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?