FIRST 5 YEARS:(Thursday-Grand Prairie, Texas) Bill, my son is riding with me for awhile
Woke up this morning at a little after by a knocking on the side of the tractor. A fellow from the receiving department wanted to get me unloaded. Sounded good to me. Couldn't get Bill up and he slept through the unloading. After unloading on the rounds of wire cable was done--the time was 8:05 AM CST--I called Dispatch and let them know I was ready for another load.
I was told to go to Carrollton, Texas and pick up a load of tires and take them to the Lancaster(Dallas) terminal. I went to Carrollton and when I got there, Darrell woke up. We picked up the loaded trailer I was suppose to and then took it to the terminal. I was at the terminal by 10:30 AM CST.
I turned the paperwork for the load of tires into dispatch and asked if I could get a load of tires to Salt Lake City. Dispatch said they didn't have a Utah load but they had a multi-drop load to Spokane(Washington), Seattle(Washington), Portland(Oregon) and Eugene(Oregon). I grabbed the load and by 11:30 AM CST we were headed west on I-20. We went throught Fort Worth on Hwy 287 and continued on Hwy 287 to Amarillo, Texas. That trip to Armarillo was long and boring, almost like the trip from Laredo(Texas) to Houston, texas).
We got to the "Just a Truckstop" in Amarillo at 6:30 PM CST and had dinner. I thought about stopping for the night there but decided to get as many miles in as possible. At 8 PM CST we headed west on I-40. Tucumcari, New Mexico was my goal and we got there at 9 PM MST. I parked at the main Shell truckstop and Bill and I walked around for awhile and got some munchies. We bedded down for the night and slept well...
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 8, 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)
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- animals (3)
- backing (2)
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- caught but... (2)
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- violation (51)
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