Up at 5 am to head to Denver.  We can’t see the mountains we parked in front of last night but I feel pretty sure there are some to see as we go north.

We passed through Pueblo, Colorado.  Saddest little town.   The houses were very tiny, stacked on top of each other and very run down.   There wasn’t a city that I saw or any commerce just miles of these tiny houses.   So sad.

Just a few miles down the road and you hit Colorado Springs which is a big metropolis area of ski resorts, huge houses, restaurants, car dealerships.    What a difference just a few miles make.

We got to our first stop and it was a live load which means we sat for over three hours. They told us to go on over to our pick up so at 2:30 we show up and are told they can’t load is until 5.   We have to get the trailer washed out too so we go do that while we wait for 5 o’clock. Back at pick up at 4:30.  Sitting…..   Got call at 5:15 to bring trailer around so they can load it. Sitting………

We were able to get out about 7 o’clock just in time to see his clock read 18 minutes of driving time left.   Great!

We had gone to a TA earlier to get the trailer washed out but there were over 200 trucks there and even parked on the road so we found a Flying J not too far away.   Took a while to park as this was one full too but a guy pulled out right in front of us and we were able to park.  Got a shower, ate a slice of pizza, now time for bed.  Heading to Dodge City by 10 am.

Greg is already asleep.   So goodnight, y’all.

Up at 6 and heading to Colorado with our assortment of syrups.   We have 44,000 pounds of Diet Coke, Sprite, Coke zero, fruit punch, lemonade and mountain blast.   All we need now is some carbonated water and we are set!

I kept seeing these pretty black birds.  At first I thought they were just crows but they have a longer fancy tail and a really pretty song.  Not at all like a crow.  Looked it up and it is a great tailed grackle.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great-tailed_Grackle/id

I also keep seeing birds around all the overpasses and these little nests stuck up under there with little holes in them.   Looks like it is the cliff swallow.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cliff_swallow

We may be getting a little goofy going through Texas.   We have turned on Willies Roadhouse on Sirius radio and listening to Marty Robbins, Dottie West, etc.   oh my!

Stopped at a rest area.   This is always a lovely sign to see.   Thankfully we didn’t see any.

Pictures in the rest area.

We made it to Trinidad, Colorado this evening before the time ran out.    What a trip it has been.   We went about 500 miles through Texas.   The Texas landscape changed every few miles.   We would be in trees and lush green grasses and then dry open areas and then rolling hills and then taller hills and buttes.    There were so many wildflowers along the highways in Texas too.   Thousands of yellow, pink, white and purple flowers.    At one point we went through a small dust cloud.   They had plowed up the land on both sides of the road for what looked like cotton and it was so dry that the wind was moving it across the road.   You can see how thick it was in the pictures below.

Then we crossed in to New Mexico – another new state!!   New Mexico was amazing.   The hills and mountains, landscape.  It was all so beautiful.   I took over 270 pictures today.  I had the hardest time trying to figure out which ones to put in the blog tonight.   Some of the mountains you see in New Mexico and the black rocks are all part of a volcanic chain through the area.   It is part of the Capulin Volcano National Park.    See link below.   Who’d have thought there were volcanoes in New Mexico!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capulin_Volcano_National_Monument

Then we got in to the lower part of Colorado and the  mountains through there were awesome as well.   We saw several pronghorn in several spots.    We saw 3 elk on the side of the road but I was so surprised to see them that I didn’t get a chance to get a picture.   They were so close to the road, just standing there eating.   Wow!

This has been one of the prettiest days on the trip.   We go through more of Colorado tomorrow.   I cant wait.   If you all cant find me at some point I will be in the mountains in Colorado.

For now, I am turning in.   Got to go 300 miles by 10 am.    Goodnight, y’all.

DG: Wind, wind, wind.  Good thing I was loaded, the truck that is, or we may have ended up on the side of the road, on our side.  I was quite literally steering into the wind to stay on the road.  Some rain, but nothing serious.  Not like last night in Dallas.  That was a storm.  We Texas panhandle is really beautiful.  This leads right into New Mexico, land of enchantment.  And it truly is.  Just looks spiritual, sky and land.

Tonight we are parked at a rest area facing some mountains.  Can’t wait to see them in the morning.  Tomorrow we go right up the east side of the Rockies and hope we can see Pike’s Peak from the highway.  Will let you know if that happened tomorrow.

Like the lady said, up early so we make Aurora by 10.  Good night and God bless.

Up at 6 and getting on the road.  Texas and Louisiana today!   So far it’s not raining but the sky sure is gloomy.   Looks like we are going right between two storms.   We have been so blessed weather wise.   I think we have missed every major storm around us.

Since we are going through Mississippi it got us thinking about Jerry Clower.   We love to listen to his comedy and have for years.  We used to listen to him for hours on car trips and stuff.   When Gregory was a little boy he was a big fan.  We surprised him one time by taking him to see Jerry in concert.   He was so excited and couldn’t wait to meet him after the concert.   Gregory had just gotten his hair cut that day, which meant shaved real close to his head, and Jerry gave him a dollar for having the best hair cut.   Tickled that boy to pieces.   He kept that dollar and the signed tape for years.

Made it to our stop at Lowes in Texas.  Thankfully it’s a drop and hook so we shouldn’t be here for hours and hours.

Wow.  In and out in less than 30 minutes.  Awesome!   Now we are on our way to Dallas to Coca Cola and heading to Aurora, Colorado.

Got to Coca Cola. What a trip through Dallas.  That was fun.   Yikes!   Now we have to go get a wash out that they didn’t tell us we needed so off we go to do that so we can go back to Coca Cola again to get our load.   Are we having fun yet?

We had sunshine for about an hour today and then this evening we had one of the worst thunderstorms I think we have been in.  You could see the rain moving across the highway in big sheets.   Couldnt hardly see the road except when the lightening light up everything which was quite often.   Wow, what a storm.   Glad it didnt last long.

Turning in.   Talk to you tomorrow.   Goodnight, y’all.

DG:  Called my best friend that I was stationed with in Blytheville.  He lives in Dallas so I wanted to meet up with him even if it was a short visit.  Every other Sunday since we’ve been on the road we have sat all day on Sundays. The one time I wish we were sitting so we could visit more with Doc, we have a load. Oh well. Next time. And there will be a next time. Here’s a shot of all three of us at dinner.

It was a really good visit.

That’s all for now. Had to park in the fuel isle as there were no other spots. Praying they don’t run is off.

Good night and God bless.

Up at 6:30 and getting ready to get on the road. I pulled my Diet Coke out of the fridge, opened it and it exploded all over me and the truck.  After cleaning me and the truck, I poured what was left of the slushie Diet Coke in my plastic jug and immediately knocked it over.  What a way to start the day.   I don’t think I’m quite awake yet.  Glad I’m not driving!  DG: me too.

Around Duncan, South Carolina a lady who works at the Pilot told us to be sure and stop at the Pilot in Commerce Georgia to eat.   She said the restaurant had been taken over by an individual and that the food was good old fashioned comfort food.  So we decided to stop when we went through.   Needless to say, it didn’t live up to the hype.  Greg had the catfish special which was dry and over cooked.   I ordered the open faced turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy.  The turkey was right out of the package slices of turkey you buy in the deli at the grocery store.   It was awful.  After two bites I sent it back.   I wanted actual turkey.   Oh well.  Won’t stop there again.

Getting around Atlanta was a treat again.  It doesn’t matter which way you come from or what time of day the roads are a crowded mess.  I am so glad I don’t have to drive in bar every day.

Sweet Home Alabama.   Stopped at a rest area and saw this.  Awesome!

We went through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and in to Mississippi today.    That’s probably a record for us for most states in a day.   Going to finish going through Mississippi tomorrow then Louisiana and in to Texas.   This makes a total of 22 states so far just in 80 days.   Now we need some new ones!!   The route today was supposed to go north back to Nashville and then Arkansas, and Oklahoma and then down in to Texas but we wanted to see something other than Tennessee again so we headed south.   Works out great since we haven’t been through Mississippi or Louisiana in a long time.

We have stopped for the night in Forest, Mississippi.  I thought we were southern but the girl at the restaurant tonight kept asking if yeeeaaawww doing okay?   It goes beyond y’all.   Good place to eat.  I had the barbecue ribs since me and fish don’t get along.  Tonight was the seafood buffet of all things.

Well, going to turn in.   Getting up about 6:30 or so.   Need to be in Mount Vernon, Texas by 3 pm.   Goodnight, y’all.

DG:  Sorry about yesterday and not writing.  I was tired, but not from driving. I was wore out from the stress.  Couldn’t get a load.  Then they wanted me to take the trailer to Thermo King to get the refer repaired. The company thought I would be able to leave the trailer there and bobtail to pick up another.  Well, they should have checked with the shop first because when I mentioned leaving the trailer I was told they had no room.  Guess what, we had to wait for it to be repaired.  Another two hours out of my driving time.  We made the best of it though by going to fuel and get supplies at a truck stop nearby. Next a wash out, then to Stanley for a truck load of power tools going to Lowes.

We try to go as far as we can each day with what time we have as determined by the Department of Transportation that august body of bureaucrats who in their infinite wisdom have determined the limits and capabilities of all truck drivers regardless of age, physical condition or stamina.  Annie uses her trucking app to find rest areas and truck stops near our outer limit of travel based on speed limits and time remaining on our DOT clocks. We try to cut as close as possible leaving ourselves about 30 minutes to spare. Well sometimes you have to push it as the distance between rest areas or truck stops are such that the closer one may leave you with an hour or more on your clock, safe but not good enough, and the next one is right at the limit of getting there in time without speeding.  Well, without getting caught.  “Seriously officer, if the government is going to set limits on how far I can go they should at least give me a break on how fast I get there”.  Yea, I don’t see that argument flying.

Long story short we pulled into an unmarked, on the app anyway, truck stop with 6, count ’em “SIX” minutes to spare. Way to go babe. That’s my girl. Keeping things interesting.

We got an added surprise as there is a restaurant, Penn’s, right behind the truck stop.  Parking lot was full, which is a good sign, so we went in. I know I had catfish for lunch but the catfish and shrimp dinner here was so much better.  See below.

Yes that is mayonnaise by the fries. A taste I acquired while stationed in Germany.

One more thought before I close. I figured out why so many people cut in front of my truck while I’m barreling down the highway.  These are unmarked cars driven by DOT officials testing my breaks and reaction time.

Hope you all are well. Good night and God bless

PS:   We wanted to say a big thank you to the guardian angels tonight who were with Gregory today when he fell off the truck while working with a pallet loader.   That could have been a lot worse than a sprained hand.   Thank you Angels!

4:55 am and we are still waiting to get done. New had a midnight appointment.   Got an 8 o’clock appointment I hope we aren’t late for.  

Got to the Harris Teeter on time to sit some more.  2 1/2 hours and counting.   Desperately need a Diet Coke but none in a parking lot.   LOL 

Well, thought we were getting on the road but the trailer has an alarm on it that the freezer isn’t working right so we have to go to Thermoking and get it checked out.   More waiting.

Got our trip.  Going to Concord, North Carolina to pick up load and then going to Mount Vernon, Texas.  

Trying to get to Concord.   First a train held us up for 20 minutes now this.   

Well we got to Concord with 15 minutes to spare but had to wait for the trailer to be loaded.   This took us past the time of the clock so all we could do is go to Pilot and park for the night.   Should be able to get up early and get headed to Texas.   

Sorry no pictures tonight.  Between sitting all day and the rain I just didn’t have a chance to get anything good.  We are going to Texas via Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana so should be able to get some good ones.  

Goodnight y’all. 

Happy Birthday Faye.  We love you and miss you!

Back on the road again at 5:30 this morning.  Felt great to sleep in a real bed, take a long hot shower and do some laundry.  Plus got to visit with mom, Jim and Paul, Jr.   So great to see everybody.  Wish we had had more time but we will be back!

Mary – we honked as we went by on 64!

Going over the West Virginia turnpike this morning.  Even in the rain I think it is such a beautiful drive.  It was nice in the truck because we had to go slower and we were able to actually see the waterfalls, creeks and farms along the way.    I got some nice pictures I think.    

We made it to Lexington, North Carolina without any trouble and then took a big nap.  LOL   Not a lot of sleep last night getting in so late and doing laundry, taking a shower, visiting, etc.   Wouldn’t trade it though.

DG:  Third times a charm.  Twice I tried to add to the blog but nothing got saved.  This time on the computer so here’s hoping.  Rain, lots of water, beautiful mountains.  Nice trip.  10 hours early.  Finally have a door.  Unload partially here then take the rest of it to Indian Trail, NC, about an hour away.  Then off to parts unknown.

Had a great time with family, but just too short.  We’re going to give this another week or so then reevaluate.  They are not giving us the miles we need.

Hope all are well.  My creativity was all used up on the two previous posts that got deleted.  You would have loved them.  Pulitzer prize winning stuff.  Lost with Hillary’s email.

Good night and God bless.

Happy Birthday to my sweetheart today!!!   Love you so much!

We are on the road early.   Going to try to work it out so we can stop at moms for the night.

Made it to mom’s for the night.   Its going to feel great sleeping in a real bed tonight.   Also getting my laundry done.

DG: Felt a little sentimental leaving Concordia, MO this morning. That’s where we met the nice couple that told us about our possible next job and where we attended a church service Sunday morning.  Life has a way of running you in circles some times. 

Made it to Ashland with about 12 minutes on my clock. Got a shower and am lying in a full size bed that I may never get out of. Ah, it’s the little things. 

Had a wonderful birthday. Got to spend the whole day with my favorite person in the whole wide world, my wife and best friend.  Now if she would just come to bed we could get some sleep before heading out in the morning.  

 Good night and God bless.  

Honey I will be there as soon as the laundry is done.    

Up at 4:30.   Apparently it had rained during the night and we slept through a good storm as evidenced by all the big puddles we had to try to walk around to get to the bathroom.   Must have been tired to sleep through all that.

We got to our appointment early which was great since they could go ahead and get started on unloading us.   The receiver gave us some concern when we got there when he asked where we picked up and we told him North Carolina. “Well, let me go check and make sure you have an appointment today”. Not good to hear at 5:30 am.  But apparently all was good and we backed in to the dock to get unloaded.

Well apparently we got here in time for them to go on break.  LOL.   They worked for about 30 minutes and then we didn’t hear anything and one of the guys said break time!   Fortunately it wasn’t long so we were unloaded by about 7:30 which is great.   Short time at the docks is always good.

Our next trip is to go to Schuyler, Nebraska to Cargill.   We picked up 44,000 pounds of hamburger and various cuts of beef.  Headed to Harris Tetter in Lexington, North Carolina and Indian Trail, North Carolina.

I keep hoping to see the fields getting worked on as we go through the plains but so far not much is going on.   We’ve seen where manure has been put on some of the fields but not all.   Guess it’s still too early in the season.

We have stopped at a TA in Concordia, Missouri for the night.    We got out and went for a good walk down one of the side roads here. It feels good to get out and stretch the legs after being in the truck for hours and hours.   Now, we get to ruin all that good exercise with a dinner of chicken and dumplings.

There is a picture of an airplane.   Greg said it was a (this is where I went in to a mini coma)………………………..   He will tell you more about the airplane and what it does.   It flies.  Thats all I need to know.   LOL

DG: Pulled into the truck stop and I said, “This looks familiar”.  And then it dawned on me, we were just here yesterday.  This is where we attended that wonderful church service yesterday.  

The plane was an AWACS, Airborne Warning and Control Systems.  This one was coming in for a landing. Otherwise you never see these things as they fly high overhead searching for enemy aircraft through radar.  Guess there were no enemy aircraft above so they were coming home. 

Well, I believe it’s been decided we are switching companies.  We asked God to guide us and he parked us right next to a driver that was in full recruit mode. Then at our next stop we saw a truck from the same company and Annie said, “Go over ask him how he likes the company”.  So I did and this guy spent about 30 minutes going over all the good aspects of the company.  Then we ased God to take care of the details and when I got the information for our next trip it is routing right through Ashland. We were wondering how we were going to get all our stuff from Kansas to Florida or Kentucky after taking the truck back and there you go, a trip through Ashland with time to clean out the truck. God is good. And very efficient. 

That’s all for today. Got to sleep now. Early morning and miles to go before I sleep again. 

Good night and God bless. 

Woke up to pouring rain and weather report that says possible tornadoes from Texas to Iowa and here we sit outside Kansas City.   Lovely.   Looks like it will be passing quickly so will sit here a while and watch the weather.  

While we waited this morning we stopped in at the church service at the TA.   A lot of the TA’s have someone that comes in from a local church just to have prayer and read a few scriptures or be there if someone wants to talk.   An older gentleman was speaking this morning.   A very nice gentleman who used to be a truck driver.   

Now we are on the road to Omaha.  Still pouring the rain but supposed to be over pretty soon.    Here’s hoping! 

Afternoon turned out to be gorgeous. 70 degrees and sunny. 

We have stopped for the night at a TA in Council Bluffs, Iowa.   Here early so we decided to walk over to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. I had a chicken chimichanga and Greg had seafood enchiladas.  I tried the watermelon and jalapeño margarita and it was surprisingly good.  Just enough heat.   

We ran in to another KLLM driver who talked to us for quite a while.  It seems like God is wanting us to change companies.   Greg is going to call them and check them out.   

Well, turning in for the night.  We have a 6 am delivery time.     We aren’t far from stop but still a 4:30 wake up call.  Goodnight y’all! 

DG:  Up at 11, pm, and now I can’t get back to sleep.  Lol, you all know that’s not true. Will get a nap before going to our drop. 

Good service this morning. Our first since being on the road. Usually we are on the road during service times or sleeping in or someplace that does not have Sunday services. Some truck stops have special trailers set up as chapels with two services on Sunday and one during the week. We felt a special call to attend this morning and I am glad we did. We were the congregation.  Didn’t catch our preacher’s name as I don’t think he gave it, but did learn that he has been doing this since the local church stopped holding services for the truckers.  And sad to learn that usually he is the only one there. But he keeps coming. It was a blessed time. I love God’s people.  And God. We’re all his children. Lord help me be a better child. 

Well, going to try to get some sleep before heading out in a few hours. 

Good night and God bless. 

Not in too much of a hurry today since we have plenty of time so we stayed up late catching up on some tv shows and then slept in a bit.   Now on our way to Nebraska.

It’s a gorgeous day today.  Sun is bright and very few clouds. It’s 66 degrees right now in Illinois.

Crossed through Kentucky and in to Indiana there is still a lot of flooding.   Lakes and the rivers are way up and in a lot of cases over their banks.  The Ohio river was a mess and severely flooded.   A lot of guys out fishing today though.   Lots of boats on the water.

We have stopped at a TA in Missouri for the night.   I didnt take pictures of St. Louis again as we went through.   I think I have enough of those.   I did get some of Kentucky and a few in Illinois.   There is clover blooming all over the place right now and it is a pretty purple.   My favorite color!

Hope you enjoy the pictures.   We should get on in to Omaha tomorrow.  Only about 300 miles away I think.    Going to turn in in a bit.   Goodnight, y’all.

DG:  Yes, stopped at a TA, Transport America, or something like that.  They also merged with Petro so now they are both pretty much the same. TA/Petro is the Cadillac of truck stops though.  I mean, they have roomy showers with shelves in the shower, you don’t always get that in the other ones, a sterile plastic cup at the sink along with a peppermint candy and a bar of soap, none of these provided by the other guys.  Also, two bath towels in every shower.  The other guys will provide you with an extra towel but you gotta ask for it.

Well, we put it in God’s hands, we are trying to stay out of it, and guess what happened.  When we pulled in the truck stop today there were plenty of places to park as it was early, as trucking goes, so I had my pick.  I try to look for a place close to the main building so we can access the wifi, and close to any grassy areas for Precious.  Well, there was a spot that met those criteria with about four open spaces between two trucks.  Another thing I look for as it makes backing easier.  And usually I pull in the next spot over from any truck already parked so as not to crowd them, and give me more room for backing, but today I felt confident and backed right next to a KLLM truck.  I had my window down so I could stick my head out and see where my trailer was going and once I was in my spot the KLLM driver had his passenger window down, looked at the name on my truck and said he used to drive for Trans Am and wanted to know if we were starving.  Funny he should ask.  Well, long story short, his wife was in the passenger seat so she filled us in on the difference between Trans Am and KLLM as they used to drive for Trans Am.  We have been praying that God would send us someone to talk to and here they were.  Funny thing is, they said they never sit, but this weekend they are.  Imagine that.  Praise God.  So, we have the number for her recruiter and will probably give her a call on Monday.  We always look on line as well for comments from drivers and the majority of post for this company seem to be positive.  Who knows, we may be switching companies soon.

So with all of this writing I’m thinking of doing a book as well, “The View From My Office”, or “Office With A View”.  What do you think?  It wouldn’t be a lot about trucking but rather about the beauty of this land and all of God’s creation.  Even though we have traveled the same roads for over two months now I am still awed by it’s beauty.  We were talking today and the dramatic change a week has made.  It went from dark and grey to bright and colorful.  Nature is truly amazing.  Oh, and KLLM goes to all 48 states.  Obviously we wouldn’t be going to Hawaii.  Alaska I guess would be a possibility, but I don’t think they go there. 

Almost forgot to mention the big long silver thing in the picture.  Don’t know what it was, but the trailer has 114 wheels on it.  Now that is an oversized load.

 Okay, another day of hope and blessings.  Hope you all are well and happy.  Good night and God bless.