at a total of 41,000 lbs! For you and me that's 26 giants bags of tiny plastic balls that look like BB's. I haul them off to Baytown where they get melted down and formed into something useful.

The problem I ran into today was scaling the load. In other words, going to a truck stop the have the truck/trailer combo weighed. On loads that heavy, I need to make sure that the weight of the drive tires (the eight wheels at the back of the tractor) and the weight of the tandems (the eight wheels at the back of the trailer) do not exceed 34,000 lbs per set. It can be a hefty fine if they do! I should know I've had to pay it TWICE!

Anyway, normally this isn't a problem. But the first truck stop I come to has a line at the scales. I'm 4th in line before everyone begins to realize that the guy who's sitting on the scale's is broken down. So that wasted about 15 minutes to get back on the interstate. At the next exit for truck stops, there were 2 located there. Neither had scales! But they did have a restaurant and by now I'm starving again.

So I ate at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, LA which is so named because they have a rather large cage off to the side of the fuel island with a real live tiger in it. Almost like a mini zoo, but just the one animal and it wasn't a petting zoo. At least I wasn't going to try and pet the tiger!

Speaking of eating, I had their special of the day; BBQ pork ribs and smoked sausage, BBQ beans, green beans, mashed potatoes and some really good corn bread all washed down with some good ole southern sweet tea. It was sooo good! And they also had some home made pies. Even though I was stuffed from the dinner, I got a slice of coconut cream and the chocolate cream pies to go. I'll probably eat them tomorrow. Can't wait!

So now I'm back driving down the highway several miles and come upon another exit with 3 truck stops. One even had a scale, but it was broken. More wasted time. Continuing on down the highway and I finally found a truck stop with a scale just 1 mile before the weigh station! Whew that was close. As it turned out, the trailer balanced out OK and I would've been alright. But you never know for sure and like I said I've been burnt twice before costing almost $200 EACH TIME!

Now I'm parked at a rest area in Texas near the town of Hamshire. I could have driven the remaining 40 miles or so to Baytown, but my 14 hour clock has expired. For those none truckers who don't know what the 11-14-70 hour clocks are, leave a question in the comments below and I'll explain them.

Anyway, the loads not due until 9:00 tomorrow so I have time in the morning to deliver. The downside for today, with all the time wasted looking for a scale I didn't get time to stop for a shower. I was hoping to stay the night at a truck stop further down the interstate at my exit, but I ran out of time.

The life of a truck driver. See ya tomorrow. Good night.

Just a Sittin' and Waitin'

Not much happening today. Just sitting here in Mobile, AL behind a shopping center where I'll be unloading tomorrow morning at 5:00 AM. Of course, just sitting here means that the wheels ain't rolling, which in turn means that I hadn't got paid a dime all day! So between the Waffle House for breakfast and the Super China Buffet for dinner, I actually lost money today.

And since I'm not anywhere I can shower I didn't go for a bike ride or do any geocaching either. Just sitting here in the truck doing a little reading and a few things on the computer. Although it did rain a couple times today, but that's not quite the same as a shower.

The book I'm reading now is called "The Exemplary Husband" by Stuart Scott. It's a biblical perspective on being a proper husband and spiritual leader. So far it has been really good.

From the book: "The overall purpose of The Exemplary Husband is to assist husbands toward purposeful and lasting Christlikeness for the glory of God. It was written to be a companion book for The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace. Couples who commit to the biblical principles presented in these books will find a oneness in marriage that will give God glory and bring His blessing."

I have added a link here for the book if you would like more information on it.

That's all I got for now. I'll be rolling again tomorrow so I look forward to seeing you then.

On The Road Again

Well I'm back on the road again. Had a GREAT weekend though! Spent some time with family, friends, and church. Got to do some more geocaching and off-roading in the Jeep up in the Ocala National Forest. Our friends actually got stuck in a large mud hole in his truck, but hooked up the Jeep and we pulled him out. Except for getting stung on the hand by a wasp yesterday, it was a great 3-day weekend. My hand is still a little sore and swollen.

Today, I started out around 10:00 AM and headed up to Jacksonville, FL to pick up my load. I arrived at the shipper around 1:00 PM. The was a pre-loaded trailer, so a quick drop and hook and I'm on my way westbound. This is also a 2 stop delivery. The first in Mobile, AL and the last in Mandeville, LA.

The difficulty here is how quick to get to Mobile. I can't deliver the first stop until 5:00 AM on Thursday. So what to do in the meantime. It's only 403 miles, so it can easily be done in one day. Do I stay at a truck stop for Wednesday? Do I drive the distance and stay at the receiver? The advantage of that is the location is a retail store in a shopping area. That usually means good restaurants to choose from. Hmmmm. What to do?

I drove until about 5:00 PM, going halfway before stopping at a truck stop for dinner. The Flying J buffet wasn't too bad today so that's what I chose.

After eating I decided to drive all the way to Mobile. This way I have the good restaurants to choose from, plus having sit 2 nights and a day there I'll get a reset again on my work clock.

I arrived here in Mobile around 10:00 PM. Had a little difficulty getting into the parking lot, but not too bad. The cars were mindful and careful not to get into my way. So I was able to maneuver around and park.

That's it for now. Thanks for stopping by and I'll be seeing you out on the highways.

Home Again

Yea, I know this post should have been made yesterday. But upon arriving home last night, the last thing I wanted to do was write a blog page.

Yesterday was a crazy day anyway. Upon waking up, I went to look for the other truck with whom I was to swap loads with. I found him still sleeping so I didn't bother him too much. I later found out he didn't get there until 4:30 AM. So I went inside and had breakfast at the buffet.

After breakfast, I still had plenty of time to kill before my load arrived around 1:00 PM. A few days ago, I was sent a message from the company that regular service maintenance was due on the truck. So I decided to have that done while I waited here also.

By then, the first driver had woke up. And I say first because it was then I found out there was another driver involved in the load swaps. The load I had was going to Indiana which was where he was going home to. The load he had was going to Laredo, TX. There was a 3rd driver bringing me my load going to Orlando. And we assumed that he was the one going to Laredo. However, when he arrived, he didn't know anything about the Laredo run. He checked with his dispatcher and he was going to Houston.

So I hooked up to my trailer going to Orlando. The third driver bobtailed towards Houston. And the second driver was left with 2 trailers. He had found out from his dispatcher that there was a forth driver involved.

So now I'm about an hour down I-10 heading eastbound when I get a message over the Qualcomm stating for me to go back to Marianna to pick up the empty trailer. That an empty trailer can't be left at the truck stop. Well just as I was pulling off to the shoulder to call in and find out what's going on, my phone rings. The fleet manager was calling me. I told him that I had the loaded trailer going to Orlando. He told me that there was a 4th driver involved who had an empty trailer. He was the one taking the Laredo load. So I gave him the truck number of the 3rd driver from whom I got my load. Who was also now bobtailing without a trailer. He then told me to keep going and that it was the 3rd driver he needed to contact to go back and get the empty.

Anyway, what an insane load swap! That was the first multiple trailer swap I've ever been involved in and hopefully the last!

I drove straight in to Orlando, dropped my loaded trailer, hooked up to an empty and then headed home 16 miles away. I arrived here about 9:00 PM, so hopefully you can understand why I am writing this today instead of last night.

I am off for 3 days and will return Tuesday night with my next update. Have a GREAT weekend!

Welcome to Florida!

It feels so good to be back it Florida! Not so much the heat and humidity, but the fact that I'm just that much closer to being home!

Anyway, I had an early wake up this morning. My load was to be ready by 5:00 AM, so I set my alarm for 4:00. I got up and going, checked in, signed the paperwork, hook up to the trailer, and was driving down the road by 5:00. Now 368 miles later, driving straight through without stopping, I arrived in Marianna, FL at 11:00 AM.

After relaying the load with another driver who will be finishing the run, I walk across the street from the truck stop and had lunch at Sonny's BBQ. It's good to have a choice of a decent restaurant once in a while.

While in route driving down here, I received my preplanned load information that will get me the rest of the way home. My next load WAS to be at midnight tonight down in Panama City and bringing it back here to Marianna. But I knew that trying to find a parking spot at a truck stop around midnight is nearly impossible! So I decided to drive down there after lunch instead. This particular shipper is first come first serve, so I can load at any time. So I was able to load and get back in time to grab a parking space.

This load will also be relayed with another driver. The delivery location is Indiana which is the wrong direction for me trying to get to Orlando! Now, I'm waiting to find out when the other driver will be getting here. Probably just after I fall asleep, he'll show up.

The load I'm waiting for is coming here Friday afternoon via another driver. I'll be taking it the rest of the way to Orlando.

So that was it for today. See you down the highways.

Memphis South to Mississippi

Woke up this morning after a great nights sleep. I was so tired by the time I was able to lay down. I stayed overnight at one of our company terminals in West Memphis. Before leaving this morning to cross the Mississippi River and deliver my load to the receiver, I checked in with the local dispatch to try and get an idea what was next for me. I still had a couple of hours before my delivery was due.

Anyway, because I am highlighted to go home this weekend she looked up the available loads headed to Florida. After I unload this morning in Memphis, TN, I go just a few miles away to pickup my next load at 3:00 PM. It's a short 212 mile run down to Jackson, MS. After that she sets me up with another pre-planned load going from Jackson to Marianna, FL. WOHOO! Closer to home! Normally I wouldn't be too happy with the back to back short trips (remember I get paid by the mile), but when I'm trying to get home it's to be expected.

So I leave the terminal and head out. I stop at the McDonald's there in West Memphis for you guessed it; a # 2 combo sausage egg and cheese McMuffin with a large sweet tea! Then I crossed the river, looped around the I-240 south and deliver my load. Here I was able to drop my loaded trailer and hook up to an empty. This is always a lot quicker. I send in my empty message over the Qualcomm (kinda like an onboard computer that most trucks have) and get back the info for my next load. I program the addresses into my laptop, send a copy of the map to my lovely wife via email, and drive the couple of miles around the corner to the next shipper.

While waiting there for a few hours, I look up some geocaches but there's nothing close. The nearest was 2.7 miles away and that's in a straight line! Using the roads, probably more like 3.5-4 miles away. I didn't want to ride my bike this time because it may be tomorrow before I get to a shower again. But at that shipper, I was able to drop my trailer upon arrival. So I checked the satellite image and it looks as though there could be parking nearby. So I bobtailed over there and found the cache. Hmmm. I didn't know there was a government earthquake research center in Tennessee. But that's where this cache was hidden. That's one of the things that make geocaching fun, finding interesting places. Anyway, back to the shipper.

They get my load ready at 3:00 PM. I hook up to the new trailer and head south on I-55. A straight shot on down to Jackson, MS 212 miles away. I arrived here about 6:30 PM. I dropped the trailer and went inside to turn in the paperwork. I'll be picking up my next load here also at 5:00 AM tomorrow so this is where I'll be sleeping.

First I go about a mile back up the road where there was a Flying J Travel Center. Order me an ice cream sundae to eat and drive back after I finish. That's about it for me today. See ya tomorrow over in Florida!

Made it to Memphis

Well I finally finished my Tuesday on Wednesday. As you can see by the date of this post, it is real early on Wednesday morning. Another looooong day for me.

It started out pretty good. I had plenty of time to make my pickup at the shipper and plenty of time to make the delivery. When I woke up it was a cool morning, around 72 degrees. I didn't have to pick up my load at the shipper until 5:00 PM. So I got the bike down to go for a ride along the Mississippi River walk here in Muscatine, IA and do some geocaching. Kind of a gloomy morning actually. Low overcast clouds, I thought it might rain on me. So I left my camera behind just in case. The round trip was 11.8 miles and I found 9 caches.

After getting back to the truck and hanging the bike up it was almost noon. So I went inside to Blimpies and ate a Philly cheesesteak sub.

Started driving down to the shipper about 12:30, just in case they may have it ready early. Just as I was pulling into the city of Burlington, about 3 miles from the shipper, I get a message that the load has been unassigned and I'm given a new load. So I find a place to pull over and see what was going on. Further messages now have me going 40 miles further to Keokuk, IA with a pickup time of 3:00 PM. And it delivers in Memphis on Wednesday morning instead of Thursday. OK. So I program my GPS for Keokuk and keep heading south on US61 to the southeast tip where Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois all come together.

The shipper finished loading around 5:00 PM and I continue south. I'm still on US61, so I occassionally hit some towns and stop lights. Normally I don't mind except when I'm heavy. And this load is heavy! I've got 44,000 lbs of some kind of food product used in processed foods. Not exactly sure what it is. Probably all those ingredients on the label that you really don't know what they are. Not until I reach St Louis where I get on I-55 do I not have to worry about stop lights.

A quick stop in Pevely, MO for a McD's burger and sweet tea to go around 8PM and I'm again on my way. I also encountered some serious rain, lightning, wind, and a little hail for about 50 miles in the southern part of Missouri. Watching the lightning from a distance was pretty cool. I used to enjoy that as a boy growing up in Florida. But once I got into the middle of the storm, the lightning was striking all around me. A couple of times hitting lights posts on the overpasses within a hundred yards from me. The flashes were so bright at times, it was light driving at night with a bright strobe light mounted on your hood causing brief moments of blindness.

But just before I hit the Arkansas state line, the rain cleared up and was all in my rearview mirrors. Now just 70 miles to West Memphis were I'll be parking for the night. I pulled into our terminal here about 12:30 central time. Went inside for a shower and now I'm writing this to you. Time for bed.

Good night and see ya tomorrow.

Still Stuck in Iowa

Well I didn't get very far. Unloaded this morning along with another CFI/Con-Way driver. After about an hour of waiting for my next load assignment, I went for a bike ride to grab some geocaches. There were 4 along the bike trail which ran along side where I was parked. The total round trip ride was only about 7 miles this time out. But I was able to snag all 4 finds. One of which posed to be very difficult, but I was able to find it at the last moment.

By the time I got back to the truck about noon, I was hot, sweaty, and hungry! I still had not yet received a load assignment yet. I saw one of the warehouse workers sitting outside reading a magazine so I stopped to talk to him for a while. I first asked him about a good place to eat in the area. Then we got talking about politics and the health care issue. We also discussed the fact that their warehouse/factory was down from 300 to 100 employees. Most of their manufacturing has been shipped to Mexico. But his day is spent unloading a few trucks once in a while, but mostly they sit around reading magazines and try to keep from falling asleep. Then I found out they are a union shop and what they get paid. $20 per hour for unloading trucks and $13 an hour for doing nothing. And they can't understand why their jobs are being shipped to Mexico!

Anyway, if I stay on that subject I'll never stop.

By the time we finished talking, it was about 1:00 and I'm STILL hungry. And I received a load assignment. I went to the truck to check my messages. They gave me a load to NORTH DAKOTA!!! So I replied back wondering why if I'm supposed to be going home to FLORIDA! Wrong direction. After a few minutes, they unassigned the load from me.

Then another 30 minutes later I received another load assignment going to Mississippi. However it doesn't pickup from the shipper until tomorrow afternoon down in Burlington, IA. So I have a day and a half to drive 150 miles. So I map out the route and write down all the info.

Now it's about 2:15 and I still haven't gotten anything to eat. I ride my bike a block down the road the suggested tavern for a burger. The bar tender tells me the kitchen closed at 2:00 and won't be open again until 5:00. Great, the only thing I've eaten all day was a donut at 7:30 AM the warehouse had.

So, I hang the bike up and head on down the road. About 30 miles later, I see a McDonald's with truck parking. I get the Angus bacon cheeseburger, fries and a LARGE sweet tea!

Then it was about another 30 miles down the road, I come across a Flying J truck stop. There I was finally able to get a shower. But wait.... there's 4 geocaches within a half mile from the truck stop! I can't let them just sit there without trying. So before I get the shower, I program them into the GPSr and go for a walk. I find 3 of the 4 caches. I found the location for the 4th one, but it just wasn't there. Another MIA cache. Now, off to the showers!

I stopped for the night here in Muscatine, IA at a small truck stop. Only about 30 miles left to go tomorrow to the shipper. Hmmm maybe there's some caches in this town I can get in the morning.

Until then, see you on down the road.

Going to Iowa

Woke up this morning in Kansas City, KS to a cool clear 62 degrees. So much for global warming. It felt great! If this is global warming, let's keep it going.

Received my next load assignment around 8:00 AM. The pick up location was just across the river in Kansas City, MO at one of our drop yards. The destination is in Dubuque, IA about 398 miles away and doesn't have to be there until 10:00 AM on tomorrow. So I got plenty of time.

Looked up some geocaches along the route and then headed out to the drop yard about 10:30. Hooked up to the loaded trailer and was on the road northbound by 11:00. I drove straight through Missouri. Stopped at 2 different rest areas along I-35 in Iowa to grab the hidden geocaches there. Finally about 3:00 PM, I stopped at a Pilot truck stop in Des Moines, IA for a shower and a bite to eat. Since I had not eaten breakfast or lunch yet, the buffet looked pretty darn good! I think I ate enough for today and tomorrow!

I hit the road again about 4:30 PM and stopped at the next rest area along I-80 eastbound. I picked up the 2 geocaches that were hidden there and met another cacher along with his 2 sons. They were heading back to Michigan. We talked for a few minutes and then kept going.

Two more rest stops and two more caches. I reached my location in Dubuque, IA about 7:00 PM. The place was closed but they doo have plenty of overnight parking available so this is where I'm at. Looked up another cache about a half mile away, but by the time I walked down there it was just a little too dark to find it. If I have time in the morning, I just might give it another try.

Anyway, that's it for now. Sorry no photos today. See you again tomorrow. Hopefully headed in a direction towards Florida. I'd like to get home this weekend.

Taking My Time and Seeing Some Sights

Well today was a more relaxed day. My load today was ready a bit earlier than expected at 8:00 AM instead of 10:00 AM. It was only a 478 mile trip from Plainfield, IN to Kansas City, KS and I had two days to get it there. Although I still wanted to deliver it today which wasn't a problem. This just meant I can take my time and do some sight seeing and geocaching along the way.

So I jumped onto I-70 and headed westbound. After about an hour I came upon a Pilot Truck stop with a McDonald's so I pulled in for my usual McD's #2 breakfast consisting of a sausage McMuffin meal with a large sweet tea. Sometimes I'll add and orange juice for something healthy, but not today.

Continuing down the highway, today I finally had a chance to pull off the highway and visit a sight which I have passed by many times before. The giant Cross in Effingham, IL at the junctions of I-70 and I-57. Completed in July of 2001, this giant cross stands 198 feet into the air. Around the base of the cross are 10 monuments dedicated to each of the 10 commandments which also include a short audio message. There's also a chapel on site nearby. I'm glad I finally got a chance to visit this inspiration site.

I caught a little rain shower around St. Louis, MO, but it wasn't much for this Florida native.

About 4:30 PM I stopped at a T/A in Concordia, MO for dinner (spaghetti and meatballs). After dinner, I drove down a few more miles to a Pilot truck stop where I fueled up. Then it was only about an hour before reaching my destination in Kansas City, KS.

Between the two Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO, the Kansas and Missouri Rivers converge into the Missouri River. This was also a campsite for the Louis and Clark Expedition in 1804. So after I dropped my trailer at the destination, I bobtailed down to the campsite area which sites behind some warehouses. Kinda unusual having this historical park in an industrial area. There wasn't much "industry" going on this Saturday afternoon, but there were a few people fishing, some families having a cookout, and some boaters out on the river. There's also a few geocaches here which is how I found it to begin with, and that's what I'm after!

Anyway, now I'm back at the Con-Way Freight yard which was my destination. There are 17 Con-Way Truckload drivers available for loads right now in the Kansas City area so I'll probably be sitting here until sometime Sunday. Hopefully NOT until Monday! I'll let you know tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.