Gracious, what a day.   Greg drove 615 miles today in 11 hours so we didn’t get out of the truck much.   Boy are we tired.

We started out in Arkansas this am and went through Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and then finally Georgia.   We are very close to the South Carolina border.

We weren’t in Tennessee very long, mostly just around Memphis and over in to Mississippi. We were 7 miles from Graceland but couldn’t stop doggone it.    They don’t make these places easy for a semi to pull in to.   Saw the huge Memphis port where they were getting shipping containers off the trains and putting them on trucks.   What a huge place.   There was some snow but a lot of ice which was surprising for me.  I don’t think of ice and Memphis usually together.    We crossed the Mississippi River again to get in to Mississippi.  Look at the ice on the bridge and then on the trees once we cross the river.   Everything was frozen.    We went by Tupelo but didn’t see any city buildings or anything.   It’s either a small place or we weren’t close enough from the highway to see it.    We crossed over the Tallahatchie River.  It’s actually a very small river, unlike what you would think it would be when remembering the song.   No sign of Billie Joe McAllister though.   (Anybody remember that song?)

We crossed over in to Alabama and drove all the way across.    It was really cold here but at least no ice.  We didn’t see anybody or anything for miles until Birmingham.   Quite a big city nestled right in the Appalachian Hills.   We were in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Alabama and Georgia.   So beautiful.

We saw quite a few coal trains in Alabama.   Apparently they have some really big coal mines.  They range from 1400 to 2100 feet below ground.   Wow!

In Georgia it was pretty quiet and peaceful until we hit Atlanta.   I hate driving around that town in a car, in a semi its terrible.   A lot of people think its okay to pull out in front of an 80,000 pound truck.  I just don’t understand it.    A few people were nice enough to let us over when we needed to change lanes and a few idiots would drive over in the emergency lane to go around us instead of waiting a minute.   We got there right at 5 o’clock and the traffic was unbelievable.   We sat and went a few feet, sat and went a few feet for 2 1/2 hours.   I couldn’t do that every day.   I really couldn’t.     Finally got out of the city and drove another 2 1/2 hours to our stop for the night.   We are in Elberton, Georgia.   Never heard of it, right?   There is a Bubba’s Foods out here in the middle of nowhere that we are delivering to in the morning.   At least we have a 10 am drop off time so we can sleep in a bit.

It doesn’t look like we will get to spend time with the babies this weekend as we had hoped.   They have us going to Ocoee, Florida on Friday but then turning around and heading back to Oklahoma by Monday.   Doesnt leave a lot of time.    I am so disappointed but we are requesting specific time off to go back and get our kisses!

We are having roast, potatoes and carrots for dinner.   I fixed it in the crock pot yesterday.  I forgot to mention that yesterday, I think.    I let it cook all day and it was so yummy.  We had roast beef sandwiches for lunch and tonight finishing off the rest.   We get so tired of fast food and eating at truck stops but our trips to Wal-Mart (the only place that’s big enough to pull the truck in) are few and far between and the refrigerator doesnt hold much so we can’t stock up.   It wouldn’t be so bad if the truck stops would alternate the fast food places in them somehow.   We usually stop at Pilot and almost every one of them has had a Subway.   No more Subways for me ever if I can help it.   Just walking in now and my stomach does flip flops.   It was never one of my favorite places to begin with and now I can’t even think about it.

Well, time for Downton Abbey and then turn in.   We get to sleep late (later than 5 am anyway) and want those extra hours.

Enjoy the pictures.   Goodnight, y’all.

Hello!  I’m back.  Was just too tired last to write last night.  We switched our schedule around a little.  Usually, we pull in, park, eat, watch a little TV, then Annie uploads the pictures and writes her part.  By that time I am too tired to write.  However, tonight we parked, ate and then Annie did her part and I am doing mine and then TV and sleep.

Well, last night I realized I am not a truck driver.  I drive a truck for a living, but I cannot claim the title truck driver after seeing some of the parking maneuvers we witnessed last night.  Pulled into the Pilot truck stop outside Little Rock and the parking lot was quite narrow.  There were a few empty spots so I selected one and did my set up.  I knew it was going to be tight when I stopped and looked at my position.  Started backing and saw that I was going to be too long to hit the spot.  There was really no room for me to pull up anymore.  Oh well.  I saw a spot on the end of the row I was trying to get into.  It wasn’t really a designated parking spot but from the tracks in the snow I could see that someone had used it before so I went around the block so I could pull straight in and back straight into this spot.  Some truckers grumble about people who take up these spots on the end.  Say they do it because they can’t back a truck.  Oh well, let ’em talk.  I got a parking spot and I knew that if I didn’t take someone else would once all the other spots were taken.  I see it all the time.  Heck, these guys will pile in four and five deep from a curb when it gets late and there is nowhere else to park, barely leaving room for a truck to get by.  In fact a guy pulled in beside me not long after I parked but moved after a truck that was leaving the lot scraped his trailer about halfway down the parked trailer.  Then he just drove off.  Didn’t stop to see if he had done any damage.  I have heard storied of guys getting their trucks damaged in the night and no one owning up to it, but had not seen it before.

Anyway, the reason I say I am not a truck driver is that I am not all that good at parking.  And that is a big part of this job.  So far I have been very lucky to find spots with several empty slots so I can back without risk of hitting something or finding a pull through, an open space from the back of a row that you can pull right into.  Heck, there are more and more drivers just pulling into spots that are designed to back into.  Then they back out in the morning when there are not very many trucks around.  See it all the time.  Haven’t done it yet, but that is another option.  That was probably unheard of until just recently.  I can’t imagine my father in law pulling into a spot like that.

Oh, but I didn’t decide that I wasn’t a trucker until I saw a guy pull into that tight spot I was telling you about.  This is after three trucks after me attempted to get into the same spot but gave up and moved on.  So we’re sitting there watching these other drivers try to get into this spot, one was a student with a trainer and the trainer got out to help him but they still couldn’t get in there.  I tell you this spot allowed no room for error.  The other side of the lot was full of trucks so you had only the barest of margins to work with.  Well, here comes this guy pulling in, he eyes the spot, didn’t really give it a long look, made his move to set up, started backing, whoa, tight, no problem, he wiggled that truck back and forth pulling up, then back, easing it in, making more adjustments, and voila he’s in.  Never got out of his truck to look at his blind side, to see how close he was to the truck next to the spot he was backing into, never made a wasted move, every move was calculated and performed to a purpose.  It was pure beauty.  I was truly watching a master.  In walking to the truck stop later, we were walking behind that line of trucks and I looked at where he was in his spot, equidistant from the trucks on either side and straight as an arrow.  That man is a trucker.  I hope with enough practice to be half that good by the time this career is ended.

So, here we are in Elberton, GA.  Dinner was spectacular, as always when prepared by my loving wife and expert, certified, chef.  Good thing we don’t have an oven on here or she would be baking and it wouldn’t be long until I would not be able to get in and out of the truck.

Well, hope you enjoyed this entry to Hills Over the Road.  More tomorrow.  Right now it’s time for Downton Abbey.  Then sleep.  Good night all.  God bless.

o

Mississippi River

Memphis Intermodal facillity

Serious looking, isnt he?

Talladega speedway for all you NASCAR fans.

6 flags over Georgia

Atlanta at 5 oclock

This is what Precious does all day.   She chases the reflection from my camera.