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 29, 2011

May 29, 1991, 2011

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Wednesday-New Baden, Illinois)



Oh hum....don't deliver in Lexington, Kentucky until tomorrow. I "told" my alarm clock what time to wake me up while I slept in this pickle park. I woke before the alarm sounded it's wake up call so I "untold" it. I was up and moving around before 7 AM CST and so I did the manditory vehicle inspection and logbook update. I grabbed some munchies for breakfast and then hit the superslab going east on I-64 right before 8 AM CST.


Flat farmland all around me until I got to Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Mt Vernon didn't change the flatness, just the scenery. Five minutes of Mt. Vernon yielded to more flat farmland...The farmland east of Mt. Vernon along I-64 seems to be more "treeless" until I cross into Indiana. Finally out of Illinois farmland and into Indiana farmland!!!! The Farmland seems to start disappearing as I pass Dale, Indiana and mountainous terrain starts. These mountains seem to be kind of a barrier between the farmlands of Illinois and Indiana and the bluegrass and horse ranches of Kentucky.


Before the mountainous terrain started giving way to the Ohio River Valley, I stopped at Carefree(Indiana) fore lunch at a rather expensive buffet(OK, but not the best).


After filling my "tank", I continued down to, and across, the Ohio River into Kentucky and close to Louisville. I stayed on I-64, past Louisville, and stopped along the roadway for a short time to take a couple "horse" pictures--see above. I took a picture of brown fensing but most the fensing I noticed was white.


I continued to Lexington where I took Hwy 68 to the southwest corner where I found the receiver at 4 PM EST. I was not familiar with this area and the my appointment was firm for tomorrow. The guard at the receivers said I could not spend the night on their grounds. I found a side road to park and I asked a policeman if it was OK for me to park here until tomorrow; he said there was no problem. I just ate munchies for dinner and watched my TV until I dozed off...
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