FIRST 5 YEARS:(Saturday-McAlester, Oklahoma)
I was up and heading up Hwy 69 by 6 AM CST. Continued to I-44 and headed into Missouri, getting off at Joplin. When I got to the Joplin, Missouri terminal, I had to go through the inspection bay and so I did. They found a wheel seal leaking on my rear left duel tires of my tractor. I had to drop the trailer and they took my tractor right into the repair bay and got to work on it.
By 12:15 PM CST I was back on the road toward Fulton, Missouri to pick up my son so he could ride with me a couple weeks. I took I-44 northeast to Lebanon, Missouri where I took Hwy 5 north to Camdenton, Missouri and got on Hwy 54 north to Fulton.
I was sitting next to a Radio Shack at 5 PM CST and went in and asked manager-who was familiar with me-if I could drop the trailer next to his building. I assured him it would be gone be tomorrow afternoon. He said fine. I dropped the trailer out of the way and put a lock on the King Pin(makes trailer unable to be hooked to a fifth wheel-wheel the trailer sits on) and made sure the trailer doors were locked.
I called my ex-wife and asked if I could come get Bill's(oldest son) things he was taking with us. She said yes and I drove out to the house 5 miles into the country. Bill and I loaded his things in the tractor and got it all straightened up. I went to church and parked in the parking lot for the night...
I kept a day by day journal the first 5 years I was enjoying North America. While earning a living,I kept track of where I went, often what I did, feelings I had and various other details. I am writing this blog day by day as I lived it. The month/day I lived it is the same as the month/day I write about it. The years are obviously different...thus the days title: ie: August 30, 1989, 2009.
About Me
- The Protraveller...
- Starting as a preschooler, I remember my Grandfather bringing me rocks from his trips he took after he retired. Each rock had a story to tell. In the sixth grade, I watched a freeway be built and then wondered where all the trucks would go. I remember in high school looking at the mountains and wanting to travel. I did many jobs BEFORE trucking but I always wondered what driving would by like. I really wanted to see things and drive a big truck. So after almost finishing nursing school, a divorce and three cute little kids, I became a truck driver. While earning a living, I found myself enjoying North America and seeing the land and people. NO ONE ENJOYED TRAVELING MORE THAN ME. There are two things I have enjoyed in this life and they are traveling and writing. I use to call myself "Protourist" but my Mother-in-law and Wife would become upset with me as they know I really love THE "travel" and not THE stopping to see things. I now call myself "protraveller"(I like it with a double "L") and my Mother-in-law and Wife are now happy!!! I love to write and this blog gives me the opportunity to share my past and thoughts with the public.
About this blog's layout...BLOG UPDATED ONCE PER DAY...
I follow my journal daily by writing under the daily title, "FIRST 5 YEARS:" The first five years will strictly follow my 5 year journal. If I find the day I am writing about to be boring, I will either write about thoughts I remember(placed under the title of "SECOND 5 YEARS"), write a trucker tale(placed under "A Trucker's Tale"), give a helpful trucker hint, ask a "student driver" question or do something.....When a location appears after the day of the week after "FIRST 5 YEARS:", it is where I am at the start of that day((IE: FIRST 5 YEARS: (Sunday-Kansas City, Missouri))..... I would encourage those that find themselves enjoying North America to follow me day by day.....REMEMBER: THIS IS A BLOG ABOUT WHAT LIFE IS LIKE FOR A TRUCKER THAT DOES NOT HAVE A DAILY ROUTINE ROUTE(called a "dedicated" route). THERE WILL BE MANY TIMES WHEN THE ROUTING, SCENERY AND DAY'S ACTIVITIES WILL BE SIMILAR(boring???) TO PREVIOUS DAYS; THAT'S TRUCKING! THERE WILL BE DAYS WHEN THE ROUTING, SCENERY AND DAY'S ACTIVITIES WILL BE TOTALLY NEW; THAT'S TRUCKING. Frustrations? I mention the frustrations I had as a driver. I loved my job while earning a living and realized that all jobs have frustrations; truck driving is, and was, no different..... Many pictures on this blog can be left-clicked and made larger.....Questions?...Please E-mail PT at fabalt2000@centurylink.net
Blog Dictionaries...
The Trucking Dictionary...words in this dictionary will many times appear highlighted. If a word isn't highlighted or in the blog dictionary and sounds "different", check it out in this dictionary. Please note: Many times when clicking on these dictionaries anywhere in the blog, the first thing that comes up is an advertisement which I have no control over.
The Blog Dictionary...This dictionary contains words I use that aren't "trucker" words and thus not in the "trucking dictionary". I separate them--the dictionaries--in case someone wants to copy the trucking dictionary for personal use. This dictionary also contains names of people(not real names) that I dealt with many times through my trucking career. Blog word found in this dictionary often will be licked to it.
DAILY UPDATES SHOULD BE UP BY NOON CST...
June 9, 2010
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What's in my blog...???
- 666--Highway (2)
- A Trucker Tale-introduction (1)
- A Trucker's Tale (33)
- abandonment of truck (1)
- accidents (12)
- animals (3)
- backing (2)
- buffalo burgers (1)
- bull haulers (1)
- Catch 22 (1)
- caught but... (2)
- caught-almost (3)
- check trailer (1)
- church (2)
- citation-for moose killing (1)
- computer portable desk. (1)
- computer stuff (1)
- conservation agents (1)
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- convoys (1)
- cooking-on-the-road (2)
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- death while trucking (2)
- diabetes and driving (3)
- dispatcher's mistakes (1)
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- interesting (3)
- jackknife video (1)
- Just in time trucking (1)
- load content-strange (1)
- load turn down policy (1)
- logbook violation-see violation (1)
- logbooks (2)
- loyalty to a company (1)
- Matter of Opinion (1)
- Mayberry and Andy Griffith (4)
- mining--me??? (1)
- My opinion (1)
- Olympic bobsled (1)
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- places to see (13)
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- popcorn capital??? (1)
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- restaurants-good ones (5)
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- ripped off... (1)
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- side notes (14)
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- theft (1)
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- trucker helpful hint (21)
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- Trucking Student Questions (4)
- unreasonables (1)
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- violation (51)
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- weapons-weird ones (1)
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