Peaks and valleys... highs and lows... wins and losses... It really is something how the pendulum swings in this line of work. After my quick delivery this morning, I got on the board at #1. The last time that I found myself on the board in Oklahoma was certainly fresh in my memory.
Today's assignment came from basically the same page of the playbook as last time's. I got the same deadhead to Hutchinson, Kansas. It was a slightly shorter trip from Ponca City than from Stillwater, but essentially the same thing. And I got the same loaded run to the Los Angeles suburbs. Delivering in Norwalk this time rather than City of Industry, but essentially the same thing. There were two glaring differences this time around though. First, my new assignment came through after I had been on the board for maybe 15-20 minutes, rather than the 6 hours from the last go-around. And second, my delivery is on Friday morning this time, giving me somewhere around 15 or 16 more hours to make the trip, when compared to last time. Since I was off and running early this morning, my day came together quite nicely.
My load was ready at the shipper when I arrived. It was ready on Sunday, to be exact, but obviously this means that I didn't have to do any waiting today. I dropped my empty trailer, hooked my loaded one, set the axles to the California limit, and hit the road. It probably goes without saying that I followed the same route out of Kansas as I did before, winding up on US-54 through Oklahoma and Texas, then into New Mexico. The shorter deadhead on the front end of the day, combined with the better road conditions, left me with enough time to drive a little further this time around.
I saw that both the Love's and the Flying J in Tucumcari had a few parking spaces left, as I was passing just after sunset, but I decided to try the little Circle K at the next exit instead. It's usually somewhat quieter at the smaller truck stops and I might manage to get a little sleep tonight, the theory went. So far there aren't any idling trucks or reefers next to me, so we'll keep our fingers crossed on that one.
Since they don't seem to have any Polish people out here and I can't possibly get any of those fantastic pączki shipped from Hamtramck before midnight, I settled for a nice fattening Mardi Gras dinner at Mickey D's. Yeah, I'm really living the wild life out here. Pitiful.
I'll probably head to Kingman or Lake Havasu City tomorrow and then leave a short drive into Southern California for Thursday. My directions don't seem to indicate that I can park overnight at the consignee, so I'll probably have to spend the night out to the east and then cruise over to Norwalk before my 7am appointment. (Assuming that I have an appointment, of course. Same company and all.)
So now my pay week has gone a little over 2,000 miles with whatever I'll get for the weekend still to be determined. Peaks and valleys...
(Still no indication that Aristotle actually flagged me for new tires in Joplin, as I'm headed in exactly the opposite direction, but I'm not in the mood to have that argument just yet. I'll request my home time on Friday morning and see what route I end up taking back to Michigan.)
Wish I had read your post last Friday and Saturday. I drove past your hiding place on IH-35 both days. Would have been a hoot to meet you and pay off that pizza and beer I owe you for the tax advice. Another coincidence. I saw boxes of pacski donuts (Tuesday post) in HEB yesterday and had to buy one as I have not had any of those since back in IN as a kid. Any case, enjoy the drive to Southern CA.
ReplyDeleteI've had the so-called pączki from grocery stores before. Compared to the 4,000-calorie cholesterol bomb, in a greasy brown paper bag, sold by a 90-year-old Polish woman who just doesn't give a damn... those grocery store items are just doughnuts.
ReplyDeleteI guess I never really asked, but I was under the impression that you were a little further to the south along I-35. I certainly could have taken a little time out of my busy schedule of sitting around with my thumb up my ass all weekend. If there's anything that life has taught us though, it's that there will be other trips down Satan's Driveway. I'll eat that last slice eventually.