Enjoying North America while earning a living...

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

My photo
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...

April 24, 2010

April 24, 1990, 2010

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Tuesday- Valdosta, Georgia)
First off...I just want to write that of all the places I have been, Valdosta, Georgia has, by far, gotten to biggest response of, "(name of a place), where's that?".

Woke up in the old truckstop that I stopped at for the night. walked across the street to the phone and called dispatch. Time was around 8 AM EST. Got the, "Call back in an hour." Talked to other drivers on the CB radio and found that there was a good truckstop north of me another mile. I went to it and fueled(119 gallons). I parked and went in. Called in and had a load to pick up. Had to go to Bainbridge, Georgia and pick a load up for St. Thomas Ontario.

I took Hwy 84 to Bainbridge and found the shipper on the west side of town. I found another truck from my company loading for the same place I was going. Never socialized with him. I got loaded with a weight of 22, 350 lbs. and was ready to head for Canada at 11:30 AM EST.

Georgia was the only state I remember that had limits on the roads I could take and these limits were often unmarked. I didn't really want to go back to Valdosta so I called the police department of Bainbridge and got the OK to travel up Hwy 97 to hwy 19 north. From Hwy 19, I caught Hwy 300(with the state OK) to I-75 north.

I bypassed Macon, Georgia by taking I-475 north. This I-475 was totally surrounded by forest. I never saw any portion of Macon.

Followed I-75 to Atlanta(Georgia) where I had to take the bypass(I-285) around the east side of Atlanta. Followed I-75 north through Chattanooga, Tennessee and then to Knoxville where I stopped for a meal around 7:15 PM EST. Was back on the road(I-75 north) by 8:30 PM EST where I drove into Kentucky through some of the more beautiful parts of the country. By 10 PM I got to Corbin, Kentucky and bedded down for the night...
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