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...

May 23, 2011

May 23, 1991, 2011

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Thursday-Scarborough, Ontario)
Second morning in Scarborough with a short break in Taylor, Michigan in between. I was awake before the guard came out to get me to back up to the unloading dock. It was a little after 8 AM EST when they started unloading the load of Maytag refrigerators I had. They were done and the paperwork signed by 9 AM EST. They didn't have an easy phone for me to call from so I drove down the street to a phone. I called dispatch in Joplin and was deadheaded to Tonawanda, New York for a load of engines going to Stillwater, Oklahoma. I was told the load was ready so I got moving. I took the 404(Queen's Highway) toward Lake Ontario to the QEW(Queen Elizabeth Way) interstate and followed it to the Fort Erie/Buffalo crossing. I had thought of crossing at Niagara Falls but the directions to the engine plant were from Buffalo. Crossed the Peace Bridge and got on I-190 north to I-290 east. The plant wasn't too far off of I-290. I checked in at the engine plant at 12:30 PM EST and they said to back up to the loading dock. They let me watch while they loaded the engines--the loading took about 15 minutes--and those engines looked beautiful with all the chrome on them. They got the truck next to me finished about the same time which was from my company. We were both going to the same place in Oklahoma so we decided to run together. His handle was "Gray Wolf" and we headed east on I-290 to I-90 southwest. We stopped at our fuelstop in Northeast, Pennsylvania for something to eat and I had two Chef Salads(they have a great chef salad) with Blue Cheese dressing. We continued down I-90 into Ohio and past Cleveland going down I-271 to I-71. We continued to our fuel stop in Seville, Ohio were we fueled(98 gallons) and walked around the truckstop for awhile. We then dedcided to stay here for the night. We went to our trucks and agreed to meet a 7 AM EST tomorrow...
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