Slept all the way to 7:30.  Woo hoo!   Our drop isn’t until 2 o’clock.   We can go an hour early but that still means sitting here a while.   Going to get some breakfast and chill for a while.  

Got to our stop about 1:30.   Then find out from the office that we could have come at any time today.   Uurrhggg.   Could have already come and gone.   Anyway, now we wait on our next load.  

It didn’t take too long to swap trailers.  Thank goodness.   Headed over to Dallas to get load to take to Fort Wayne, Indiana.    Fort Worth to Fort Wayne. 

So close and yet so far.   Our load wasn’t ready so back we go to sit at the terminal until morning so we can go back to the pick up and sit while they load us.  We have a 7 am appointment so hopefully we will be pretty close to the top of the list.   34 miles today.   Won’t even pay for the pizza we had for dinner.   Oh well.  At least it’s a 1000 mile trip out.  

DG:  God intended for us to watch football tonight so here we are. 

KLLM has great amenities just wish they had a little more freight. Can’t buy groceries with a free haircut or free laundry facilities.  Can’t make a house payment with free showers. 

We are waiting on a pizza. It’s cool enough we can sit outside and eat and watch the game.  Nice big flat screen on the wall. Wonder how they paid for that since THERE’S NO FREIGHT!!!!!  I’m okay. Just had to vent a bit. 

Annie – It is a nice night out.   It’s warm but there is a constant breeze so you don’t notice it so much.   Pizza was good.  Found a place with anchovies!  

The Giants beat the 49ers so it’s time to go to bed.   Getting up at 5ish.  

Night y’all.  

6 am.  At it again.   Long way to go today almost 600 miles.  May not make it all the way but load isn’t due until tomorrow afternoon so we are good on time.   59 degrees this morning so Greg is happier than when we were in New York.  

DG:  84 when we got to Texas. Happy camper me. 

Annie started that coughing thing she was doing the last time we were here so we think she may be allergic to Texas. 

Found us a good spot about 25 minutes from our delivery so think I’ll sleep in.  

Heard that the Cubs won today. Boy wouldn’t that be something if they went to the World Series. And if they won!!!!  Wow, I can’t even imagine the celebration that would go on in Chicago. 

NOTE:  It looks like the 7th and 8th got mixed up somehow.   They should be posted now but not in correct order.  Sorry for the confusion.  

Today:

6:30 Up and getting in to Columbus early morning traffic.  Not too bad.   We’ve definitely seen worse.   

Our GPS kept wanting us to take the loop around Columbus but it’s a pretty big loop so while we were discussing the pros and cons of going straight through or around Columbus we missed the exit to the loop.  I look over the overpass and they were bumper to bumper that way.   Guess everybody’s GPS says take the loop.   Here is the traffic we had going straight through.   Saved us 40 miles and probably an hours travel time NOT going that way.   Again, Divine intervention. 

They are cutting the corn down in Ohio.   We’ve seen the complete cycle now. 

DG:  Cotton is still in the field in Tennessee.  Unintentionally we are on a cross country crop cycle tour. It’s the CCCCT.  Very interesting. There is so much to see and learn. 

Stopping in Jackson, TN for the night. A little over 500 miles to go but we have until 2:00 pm Sunday to get there so there is no rush. If we get there tomorrow, which is a possibility, we may be able to deliver but doubtful there will be a load out on Sunday. However, anything is possible. 

Hope everyone is well. God bless 

Annie – Rain again but not bad.  Hopefully will be gone by the morning.   

Finally got that shower!   Feel so much better.   I swear k don’t know how people go days and days or even weeks without showering but they are out there and odds are they drive a truck! 

Saw a truck hauling cows earlier.  Name on the truck was Burger Trucking.   Now that’s funny!   

Well, turning in.  Long day tomorrow.    Good night y’all.  

5:30. Up and on the road.   It’s still dark.   The day shouldn’t be able to start when it’s still dark!   Ok.  Enough whining.  

6:30  Arrived at stop in Jessup, PA.  Still dark but at least the guard has a good sense of humor and is very awake at this time of the morning.  

We are on the top of a hill and looking over the city of Jessup.   

DG:  Makes me think of the bluegrass song about uncle Penn. “High on a hill and above the town, Uncle Penn played the fiddle.  Lord how it would ring.  You could hear it talk, you could hear it sing.”  You know. 

It’s been an hour and a half and they have stopped shaking the box. My light is still red so they are either taking a break or counting.  Either way I can’t move till I get a green light. 

Alerted dispatch that I should be done soon and asked if they had a pre planned trip for us. Crickets. What are they doing down there?  Come on.  Would just like to know what my day is going to be like. 

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting some more. Think I’ll have an avocado. Usually if I get busy with something things start moving. 

Annie – Got our trip.  Heading to Lowville, NY for load to Fort Worth, Texas.   I’m enjoying this cool weather but oh well.    Greg’s whining so I guess fair is fair.  South we go.  After we go further north.   In Pennsylvania we were in the Pocono’s.  Now we are headed to the Adirondacks.  The trees get more colorful as we go.   Doubt we can say the same as we head to Texas.  

DG:  I think I lost more entries. Maybe I was just thinking I typed more. 

We are in Lowville, NY at a Kraft cheese plant. Our appointment was for 1:00 pm, I was two hours late and they weren’t ready. Nor at 7:00 pm are they ready. We wait. My clock is done so Annie and I get to spend a romantic evening in the Adirondak mountains in a beautiful chalet overlooking the valley. Okay, not really. Another night in the truck in a shipper’s parking lot. We won’t be the only ones. 

Finished loading around 1:00 am. I have no time on the clock and about two and a half hours to reset the ten. So I ask the guy if we can stay there and he says yea so we hit the hay.  We sleep till about 5:30 and start he pretrip. On the road by six we make pretty good time across up state Nee York, a corner of Pennsylvania and into Ohio just north of Columbus.  We find a rest area thinking it would be like the ones on I-80, but it’s not. For some reason the north/south rest area are like most others with bathrooms and vending. The east/west rest areas are really nice with free showers, food court and convenience shopping. Anyway, once your in the truck you could be anywhere. 

Two more long days of driving ahead. Time to rest. God bless.  

Up at 5:30 but having a hard time getting out from under the blankets.   It’s 39 degrees this morning.    Someone (you know who) is whining like a little girl.   “Be sure and put it in the blog that we had to turn the heat on!”    LOL.  He is definitely glad to be heading south and I would like to buy property.   Haha 

We made it through New York, Pennsylvania and in to Ohio today.   Stopping for the night in Columbus at a rest area.   Not enough time on the clock to make it to the next truck stop so my hopes of a shower tonight are dashed but there is always tomorrow.  

 We got to have a nice picnic though as the weather is perfect.   Precious ran around for about half an hour and peed on all the trees.   Greg as usual was his talkative self.  

Up at 6:30 and on the road.   Heading to Jessup with our load of chewing gum.  

It’s been a pretty uneventful day.  Greg drove 550 miles.   That’s a lot of driving.   He gets in the zone now though and it doesn’t seem to bother him.   

Getting a little bit of fall color but still not a lot.  A lot of green yet still.  

   
   
We have a 7 am appointment in the am so heading out about 6 to go get in line.  This one truck stop has over 300 parking spots. Hope we aren’t all going to the same place in the morning.   

DG: That’s doubtful, but my hope is the same. 

We have talked about having the favor of God and all his blessings. And I am amiss by not mentioning everyday the way that God guides and blesses us. Especially when we ask. Well, most every night we ask for a good parking space and sometimes just a place to park when it’s very late. Well, tonight it wasn’t “late” when we entered the truck stop but it was filling up fast and all of the front row spots closest to the bathrooms, the preferred spots, were taken, so we head for the second row. A driver was attempting to walk across the lot so I stopped to allow him to walk in front of me but instead of crossing he comes up to the truck. I roll my window down to see what he wants.  He wants to give us his parking spot as he is about to leave. He waits for me to turn around and as soon as I get close he pulls out and there you go. Highly favored. You can call it coincidence if you want, but I know who’s responsible. 

So, yesterday I wrote a couple of very witty and entertaining paragraphs regarding a funny thing that happened at a rest area the other day. And then I didn’t save them. And they’re gone. So here is the short version. 

We pull into a rest area to do rest area business. Business is booming so I don’t need any delays. Low and behold I look up, after setting my brakes and logging off, and low and behold but what do I see?  Five big yellow school buses all in a line with lines of high school aged boys filing off and into the rest area. There was no way I was going to get to use those facilities in time. Brakes off, in gear, head to the next stop for relief. It was much longer and wittier yesterday. But alas, that version is lost in the ethers. 

Tonight’s episode brought to you by Sleep Now, the feeling you get after a long day on the road. 

God bless. 

6:15.  Up and at ’em.   The plan was to get up at 7 but guess My internal alarm had a different idea.   So we are getting on the road a bit earlier than we thought but judging the traffic already outside Chicago getting up and out earlier was a good idea. Crazy!      We only have about an hour drive so hopefully will be out of this soon.  

Made it to our drop in plenty of time.  Got set up and now waiting on them to get to us to unload.  We’ve been waiting an hour already.  Hope it’s not too much longer.  The place is completely staffed with Mexicans.  All the signs in the office are in Spanish and when a message went out over the intercom it was on Spanish.   Oy! 

2 1/2 hours unload time.   Now back on the road to the Wrigley plant in Romeoville, Illinois to take to Jessup, Pennsylvania.  

A couple of new baby pictures. 

We have stopped for the night in Angola, Indiana.   We have about 500 miles to go tomorrow.   We have 34,000 pounds of Wrigley gum.   The smell at th warehouse is almost over powering.  Very minty place but again, Better than meat places!   

It’s 61 tonight.  Not to bad for October.   We know winters coming though.   The truck stops are putting all the washer fluid down to -20 degrees and heavy jackets, scarves, gloves, etc. out now.   Won’t be long now, especially in this part of the country.    Still haven’t seen much fall color.    Trees are either still green or just turning brown.   Hope to see some color before winter.   

Well, goodnight y’all. 

On the road again after a good breather and time with mom.   Tine to head to Geneva, Illinois with our load of cookies.   

Outside of Gary, IN we srop for the night.  An hour and a half to reach our destination.  This is the closest truck stop.  

The truck I drive has a dummy axel.  Most semis have two drive axels. Mine has one. This means there are four wheels that are just coming along for the ride.  Well I noticed the other day that the tires on the axel that has the power are wearing much more than the ones that are just rolling along.  So I get them rotated. Now the ones with the most tread are on the drive axel so the tread should even out eventually. 

More fun facts tomorrow gang. Stay tuned. 

God bless. 

DG:  Just outside of Richmond, VA there is a Nabisco plant that makes something chocolatey.  And you can smell it all around. That was our pick up spot yesterday.  32000 pounds of cookies on its way to Geneva, IL.  When we get our load information we also get a fuel routing that tells us where and how much fuel to get at the best price. I was pleased to see our fuel stop at Grayson, KY. Since this load is not due until Monday morning with no early drop available we had an entire day to spend with Ruthie. All day today. Will probably leave about 8:00 in the morning. Will have to spend the night outside of Chicago and roll into our delivery about 8:30. 

Having time to ponder while not driving I am aware of the calmness and solitude of the road and I miss it after a very short while. Yes it’s nice to mix with what has become now the outside world, but it’s a world of confusion and sadness. Driving I can go anywhere in my mind. That may be a statement to come back and haunt me should I run off the road or have an accident due to inattentiveness.  

Pretend I didn’t tell you this. 

Anyway, a great meal and some quality family time. It’s been a good day. Oh, and ice cream from Crisp’s. Now it’s perfect. 

Annie – Great time with mom this weekend.  Also got to putter around in the kitchen which was nice.  I miss it.  I put on some homemade rolls and bread this am which we had with dinner.   Good steaks from Whites Meat Market.    Got mom to eat most of her dinner.   Haha.  

Well, off to bed.  Up early with an 8-9 hour drive tomorrow.   

Goodnight y’all.  

God bless

DG: Another day, another dock. Our lives are truck stops, rest areas and loading docks. And highways. And wide open spaces. And small towns with lots of red lights. And weigh stations. Fast food. An occasional motel room. And lots of closeness. If working together side by side for over 15 years did not cement our relationship, living together in a space smaller than the common office cubicle will. Imagine being in such close proximity to your spouse all day that you can’t move without touching each other. It’s wonderful. Unless it’s been a couple of days inbetween showers, then I feel sorry for her. 

Annie – Yeah just imagine………

So, it looks like our trip is going to take us through ashland so we will get to spend the night at moms.   Probably won’t be there until 9 or 10 but at least we get to stop.  

Saw a wreck in Virginia.   Roads have been a mess.  

   
I took a couple of pictures coming through White Sulfur Springs, WV.   It’s beautiful through here.  Wish it wasnt raining but it has rained the whole way!  

   
 
New picture of our little sweetie.  

Well we made it to moms.  Looks like we get to stay tonight and tomorrow night.   Greg is going to do his 34 hour reset since the load isn’t due until Monday am.  The plan is to leave Sunday am and get there to drop off and be ready.   

DG:  Sleep, oh beautiful sleep. Take me to dreamland where skys are blue all day long. Or all night long. Depends on if you are napping during the day or……..

Wanted to post a picture of the trailer I’m pulling this time. I feel like a rolling billboard.  

 
Oh, and we stopped at a rest area on the turnpike that had a Burger King and I got the new, limited time Halloween Whopper. 

  
It was okay. Don’t think the black bun will be permanent.  

God bless.