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.

Woke up to pouring rain.    Of course we had to run through it to go to the bathroom but was able to get a Diet Coke so worth the trip.   Haha.

Going to get a late start today.  Greg has to get his CDL physical today so we are headed to Kroger of all places.   They have a clinic in with the pharmacy.  This Kroger also had clothes, a Jewelry store and a bunch of other stuff.   Guess they are trying to keep up with the Walmarts.    Anyway, Greg passed physical.   BP was good and he has lost 20 pounds!

We are now back on the road headed to Omaha, Nebraska.

Going through Tennessee this afternoon there were a lot of downed, broken and uprooted trees.   Must have had one heck of a storm last night.   This went on for miles.    So glad all we got was some rain where we were.

I don’t have any pictures today.  I just didn’t have it in me to take pictures of Nashville again and the same road we have been on a dozen times.   LOL

We have pulled in to a Pilot in Oak Grove, Kentucky for the night.    Got 700 miles to go but two more days to do it in so just taking our time and moseying along which is kind of nice.   Gives Greg a bit of a break.    On my side of the truck it doesn’t really matter.

We are getting ready to turn in.   Hopefully have more to say and pictures tomorrow.   Goodnight, y’all.

DG: short on miles today. Lots of traffic around Knoxville and Nashville with several stretches of construction. Not only does spring bring out the birds and the flowers but also the road crews. 

Passed the physical. I can see and hear and move so good to go. 

Will have more tomorrow.  

Good night and God bless. 

Knock on the door at 6 am this morning from receiver.  Ready to get us unloaded.  Yeah!  Only took about 40 minutes but Greg’s 10 hours aren’t up yet so we still have to sit and wait a bit before we can go.

DG:  This was one of the least painful unloads we have had.  These guys were ready at 0600 and got right to work.  Once I got the truck to the dock of course.  It took a couple of moves as there really wasn’t much room to maneuver.  But, I’m getting better.

Next load was going to be another one of those short drives but load not ready till tomorrow type of deals so I asked for another one that would keep me moving.  Got to keep moving.  So we got one.  Took a little bit.  In the meantime my 14 hour clock has started and won’t stop till the 14 is done.  So it takes about an hour for them to find a load we can pick up and deliver without a lot of wait time.  The pick up is in South Carolina.  Okay.  And we need a trailer wash out and there is one on the way, so we are set.  Not so fast kiddo.  I’m moving toward the next load, about a third of the way there, and I get a call.  “We are going to have to cancel that load.  Shipper said it wouldn’t be ready until first of the week”.  I only know what I have experienced about the shipping industry but does it seem strange to you that a shipper, a manufacturer of goods, would schedule a pick up for a shipment and not have it ready?  Like I say, I don’t know anything about that side of the business.  Okay, so I tell my driver manager I’m now more than halfway to that stop and there is a washout business before it so I will go ahead and get the trailer washed out and be ready for next load.  He says, “Okay”.  I get to the washout and the guy has gone to pick up lunch, won’t be back for a few minutes.  Second load info had come through on my way there so I check it and it’s a pickup in Virginia.  The time they give me won’t work cause I won’t have time to get there from where I am.  Another load comes through.  This one is doable, although there may be some wait time, but the pick up is right back where we started this morning.  And, the shipper washes the trailers so I don’t need a washout.  I tell the guy this as he returns from lunch.  He’s a little disappointed and I don’t blame him but he’s okay with it when I tell him they changed my trip and sent me 86 miles out of my way.  Which they will pay me for by the way.

So back toward Lenoir,, close to the place we just left, to the Baxter plant to pick up a truck load of saline and nutritional supplements for G-tube feedings.

The pick up was a drop and hook and different from any other we have had.  Usually, your trailer is checked out by a security guard, then you drop your trailer, go find your loaded one, hook to it, go back to receiving to get your paperwork and you’re off.  None of that here.  I gave the gate guard my pick up number, he gave me a piece of paper and pointed to the receiving office, I pulled my truck through the gate up to receiving, went in and the guy tells me where to drop my empty and where to pick up my loaded trailer, explains that I will find a tag on the loaded trailer that has a UPC code on it.  On the back of my bill of lading is a sticker with another UPC code on it.  I will scan part A to open the gate to get into the yard and scan both codes to get out once I have my trailer and be about my merry way.  Wow.  Usually they treat those bills of lading as if they are top secret government documents and you only get them once all criteria are strictly met.  Not this time.  “Here’s your bill, scan the code and you’re off”.  Thanks.  I probably could have gotten away with not getting the trailer washed out if I hadn’t mentioned it to him.  But I did.  There is a small, independent truck stop across the street from the Baxter plant that does the trailer washouts.  These guys were smart to start that business right across from the plant.  They also have a certified scale so you can weigh your truck once you are loaded.  And some good bar-b-q too.  We each had a sandwich while waiting on the trailer to be washed out.

So after all was said and done we had a load and now we are heading for Omaha, NE.  We only made it as far as Knoxville, TN though as all the canceled loads and the 172 mile out of the way trip, construction, mountains and Tennessee’s 55 mph truck speed limit ate what was left of my clock.  Now we sleep.  I have to get a DOT physical in the morning and we found a doctor, in a Kroger of all place, three miles from there that does them, no appointment needed.  My expires Sunday so this has got to happen soon.

Chili for dinner.  It keeps getting better but I’m afraid that three days is all we are going to get out of this batch.  Next up is chicken enchiladas.

Well, after saying all of that I have to tell you something else.  As you all know, we have always given God the glory for everything we have been given.  Our family, our friends, our business and its success, all attributed to God.  And when that business was taken away, we got excited because through experience, we know that when you lose something, God replaces it with something better.  Well, we thought the restaurant would be it and as it turns out it wasn’t.  Still we were excited, maybe a little less so, but still expectant, because we knew that God was going to give us something better.

Then I went to trucking school and started driving a truck.  I gotta tell you it is a lot harder than I expected but as Annie keeps reminding me, I have a wonderful view from my office.  And I know I say it a lot but this is one beautiful country.

So, back to God.  We pray every day, many times a day.  I tell you, when you are driving one of these rigs or just riding, whether you were accustom to praying or not you will start.  But that’s a different prayer.  Mostly for the idi….nope, not going to say anything bad about them.  They are doing the best they can.  But anyway, our prayers are for protection, blessing, prosperity, guidance and many other things.  So with not getting the miles we want and the paychecks we want we are trying to turn it all over to Him.  You know, that’s not always easy.  And that was a topic of discussion today because we were given this load that was going to have us sitting for a couple of days and we didn’t want that so when we asked for another one, well, that’s when all the above mentioned confusion began.  Two loads were cancelled and the final one came through after I had driven 86 miles in the wrong direction.  So we were questioning each other, well I was doing most of the questioning, if we are turning this over to God, why are we still trying to control it.  Maybe that load that didn’t look so good was going to turn into something better, or we would meet someone along the way that would bless us, or anything.  I mean if we turn our lives over to God, why question what comes.  Well, blame and guilt crept into the discussion and feelings were beginning to get hurt, but we worked it out and decided that God knows best and turning it all over to Him would mean we wouldn’t question what comes our way from now on.  Agreed.  At that very moment Annie said look and pointed to the sky.  I lowered my head a little so I could see more of the sky and there, straight ahead of us, two planes had just passed each other making a perfect cross with their contrails.  God is so good.

So no more questioning.  And if you see that we have, feel free to remind us of our aforementioned agreement.

Good night and God bless.

AG – not much more I can add to that.   Going through the Blue Ridge Mountains again today was amazing.   There were so many waterfalls coming down the mountain and little streams bubbling on the rocks.   So beautiful to see.    Some of the waterfalls started all the way at the top of the mountain and rushed all the way down to the highway.   WOW!    It was great going the back roads some today too because you get to see so much more of the land and the people that way.     We passed through this one small town, population 900, in Old Fort, North Carolina.   Lots of history there and they had a big Indian arrowhead in the town square to remind you of the history of this tiny town.   I want to go back sometime when we are in a car and can go see the fort and the waterfalls.

http://www.oldfort.org/index.htm

We have been listening to Joel Osteen in the morning with our prayers.   He is such a positive uplifter of the spirit.  We really enjoy it and it reminds us to be patient (not what happened today) that God has a plan for us.   We keep thinking on that and know that it is true.   So many times over the years He has proven time and time again that he is with us.   I will never forget as long as I live this one time when we had just moved to Florida.   We were worse than broke.   I remember crying because I couldnt even buy a bottle of shampoo.   Now that’s sad.   But would you believe it – I got a sample of shampoo in the mail that very day.   God knew what I needed before I even asked.   Thats why I wonder again and again why we try to take control.

Sorry, this is not going to be a sermon.  I promise.   We were just both so amazed at how the day turned out from pure craziness and disappointment this morning to a cross in the sky this afternoon.    Made us really think about how good life is even when you arent where you want to be.   God is working on getting you where you need to be.

Goodnight, y’all.

Happy Birthday to my Sadie girl this morning. 6 years old already.  I can’t believe it.   Sure wish I was there with you!

We were awakened by heavy thunderstorms and hail this morning.   News said possible tornadoes but it’s letting up now and starting to see some sky so I think we are in the clear.   Got to get to North Carolina today.

We have had a gorgeous drive after the rain stopped.  Got to go through Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky which to me is some of the most beautiful land anywhere.   The horses and farms are amazing.   Then through Tennessee.   We were just north of Pigeon Forge in the mountains which is also beautiful.    We crossed in to North Carolina and over in to Asheville.   I tell ya, if you have never seen the Blue Ridge Mountains you have missed something spectacular.   Not only do the mountains seem to envelop you and just give you a big hug but there are streams, rapids, waterfalls and gorgeous rocks and cliffs to look at as you go through.  It is one of my favorite places.   I went to a Reiki retreat in Boone, North Carolina a few years ago and had the privilege of hiking through some of the foot hills and creeks.   Just breathtaking.

Gregory Facetimed me when Sadie opened her presents and I got to talk to her a bit and watch her squeal with excitement over her birthday presents.   What a joy!   We have got to get down there before too much longer.  Mammie needs some kisses.

Well, we have arrived at our stop in Lenoir, North Carolina.   We don’t have to be here until 6 am but with the way the time works we wouldn’t be able to get here on time so we are spending the night at the warehouse.   We are first in line, of course, so hopefully we will be able to get out of here early in the morning.

DG here:  Sorry I didn’t type last night.  Beat to a pulp.  Much better today.  Well, we started out in Indiana after a day driving through the heart lands.  Driving through so much farmland I can’t help but be drawn to all of the old farm equipment sitting out behind barns and houses just rusting.  This train of thought started because of an old truck I noticed sitting in a field.  It was away from any structure.  Just out there on it’s own.  Close to the corn, but still within the confines of what one might call the yard when looking at farm property.  They don’t usually have much yard around the house as ground is precious in these areas and as much as can be is planted with the crop of choice.  But here sat this truck.  All alone just like someone drove it there, shut it off and walked away.  Never to return.  Well, now I see old farm equipment everywhere.  I guess I have always seen it but never really given it much thought until now.  So much of it, just sitting there, abandoned after it’s last day, never to be used again.  Or it appears, never given another thought.  Sad in a way.  If you think of farm equipment as having a soul.  The Indians believed everything had a soul, the rocks, the trees, the wind.  Why not farm equipment.  I felt the collective sadness as I drove by.  All those years, all those plantings and harvests.  Left to rust.  Someone, a scrapper, needs to recycle this stuff so that it can once again be useful.

I feel the same way about the old houses and barns that have been abandoned.  What does this say about us as a society that we just abandoned things that are no longer useful, or we feel are to time consuming to maintain.  We do the same with people.  But not my son.  He will not put me in a nursing home.  Never.  I love you son.

Annie thinks I am feeling abandoned.  Not yet, but it could happen.  Not.

Oh well, time for dinner.  Truck chili.  Mmmmmm.  Been smelling it all day.  If you want to get a sense of what I’m talking about, seal off your kitchen next time you are cooking something yummy and stay in there with it all day.  At least 10 hours.  You will be hungry after that.  And it will be good.

I’m rambling and like I said, hungry, so I will sign off now.

More about old farm equipment tomorrow as I am not done with this thought thread.

Good night and God bless.

Starting the day off at Ron’s Truck Repair trying to get the tandems to slide.   They still wouldn’t budge this morning.   Oh well.  At least I was able to get my caffeine first.

Finally able to get tandems to slide after working on them.   Then had to weigh.   Trailer over by 440 pounds so Greg had to slide tandems again to redistribute load.   Now weight is good and we are on the road.  Finally!

It’s a nasty cold day here in Minnesota.   35 degrees.   Brrrrr

The weather hasn’t improved much today.   Cloudy, foggy, rainy off and on.  The wind is pretty high too.  Almost blows you over.   At least it got warmer though.  67!

We have stopped for the night at a Pilot in Crawfordsville, Indiana.   Are some homemade chili and now time for laundry and shower.

Its midnight.  Definitely ready for bed.   Not only have we gone 640 miles today but we lost an hour coming from mountain to central.   We will lose another hour tomorrow when we cross in to eastern.

Sorry there aren’t a lot of pictures today.   The weather was just not good for pictures.

Greg is beat and already headed for bed.  Now I’m turning in.   Goodnight,  y’all.