March 26, 1990, 2010

FIRST 5 YEAR:(Monday-Taylor, Michigan)
Got up early with hopes of getting out of here as soon as possible. About 8 AM EST, I got a load to Kansas City, Missouri but I had to go “live load” it in Riverview(Michigan). By 9 AM EST I had fueled (142 gallon) and was in Riverview(15 minutes from Taylor, Michigan) waiting to be loaded while their one loading dock had no truck at it. A few minutes passed and the fellow the loaded me came out and asked me to back to the deck. He loaded me in 10 minutes. He apologized for making me wait to back up to the dock. He said the dock was broke and he had to hook it to my trailer manually. When I drove up, he was getting my load reading...NO PROBLEM. By 10 AM EST I had my load and paperwork and was rolling south on I-75. I had decided not to go through Des Moines, Iowa on this trip(I can made up my own trip routing) so I took off for Toledo, Ohio. I remember the old “Danny Thomas Show” every time I go through Toledo(The show was to have taken place there). Got over the Ohio/Michigan border and shortly took I-475 west and then south to Hwy 24. Hwy 24 took me through the beautiful community(especially at Christmas time) of Waterville(Ohio). This road-Hwy 24-to Ft Wayne, Indiana, (back in 1990) was mostly a two lane road but it moved pretty fast as it was(and I believe it still is) a main trucking route. I got to Antwerp, Ohio and this town sure irritates me. Three stoplights in this town and the first light on the east side of town HAS NO PURPOSE other than slow the traffic down!!! Anyway, got through the town and over the Indiana border on this two lane road. It was not long before I passed the huge tire factory on the south side of the highway. Continued to New Haven, Indiana where there is-or was-a convenient store with a decent amount of truck parking. I enjoyed stopping at the store(just east of I-469 after I-469 was put in) and taking a brake as the prices are OK, the parking is, or was, good and often there would be an Amish buggy parked on the side. Sometimes several. Great environment!!! Continued into Ft. Wayne on Hwy 930(I-469 not completed)and onto I-69 south. Took I-69 down to the eastern loop(I-465) south to I-70 west. When on I-70 west, I went right through the Indianapolis center(beautiful at night) and toward Illinois. I stopped at the rest area by Monrovia(Indiana) at 4:45 PM EST and took a short brake. By 5 PM EST I was heading for Kansas City again. Once again, I enter Illinois and the mile after mile farm land becomes the total scenery. By the time I got to I-270, around the top of the St .Louis suburbs, I was out of driving hours but decided to keep going illegally. I don't feel tired an am pretty enjoying the drive. I took I-270 into Missouri and then took I-70 west. I thought about stopping for my mail in Fulton, Missouri, but I didn't even feel like stopping for it, the mail. Wouldn't you know it, the Missouri truck weigh station at Odessa was open. My weight was far within the legal limits so I didn't have any problems with that; I had just worried that they would just randomly pick me for paperwork checks. Nope, got through just fine and when I got to I-435, I went north to our Kansas City(Missouri) terminal. Checked with dispatch and was told to drop the trailer in the yard. I did and went to bed in my truck...

East coast, customs and Canadian fun next week.....PT