FIRST 5 YEARS:(Friday-Kingman, Arizona)
I was up at 3 AM PST(Arizona non-daylight savings time) and went into the truckstop store. At 3 AM PST they had three turkey legs to sell. I talked a minute or two about the legs and the clerk said she would sell me all three of them for the price of one--would write off the two as thrown away. I never mined "chewy" meat. I went back to my truck and did a vehicle inspection with the tire thumper(used every two hours with my haz-mat load of ready-to-go auto batteries). Updated my log book and I was heading east on I-40 by 4 AM PST. Beautiful big moon this morning. Traveling east through the desert and them climbing to Flagstaff(Arizonia) in all the pine trees as the sun came up in front of me. I had moments with the brightness of the sun but survived. After Flagstaff, I decended back down into a desert terraine. Stopped for a short break and tire check at the Two Guns(Arizona) rest area. Continued into New Mexico and found it snowing lightly. No CB radio talk of bad conditions ahead of me so I kept going. The snow quit as I approached Milan, New Mexica. I traveled right through Alberquerque and into the upper desert. I decided to stop for my big break at our Santa Rosa fuel stop. I did stop at 2 PM MST and just laid down and slept. I slept to 8:30 PM MST and went into in reastaurant. I ate, did a vehicle inspection and then "hit" the superslab. The moon was full most the night as I started driving east at 10 PM MST. I was enjoying the ride and the radio and just noticed when I slipped into Texas. As my day ended, I guess I was about 30 or 45 minutes into Texas. I write "guess" as I wasn't paying attention to the clock even though I should have, having a haz-mat load...
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...
April 26, 2011
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What's in my blog...???
- 666--Highway (2)
- A Trucker Tale-introduction (1)
- A Trucker's Tale (33)
- abandonment of truck (1)
- accidents (12)
- animals (3)
- backing (2)
- buffalo burgers (1)
- bull haulers (1)
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- caught but... (2)
- caught-almost (3)
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- diabetes and driving (3)
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- logbook violation-see violation (1)
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- places to see (13)
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- restaurants-good ones (5)
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- violation (51)
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