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...

June 13, 2010

June 13, 1990, 2010

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Wednesday-Port Allen, Louisiana)
Got up and called dispatch. Was told to call in every hour. I drove back to Baton Rouge and when crossing the Mississippi River saw a destroyer(Navy ship) docked on the river's east side. Found a place to park the truck a couple blocks away from the river. Parked it and we walked to the ship. There was a little museum with the ship(USS Kidd) and we visited both. Bill(my oldest son) sure enjoyed climbing in and out of the destroyer's "places". After that museum, we visited an antique mall which we both seemed to enjoy. Before returning to the truck, we stopped at a little store and got some munchies to eat.

It was now later afternoon and we drove around a little. I didn't find any decent place to have a meal so I parked the truck across from a nice looking restaurant/bar and there we had dinner. WOW, as we were eating, two drunk guys started getting loud and started acting like they wanted to fight each other. They didn't, thank goodness....

I called in and I had a load to pick up in the south part of Baton Rouge tomorrow going to Bath, Ontario. I had a good parking spot for the night and the instructions to the pickup location seemed easy and nearby. I called it a night before dark and we just talked and watched my TV...

A Trucker's Tale: Don't even think of drinking and driving a semi.
I once talked to a driver that said that he stopped at a bar and was there for awhile and consumed a "few" drinks. I believe he said it was somewhere on I-10 in Louisiana that this story took place. Well, after being in the bar for awhile, he got into his truck and drove on down the road. He woke up the next morning to find that he had driven about 60 miles...Big deal??? Well, somewhere in that 60 miles he had dropped his trailer and could not remember where!!!! I don't remember what happened next....
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