I was driving for my second time through Elk Mountain Pass in Wyoming yesterday. The first time was before Thanksgiving and several trucks were turned over in the ditch. This time I didn’t see any but the left lane was very icy. Most trucks were going 40-50 miles an hour which I did only after I found out first hand by passing another truck just how slippery the left lane was. Yes, my heart jumped into my throat as I said in a frighten tone, HONEY, HONEY, WAYNE!! He quickly but calmly came to my side and said "ease off [...More...]
Jun 082011
This load of household from Anchorage to Arizona is over. Back to the normal daily grind of trucking in the Lower 48. It’s refreshing to have your decisions confirmed. Like the decision to leave Graebel. The Albuquerque move coordinator really screwed up. Expected everyone else to do her job for her. I arrived in Fort Defiance in the middle of the Navajo Nation on the Arizona New Mexico border, a crew of three and a small truck drive 150 miles one way and no one at Graebel has talked to the person that’s moving. Long story short, I get more [...More...]
Jun 082011
Living in Vegas, tradeshows help in getting us back home. This one we loaded in Chicago for some kind of snack or vending show. We were one of five trucks for the Pepsi booth. This is a portable dock a forklift is used to push it up against the truck then drive back and forth unloading. The inside already mostly unloaded. Ramps are tied up high and blocks for the trailer wheels on the left and a small deck in the back. Driving around inside a building is always fun!
Well, almost… Vegas fixed the truck, good enough to get it down the road and deliver the load. Then back in the shop. I feel like driving back to Vegas and driving this truck down their throats. But I really don’t want them touching it again, ever. The plan (at the moment) is to deliver this, go to a Volvo shop in Maryland, if they’re not busy and can look at it right away, then if it can be fixed in one or two days, we get it fixed. If not, we limp to Minneapolis, put it in the shop [...More...]
Jun 082011
On I-40 on the Arizona and New Mexico border there is an exit with a rest area, an Indian trading post and a small truck stop. This cliffs are above the trading post and they put all sorts of animal figures up on the cliff. It was kind of tourist but kind of neat too.These are just some cool clouds, I believe on I-80 in Wyoming. Remember you can click on the pictures to make them full size.
Jun 082011
After our Alaska trip I ran a short haul back to Vegas. We’re moving Cindy’s son’s family from Vegas to Minnesota. We received the full retail price of a move with no middle-man. The owner of the company we’re leased to said that since it’s family he doesn’t want anything from us. This worked out really well. A good trip and Cindy spends time with granddaughters. I don’t do household much, for one thing, I’m not very good at packing the truck "high and tight". Loading in Vegas was worse than a sauna in the trailer and it’s not the [...More...]
Jun 082011
Click on image for a larger view. I’m not sure how often I’m going to upload a map. I thought I’d see how I could get it to work this time. We should be in LA sometime next week.
While we were waiting to get loaded in Van Nuys, CA we took a walk. Not expecting anything but an industrial area around the airport, we ran across The 94th Aero Squadron Headquarters. It was a restaurant made to look like an old french villa from WWI with biplanes and vehicles sitting outside. We went in for a drink and enjoyed the old pictures and memorabilia inside. With big band music playing we sat by the window watching airplanes take off and land while the sun was setting. Van Nuys is a small airport, but it had a lot of [...More...]
If you click on the pictures you’ll see all the ballons lifting off the ground near Gallup, NM (two weeks ago). I didn’t know hot air ballons come in different shapes now. There’s one shaped like a cactus and it’s hard to tell from the picture but there was one shaped like a goldfish with fins that was pretty cool. This was right next to the interstate and the pictures were taken while we were driving by.
Keep this truck agoing!!! Wow, is there a mechanic out there that can help? The loud grinding noise is gone after several new parts but now can’t shift into a gear without missing several times. We are wondering if an automatic transmission will be the best choice for the next truck? Sure its GREAT not shifting but not worth it if not driving. We left Las Vegas Friday morning and arrived in Virginia Sunday afternoon. We did some teaming and that seemed to work good. Tennessee was beautiful!!! My first time through that state and I was amazed by the [...More...]