FIRST 5 YEARS:(Saturday-Chicago, Illinois)My son Bill's last day riding with me.
Finished with the business I had with Northeastern Air at Chicago"s O'Hara Airport as our new day started. Midnight and I had an empty trailer and no where to go. I talked with the guy that signed my paperwork and he said I could just park in their parking lot right off one of the airports landing strip and go to sleep for the night. I parked the truck so Bill could watch the planes land and take off all night. He was excited about watching the planes as he was thinking of going to the Air Force Acadamy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I called dispatch and just got the "call back in the morning". I went to sleep and Bill watched the planes.
I had my alarm clock set for 7 AM CST and it went off on time. I got up, found Bill asleep in the passenger seat and called the recorded message about having a load or not. I had a load on it...I called into dispatch and found I needed to go to Peoria, Illinois and pick up a trailer going to Sedalia, Missouri.
Wow!!! Bill needs to go home to get ready for school and I got the perfect load a accomplish it.
Thanks Lord!!!! The end to a perfect vacation. He saw this year: Cleveland, Kansas City, Dallas, Laredo, Nuevo Laredo, Ft. Worth, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Spokane, Seattle, Portland, Burbank(California), Flagstaff, Oklahoma City, Eagan(Minnesota), St. Louis, Columbus(Ohio), Akron and Chicaco(O'hara Airport).
I went to the truck and did my vehicle inspection and logbook update. I left the airport at 7:30 AM CST with Bill asleep; I moved him back to the sleeper. I encounted heavy traffic for a little less than an hour. I took I-294(the rip off toll road)south to I-55 and took it south. I stopped in Dwight, Illinios at our fuel stop for fuel(141 gallons). I(Bill still asleep) walked around the truckstop for awhile and bought a quart of chocolate milk.
Left heading down I-55 and took Hwy 24 west when I got to it. Followed Hwy 24 through Peoria to the southwest side of Peoria where I found the shipper. Bill woke up as I pulled into the shipper. I checked in with shipping and found they had a trailer waiting for me. I did a "drop & hook" and pickup an old 48 foot trailler(we use 53 foot) from a company we bought out. I called in for dispatch and was told to run with it...Left Peoria at 12:30 PM CST and headed down Hwy 24. It's funny that Illinois is a state I find boring but this area, along Hwy 24--with the river to the left and all the hills--, I find enjoyable. I got through the small town of Rushville and at Mount Sterling, I took Hwy 107 south.
I found Griggsville, Illinois interesting as I went through it. Continued down to Hwy 54 and followed it through Pittsfield(Illinois). Hwy 54 took me down to the Mississippi River and I went--slowly--over the small bridge into Missouri at Louisiana(Missouri). Hwy 54 took me to Kingdom City, Missouri where my oldest daughter met us and took Bill home...
After dropping Bill off, I headed west on I-70 for about a hour to I-65 and went south. I had directions to where I was delivering Monday in Sedalia(Missouri). I found the delivery point and parked by the closed gate, next to the railroad tracks..
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 24, 2011
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- 666--Highway (2)
- A Trucker Tale-introduction (1)
- A Trucker's Tale (33)
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