Amarillo to Albuquerque - 299 Miles

Today was a short drive to a warmer climate. Started out in Amarillo, TX at about 19 degrees out. It took a while to venture out into the cold, but I eventually did.

I was at the Flying J on the north side of I-40 and drove across the highway to the Tourist Center on the south side to look for a Geocache. Spent about an hour and could not find it. I just don't like it when I come up empty.

Then I drive a mile down the frontage road on the north side again heading west to an abandoned gas station where there was supposed to be another Geocache hidden. I didn't find that one either. ARGHH!! Strike 2!

OK, one more to go after. Another mile down the frontage road was The Big Texan Steak House. One of the roadside attractions from the Route 66 days. I did find the Texas sized Geocache there. It was the size of your typical plastic storage bin you keep all your Christmas decorations in. After finding the cache, I decided to go inside and eat. It was still a little early, so I had breakfast instead of BBQ.

Finally about 11AM, I'm out on I-40 westbound headed to NM. Just over an hour later I stop at the New Mexico welcome center in Glenrio to grab another cache. This one I found also.

Then continue west all the way to Albuquerque where I am parked for the night. A short drive today, only 299 miles. I did get to temperatures as high as 57 degrees across NM, but as I climbed higher towards Albuquerque they dropped back down into the upper 40's.

Tomorrow I deliver at 7am about 20 miles north of here. But there's no place to park there. So I'm staying put here at the T/A.

That's it for now. Here's a few pics for you to enjoy. See ya later.

I also passed by Cadillac Ranch along I-40 on the west side of town.

From Central Florida to North Carolina - 662 Miles

Having these past 6 days off made it really tough to get out of bed this morning. Especially since I had the alarm set for 5am! But I had a full days drive and I wanted to beat the other 3 Con-Way drivers whom I knew had the same load as I. One of which had an hour head start on me. The other two loaded after me. But I didn't go far last night.

Anyway, by the time I rolled out of bed and got ready to go, it was about 6:15 AM. I left the Pilot truck stop in Wildwood, FL and jumped onto I-75 northbound. Turned off into Ocala and over to US301 northbound all the way to I-10. Then I-10 east to Jacksonville, I-295 north loop to I-95 northbound.

At 9:15 AM, I stopped at the Flying J Travel Center in Brunswick, GA for their breakfast buffet. Took my time and relaxed a bit too, talking with a couple of others drivers too. At 10:15, it was back on the highway.

Through South Carolina and then stopping in Dunn, NC at 3:45 for fuel at the Pilot Travel Center.

I arrived at the Lowe's DC in Garysburg, NC at 5:45 pm. Turns out that I was the 1st of the Con-Way drivers to make it here. Not sure what happened to the others. Maybe they'll arrive here at the truck stop which I'm parked at tonight and I'll see them in the morning.

Anyway, a quick drop of the loaded trailer and hooking to an empty. Then I drive 4 miles north on I-95 to the Pilot truck stop here in Pheasant Hill, NC, just a couple miles south of the Virginia state line. Dinner at the Subway and that about does it for me.

Thanks for stopping by. See ya tomorrow.

Not Much Happening Today

Woke up around 6:00 AM this morning parked at the consignee. I was the only truck there to get unloaded. They came in and unloaded the trailer around 8:00. Afterwards I swept it out because they left a mess.

I checked to see where I was on the board to help determine how long it might be to receive my next load assignment. Well I was #5 so it was probably going to be a while. Therefore I decided to drive the 5 miles down to the Flying J.

Got to the Flying J around 9:30 and went inside to get a shave and shower. By then I moved up to #4 on the board.

I had been here before and knew there weren't any close Geocaches, but I looked it up anyway. Yep, same as before. The nearest cache was 1.5 miles away. I was probably going to be here for several hours so I decided to take a walk. Plus I was starting to get hungry.

Started walking down towards the cache around 11:15. Found it with ease and headed back. All the restaurants were fast food, so I once again settled for the McDonald's. They got the Monopoly Game going so it's hard to pass up. Plus the sweet tea too!

After the 3 mile round trip walk and lunch I got back to the truck about 1:30. At 2PM, they finally assigned me a load. It didn't pickup until 5PM just across the river in Kansas. So I mapped it all out and then just hung out in the truck.

I left the Flying J at 4:30 and arrived in Shawnee, KS at 5:00. By 6:00, I'm back on the road to I-70 eastbound. This loads going all the way to Pompano Beach, FL. AND it doesn't deliver until Tuesday morning, so I'll get to spend at least one night at home!

I drove as far as Wright City, MO tonight just 228 miles. But it's 9:30 here which 10:30 for my body clock and I'm gettin tired.

So like I said, not much happening today. See you back again tomorrow.

A Visit With An Old Friend

Welcome back friends. And speaking of friends, one of the advantages of being a truck driver is having an occasion to visit with friends who may have moved on to other parts of the country. Today was one of those occasions.

I woke this morning in Independence, MS, which is about 30 miles east of Jackson. I drove the short distance to Jackson and parked over at the Pilot Travel Center about 7:30 where I was finally able to get a shower. I was hoping to get here last night but my clock ran out.

After my shower I drove across the highway to the Flying J for some breakfast. There I was to meet an old friend whom I hadn't seen in 17-18 years. She showed up around 10:00 and we chatted over coffee and sweet tea. I had the sweet tea of course. It was good catching up, but we both had to get back to work. We said our goodbye's around 11:30 and I continued on I-20 westbound.

A quick stop in Shady Grove, TX at a Pilot with a McDonald's around 4:30 so I can get a sweet tea to go. My intentions were to go back to the truck and make a sandwich, but I couldn't resist the aroma of a burger so I got one of their 1/3 pounder Angus burgers too.

Then by 6:45 I am in downtown Dallas at the Sear's Distribution Center dropping my trailer. Picked up an empty and proceeded down I-35E south 11 miles to Lancaster where we have a terminal. That is where I sit now and will probably be until tomorrow.

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

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 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...

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!