Many if you are aware of this, but it bears repeating that good days on the road tend to produce bad posts here on Tales from the Road.
In terms of traffic, holiday weekends are as good as it gets. Today was no exception. I cruised right across the rest of Texas and most of New Mexico without any delays. Even my fuel stop in Amarillo was wide open today. Usually I get stuck waiting in line at that place.
In terms of moronic interactions with my employers, most of the people in Joplin have the weekend off. With no asinine satellite messages to wake me, I was able to sleep well into the morning, waking only when my body decided that it was good and ready.
In terms of moronic interactions with customers, well, all I had to do today was drive. No customers until Tuesday morning, so that takes care of that part.
In terms of weather, nothing to report. Sunny skies and dry roads. It was pretty cold in the higher elevations, but my truck is equipped with a heater.
I stopped at the truck stop in Jamestown, New Mexico for an Italian BMT with double meat and then decided that I had gone far enough today. Another 434 miles on the odometer this time around, so we're staying ahead of the game. I have somewhere around 670 miles to go and two full days of driving in which to do it. Nice and easy, at least until I get to the L.A. area on Tuesday.
The pay week wraps up with 2,531 miles plus my holiday pay for Christmas. Steady as she goes. Now as long as we can get through Flagstaff tomorrow without any snow issues, all will be well.
Happy Boxing Day, hosers.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
12/25/09
This post had the potential to be a bitter and negative one. In honor of the baby Jesus though, we're gonna keep it positive. Therefore, I'm telling you that the okies are really a brilliant bunch of people. They found that the holiday season had become far too secular and commercialized, so they decided to do something about it. First, the highway maintenance people decided to ignore the eastern half of the state. Then, the citizens decided to go barrel-assing down I-40 in a wide range of vehicles that many of us would think were inappropriate for such an icy freeway. You know, pickup trucks with empty beds, Corvette convertibles, RV's, and so forth. And here is where the brilliance of the plan emerges. What might you do when you've lost control of your vehicle and you're hurtling into the trees at 55mph? In many cases, especially in that part of the country, you would likely pray. And to whom would you be praying? There you have it. Brilliant.
Things went from horrible to weird once I got to Oklahoma City. The highways there had been plowed and apparently salted, as they were clean and wet for the most part. Every so often though, for no apparent reason, there would be a two-foot deep pile of snow in the middle of the road. Sometimes the snow would be in the right lane. Sometimes it would be in the left lane. Strangest of all, sometimes it would be in the center lane. Just a big ass pile of snow sitting there. It appeared as if the plow drivers had been snapped up by an alien tractor beam in the middle of their routes or something. This made for some interesting scenes as people weaved in and out of lanes in an effort to dodge the snow piles.
Things normalized once I got out past the truck stops on the west side of Oklahoma City and I was able to drive the rest of the way at 65mph. Clean and dry roads all the way across. Maybe the folks out on that side of the state didn't get the memo about the 'real meaning of Christmas' plot that was being carried out on the eastern side. I don't know. Whatever.
I had a blown headlight from last night's drive, so I stopped in at the T/A in Sayre, Oklahoma to get it replaced. The lady behind the counter said that it would take a little while for the electronic work order thing to come back from Joplin, so I hiked over to the SubWay and grabbed a sandwich. (Yeah, you know the one.) By the time I got back to the shop, my headlight had been replaced and I was sent on my way. Groovy.
The sun was setting and I was getting sick of driving by the time I reached Conway, Texas. This seemed like as logical a place as any for me to stop and call it a night. I asked for a discount on my sodas, since I am employed by the town's namesake. The blank stare from the cashier served as a 'no.' I had my freaking company logo hat on and everything. Oh well. Perhaps if we drop that hyphen in the middle of Con-way...
My eight hours of driving managed to cover 410 miles despite the slow start, so I guess that's good enough. With 1,100 miles to go and three days to get there, we're right on pace. Let's see what kind of brilliant plots the people of New Mexico have in store for me tomorrow.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Things went from horrible to weird once I got to Oklahoma City. The highways there had been plowed and apparently salted, as they were clean and wet for the most part. Every so often though, for no apparent reason, there would be a two-foot deep pile of snow in the middle of the road. Sometimes the snow would be in the right lane. Sometimes it would be in the left lane. Strangest of all, sometimes it would be in the center lane. Just a big ass pile of snow sitting there. It appeared as if the plow drivers had been snapped up by an alien tractor beam in the middle of their routes or something. This made for some interesting scenes as people weaved in and out of lanes in an effort to dodge the snow piles.
Things normalized once I got out past the truck stops on the west side of Oklahoma City and I was able to drive the rest of the way at 65mph. Clean and dry roads all the way across. Maybe the folks out on that side of the state didn't get the memo about the 'real meaning of Christmas' plot that was being carried out on the eastern side. I don't know. Whatever.
I had a blown headlight from last night's drive, so I stopped in at the T/A in Sayre, Oklahoma to get it replaced. The lady behind the counter said that it would take a little while for the electronic work order thing to come back from Joplin, so I hiked over to the SubWay and grabbed a sandwich. (Yeah, you know the one.) By the time I got back to the shop, my headlight had been replaced and I was sent on my way. Groovy.
The sun was setting and I was getting sick of driving by the time I reached Conway, Texas. This seemed like as logical a place as any for me to stop and call it a night. I asked for a discount on my sodas, since I am employed by the town's namesake. The blank stare from the cashier served as a 'no.' I had my freaking company logo hat on and everything. Oh well. Perhaps if we drop that hyphen in the middle of Con-way...
My eight hours of driving managed to cover 410 miles despite the slow start, so I guess that's good enough. With 1,100 miles to go and three days to get there, we're right on pace. Let's see what kind of brilliant plots the people of New Mexico have in store for me tomorrow.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
12/24/09
Didn't some goofball once suggest that Bob Stoops should stay in Oklahoma for better weather? Yeah, kiss my ass, Bubba. I don't think I'll be able to open the door of my truck in the morning if this ice keeps coming down at its current pace. At least the snow in the Midwest looks nice.
Most of the day was pretty easy before I got here though. It was pretty rainy for a while in Kentucky but the traffic was light. Then the rain stopped while I was rolling down US-51 toward Memphis. It did start raining again in time for me to cruise through the ghetto looking for my consignee, of course. My directions were pretty good though, so there were no issues finding the place.
Once I got there, different story. The place was locked up, dark, and deserted. Not a huge surprise on Christmas Eve, I suppose. Also not a huge surprise that I would be sent somewhere that was closed for a holiday. I've had this privilege at least two or three times before. I placed a call to the dispatcher in West Memphis. The dispatcher placed a call to the customer service representative in charge of that particular consignee. Then the dispatcher called me back. Once again, no huge surprise. I was to take the loaded trailer to the terminal and drop it off for a local driver to deliver on Monday.
After I handed in my paperwork for the Memphis load, I was glad to learn that my loaded trailer going to California was ready and waiting. Until global warming changes the earth's rotation or whatever the newest dire prediction will be, storms will tend to move from west to east. Since I would be moving from east to west (a head-on collision course with the storm), I wanted to cover as many miles as possible before the bad stuff on TV became the bad stuff on my window. So the sooner I got out of West Memphis, the better.
The temperature rose as I crossed Arkansas, reaching 57° and holding steady through most of the state. By the time I came out of the hills near Fort Smith, the temperature was falling and falling rapidly. That 57° reading had turned into a 44° reading in a matter of ten miles. I resolved that I would look for somewhere to park once it got to 38°. This seemed like a reasonable way to balance my intention to cover as many miles as possible against my intention not to skid along an icy highway. At the Oklahoma state line, my truck's readout said 37° and the rain hitting my windshield had turned into the always pleasant 'wintry mix.' By the time I covered the last couple of miles to the truck stop in Roland, we were at 33° and my wiper blades were encased in ice. Damn. That was quick. As of the time that this is posted, we're down to 30°.
I have all of Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday left to cover the remaining miles for the trip so I don't think I'll have any major issues. I have no idea how well these people deal with winter weather, in terms of road maintenance. I suspect not very well. I've caught some icy stuff in Texas before and it was a joke. Since the weather forecast said that there was a 20% chance of precipitation in Fort Smith tonight and there is a 100% chance that it rained/froze/snowed like hell, I won't put too much stock in tomorrow's forecast. We'll just have to see how things look when I get out of bed in the morning.
I don't know if Santa is going to be able to find me here, but I'm thinking about trying to see if I can find whatever he left for me in the casino. You never know...
Most of the day was pretty easy before I got here though. It was pretty rainy for a while in Kentucky but the traffic was light. Then the rain stopped while I was rolling down US-51 toward Memphis. It did start raining again in time for me to cruise through the ghetto looking for my consignee, of course. My directions were pretty good though, so there were no issues finding the place.
Once I got there, different story. The place was locked up, dark, and deserted. Not a huge surprise on Christmas Eve, I suppose. Also not a huge surprise that I would be sent somewhere that was closed for a holiday. I've had this privilege at least two or three times before. I placed a call to the dispatcher in West Memphis. The dispatcher placed a call to the customer service representative in charge of that particular consignee. Then the dispatcher called me back. Once again, no huge surprise. I was to take the loaded trailer to the terminal and drop it off for a local driver to deliver on Monday.
After I handed in my paperwork for the Memphis load, I was glad to learn that my loaded trailer going to California was ready and waiting. Until global warming changes the earth's rotation or whatever the newest dire prediction will be, storms will tend to move from west to east. Since I would be moving from east to west (a head-on collision course with the storm), I wanted to cover as many miles as possible before the bad stuff on TV became the bad stuff on my window. So the sooner I got out of West Memphis, the better.
The temperature rose as I crossed Arkansas, reaching 57° and holding steady through most of the state. By the time I came out of the hills near Fort Smith, the temperature was falling and falling rapidly. That 57° reading had turned into a 44° reading in a matter of ten miles. I resolved that I would look for somewhere to park once it got to 38°. This seemed like a reasonable way to balance my intention to cover as many miles as possible against my intention not to skid along an icy highway. At the Oklahoma state line, my truck's readout said 37° and the rain hitting my windshield had turned into the always pleasant 'wintry mix.' By the time I covered the last couple of miles to the truck stop in Roland, we were at 33° and my wiper blades were encased in ice. Damn. That was quick. As of the time that this is posted, we're down to 30°.
I have all of Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday left to cover the remaining miles for the trip so I don't think I'll have any major issues. I have no idea how well these people deal with winter weather, in terms of road maintenance. I suspect not very well. I've caught some icy stuff in Texas before and it was a joke. Since the weather forecast said that there was a 20% chance of precipitation in Fort Smith tonight and there is a 100% chance that it rained/froze/snowed like hell, I won't put too much stock in tomorrow's forecast. We'll just have to see how things look when I get out of bed in the morning.
I don't know if Santa is going to be able to find me here, but I'm thinking about trying to see if I can find whatever he left for me in the casino. You never know...
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
12/23/09
Over the last four winters, I've consistently tried to take some time off in the middle of December and then get back on the road before Christmas. My theory holds that, with most of our drivers at home, I stand a better chance of getting some nice long runs to pad the year's pay right at the end. So, of course, today I chose to turn down the nice long run that was offered to me.
I woke a little after 7am and called the terminal to put myself on the board. The local dispatcher said that he had nobody on the board and there were two runs that he could assign. The first was a load sitting on the yard and making a couple of drops. The first drop was in Joplin, Missouri (strike one). The second drop would take me across the mountains out west (strike two) for a Monday delivery in California (strike three). Next.
The other run was much shorter, but more to my liking. It too was sitting on the yard and was waiting to be delivered in Memphis, Tennessee by tomorrow afternoon. That'll do. I went back to bed for a while and then headed to work, hoping to get out and reach some warmer air before the shitty weather rolled across the Great Lakes region. This worked pretty well. The temperature climbed steadily as I made my way down through Ohio and into Kentucky, ending up at 55ยบ, and I never caught more than a few raindrops on my windshield.
I got a call from the local dispatcher in West Memphis after I had been on the road for an hour and a half or so. She said that she wanted to check and make sure that I wasn't trying to get home, since I wasn't highlighted on her computer screen, before she assigned me to another load. I told her to bring it on. Then, a half hour later, she brought it on. Shit. The damned People's Republic got me after all. I'll be taking a load from the West Memphis terminal to Southern California for a delivery next week. I saw a nice 20-car pileup in Flagstaff on the Weather Channel while I was at the terminal this morning. Maybe I'll have better luck during my trip. Maybe.
I took my customary route across the Kentucky parkways this evening and settled in at the big truck stop in Kuttawa. I had been vacillating on whether or not to stay on I-65 down toward Nashville this time until a very scientific process helped me to make a decision. Another CTL truck pulled onto the freeway somewhere below Louisville and it was gradually gaining on me. We reached the point where, if I stayed on I-65, it would pass me within another five miles or so. If I took the parkway it would never pass me and I would thus be the winner of the imaginary race. So I took the parkway. Yeah, like I said, very scientific.
I have a little under 200 miles to go from here to Memphis before tomorrow afternoon's delivery. Then we'll have to see how the next run plays out. My plan summary says that it's leaving West Memphis on Saturday morning and delivering on Tuesday morning. I'm hoping that someone will be dropping off the trailer in West Memphis on his way home for Christmas. In that case I can get it tomorrow and enjoy a nice leisurely pace over the weekend. In any event, I'll have 2,500+ miles, in addition to my holiday pay, in the books before the pay period ends. Not so bad for a week during which I was home until Wednesday. The Left Coast issue notwithstanding, my long mile holiday strategy seems to have worked this time around.
I woke a little after 7am and called the terminal to put myself on the board. The local dispatcher said that he had nobody on the board and there were two runs that he could assign. The first was a load sitting on the yard and making a couple of drops. The first drop was in Joplin, Missouri (strike one). The second drop would take me across the mountains out west (strike two) for a Monday delivery in California (strike three). Next.
The other run was much shorter, but more to my liking. It too was sitting on the yard and was waiting to be delivered in Memphis, Tennessee by tomorrow afternoon. That'll do. I went back to bed for a while and then headed to work, hoping to get out and reach some warmer air before the shitty weather rolled across the Great Lakes region. This worked pretty well. The temperature climbed steadily as I made my way down through Ohio and into Kentucky, ending up at 55ยบ, and I never caught more than a few raindrops on my windshield.
I got a call from the local dispatcher in West Memphis after I had been on the road for an hour and a half or so. She said that she wanted to check and make sure that I wasn't trying to get home, since I wasn't highlighted on her computer screen, before she assigned me to another load. I told her to bring it on. Then, a half hour later, she brought it on. Shit. The damned People's Republic got me after all. I'll be taking a load from the West Memphis terminal to Southern California for a delivery next week. I saw a nice 20-car pileup in Flagstaff on the Weather Channel while I was at the terminal this morning. Maybe I'll have better luck during my trip. Maybe.
I took my customary route across the Kentucky parkways this evening and settled in at the big truck stop in Kuttawa. I had been vacillating on whether or not to stay on I-65 down toward Nashville this time until a very scientific process helped me to make a decision. Another CTL truck pulled onto the freeway somewhere below Louisville and it was gradually gaining on me. We reached the point where, if I stayed on I-65, it would pass me within another five miles or so. If I took the parkway it would never pass me and I would thus be the winner of the imaginary race. So I took the parkway. Yeah, like I said, very scientific.
I have a little under 200 miles to go from here to Memphis before tomorrow afternoon's delivery. Then we'll have to see how the next run plays out. My plan summary says that it's leaving West Memphis on Saturday morning and delivering on Tuesday morning. I'm hoping that someone will be dropping off the trailer in West Memphis on his way home for Christmas. In that case I can get it tomorrow and enjoy a nice leisurely pace over the weekend. In any event, I'll have 2,500+ miles, in addition to my holiday pay, in the books before the pay period ends. Not so bad for a week during which I was home until Wednesday. The Left Coast issue notwithstanding, my long mile holiday strategy seems to have worked this time around.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
12/22/09
As is eventually the case with all vacations, this one is drawing to a conclusion. I didn't have a lot on the agenda today. Just a few errands and such, so it didn't matter much that I slept until noon. I'll have to call the terminal by 7:30am tomorrow though. Guess it's time to try sleeping like a responsible adult again. Bummer.
Monday, December 21, 2009
12/21/09
I was born in September of 1976. Therefore, if my math is correct, I've been on this planet for a little more than 33 years. For reasons largely beyond my control I've spent many of those years studying the human psyche. Given ten minutes of interaction, I'm reasonably confident that I could understand 99% of you. Myself, on the other hand, well that one's a mystery.
I got up this morning and had some breakfast, then helped to get things packed before heading home. A four-hour drive is noticeably easier when you're not the one behind the wheel, for whatever that's worth. I was able to catch a nice long afternoon nap before it was time to head out and do some running around.
So here's where odd decision number one is made. After handling that which needed to be handled, I was in a position to decide how to spend the rest of my evening. My 'Skins were slated to make their annual appearance on Monday Night Football (on ESPN) and I don't have cable, so I was compelled to visit a local drinking establishment and watch the game. There were a few people with whom I had failed to commiserate during this trip home though. Decision time. I, a man who spends the bulk of his time alone in a fiberglass box, decided that I would rather watch the game by myself. The long weekend of forced involvement with my family likely played a role, but come on. I'm always alone. Whatever. Okay then.
I stopped at a local pub, ordered a beer, and settled in for what promised to be an entertaining contest. The Redskins have been playing fairly well lately, after all. Ten minutes later, the promising contest didn't look like it was going to materialize. I then decided to call one of those with whom I had failed to connect during the previous week. A close friend? No. A drinking buddy? No? Someone who might enjoy the game with me? No. Odd decision number two - I called a woman that I don't know very well at all. (It does bear mention that the woman in question is quite attractive.) She headed up to the pub and joined me for a few drinks.
The football game progressed in a manner that should come as no surprise. The Redskins shit the bed on national television and played in a manner unbefitting an NFL franchise. My mood was foul, to say the least. Surprisingly though, my friend seemed to be having a good time. I'm pretty sure that I had her diagnosed accurately. As for me, not so much. Who gives a damn about a football team with no shot at the playoffs, after all? Why should the game have any discernible impact on my night? I'm a freaking mystery to myself. I decided to call it an early night and head home... alone. What the hell is up with that? I'm about to head out on the road for at least a month or two. Surely I could have used some company tonight. Whatever man. I don't know. I'll figure myself out sooner or later.
Tomorrow stands to include a pretty severe morning hangover and then an afternoon of tying up loose ends before leaving town. Nothing new, I suppose. As for life here in the Detroit area being a joke... also nothing new. I'm the son of a long line of loyal Detroit union Democrats. Why can't I argue with anything that is said in the following video? I don't know man. I actually think this is one sense in which I'm pretty rational. C'est la vie...
I got up this morning and had some breakfast, then helped to get things packed before heading home. A four-hour drive is noticeably easier when you're not the one behind the wheel, for whatever that's worth. I was able to catch a nice long afternoon nap before it was time to head out and do some running around.
So here's where odd decision number one is made. After handling that which needed to be handled, I was in a position to decide how to spend the rest of my evening. My 'Skins were slated to make their annual appearance on Monday Night Football (on ESPN) and I don't have cable, so I was compelled to visit a local drinking establishment and watch the game. There were a few people with whom I had failed to commiserate during this trip home though. Decision time. I, a man who spends the bulk of his time alone in a fiberglass box, decided that I would rather watch the game by myself. The long weekend of forced involvement with my family likely played a role, but come on. I'm always alone. Whatever. Okay then.
I stopped at a local pub, ordered a beer, and settled in for what promised to be an entertaining contest. The Redskins have been playing fairly well lately, after all. Ten minutes later, the promising contest didn't look like it was going to materialize. I then decided to call one of those with whom I had failed to connect during the previous week. A close friend? No. A drinking buddy? No? Someone who might enjoy the game with me? No. Odd decision number two - I called a woman that I don't know very well at all. (It does bear mention that the woman in question is quite attractive.) She headed up to the pub and joined me for a few drinks.
The football game progressed in a manner that should come as no surprise. The Redskins shit the bed on national television and played in a manner unbefitting an NFL franchise. My mood was foul, to say the least. Surprisingly though, my friend seemed to be having a good time. I'm pretty sure that I had her diagnosed accurately. As for me, not so much. Who gives a damn about a football team with no shot at the playoffs, after all? Why should the game have any discernible impact on my night? I'm a freaking mystery to myself. I decided to call it an early night and head home... alone. What the hell is up with that? I'm about to head out on the road for at least a month or two. Surely I could have used some company tonight. Whatever man. I don't know. I'll figure myself out sooner or later.
Tomorrow stands to include a pretty severe morning hangover and then an afternoon of tying up loose ends before leaving town. Nothing new, I suppose. As for life here in the Detroit area being a joke... also nothing new. I'm the son of a long line of loyal Detroit union Democrats. Why can't I argue with anything that is said in the following video? I don't know man. I actually think this is one sense in which I'm pretty rational. C'est la vie...
Sunday, December 20, 2009
12/20/09
There is most definitely an expiration date concerning my patience for dealing with certain unnamed family members, children, and in-laws. We reached that expiration date tonight. I won't be going into any gratuitous detail or anything, as they are still relatives of mine, but there came a point in the night where I had had enough. I thus found it prudent to grab the remaining four beers from the fridge and retire to my sleeping quarters to do some reading. 'Tis better not to open my mouth in such a situation, I have learned over the years.
Long drive home tomorrow and then a day off on Tuesday. Hopefully I can get a good break concerning Wednesday's weather and we'll be back in the swing of things.
Long drive home tomorrow and then a day off on Tuesday. Hopefully I can get a good break concerning Wednesday's weather and we'll be back in the swing of things.
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