9/3/07

Ah, to be awoken by the beep. It's truly an experience that everyone should have the pleasure of enjoying. I got my assignment earlier than expected today, which I think is a good thing. I was to head over to the yard and pick up a trailer headed for Sidney, Nebraska. Yeah, the trailer had been sitting there all weekend, but why bother giving me the chance to get a head start yesterday right? Don't even get me started on night/weekend dispatch.

So I got over to the yard and hooked to the beast. Ugh, 45,800 pounds. That's about as heavy as it gets for a 5-axle truck without any special permits. Factor in the elevation changes on my route and this drive is not a whole lot of fun. Labor Day is aptly named because my poor Kenworth has been laboring hard on this trip.

After the last couple of days were spent lounging around, I found myself feeling much like I do after time at home. I got about 200 miles into my trip and it was time for a nap. After the last two days were spent chowing down on restaurant food, I found myself feeling terribly hungry by the time I woke up. I stopped into a little truck stop and grabbed some grub, while managing to resist the temptation of the local casino. As bad as my luck has been for the last 31 years, I have to think I'm about due for a big payoff. But today was not the day. I had work to do, so it was back to the highway.

The last few times I've gone through New Mexico, I've had to wonder if there were any redeeming qualities about this state. The weather is atrocious, the terrain is a pain in the ass, and there are hundreds of miles of absolute nothingness. However, my trip to that little truck stop reminded me of the one thing that is excellent about New Mexico. Art's Sunflower Seeds are freaking awesome. As anyone else who grew up playing baseball, I enjoy grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds and working on them for a while. The only thing is that the damn salt tears my cheeks and gums apart. These things are lightly salted and full of flavor. I grab a handful of bags every time I stop in New Mexico because I've never seen them anywhere else. The cashiers look at me like I'm nuts, but these seeds are honestly the only good thing about this wasteland of a state.

So I got into northern New Mexico and shut it down for the night. I'll have around nine hours or so to run in the morning, then drop off early Wednesday. There's a little truck stop in Sidney, so I'm hoping to find a parking spot tomorrow afternoon when I get there. The instructions for this load mentioned not delivering early at least four times, so I don't think they want me to deliver early.