3:30 am. Uugghhhh. It’s 9 degrees and we are up and heading out to Detroit. Thankfully, so are the snow plows and salt trucks. Roads are clear though. No worries. Wish I could see where wee are going but it’s still pitch black outside. It’s nice being only a handful of vehicles on the road though.

Ok. Not scary at all. We got to the warehouse about 5:30 and parked out to the side. The place doesn’t Open until 6 AM. And, of course, I had to go pee so when the warehouse opens I was able to get in and on the way back out I ran into a trucker who has been to this place many times. While talking to him, as Greg backed up the truck to the dock, he told me to be careful and don’t come to this place before 6 AM. He said this is a bad part of town and they will rob you blind. He said one time a trucker backed in with his trailer doors right up against the pole in the parking lot so they couldn’t open the doors to steal anything but when he woke up they had taken the doors off the trailer and robbed him. Ok. I am now ready to leave Detroit!

Got a peak at the load as they were unloading. We had over 30,000 pounds of fajita seasoned chopped chicken breasts for Jets Pizza!!

Noon! We are just now able to leave. All these hours for them to unload the truck! Good grief. Somebody works by the hour and not the job!

We drove back through Detroit on the way out.  It is so sad to see so many run down houses, graffiti, empty houses and burned out ones.   I took several pictures and could have taken dozens more but just didnt have the heart for it.   I thought St. Louis was awful with the run down houses and a lot of homeless people but Detroit is much worse.   Its amazing that a city like that is here in the United States.  You drive by beautiful, immaculate farms for miles and miles and then go in to a city that was once so prosperous and see what it has become, its unbelievable.   You can almost feel the sadness and desperation.

Right on the outside of downtown is the bridge to Canada.  If I lived in Detroit I would be sorely temped to cross the bridge and not come back.

Our next load was at an old familiar spot – Campbells Soup.   We are taking a load from there to Cedar Falls, Iowa, where will pick up a load headed for Minnesota and then pick up a load there headed to New Jersey.   This can all change, but thats the plan as it stands now.   At least it is in Keasbey, New Jersey, not Newark or Jersey City.   Looks like we should be able to get in and out without much trouble.

We are parked for the night at a Pilot again.   Finally got to do some laundry.  Yeah!  Ran in to another lady driver.   There are quite a few.  I’m impressed.   She used to drive with her husband until he got a ticket for reckless driving for going 1 mile over the speed limit in Virginia.   Cost him his CDL for 3 years.   She is now doing it alone.  I dont think I would have the nerve to do over the road by myself.    She said there are definitely some strange people out here.   She said one guy was talking to her by her truck and she mentioned that she her eyes were red and needed some Visine.  He said “well, there’s Visine in my truck”.  LOL   She declined his offer and got in her own truck.    No, dont think I would want to do this by myself.   Plus, she about talked our ears off while we were folding laundry.   I dont think she has had anybody to talk to in a while.   Very nice lady though.   She too said I needed to get my very own special “can” for the truck.   Still holding out on that one.

Well, going to watch a Downton Abbey (dont know what we will do when we get caught up) and head to bed.  4 am alarm set.   Have to be in Cedar Falls by noon.

Goodnight all.

3 am Dexter, Michigan

Bridge to Canada

Marathon

I dont think this ship is going anywhere.

Toledo, Ohio

Maumee River, one week later. What a difference.  You cant see it in this picture but there were tire tracks on it.