FIRST 5 YEARS:(Wednesday-Mason City, Iowa)My son Bill is riding with me for awhile.
I was awake at 5:45 AM CST and looking at my map. I decided to shoot over to Hwy 218 on Hwy 18. I was lucky as going over to Hwy 218 meant fewer out of route miles over if I had gone south on I-35.
South on Hwy 218 through alot of flat farmland before I went through Cedar Falls and Waterloo(Iowa). Right below Waterloo, along Hwy 20, we stopped at the Goose Creek truck stop and convenient store(now a Casey's store I believe) for a break. It was now 8:30 AM CST and Bill had only been up for about 15 minutes when I parked the truck. We got some munchies and I fueled(107 gallons) because this was a fuel stop of ours and didn't know what the future held. All total, we were there about an hour and left down I-380heading toward the south. Got to I-80 and the superslab we were on changed bak to Hwy 218.
Here south on Hwy 218 was fine except we had to go through a couple towns with stoplights and sign. We survived. Right at the bottom of Iowa's Hwy 218, I took Hwy 394 straight south to Missouri's Hwy 136. The bridge from Iowa to Missouri--over the Des Moines River--on Hwy 61--the one I would have had to take--was illegal for semis due to a bend in it. Hwy 394's bridge was fine for semi's but had a $1.00 toll(saves more than a $1.00 worth of fuel over going to the Hwy 61 bridge). Got to Hwy 136 and turned west for a short distance and then took the Hwy 61 spur south to Hwy 61.
Traveled south on Hwy 61 along the Mississippi River to our left and hills and fireworks stands--legal all year--to our right. Continued down to Hannibal, Missouri where we stopped to get something to eat at KFC . I told Big to "pig" out as we might not eat a regular meal again until tomorrow night. We stuffed ourselves at the buffet and then went back to the truck parked across the street at a small truckstop. I rested for a couple hours and let Bill sit up in the driver's seat and watch my little TV.
We got moving at 4:30 PM CST, south on Hwy 61, on down to I-70. We went east on I-70 to St Charles, Missouri where I found the parking lot and store where we deliver tomorrow. After fighting a little traffic, we got to our location just before 7 PM CST. I checked in with the manager and he said I would have to wait for tomorrow to get unloaded...It was fine with me. I backed the trailer down into the loading dock and parked it for the night. We walked around for awhile and then just watched my TV....
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 21, 2011
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- 666--Highway (2)
- A Trucker Tale-introduction (1)
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