Well I’m back folks. So here’s the trucker journal of doom once again.
January 20:
We left on Friday night for Clinton, Iowa and got a load to New Mexico which was great, except that the place is closed on the weekend and we got here Saturday afternoon. And they would not let us relay so we are stuck here until Monday, assuming there is a load out, which at this point looks not likely so we may have a mini vacation. The problem is we are both broke-ish and we don’t get paid, likely till Thursday so we are major screwed. But hell, it’s not like there’s anything to do. Moriarty, New Mexico is a town of nothing.
January 23:
Well, we delivered the load on Monday am and went to the TA in Albuquerque and sat there until this afternoon. Man did we start going stir crazy. We have no money, no idea where anything is, no way to get there, and no hope of ever leaving New Mexico. Both Paul and I got attacked by panhandlers and bums begging for money, my guy actually started crying to try to get money from me. Didn’t work. Pauls guy on the other hand laid down the “nice guy hitting hard times” trick and it worked. He said he was getting his truck worked on and needed twenty dollars for a hotel room. He gave Paul the key to his truck and said he would pay him back when his sister or some shit wired him money later that day. Well the dude never came back, he had handed Paul a key to nothing that he probably found on the ground. Sucker. So anyway we got a load now but we can’t pick it up until the morning. And the load is in Portales, NM which is a few hundred miles away so we took off early so we could go to Fort Sumner and see Billy the Kid’s grave which was pretty neat though it was quite difficult getting the semi in there cause the road was very narrow. Luckily the place where he is buried has a museum/gift shop there and they had a large empty parking lot where we could get the truck turned around and back towards the interstate. Lucky for us the place was closed or we would have never gotten out of there if cars were in the lot. So anyway, we hit up Santa Rosa for showers and sleep until morning where we will run the last hour or so down to Portales to pick up our load and we should be in California in no time. At least I hope so since the load delivers on the 25th before noon. Oh, and evidently, Chineese women do not know the meaning of “I have no money” since I got attacked by the Chineese massage ladies and they would not give up. Of course I had no money so eventually they had to. I would have taken a free massage though. Well, I get paid tomorrow so maybe next time. Until then, I’m going to try to calm my rumbling stomach with some pepsi and wheat thins with a pop-tart chaser. Oh yeah and I guess Fred Thompson bowed out of the race so Zach will be pissed. But then again Heath Ledger died, and I have no idea what that has to do with anything. So later. God I want to ride my Guzzi right now.
January 25:
Made it to California with the maxed out load of peanuts. Hit snow in Flagstaff, Arizona again. There was a semi jacknifed in the median and he had his trailer sticking out into the passing lane which was kinda scary since I didn’t know if the truck next to me was going to hit me to miss him. He missed both of us thankfully. Hit snow again in California in a mountain briefly which was heavier but much more isolated. We pick up a load tonight in Livermore, CA a suberb of San Francisco and it delivers in Swedesboro, New Jersey. So we finally got a good load, almost 3000 miles. Not looking forward to driving over Donner Pass at night with the recent reports of snow there. But I am looking forward to a decent paycheck. And also looking forward to two new states, Delaware and New Jersey. And I get to visit Wheeling, WV again and it’s fun tunnel. And that sounds bad. And I have a few things on my mind. First of all, is it really that hard to lift the freaking seat up on the toilet before you piss? Cause I’m tired of having to wipe up someone elses fucking piss before I sit down. And why is it that people choose the bathroom to talk about Jesus? I mean, I think I would take your religious diatribes more seriously if I were not sitting with my pants around my ankles with a log hangin out of my pooper. Y’know? And also, I’m tired of 4 wheelers (cars) getting mad cause the slow semi is in the way. We don’t take off from a stop fast enough, we take too long to slow down, we need too much room to turn. Those are all well and good, but you have to realize that there is almost nothing in this world that gets to you without a semi being involved somehow. If you really think about it. Everything from the food you eat, the clothes you wear, even the car or motorcycle you drive. It all got there via a truck. Now you can pull the boat or train thing out (hi Ted) but when is the last time you saw a container ship or a train unloading at a Wal-Mart or Best Buy? Never. Even if you use a ship, a plane, or a train, it still has to get there at least part of the way by truck. So just think about that next time you get mad at a truck for being in your way, cause if it weren’t for that truck, you wouldn’t have anything to go to. Thank you for your time and attention, BoBo out.
January 28:
We sit tonight in Hagerstown, MD waiting for the place to open that we are delivering to. Made it over Donner Pass without incident though Paul hit bad weather in Utah and Wyoming but we made it still. And just in time as well, the weather report says almost the whole west is bad. All the mountain passes are either closed or requiring chains, Flagstaff, Arizona is going to get 8 inches of snow, it’s bad all over up there. But it’s just fine here in Maryland. This load is funny, cause we have to deliver it in four different cities before it is unloaded completely. We drop some of it off in Martinsburg, West Virginia tomorrow morning, and then some more in Baltimore, Maryland. Then we go to Swedesboro, New Jersey and drop some more off, and finally we go to Reading, Pennsylvania and drop the last of it off. Four dropoffs, four cities, in four different states all in two days. Yep, its gonna be interesting. But, I haven’t been to any of these places before so that will be neat in and of itself. Two new states and a bunch of new cities. Plus I get to say that within 400 miles, I was in and out of West Virginia three times. It’s wierd, I’m in Ohio on I-70 and you cross into West Virginia at Wheeling, and then you cross back over into Pennsylvania 15 miles later. Well then I hit I-79 and went south, and ran into West Virginia again, then I hit I-68 and went east and ran into Maryland. Well then I have to hit I-81 to go to Martinsburg and run into, surprise, West Virginia, again. Anyways, its off to bed so we can get up early and get this load delivered, four times.
February 4:
Whew! It’s been a few days so I gotta lot of catching up to do it looks like. Made the quad drops without incident for the most part. Made all but the Reading one on the 29th and then had to make the last one on the 30th. Saw some fun things. People in Jersey (pronounced Joy-see) are neat. Witnessed a truck rupture its fuel tank by dropping a steer tire into a manhole. That had to suck. Picked up a load in Pennsylvania and headed to the Chicago area with that. Hit some fun back roads in Pennsylvania that were just gorgeous. Had a nine percent grade on one of the roads which was the steepest I’ve been in a semi so far. Made the drop in Chicago which was a relay meaning someone else will actually deliver it at the final destination (Tacoma, WA). We then picked up a relay but this one the opposite end. Meaning we took it all of 45 miles to the other side of town. Got stuck in rush hour traffic and then six hours at the shipper waiting to get unloaded. Then headed to even farther on the other side of town to pick up another load. This time it would go to Salt Lake City, Utah, or so we thought it would. They ended up calling us and telling us to take it to Portland, Oregon instead. And of course we started off this trip by getting stuck in evening rush hour traffic and a huge snowstorm. Many many cars and trucks in the ditches. I actually watched two different vehicles in two different places go in the ditch which is always fun cause you have to wonder what is being said and or thought in those cars at that time. Anyway, the roads got icy by the time I got to Walcott so I decided to shut down until morning so we could get some sleep and let the ice melt off the roads. Well it was a good thing we stopped because we had two flat tires on the trailer and we ended up having two of our tire chains stolen off the truck and one replaced with a broken one. So we got up early and took the truck to the TA shop and they put on two new retread tires and got us two new tire chains and away we were again. Oh and on a side note, one of the things that really sucks about trucking is when you have to shit. I’ll elaborate. Being that the roads were bad and it was late at night, the I-80 truckstop, as huge as it is, was almost full. So I had to park really really really far away from the actual building. Well I parked and Paul was sleeping so I walked up to the truckstop and mailed our paperwork and looked for some food. Since it was late, the only option left was the sit down place or Wendys, and since I was tired I opted for the fast food. So I had my food went to the bathroom and trudged back out to the truck. I then got undressed and made my bed and crawled up to the top bunk for sleep. And almost as soon as I layed down, the Wendy’s shits hit me. So I had to crawl back down, get dressed, and trudge back to the building which mind you, it’s cold, snowing, wind blowing, and dark. Then I have to walk all the way back again, along the way, falling down on the ice and making my bad leg feel worse. Luckily it didn’t hit a second time.
So anyway, we make it out of Iowa and head across Nebraska and Wyoming, and then Utah and Idaho. We stopped in Utah in Snowville and had a nice breakfast at a local joint. Cool little town if you ever get a chance to stop. Anywho, we didn’t hit trouble until Oregon where Paul lost traction on some icy roads and became afraid we would not make it up the hill. So we had to put the chains on for the first time. And it really sucks. It’s cold and windy and your on the side of the road with trucks whizzing by and your on your hands and knees in the snow trying to put on these heavy ass chains that are all rusty and shit. Oh it had to suck for Paul to do that. But then the worse part is you can only go about 25mph with them on and it’s noisy. So we get the chains on and take off, and a few miles down the road the ice goes away and the roads are nice again. Just great we think. But we know the mountain pass is requireing chains to proceed so we don’t want to take them off and then have to put them back on again a little while later so we just kept going. But then of course when we get to the pass there are no cops checking for chains and the roads weren’t really that bad so we could have went without them. Then we had to stop to take the chains off which also sucks. In all, one set of chains fell off completely and are lost to time and we broke two others and I don’t think we gained much time if any by doing it. So bottom line is, I don’t think we will chain up anymore. We’ll just shut down and wait for the pass to open unrestricted. And so we made it to Portland and made the drop. Now we are at the Troutdale TA sitting all day Sunday waiting for a load hopefully Monday morning. But that’s okay cause we got to shower and have some Popeyes and watch the Superbowl at the bar. Which, yes I was surprised as well, there is a bar at the truckstop. And I talked to a quirky French-Canadian truck driver that I never learned the name of. All in all, an eventfull week and a welcome one since we had been hurting for miles and money and all of a sudden the loads came pouring back in. Hopefully it lasts cause we need money. Especially if I’m gonna go to Malibu in June. So with all that, I’ll finally leave you alone and go back to being a trucker again. Ciao.
February 5:
Well we got a load coming out of The Dalles, Oregon hauling aluminum to New Albany, Mississippi. Thats the good news. The other good news was the cabbage was clear and we didn’t have to chain up this time. The bad news is I-84 is shut down from the I-86 split to the Utah state line due to high winds, blowing and drifting snow, and white out conditions. I contacted dispatch and they say I can’t go around and to just sit and wait until the road re-opens. I wanted to just take I-86 east to I-15 south and go around but evidently it’s too far out of route. So I found a place to sit and now I play the waiting game. I love winter. The good thing is we got re-supplied in Boise truck-wise. Meaning we got the fuel filter replaced, three jugs of washer fluid, new chains to replace the broken and/or missing ones, and new wiper blades, and of course fuel. I still don’t have food and I’m out of Pepsi and Grape soda but at least we can see out of the windows again. From the land of the potatoe people……BoBo out.
February 8:
What a crazy week weather wise! Iowa recieved over a foot of snow in places, there was a deadly tornado outbreak in the Tennessee and surrounding states area that killed something like 40 people, and we seemed to miss it all. The road re-opened in Idaho and we made it safely across Utah. Saw some elk and deer, probably out looking for food since everything was buried under fresh snowfall. Got into Wyoming and hit some icy patches and blowing snow and it’s usual batch of fresh vehicles in ditches. Met a neat German lady in her 50s that happens to be a truck driver from Florida now. Who knew. Well then Nebraska was better but still icy in places, but then by Missouri it got much better. We ran into wet pavement and then some light rain and then nothing. It cleared up and by the time we made it to Mississippi it was gorgeous. Came up on a flatbed that lost half his load on the passing lane in the middle of the night in Memphis, that wasn’t fun. Especially since a semi was passing me at the time and we both had to jab the breaks and I just hoped he didn’t try to merge into me. So anyway, we stop at a Wal-Mart and park for the night since the place we delivered to was not 24hrs. We made the drop in the morning and had a message to head to Birmingham, Alabama to pick up the next load but of course, this one can’t be picked up until the morning so we headed over here to Birmingham and got fuel, turned in paperwork, showered, and got some food. Paul has a cousin that lives down here and she met us for lunch (shes not old enough people so stop what you’re probably thinking) and by lunch I mean supper. And now it’s time for bed so we can get up and pick up the load by 5am. Oh and it’s heading to Henderson, Colorado which is near Denver. And from there we should be headed home so we shall see. Can’t wait to see Exodus live in concert! Oh, yeah, and I guess all my friends and family too…..BoBo
February 10:
Jesus christ it’s cold out! Wow. We made the trip from Alabama to Colorado without much incident. Had fun trying to back the trailer up to this goofy dock in Boulder. Don’t even ask. And now we are in Joliet, Illinois and it’s -2. And the sun is still out. Brrrrr. We lucked out in Colorado. We were supposed to pick up the load Sunday morning and deliver Monday but it cancelled and we got the same load only a day earlier. So now we are here waiting for orders for Monday morning so we can get back home. The good thing about this is Kari and Putz made the journey here to hang out and have supper with us. What a neat end to our long journey. But it was a fun journey. And we got to eat at Cracker Barrell. Well, if all goes well, we should be home tomorrow early afternoon. Fingers are crossed. Wish it were a bit warmer though.
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So here I sit at home once again. Anyway, Exodus is playing on valentines day, who’s coming? I’ll be home probably until next monday so come see me while you can.
Oh and before I go, have some trips.
Cedar Rapids, IA to Clinton, IA
Hwy 30
Clinton, IA to Albuquerque, New Mexico
HWY 30 - Hwy 64 - I-80 - I-35 - Hwy 50 - Ks hwy 61 - Hwy 54 - I-40
Albuquerque, NM to Portales, NM
I-40 - HWY 84 - HWY 60 - HWY 70
Portales, NM to Pajaro, CA
HWY 70 - HWY 60 - HWY 84 - I-40 - CA 58 - CA 99 - CA 119 - I-5 - CA 33 - CA 152 - CA 156 - HWY 101 - CA 129
Pajaro, CA to Livermore, CA
CA 129 - HWY 101 - CA 156 - CA 152 - I-5 - I-580
Livermore, CA to Martinsburg, WV
I-580 - I-205 - I-5 - I-80 - I-74 - I-55 - I-74 - I-79 - I-68 - I-70 - I-81
Martinsburg, WV to Baltimore, MD
I-81 - I-70
Baltimore, MD to Swedesboro, NJ
I-70 - I-695 - I-95 - I-295 - US 322
Swedesboro, NJ to Reading, PA
I-295 - I-95 - I-476 - I-76 - US 422
Reading, PA to Breinigsville, PA
US 422 - US 222
Breinigsville, PA to Calumet City, IL
US 222 - PA 100 - PA 309 - I-81 - I-80 - I-76 - I-71 - US 30 - I-65 - I-80 - I-94
Calumet City, IL to Carol Stream, IL
I-94 - I-90 - I-290 - IL 64
Carol Stream, IL to Wheeling, IL
IL 64 - I-55 - I-290 - IL 53
Wheeling, IL to Clackamas, OR
IL 53 - I-290 - I-55 - I-80 - I-84 - I-205
Clackamas, OR to The Dalles, OR
I-205 - I-84
The Dalles, OR to New Albany, MS
I-84 - I-80 - NE 2 - I-29 - I-435 - I-70 - I-270 - I-55 - MS 302 - US 78
New Albany, MS to Bessimer, AL
US 78 - AL 69 - I-20
Bessimer, AL to Henderson, CO
US-11 - AL-5 - AL-118 - US-78 - I-240 - I-55 - I-40 - Muskogee Turnpike - OK-51 - US-64 - US-412 - I-35 - I-135 - I-70 - CO-E470
Boulder, CO to Joliet, Ill
I-76 - I-80
Calumet City, Ill to Cedar Rapids, IA
I-80 - I-380
Okay, I’m going away now. See you all later.
BoBo