FIRST 5 YEARS:(Monday-Mendota, Illinois)
Set my alarm clock to 1 AM CST and was woken up. I had just kind of taken it easy the past weekend and now I I need to put the hammer down and get moving. Still OK with time but I need to move...
I chose to travel at night as I had an easy day yesterday and really wasn't tired. Also, the highways are usually nice and quiet to travel on Sunday night-Monday morning. Also this night the noon is looking like it is full, or close to it. Just a plain beautiful night to travel...
Headed down I-39 after I did a vehicle inspection and got my logbook caught up. Time was just before 1:30 AM CST when I got started. The huge moon in front of me and almost no traffic. I took I-39 and hooked in for a couple miles on I-55 south around bloomington, Illinois. Caught I-74 east and followed it to I-57 south. On I-57 south, I stopped at our fueling stop in Effingham(Illinois) for breakfast. I saw alot of corn growing by moon light tonight. Since it was only 5:15 AM CST when I got there, I decided to lay down for a little nap. After laying in my bed for a half hour and not sleeping, I decided to go into the restaurant. There were two other company drivers in the restaurant so I sat down with them. The buffet breakfast was being put out so I waited 'til it was all out. Ate and then it was back to my truck. I sat there a few minutes and thought about how to go: either down I-57 or down Hwy 45. Hwy 45 represented fewer miles but I figured not enough miles to compensate for the free non stop miles of the interstate and the higher speed I can go. I took I-57 down to I-24 east. Crossed into Kentucky at Paducah and stopped for some gummy worms and chocolate milk. That held me until our fuel stop in Monteagle(Rocky Top), Tennessee(I-24) which I got to at 3:15 PM CST. I fueled(116 gallons), had a small dinner and played some video games in their game room. Went to my truck, listened to my radio and went to sleep.
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 3, 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)
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- caught but... (2)
- caught-almost (3)
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- computer portable desk. (1)
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- diabetes and driving (3)
- dispatcher's mistakes (1)
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- interesting (3)
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- logbook violation-see violation (1)
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- places to see (13)
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- restaurants-good ones (5)
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- unreasonables (1)
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- violation (51)
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- weapons-weird ones (1)
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- witches (1)
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