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...

October 20, 2011

October 20, 1991, 2011

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Sunday-Kingdom City, Missouri)
I was a pretty early this morning and my daughter came by and picked me up for church.  It was 9:00 AM CST when church started and it was nice to see a lot of my old friends.  After church I talked with a friend of mine that was a city policeman.  We talked about the use of radar guns and how he handled a truck drivers with commercial driver's licenses.  He said he left people with commercial driver's licenses up to the highway patrol. Anyway, we have nice talk in and my daughter took me back to my truck in Kingdom City.

Soon after getting to my truck, I took off for Quincy, Illinois where I was to deliver tomorrow.  I stayed on Hwy 54 and it joined Hwy 19 just south of Ladonia, Missouri.  When highway 54 and highway 19 split up, I stayed on highway 19 to Center, Missouri and took county road H north to highway 24.  I went east on highway 24, over the Mississippi River ending up in Quincy, Illinois.

It was now getting to be dusk and so I parked at the Pepsi bottling plant.  I went to bed and once again watched my television and went to sleep after getting caught up on my paperwork.
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October 19, 1991, 2011

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Saturday-traveling in Oklahoma)
Made my pickup of a load of glass bottles going to Pepsi Bottling in Quincy, Illinois. After doing a "drop & hook" I started moving the load toward Joplin, Missouri--my first stopping place--while going northeast on I-44.

I got to our terminal, fueled(72 gallons) and hang around the terminal and did my long break/sleep before leaving out for Fulton, Missouri at 2 PM CST.  I took I-44 NE to Lebanon, Missouri and then went north on highway 5 to highway 54.  I then took highway 54 to Fulton where I stopped at the Wal-Mart parking lot and called my children.  I told them I was in town and would take them to dinner if they had not eaten yet.  They said they had eatten so I said I would take them to Columbia where we would visit the mall.

After a short but fun evening with my children, they took me back to my truck.  I drove up to Kingdom City and parked for the night at the truck stop; watched my television and went to sleep...
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October 18, 1991, 2011

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Friday-traveling in Missouri)
Got to Joplin, Missouri terminal and took my long break.  I was able to drop my load to Muskoogee, Oklahoma and pickup a load due in Oklahoma City tonight.  Got load to the GM assembly plant and got another load to pickup in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.  My day ended with me heading to Sapulpa(next to Tulsa)...
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