FIRST 5 YEARS:(Saturday-Portage, Wisconsin)
I slept in this morning as I have no reason to rush this load. I decided to have lunch in Madison(Wisconsin) so I took off for Madison at 10 AM CST. I was sitting at the Heritage House Restaurant in the back of the parking lot at 10:45 AM CST waiting to go in at 11 AM CST. I ate lunch and was really full. Since I wasn't in a hurry, I went to the motel at the intersection of Hwys 12/18 and I-90 and got a room for the night. I spent most the night on my computer and watching cable TV....
Side note: I had my second son with me and he really wanted to do what I told him to. I had to make a pickup in Jersey City, New Jersey and I had picked up here before. I knew they didn't like children running around the docks and I told my son to stay in the tractor. He did that and did not complain. After we left, I found that he needed to "go" real bad. I found a place to let him relieve himself..If you have someone with you, make sure their needs are taken care of.
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...
September 1, 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)
- conservation agents-Maine (1)
- convoys (1)
- cooking-on-the-road (2)
- customs-US or Canadian (5)
- death while trucking (2)
- diabetes and driving (3)
- dispatcher's mistakes (1)
- DOT-Massachusetts (1)
- DOT-Minnesota (2)
- DOT-Quebec (1)
- drive-why??? (1)
- drunk driver (1)
- DWIs and DUIs (3)
- Elvis Presley (2)
- fishing (1)
- food (4)
- friends (8)
- ghosts (3)
- Grapevine (1)
- Halloween of '91 (1)
- Hee-Haw (2)
- Highway Patrol-Arkansa (1)
- Highway Patrol-California (2)
- Highway Patrol-Indiana (1)
- Highway Patrol-Iowa (1)
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- Highway Patrol-Ohio (4)
- Highway Patrol-Oklahoma (1)
- Highway Patrol-Texas (2)
- Highway Patrol-Utah (1)
- Highway Patrol-Wyoming (1)
- hobbies (2)
- holidays (2)
- hunting-turkey accident (2)
- 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)
- people (10)
- people-nicer ones (1)
- pictures-all (8)
- pictures-Bucksnort (1)
- pictures-cargo problems (1)
- pictures-deer and Nephton mines (1)
- pictures-Hayward parking (1)
- pictures-Lake Ontario (1)
- pictures-moose (1)
- pictures-Needmore Road (1)
- pictures-tailgating accidents (1)
- pictures-the "little" ticket (1)
- Pictures-turkey hunting (1)
- places to see (13)
- Police-Cleveland (1)
- Police-Jersey City (1)
- Police-New York City (2)
- Police-the "little" ticket (1)
- popcorn capital??? (1)
- registrations (2)
- rejected loads (3)
- relatives (1)
- restaurant-#1 favorite (1)
- restaurants-good ones (5)
- Rider permits (1)
- ripped off... (1)
- security-truck (3)
- side notes (14)
- snoring (1)
- speed trap (4)
- teaching trucking (2)
- The Big Texan (1)
- theft (1)
- tire blow out (2)
- tornadoes (2)
- Touring notes (2)
- trucker decisions (9)
- trucker frustrations (41)
- trucker helpful hint (21)
- trucker mistakes (1)
- trucker spouses (2)
- trucker want-to-be's (2)
- Trucking Student Questions (4)
- unreasonables (1)
- vehicle inspection (2)
- violation (51)
- water-drinking (2)
- weapons-weird ones (1)
- Weather (5)
- witches (1)
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