NOVEMBER 10, 1989, 2009

FIRST 5 YEARS: (Friday-Little Bonanza, Utah)

Awoke at 6 AM Utah time so I would be up when the crew got here. I found a moving van sitting next to me with the driver sitting at it's wheel. I talked to the driver(Dan was his name) and he had gotten this loud from a broker(Brokers find loads for trucks and get part of the pay). I forgot where his load was going. The crew finally drives in in a bus. I found out that they are all bussed in from Vernal, Utah. The residence are all bussed in??!!! After everyone got to there work stations and down to work, we(the moving van and I) were escorted to docks away from the main buildings and over a hill. We both opened our doors and backed to the docks. The guys working the dock were all covered in masks and wore throw away white suits with shoe covers. All these pieces of covering are taped together. I and Dan asked why all the covering. They said this stuff is really messy. It is called Gilsonite(natural asphalt) and it has a really dark purple color. Dan decided to pick up his blankets as they were laying throughout his trailer. I helped him pick up and store his blankets and he gave me a bland new heavy one. It took till about 1 PM to get me loaded and longer to get the paperwork ready. They had a truck scale and I asked them to weigh my truck with the load of 45,000 lbs. Since the scale couldn't be trusted-(probably never saw someone to certify it), I just got it so it weighed about the same on the trailer tandems(trailer double axles) and my tractor tandems(tractor's double drive axles). I also checked to see how it read on my steering wheels. Things are close but I will be OK. Took my mileage as when I fill with fuel, I don't want to put in anymore than I burn. Will figure my fuel at 6.5 mpg. The manager showed me a road that's not on the map and will save me about 45 miles he claims. I took that road and left at 2 PM (MST). Caught Hwy 64 north to Dinosaur, Colorado. I stopped at the post office and mailed 3 postcards to my kids with the Dinosaur post office stamp on it. Left east of Hwy 40 and got a lot a frustrating up and down driving. Yeah, the weight of the load stops one from keeping the speed up going up a hills and them trying to keep it within the speed limit going down a hill. Got into Steamboat Springs, Colorado and I just fell in love with this town...”Love at first sight” even if it is 6:30 and after dark. Didn't stop and shortly hit a very steep grade. No runs at this grade as it was steep before you get to the steep part. How steep??? How about 4^th gear in low range for about 20 to 30 minutes. I was working my way over “Rabbit Ears Pass”. Finally over it and caught Hwy 14 north to Walden, Colorado. Caught Hwy 125 north where I descended a 6 % graded for 6 miles. With this weight on, special attention had to be paid to my downhill decent. Took Hwy 230 into Wyoming and then into Laramie where I stopped for a break at 10 PM. I finished my calendar day off by crossing the border into Nebraska....