Enjoying North America while earning a living...

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

My photo
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...

March 22, 2011

March 22, 1991, 2011

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Friday-Lancaster, Texas)
I got up at 1 AM CST for some reason. I wasn't tired and so I decided I would "hit" the road. While I was checking out my truck before leaving, a driver came over to me and we started up a little conversation. Turns out that he was getting ready to leave for Seattle with tires; I with tires to Salt Lake City area.

The driver I was talking to had the handle "Traveling Man" and I talked him into going with me to Provo, Utah where I start unloading. Traveling Man was ready to go as I was and so we left. He had never been this way before so he followed me.

We left at 1:30 AM CST on I-20 going west. The moon was half full, the sky was cloudless and full of stars. Traveling Man and I turned to CB radio channel 16 and talked on it. We followed I-20 to Hwy 287 southeast of Fort Worth(Texas). Followed hwy 287 up through Fort Worth and on toward Wichita Falls(Texas). Fort Worth looked really good as we traveled through it. We traveled through Wichita Falls and stopped at Vernon(Texas) at a truckstop/convience store for a short 30 minute break.

Left Vernon at 5:30 AM CST for Amarillo, Texas and got to the Amarillo "Just a Truckstop"--our fuel stop--at 8:15 AM CST. We stopped for breakfast only as I told Traveling Man that we need to get our fuel later in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. We have breakfast and just took it easy and left west on I-40 at just before 10 AM CST.

We grossed into New Mexico and continued to Santa Rosa, where we stopped for fuel(85 gallons)at 11:45 AM MST and our 8 hour break. We were bought tired so the eight hour break was easy to take. We agreed to meet after the break at 8 PM MST.

We did our vehicle inspections and logbooks and left west on I-40 at 8:30 PM MST. We drove through Albuquerque, New Mexico and got on I-25 north. We were on I-25 very long before we took Hwy 550 northwest into Navajo Country. As midnight hit,and the end of the day, we pulled into Cuba(New Mexico) where we stopped at a convienent store--parking on the street--for a short break.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)

What's in my blog...???

Blog Archive