What a difference a day makes!!

Here we are in Sunny Southern California, it is
now boxing day, no snow plus 50F(+10C). We
missed our appointment and they don't except
deliveries on weekends, so we are stuck here
at Flying J in Ripon,California. (boo,hoo). We
can't deliver till 3a.m. Monday morning. Oh
well, the sun is shining and it is t-shirt weather.
I made a few phone calls to my Son and friends
and that cheered me up. It is now Sunday and
our 5th wedding anniversary and we are stuck in
the truck, another disappointment and occasion
ruined. Today is +63F(+16C). I did all my
laundry and John made me lunch, a real
thrilling Anniversary. We have to pick up in Merced,CA, then to Sacramento,CA tommorrow
then we are headed home, I hope the weather is better going back.

Christmas Whiteout !!

Well, this is how We spent our Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day. Driving through a blizzard
in Oregon. It was so bad at times we couldn't
see the vehicle in front of us. Lots of people in
ditches and on the side of the road, very scarry.
We are headed to California, we are not going to make our appointment, we can only go 25mph.
Northern California is suppose to be as bad.
Lucky us, next year I decided to stay home. We
booked time off for New Years Eve and we are
not going to make it either.(Bummer) Have a
Happy New Year Everyone.

Merry Christmas

Well, I hope things are going better for you than the are for us.
The last few days have been very chaotic and topped off by a really bad cold and flu. Right now, we're enjoying the warmth of a nice hotel room compliments of H & R.

Got to Calgary on the 20th and bobtailed over to the Road King. I went right to bed at around 9:30 feeling pretty rough. Sandy went inside for awhile. Later on in the night, it got very cold in the truck. That little bunk heater just doesn't cut it at -30. Anyway, when I woke up and went to start the truck, nothing. She always hangs something over the control panel for the TriPak and this time she must have touched the "off" switch. So the TriPak hadn't run to keep the batteries charged and the coolant a bit warm. It definately wasn't going to start. I had to put in a breakdown message and wait for Penske to come over and boost me.

When it fired up, there was a great big exhaust leak near the manifold. It's been leaking a gallon of coolant every day or two, and servicing was also due. So the truck is over at Penske until Tues AM (Dec 23) I sure hope they get it out early. We have a load to Tracy CA that delivers on the 26 so we'll have to go pretty hard. Sure hope the roads are cleared up. There's been a lot of weather all over the west coast.

Idaho Winter Scene

It can get pretty snowy around the State Line between Montana and Idaho. This reminder of the past is in northern Idaho along I-15. It's around 6ooo ft. above sea level, and a gentle reminder of what's to come.
PS Take a close look at the corners of the picture. It's a new software that rounds the corners. Cool, eh?

Beginning of Fall in the Rockies

Well this is the first sign of what it is like in the
Rockies in the early Fall. It is now late fall and
we are in the Eastern part of the U.S. (Pennsylvania) there is nothing interesting to take pictures of, because it gets dark here real early. I will post some more later on, we have to deliver in Calgary on Wednesday, then we don't know where next.

The Virgin River Gorge In Arizona

Who says everything is bigger in Texas?

Well I found proof that California has bigger things

than Texas. Take a look at the size of this plum

and boy is it good. They grow these naturally not with steroids down in Port Hueneme. If you ever go there check out the fruit stands, but be careful some are very expensive go to the mexican
run ones.



Here is another photo that I did as a joke, I drew a likeness of Sarah Pallin on a cantelope
and compared it to the plum. (She was running for Vice-President if you didn't know). N
ow that's real fruity, sorry Sarah, just a joke

Here's a view of Mt. Shasta in Northern California along I-5. The first signs of Winter are starting to show.

No wonder it's so windy here......

Ya, you'd wonder why the wind is always blowing out on the desert. Well, with all these fans, why would it not be, eh?

Since wind power got started, there are more and more of these wind powered generators being built in every state around the country. But California seems to be leading with numbers.

These were taken on I-10 near a city called Thousand Palms, CA near Palm Springs. We were heading for Port Hueneme, CA after getting unloaded at Calexico, CA - right on the Mexican Border. Wow, what an exercise that was.

We got to the consignee's place a bit early, so we had to wait 'til they got to work. We were then informed that the load had to be taken to a warehouse near the border. OK, thought there wouldn't be any problem because he gave us a map. Too bad it wasn't to scale. The other warehouse was about 10 miles away. After driving around the industrial complex a couple of time, we found it, parked, and waited to get unloaded. Well, surprise. They told us we had to take it to US Customs to have the bond cleared. (the beef was for Mexico)

OK, over to Customs. The inspector cleared the load quickly, so now back to the warehouse to get unloaded. And another surprise - they phoned for a Mexican truck which we had to follow back to the border and transfer the load under the watchful eye of US Customs. (video camera) Apparently, some loads that were unloaded at that customer's warehouse didn't make it to Mexico. I wonder why?

Well it took about 4 hours for all this to take place, and then we headed for Port Hueneme, CA for another load of bananas.



This is the boat from South America that brings the bananas. I'm sure they would have some interesting stories about their travels. Maybe that's my next step - become a sailor. I've seen most of the US.

Sunset over the Dunes

Hi, this is the sunset of the famous sand dunes in south Nevada. They are really something to see, if you have ever been in a snow blizzard and seen the formation they leave afterwards, these are just like that except sand , if there is a wind they blow over the road.

California Stuff

Beautiful Lake Shasta, Northern California.
This is one of the pictures I took, I am getting good with John's camera. Heading to Oakland, California.

This is a very popular tourist attraction, the water is so blue and clean. You can see the mountains and very soft sand,lots of boats. This one was during the week, so not as busy.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Well, we're back in Great Falls, Mt. Just left here yesterday. Dropped a load of bananas in Calgary and picked up a load of beef in High River going to Mexico. It's in "bond" so I didn't have to go thru USDA meat inspection, but was still at the border for 3 hrs because the paperwork didn't work.

Anyway, I have to be in Calexico, Ca at 8:00 AM Wed. So now I'll be a night driver for awhile. I can make it as long as I leave Las Vegas at midnight Wed AM. Then I'll need a reset (34 hrs off duty and start with a fresh logbook).

Along I-15

In southern Utah, there are a lot of these red cliffs. This "hole in the wall" looks like either another rock formation fell out or it was worn over millions of years by water. It's pretty obvious as you're heading either way.

Fabulous rock formations coming up the Virgin River Gorge in Arizona, between Nevada and Utah.

This small river, the Virgin River, has quite a presence.

Lady of the Rockies

I-90 & I-15 junction at Butte, Montana
Look way up and you will see her.

Hi there,
This a picture of a blue water fountain at a McDonalds in Patterson, CA where we had to stop to call dispatch. Our load was dispatched with unloading appointments that could not be met, legally.
Wow, you'd wonder how planning thinks, sometimes. Final word was, "just do what you can"

This is the only place you can park a big rig and there is only room for maybe eight trucks, it also has gas so it is really busy everybody parks where they can, but you get a $50.00 ticket if you park in certain areas. There is a man who can't speak who directs traffic, he has a card that tells you how much the ticket will be to warn you and he let's you know when a space will be available. Pretty cool,we couldn't wait so we kept on driving to Vernon,CA. Nobody starts work at this place till midnight, so it was along wait from 6p.m. and it was first come first serve and no loading docks like normal you had to back in on a slant. One truck at a time.

Would this be beautiful on a wall? Yeah! We are heading back to beautiful California with some meat, and picking up some bananas from the west coast by the ocean, at Port Hueneme, Ca.
I will try and get some good pictures. We had to deliver in Vernon, Ca. last night at midnight. What
a dump; they have lumpers (people who unload your trailer for money, because they don't have receivers like most places. They come right up to your truck like hookers and ask you if need them. That's how they make their money and it is legal.

Here is a picture I took as the Sun was setting in the Fraser Valley,B.C. This other one is shortly after and I think it is awesome.

Here is Donny, John and Al, John is trying to show or explain how smart he is. Al is very focused but Donny couldn't care less. Oh, by the way they are both single and both work.

Donny's motto is "You have my full attention until something else comes along".

Back At It Again, eh

Well, we're back on the road again after a pretty stressful 4 days off. I had 3 teeth pulled, and got new plate. It went pretty well and I didn't even cry. Magnificent fit on the new hardware.

We're still stuck in Canada, though. I'm getting ready to look for another job. Seems I'm being penalized for something. I just don't know what. We've got to get back to the States. We're getting low on groceries.

Sandy hasn't been feeling well, today. Seems to have eaten something that didn't agree with her. Last night we had a great greasy supper in a little truckstop at Craigellachie, BC. Wow, fries & gravy - 1st time in years. That'll teach us to eat in restaurants. Food's much better here in the truck, health wise anyway.

Went from Edmonton to Lethbridge, Lethbridge to Delta, and now on our way to Calgary for tomorrow (Fri) PM, so I'd better get some sleep.


Sandy took some great pictures at the coast. Here are just a few. There was a lot going on, on the Frazer River.

I'm bored!

This has been a pretty boring week. Because I'm due for some time off starting Thurs., all I've been getting for loads are Edmonton - Lethbridge, Lethbridge - Edmonton, Edmonton - Lethbridge, Lethbridge - Calgary - Edmonton, - you get the picture. I surely couldn't handle this on a regular basis. These local guys must be on something to keep them going.

Whatever, I'm on my way to Edmonton, but was a bit tired tonight so I pulled into a rest area about an hour south of the city and made some supper. Wow, smokies with salsa, onion, green pepper, all covered with grated cheese in a flatbread. And it was pretty good. You'd probably pay about $4 from a catering truck.

By the way, the picture top right is a leaf in a tall tree in my cousin's yard in Ft. Wayne, IN. I don't know what kind of tree, but the leaf stood out so boldly in the sunshine, I zoomed in and caught it's magnificence. The tree is at least 50 - 60 ft. tall. Not bad for a little camera and an amateur, eh?

Just a sunset in Saskatchewan from the last trip

This is the start of the Grand Canyon just as you get in to Arizona from Utah. It's actually called the Glen Canyon at this point and the Grand Canyon is farther down. Trucks can't actually get too close, but someday I'm taking a different highway that follows along the edge of the GC for several miles.






Just one more, please. Here 's one looking over the edge from the bridge.
The boats on the river are about 20' long but look like white dots from this height.

It even made me feel uneasy looking down even though I was behind a chain link fence. There are little portholes in the fence to take pictures thru, but even then the height is dizzying.

Well, that's all for tonight. I'd better get some sleep and finish getting to Edmonton in the morning.

Sandy stayed at her Mom's on Sunday, but I had a few more days to put in. It doesn't seem right not to have her along, anymore. Guess my driftin' days are over. And I really don't care how often I get to Edmonton, anymore. There are still a few business details to finish off, and after that, we'll probably spend time off in other places along the way. Sure feels weird to be going to Edmonton, and not being able to say going "home".

Well, we're heading back to Edmonton for a 00:30 delivery at Macdonalds Consolidate. Wow, left Dell, Mt this morning because I got a new one torn by a Montana DOT inspector. He used to be a driver so he was well aware of what I was "fudging". I had 45 minute left to drive, but he made sure he used them up chewing me out. Couldn't go any farther so we stayed in Dell. 1 bar, 1 restaurant, 1 gas station, and about 5 houses. But it was fun. Therefore, I had to make up for it to deliver on time. Border went well, and never stopped until I got to Edmonton. 758 mile and 16 hrs later, I was there. The rest is history.

Today, I have to run to Lethbridge. I'll just stay in Canada for a few days because my official days off don't start until Thurs.

See you then,

PS The picture is a reflection on the Missouri River in Montana.

Well, here we are at the truck stop again, and here are some photos of trucks fueling and some waiting for loads. We have to pick up our load in Salinas, CA tonight at 12p.m. our time , 11p.m. pacific time.

Here are some pictures of trucks loading fuel and some sitting waiting.





Here is a picture of some palm trees that grow around here.

Well we didn't make it to Edmonton or Calgary last weekend, we got as far as Lethbridge and dropped our load. Then they sent us back to California with a load of french fries. We are delivering in Manteca, south of Sacramento,Ca., we are staying in Ripon tonight, 5 miles from where we unload. Really good weather here, no rain. Went through Reno,Nevada, very boring not like Las Vegas. So we went to a city called Winnemacca, Nevada, more exciting and very friendly. We played the penny machines and got free beer. Pretty good deal, I'll say. We don't know where we are going till tommorrow, but with our luck we will get excited and they will change their minds.

On The Way Back To Edmonton

We're just sitting at Shelby, Mt waiting for the broker to let us know if the load has cleared, and then off we go again. I'd like to get to Calgary tonight, Edmonton tomorrow, and then we're turning right away for Utah. Sure isn't much time between trips to catch a breathe, but that's good. Others are complaining about sitting and waiting for loads, a lot. Not us!

I Don't know what kind of bird this is. It's a lot like a Bluejay, except mostly black. It did like bread crumbs, though.




Now this is my kind of beer can. Too bad it's just a grain storage facility in Idaho along I-15 north of Idaho Falls.





Sandy took a lot of pictures, so I'll let her do the next post and show some of them.

California or Bust

Our next run is to California and I haven't been there for awhile. Sandy has years ago, but never this route. She'll see a lot of new country.

The load is beef from High River, AB. First stop is USDA meat inspection in Eastport, ID, so that takes us across the Rockies in southern BC. Then down to Post Falls, Id which will probably be our first stop for the night.

We'll go across southern WA and cross the Columbia river at Umatilla, Or, then along the Columbia in what is called the Columbia River Gorge. It's breathtaking. The OR side is rock, the WA side is huge bare grassy hills.

Then down I-5 with our 1st drop in Woodburn, Or, which is part of Portland. The 2nd drop is in Oakland, CA, so we'll see a lot (40 miles) of San Francisco Bay. There'll be a lot of pictures coming at you. Drop 3 is in Tracy, CA, and then to the Flying J in Lodi, CA.

Sometimes my best plans just don't work out. We got across the border just fine on Sunday, Aug. 3rd. I had to go the the broker to get what is called an MCap. It's a certificate from "meat inspection" that allows the load into Canada. Most of the time, it's a "skip", meaning that no further inspection is required. This time, that was not the case. Several items on the load were checked "reinspect", which means it has to go to a bonded warehouse and be inspected by a Canadian Government Meat Inspector.

Because the place I was delivering to was just such a warehouse, I didn't see any problem. I stopped in Mississauga, ON and fueled so that we'd be ready to go as soon as the above was taken care of, went up to Brampton that night, and parked in a dock so they would have to take us first thing in the morning.

But I forgot one very important thing. Monday, August 4, was a holiday in Canada - no government meat inspectors today. And the receiver said he probably wouldn't be able to take it on Tues either, because there were a lot of trucks coming in because of the holiday.

So much for New Brunswick. I dropped the load in our Mississauga yard and was assigned a load for Calgary. It just doesn't look like I'll ever see the Maritime Provinces. The same thing happened years ago when I had a load for Nova Scotia, and it got pulled because I was supposed to be going home for time off.

Sandy took this picture from the Bluewater Bridge between Port Huron, MI and Sarnia, ON. Yesterday, (Thurs) I heard on the news that it was closed because of a bomb threat and traffic was backed up for miles both ways.

It was backed up for miles on the Canadian side on Sunday. (US people returning home from a weekend in Canada) The US side was OK because Canadians had the extra day to play.







The vastness of the Prairies taken east of Calgary and not a tree in site.

Relaxing in Ft. Wayne, IN

Sitting in the sun at Sheryl's house in Ft. Wayne, IN. Just enjoying all the different types of birds and flowers overlooking the golf course, mostly Goldfinches, lots of Red Breasted Woodpeckers, and a few Hummingbirds.












This is one of the Goldfinches.









This is a Red Breasted Woodpecker

A Mourning Dove

Fort Wayne Indiana

Well, we're finally in Ft. Wayne. Kind of took the scenic route. When we unloaded in Bowlingbrook, IL, had to take a load to Schuyler, NE. Dropped the load there and hooked on to the one we're on. It's going to Moncton, NB with a part drop in Brampton.

But for now, we're just kicking back here in Ft. Wayne. My cousin Sheryl, who I had never met before, picked us up at the truck stop and brought us over to her house for the weekend. Another cousin, Betty from Illinois, is here too. Sheryl made a great supper, pulled pork, potato salad, fruit salad, coleslaw, and a Bud - who could ask for anything more.



She has a really beautiful house on the eight hole of a golf course, lots of birds flying in and out to the bird feeders, and the cicadas making a lot of racket all around in the woods adjacent to the house. We're here
tonight and Sat night and leaving around noon on Sunday. Delivery is a 7:00 a.m. Monday in Brampton and
then on to Moncton. That's supposed to deliver Wed, but it's over 1100 miles, so I might have to get the appointment rescheduled. Oh, well.

Enough for now - we're having a great time and are getting along well, surprised?

Indian Paint Brush along the way

A Couple of Funny Stories

Well we had those couple of beers with Charlie, and Sandy and I were really tired and ready for bed. But Charlie suddenly got a "second wind" and decided to go back out for more. OK, he's younger than we are and can probably handle it and still get up and go to work in the morning.

I woke up just after 6:00 and quietly turned on the coffee, letting Sandy sleep a bit longer and not a peep out of Charlie's room. That's OK. I'll make sure he's up to get to work. He had said he had to pick Frieda up at 7:30 so there was lots of time. I like my first coffee by myself, anyway.

So I took my coffee out on to the balcony. It was just a beautiful morning. One problem - Charlie's truck wasn't in the parking lot where it had been the night before. Oh no, how can we leave. We don't have a key to lock his apartment - it's a deadbolt key operated only.

No problem, I'll just phone Charlie on his cell and see what he wants us to do. A very sleepy sounding Charlie answered the phone. Here's our brief conversation.

Me: "Good morning, where are you?"
Charlie: "At home"
Me: "Oh, OK"

Hang up.

Didn't make sense, though - no pickup. So I looked in his room and it looked like someone could have been in his bed completely covered. No, it was a body pillow.

So I called him back again, and this time he said, "I'll be right there." I'll let him tell the rest.


Second funny story.

We had to fax Sandy's personal information to head office so they could get our ACE Manifest ready for crossing the border. One thing they needed was Sandy's Birth Certificate. She said it was packed in one of the dresser drawers which was in storage, at the back. OK, we've got to have it. Penske was doing some work on the truck so while that was happening, we'd go get it. The storage unit was just around the corner from Penske's lot, so we would just take a cab over and dig it out. We just got into the cab when I remembered that I had left the key for the storage unit in the pickup which was at H & R's yard, on 170 St. north of the landfill. OK, cab, take us to H & R. Got the key, now take us to Budget. Half an hour of digging and moving stuff produced no Birth Certificate.

OK, we'll go to AMA and get a new one. We got another cab and headed for AMA on 170 St. Six blocks down the road, Sandy says, "here it is". It was in here purse all the time. I didn't say a word because it wouldn't have been nice and the cab driver was present. Anyway, $32 and a lot of digging thru storage later, she had her Birth Certificate. We are finally on our way. The truck was fixed, and we're going to get our load.

But something else got changed. Instead of a meat load out of Brooks, they want us to got to Kamloops with a load, deadhead to Kelowna, load for Calgary, and then Brooks to Illinois.

All went well, even the border crossing. The customs agent has seen me many times. He didn't even ask if we had anything to declare - never asked a question. He just stamped my manifest and said, "head for X-ray and come inside". But that's standard with meat loads. I always have to take my paperwork inside to Agriculture before going to meat inspection.

The trip across Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and into Illinois was routine. It was nice having company. This is what I've wanted for a long time. This morning we unloaded in Bowlingbrook, IL.

Early tomorrow, we have to load about a mile from here. We're taking that load to Nebraska, switching trailers and heading back East to Montreal. We're going to stop for the weekend in Ft. Wayne, IN and meet some of my relatives that I have never met. Then Sunday head up to Montreal.

We've been organizing the truck today so that Sandy will be comfortable. There's a lot of stuff in here, and I didn't know until we reorganized my cupboards how much chili I had bought. Funny I never ate much chili - I just bought it, and a lot of other stuff. I guess we'll just have to eat more and shop less.

Getting late, so I'm off to bed. Sandy's sleeping already. Her TV works great in here, and I've got my Internet.
Everybody's happy.

Catch the next post tomorrow, or in a few days.

We're Homeless, eh?

Ignore the posting date. I just overwrote a previous post. This is really where this BLOG starts.

It's Wednesday, July 23, 2007. We're all out of the Dragon Lady's house and thanks to many friends that helped, everything we own is either here in the semi, in the pickup, or in our 10 X 20 storage space. Tonight we're staying at Charlie's and leaving for Illinois early in the morning. Charley says he gets up around 6:00 so we aren't worried about sleeping in. Gonna have a couple of beers with him and get to bed. Everybody is just beat. It was a hard move.