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...
April 6, 2011
April 6, 1991, 2011
FIRST 5 YEARS:(Saturday-Effingham, Illinois) Had a good night sleep and got up around 8AM CST. Absolutely not in any hurry as I need to be in Cleveland Monday AM. I went into the truckstop restaurant to see if there were any drivers from my company. This truckstop was a favorite for the old er drivers. I saw no drivers I knew so I decided to bypass eating here. I left eastward on I-70 and traveled into Indiana. It seems that as I go into Indiana, the terraine become more hilly...I continued through the downtown Indianapolis area and onto the Ohio border where I stopped at the "Just a Truckstop" in New Paris, Ohio. I got there at 1:30 PM EST. I enjoyed the buffet for lunch and then went to the movie room(like a walk in theatre) and watched movies the rest of day and night. I did buy me a couple sodas(Saft drinks in Canada) while I watched the movies. Just taking life easy....A Trucker's Tale: I once got talking to a driver about drivers carrying weapons. He told me that he used to be an independet trucker(owned his own truck and leased it and him to a company) and had to go into New York City. He had his wife with him as well as a gun by the side of his seat. He told me that while he was stopped in a lightly traveled area, a guy jumped on his driver's door side step and stuck a big knife in his window and at him. He drew his gun and shot the guy through the door(damaged his truck door). The guy fall to the ground and was laying their and he got out of his truck to check the guy out. The shot guy was alive and the city policeman drove up. He looked at the guy and asked how it happened. The drivers---worried--told the officer and the officer said the he--the officer--would leave and come back in a few minutes. He--the officer--told the driver to put another bullet in the guy, killing him, and then just drive away. The officer would then just call someone to get the dead guy and there wouldn't be much paperwork. The driver said he couldn't purposely kill the guy, so he just drove away and didn't look back...
Labels:
A Trucker's Tale,
Police-New York City
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