FIRST 5 YEARS:(Thursday-Santa Paula, California)My son Bill is riding with me for awhile
We were parked outside the customer waiting for the day to start. I was up at 6 AM PST waiting to check in with the gate guard at 6:30 AM PST. The guard let me in at 6:30 AM PST and I checked in at the receiving department. I backed into the dock and while they were unloading me I walked up to the front office to let them know that I was to get an "overnight" letter at their location. (I was having a registration & license plate for the trailer sent here--see yesterday)
I got unloaded and Bill woke up. I pulled my truck back onto the street. I checked with the office to make sure that the 'over night" stuff hadn't got there while I was unloading. Nothing so it was "wait for it". I and Bill sat in the truck, on the street, until 10:50 AM PST when the letter delevery truck arrived. I took the small package and put the registration in the "registration" box(on the front of the trailer). I then put the license plate on the trailer and we were ready to roll. I was still concerned about the trailer brakes not being right(see yesterday's entry).
I called dispatch at around 11:30 AM PST and got the standard,"call back in an hour" response. I asked the guard if he knew of a place I could go and wait for my next load. He told me of a convenience store with a small amount of truck parking that was not far off. We went to it and bought some munchies. We then went to a buffet restaurant a couple blocks away to have a late lunch.
I had instructed Bill on how to call in and find if I had a new load. I finally had one Bill said at 2:45 PM PST. I called dispatch and found I had a load of auto batteries I had to pick up tomorrow, Friday, at 5 PM PST. There were no early arrivals on the load. The load was going to Oklahoma City.
I knew of a couple places I could park the truck in Burbank--where we had lived up until about summer 1984--so we headed there. We went west on Hwy 126 to Hwy 101, which we took to Los Angeles. We went past the road I used to take to go to Malibu(Malibu Canyon) for surfing. Also went past Thousand Oaks where I got pull over the first time for a road violation(got a warning). Followed Hwy 101 to the southern tip of Burbank(California) where we got off the freeway by the NBC Studios--Home of the "Tonight Show"--and parked in the lot of a closed down grocery store. Tomorrow we will explore Burbank...tonight we rest, watch my TV and sleep...
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...
August 15, 2011
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What's in my blog...???
- 666--Highway (2)
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