Floods, weekends and dealers

The last couple of weeks have been a blast. The first week I stayed in a motel in Denver and drove 500 MI a day that first week, returning to Denver in the evening. Then took the weekend off :). The second week was a run to Idaho, drop off ranch equipment to several locations, then pickup some lumber in Princeton Idaho and burn the blacktop for Iowa and back to Denver. Once in Denver, I flew into my pick up and zipped up to the tunnel, over Vail, through Glenwood to home, it was way to late when I woke up to make it to church!! My sisters were supposed to have green chili awaiting, but I grilled instead.

This week we dropped off the load in Oregon, buzzed through Walla Walla, and I now sit waiting to load lumber in the morning, bound once again for Iowa. We rolled through the Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho Scales without trouble. But I roll into the Oregon scale and they declare that I am 1500 LBS to heavy! The officer didn't give me an expensive ticket, but I still take a hit on my CSA record for a violation :( Grrrr!!! I am working on being an outlaw now.

The west is absolutely gorgeous with all the rain, although a bit muggy looking with all the Arizona smoke. I haven't seen this much green in western country side since I was a kid! The down side is horrifying, the rivers are out of their banks, very upsetting for a fly-fisherman.  The Colorado River has covered a couple of parks in Grand Junction and the bike path in Glenwood is under. The snake looks threatening, as it churns menacingly. Although I saw many people out fishing in its in Lewiston, ID / Clarkston WA. There are several "dry" rivers in Wyoming that haven't seen water in decades, that are out their banks as well!

The Missouri has Sioux City under in many places.

The feller that is showing me the ropes of flatbedding is a good ol boy who was a metal head in the 80s! LOL. He is a Marine, so we get along for the most part, as much as a jarhead and grunt can :).

I bought a new truck (F350, 4x4, king cab, flatbed, powerstroke) but there was trouble with it the next day so thank God for USAA, who towed to Grand Junction from Glenwood, and dropped it off back at the dealership. They are "fixing" it. I think I will retreive my money and seek a greener pasture.

Well my eyeballs are threating evil intentions to me if I do not pay them any mind soon.

Be a Blessing

Sabbath, Forks, and Matrimony

If you are reading this, then you are observant enough to notice the change in title. When I was finishing my training at Sage I had applied with a Farm and Ranch supplier/manufacturer that fabricates, transports, and distributes what they make. They make stock tanks, fencing, pole corrals, and various other ranch equipment. They then sell and transport these goods to various locations. They were perfect for me, as I could consistently count on Sabbath observation, apparently the way they run the trucks is perfect for it. I was turned down for a lack of experience over the road. However the gentleman with whom I transacted with, stayed in contact with me since. Thursday, he informs me that the company will be buying 10 new tractors to add to their fleet (I learned today that in December, 9 tractors had burned in a building in Iowa). He has kept up with my Prime time, and wanted to see if I would be available to work for them in September.

 I told him that I was still interested. Since I was coming to Denver to conduct my nephews wedding, I figured it was a perfect time to stop in at HW, as they are just a few miles from the Prime terminal. So I stop in and he gives me the tour, explaining different aspects of the company to me. He introduces me to several key personnel. One particular person, is the one who said I would need a year or more of experience, which resulted in my application to Prime INC. He has been with the company since Noah got off the Ark. He grilled me, I thought he was just getting to know me, they way western folk do. It wound up as an Interview. When I told him that I was finishing Prime's training regimen in a few weeks. He offered to hire me for Monday, August, or whenever I finished a lease with Prime. But advised against the lease, lot or work and not return. He has one tractor and he was wanting to put me in it!

This surprised everyone at the company. Threw me for a loop, as well as the gentleman I had been dealing with. So, Monday morning I start at Hutchinson Western, pending a test drive of course, I am not worried there. My trainer at Prime has often stated that I am a good driver, including this afternoon when I informed him that he would NOT be picking me up in Denver to finish my training.

So God pulled another fast one on me. He is good at that. Praise Him for His guidance.

Tomorrow I will officiate the wedding, I finally got to sit down and discuss, the issues with them and got a better warm and fuzzy. I pray that God will bless them, and care for them. And I hope they look to Him to be their glue.

Happy Sabbath

Baked Beans, Seminary, To be or Not to be, and Weddings

After Sin City we headed over to Kingman AZ where we swapped our empty trailer for a loaded one headed back to Tennessee. It was full of Amys Vegetarian nukables. The delivery location was Smyrna TN, where the Bean was baked (Bean is my daughters nick name). My wife lived there while pregnant with the Bean, staying at her sisters place when we were figuring out our married lives.
God has been badgering me about my last 6 Credits of 96 for the Seminary.I was supposed to have them completed this may. I called them up and they gracefully are allowing me to extend again until August.My  mother will now have more fuel to torment me on the issue LOL.
My nephew asked me to conduct his wedding. He is already living with her and they have a child together. So of course I would be more than happy to make it official and morally right, the sooner the better. Absolutly. He asked before I started with Prime INC. So I did make dispatch and trainer aware. Before getting on the truck.
However there has been some misunderstanding, since my trainer is a leassor he can direct where the truck goes. So I let him know that I needed to pickup a suit and Bibles prior to the wedding. He will drop me off the morning of the wedding and pick me up when its over. He didn't let the dispatcher know, thinking I has already arranged it. And I didnt let dispatch know thinking it would be inappropriate to try to direct the truck. I kept getting more and more anxious with each load the last two weeks, because they were NOT going through my house. So when we were there in Smyrna, we got a load to SF area in Cali. And routing is his thing since he pays the fuel costs. So I have been anxious for those two to route us to the house. So I was upset when we ran 40 to SF instead of 70/50. 75 more miles. I didn't sleep well coming up to Flagstaff, thinking trainer might drop down to Phoenix adding 200 mi to trip. He would be home. And Nephews wedding potentially botched. So I was prepared to get a bus ticket from phoenix. But he stayed on 40. We sitt now in Tracy CA awaiting to get unloaded, and I trust that dispatch will have me in and thru the house before next Sabbath, the day of the wedding!

Floating Tractors, Downtown LA LA Land, and Navajo Res

So I made it to LA again. Where we picked up a fast moving FEDEX bound for of all places Memphis TN, picked up at LAX so we had to drive through downtown in evil traffic. The worst? Driving across Oklahoma, the potholes and "repaired" parts, dont they know that a person might be sleeping?That had me concerned, what with all the flooding going on there, and it was an adventure. Interstate 40 was closed so we took another route that was nearly flooded in of itself. It was like the tractor was a boat the water was two feet shy of the road on both sides in several places, many homes and business were devastated and submerged under all that water. It was saddening and the traffic on that lil two lane road was crowded to say the least.
We were more than happy to drop that trailer at the Memphis airport and boogey down to Alabama. We thought we were picking up some tires at a Firestone warehouse, but it turned out to be roofing materials headed for Sin City. That is where I am writing this, setting at a warehouse enjoying the snow capped mountains.  Our next trip is BACK to Tennessee.

John Wayne, Cactus, Mars, and stuffed pastries.

As of my last blog, I was stuck in Cacti land. It was very hot there, my cousin Little Mary’s temperature in the house dropped to 75 degrees and she turned on the heat. I figured she was insane! I was sweating. Musical couches continued, her brother, Joe came and picked me up and I helped him with some work on his father in-law’s porch enclosure project. I sweltered in the 86 degree weather, but enjoyed the work.

God works in mysterious ways, you see Joe’s daughter felt sorry for me J. So she was trying also to rent a vehicle for me, but ran into the same issue I did, credit cards. So she did the unexpected thing and lent me her husband’s blazer for the weekend. I burned some rubber until my body said, no more, I pulled off the road found a juniper tree in the high desert and slept. I was on the Navajo Reservation and I could not help to wonder to know more of my Navajo heritage. It was Sabbath morning when I woke to the most awesome sight. It was 26 degrees outside, the air was crisp and fresh. The sun was pouring in through the window and my groggy brain took a minute to join the world. When the fog in my head cleared and my eyes seeing straight it took my breath away. Its spring so the desert is relatively green, and in my location the shadows long in one of the most spectacular sunrises my eyes have seen. I unwittingly had pulled off in the most perfect location. I knew I was in or around the place, but didn’t realize exactly where. I was just a hair west of the spires and formations that make up Monument Valley! The sun was just behind them peeking around them. As I watched in climb, the shadows receeding, the green coming into sharper focus, I cried. Like a girl. God finds ways to show us His love, even when we are dealing with issues with Him. Oh and imagining Glen Ford filming a Army chasing Indians scene.

I made it home a few hours later. I quickly showered and met my wife and daughter down by the Colorado River as it wound its way through the Grand Valley. My daughter’s pathfinder club was geo caching there. The weather was perfect, some snow falling but not sticking at about 42 degrees. It was definitely nice to be off the truck and setting in my chair at the house. I was spoiled with fresh green chili and homemade tortillas. And on Sunday my wife made one of my favorite meals, Stuffed Sopapillas smothered in green chili. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. She even made some extra for me to take on the road. The set in the freezer awaiting the moments when I have to have a green chili fix.

But it was a shortly lived time L. Only 32 hours, I had to drive back to Phoenix, where we got a very very light load, 5000 lbs, going to Chi-Town (ok for those that live in Chi-Town, Des Plaines, which of course is no where close to being Chi-Town.) I have been with Prime INC for two months now, and for the first time, I had the opportunity to visit the main HQ terminal, beautiful place and great architecture of the buildings. But it was in the middle of the night and quiet except the mechanics in the shops. Took a shower and buzzed off to Chicago, I mean the Chicago Ohare airport area. Shockingly we pulled up to the delivery location and they unloaded us right away. Sales and Dispatch wasted no time getting us a Snickers (Mars Candy Co) load bound for California! That was simple, drop and hook operation and we were rolling. I crashed. Its always a pleasure to head west, even if I have to put up with the weird laws and government practices in Cali.

So my trainer drove us out of the windy city area, and I again sit in the middle of the night at Prime INC HQ. This time however the trailer shop snatched our trailer and is replacing the brakes and airlines, I await their pleasure, Lets Roll! 

Hunting in LA, free cars, and Musical Couches

Got to LA with a whole skin. We dropped off the OJ at the yard, and I learned new hunting skills, the capture of an empty Prime INC trailer on a Saturday night. This required stalking two drop yards, a warehouse, and another companies terminal. Once found we had to sit, and sit some more awaiting a load for Sunday afternoon. This one is ironic, we were assigned a load of bell peppers and green beans, fresh, being shipped from a Wal-Mart warehouse to another Wal-Mart ware house by Reno NV. To easy right? The next morning it was all going smoothly for a Walmart (warning bells). Well Wal-Mart in Reno rejects half the load! Because they intended to place the peppers in California stores, and the peppers were not "good enough" for California ( and they were grown in California) LOL. Those peppers must have been known to the State of California to cause cancer or something. We sold them to a produce company downtown Reno.
Then we drove over Donner to Chico CA, picked up freight, and I go to see my Tio, Mom and Dad. then headed back to LA dropped the load. But did not have to hunt for an empty there were plenty of them in the yard. So we sat again, and sat some more. All the while my trainer is getting steamed- he was due to go home for his home time (hadnt had that in three months he said). After waiting all morning and afternoon for a load, we finally get one late in the afternoon. BUT it was not to be picked up until the next evening! Trainer was fit to be tied, we dropped empty trailer in yard and bobtailed to Phoenix- his home. Where I am now stuck for five days.
I called my cousin, and he pawned me off to another cousin, and yet another cousin is to pick me up tomorrow. I call it musical couches. I am looking at renting a car in the morning and driving to Colorado. We shall see.
Wife called today, and the Lord continues to remind me that I am not the PS 77 Psalmist. A couple who have purchased some vehicles, gave their current ones away! One to us! and the other to another Pastor.

Boiled Peanuts, General Cornwalis, and Orange Juice

This week was somewhat eventful. Boston was brief; we got in at 0630 hrs and were out by 1100 hrs. I went to sleep and woke up halfway across New York, we were headed to Murphressboro TN, with a pit stop at the terminal in Pittston PA. Got in a good long run there. We had an appointment in the shop but they didn’t get to us so we took out of there. While there I had designs to take care of laundry, but apparently the washer and dryer have been broken for months. They are building a new complex there, so it’s a mess at the moment.

Murphreesboro was quick, we dropped that load, and picked up another trailer for Orlando. Our dispatcher likes those Tropicana loads out of a Tampa Bay suburb. This one was bound for Bismark ND. I checked the weather at 0200 hrs there in Florida and then in ND. It was 64 in Tampa, but 30 in ND. I was happy about that. I like it cold. But fate had other plans. Since we would be  36-48hrs early to deliver it, dispatch had us swap with a solo driver who was a day behind his load, cause he had gotten sick. So off to Charlotte NC, Columbia SC (Where I did basic training twice) and Charleston SC.Again I was saddened to drive by Ft. Jackson, my heart is with those young soldiers there, fresh out of HS and headed into the big bad world as American Soldiers, may they each find God and peace, still trying to figure out why I am not with them. 

             Oh how I wished to see how the British had sacked Charleston and occupied for a winter. America should not be, Washington and his Continental Army was decimated. BUT somehow he camped out a short distance away and miraculously fought disease, desertion, and low morale. He rebuilt the Army that winter and again miraculously defeated the British  lounging there in Charleston. Cornwallis went away with his tail tucked, defeated by an upstart named GW.

            Like I said, our dispatcher likes Tropicana – we drove empty the 450 mi to Tampa! We picked up this load we are under early this morning and we just crossed into Texas. When I wake up I will burn my whole shift in west Texas. I don’t mind, I LIKE west Texas, I consider them mostly western even if they are east coast (east of the continental divide). Their rich western history is the stuff of America. We should be in L.A. Tomorrow night. (GRR- we should be able to drop this load and hook another right away, otherwise, I would hate to try to find parking in the Fontana truckstops in the evening)