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

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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...

March 23, 2011

March 23, 1991, 2011

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Saturday-Cuba, New Mexico)
As our--Traveling Man(who I was running with)--day started, we were going into a Cuba convienence store for a break and some munchies. I got a bunch of orion rings and a quart of chocolate milk and consumed them while we talked standing by the trucks. The night was night though not too warm.

We started back up Hwy 550 at 12:30 and enjoyed talking--on the CB radio(channel 16) and driving through Navajo Country. We got to Bloomfield where we took Hwy 64 west to Shiprock. At Shiprock, we took Hwy 666 north into Colorado and had to stop and check in at the Colorado scales at Cortez, Colorado. It was now 4:30 AM MST and if it hadn't been so early we would have stopped at the truckstop behind the state scale and got some buffalo burgers-only place I knew that made them. We continued into Utah on Hwy 666, getting on Hwy 191 at Monticello(Utah). We past through Moab, Utah at 5:30 AM MST and got to Green River an hour later.

We stopped at Green River, Utah for our 8 hour break at the truckstop/convienent store that sells hot dogs--3/$1--and good tasting chocolate milk.

Took break, agreeing to meet at 2:30 PM MST. Problem...We were both up and ready to leave at 1:30 PM MST. Before we left, I went in and bought 6 hotdogs and a chocolate milk to consume. We were headed up Hwy 6 to Provo at 1:45 PM MST going past Helper(Utah) and over Soldier Summit. We started down the highway and all the way down, I only downshifted one time before getting to the bottom.

We got to Provo and the motel parking at 4:30 PM MST and I parked my unit and checked in at the motel. We--traveling man & I--went across the street to the baffet and had dinner. After dinner, he kept heading to Seattle--his destination--and I went to the motel room and Watched TV until I went to sleep...

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