FIRST 5 YEARS:(Tuesday-Laredo, Texas)
I was up at about 8:30 AM CST and Pam(see yesterday's blog) yelled out from her room that she would be ready to go shortly. Pam had two small children and I don't remember why she didn't have them today. The children usually stay with Grandma but Grandma and Grandpa were both teachers and teaching summer school.
Pam walked around the corner and WOW!!! She looked really good. I didn't need to tell her as she knew it!!! Anyway, Pam was driving me around today and I was to get a new copy of disc 2 from Radio Shack. We went into Radio Shack and had no trouble as three of the salesmen wanted to made sure SHE was happy....Cool, I got my disc. We then spent a couple hours at Wal-Mart. All this time I was hoping that some of the other drivers would see her and I. No luck!!! All day, I saw NO other drivers...I even took her out to lunch at the Chinese Restaurant we drivers liked going to. No one saw us together.
Pam and I went to her folk's place(her place also) and got the computer up and running. She showed me how to do some things with it. I knew nothing about the computer before talking with her and didn't remember a quarter of what she said.
Cathy came over and we went to her ranch south of Laredo and took care of the animals. We talked 'til about 11 PM CST and I went back to the Morton's and went to sleep...May get a load out tomorrow.
A TRUCKER'S TALE:
Was heading west on I-10 near Indio, California when I heard on the CB radio a driver talking about the POWER of his engine. He claimed to have had a Caterpillar 850 housepower V-8 engine put in his tractor and that he now could pull a certain mountain grade(I didn't record which one he said) at 90 miles per hour with 110,000 lbs(80,000 lbs is the legal limit). Call him a liar??? No because maybe he could...I don't know but I did talk with an John Deere Engineer that said that engine wasn't legal for road use...it was for things that needed an engine with a constant speed. If he did put it in his tractor, with many modifications, it wouldn't last long.
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...
July 10, 2010
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- 666--Highway (2)
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