From Florida to Missouri

As we began our day, yesterday, it was pitch black out and humid as all get out.  Coming from the desert, we aren't use to the humidity , like in the south.  The only good thing I have found about the humidity, is that is gives you a moisture treatment 24/7, for your face and body.  I guess that is why most people in the South have good complexions.   When we reached our destination, we had to wait.  What is new?  It seems as if it takes forever for a lumper to unload a trailer.  It takes about 30 minutes to load one, so you would think that it would take the same amount of time to unload the same trailer.  Wrong! While we are waiting I usually find something to keep me occupied.  Be it reading, crocheting, playing games, working with my computer or just taking pictures.  As I was reading this morning, Tom, (that's my husband) said, "Look over there."  There were a family of birds.  Momma, Daddy, and two babies walking across the parking lot.  Just as if they were strolling to the park.

  I'm not sure what kind of birds they are.  I think they might be Emu's.  My friend Sharon or Janet might know since they live down in the area.  Well, Janet lives in Florida and Sharon lives in North Carolina, but it is all the "South" to me.

As we traveled on to our destination to pick up our next load on the interstate there are all kinds of bill boards, as we all know.  But some of them I can't believe.

Now I would like to know what the discounts are for and how much of a discount.  Does this place adhere to equal opportunity, that gives  women truckers the chance to see male strippers or is it just for the male truckers only?  The sign didn't give the name of the place, so I guess you just find it by the trucks parked out front of the establishment. (Husband, just told me that the name of the place is what is on the sign,  as I was reading to him what I had written.)

When we finish our day, we usually stop for the night at a truck stop.  I call them transient villages.  One thing for sure, you don't have the same neighbors all the time and some of them are interesting and others aren't so interesting.

All the trucks line up in a row, for the night or just while they go in to take a shower and get something to eat.  This is a typical truck driver, so says my husband.  But there are all different kinds out here.  It is the "Melting Pot" of the U.S..
  The trucks line up at the fuel islands to pump their gas.  Most trucks hold an average of 200 gallons of fuel and the price right now is $3.95 a gallon.  I think they are taking out a mortgage on the "farm" to pay for the fuel.  Because of the cost of fuel, the cost of goods we buy in the store has increased.  Diesel, is a by product of producing gasoline.  Go figure..diesel is more than gas now and just a few years ago it was the other way around. 
  Well, tomorrow will find us somewhere new, so I will see you on the Other side.

Back to Georgia and Heading to Florida..again

We spent the day in Georgia, in the Atlanta area for about two days.  The traffic was awful there and some of the drivers I think have a death wish, as you can see by the picture that is above.  Now this guy pulled right in front of the truck and thought he would have no problem.  But, look at the traffic ahead of him...he just thought he would fit, I guess.  It is a good thing that my husband has a quick reaction time.  It just makes a body want to get out and give them a little attitude adjustment.

I know I have a thing for construction workers.  But I have to say this was interesting to say the least.  When I enlarged the picture the guy that is squatting down in front of the machine, you have to check out where his eyes are looking.  The other one, standing, is..like..ahhhh, I'm not into this..

Then back on the freeway we go, to do the doe-cee-doe.  This SUV tried to pull in front of us and then decided to pull right smack in back of the truck.  Now what happens if the truck has to slam on his breaks?  OOPPS.  It still amazes me.

Every time we pass these buildings I tell myself that I am going to take a picture of them.  Well, today I had my camera out and was paying attention.  I am not sure if they are hotels or business buildings, but they do add to the beauty of the skyline of Atlanta.

We began our day in Atlanta and it was pitch black out.  When we were in Social Circle, GA the sun was just coming up and I just had to take this picture.  When we get up so early, we do get to see some beautiful sunrises.

Even in the back areas you will find stately homes.  I wonder what do the inhabitants do that live there, for there is no farm or ranch around.  The commute to a large town is quite aways away.

When I saw this grocery store on the corner, it was refreshing to see that "Americana" is still alive and flourishing. If there had been a place to park the 18 wheeler we would have stopped to do some shopping.  Alas, just about the only place we can shop is at a Wally world.

Most of the homes we pass have large front porches with rocking chairs on them.  They look so inviting, for the most part.

T Then we travel down the road.  Most of the road are like this in the back areas of the southern states.  They go up and down, up and down.  And the trees.  The saying "You can't see the forest for the tree's" comes to mind when ever I am back here.  My husband thinks it is great to see all these trees, but I like to see some color, other than.... green.

Now this is a sign that just had to have it's picture taken.  You have the "bears" and the "chickens".  I have never heard of this...just Ex-lax, but if they would do some advertising, I am sure they would give Ex-lax a run for their money.  No pun intended.

This small town has the "Town Square". The only thing that was missing was the bandstand, but I think there was an area that they could put one up if they needed to.  These small towns are what represent "America".  The big cities are fine, but it is the people that live in these small towns that make up what this country is all about.
  Tomorrow we will be in Florida, in the Sarasota area.  I don't think I have been there before, but then I am never sure where I am until I ask my husband, "Where am I".  It is a good thing that he knows.
  Well, it is going to be an early day on the marrow, so I will see you, On the other side.

Made it to Florida

First of all I want to apologize for some of the photos taken today.  My husband didn't wash the windows of the truck today, and I have some big bug guts on my window,soooo I have a big white spot in some of my pictures.  He tells me that he thought it would rain today..ya right...

The in our travels today there was  some beautiful scenery.  We were in the Cumberland Mountains and the weather was just right.  Not too hot nor too cold.

In the middle of nowhere, we came up this..a Golf course of all things.  I guess golf just isn't for the "City Folks"

 The roads were up and down, kind of like a rollercoster, but not as bad.  There was one area that we did have a seven per cent grade for three miles.  The run away truck lane was dirt that looked as if when a truck went into it it would sink up to the hubs in muddy clay stuff.  They even had a little bobcat standing by ..just in case.

 The people who live in the area take pride in their homes and yards.  This husband and wife caught my eye as we passed.  He wasn't letting anything stop him from spraying the weeds.  Someone to admire, for sure.

 As we traveled further on US 121 there were some signs that I couldn't pass up.  This one was in front of a trailer house along side of the road.  I didn't see the goat, but I am sure he/she was somewhere near by.

 It is amazing what you can do with a barn now days.  Too bad that there isn't room for a 18 wheeler to park, for we would have liked to stop and see what this was all about.

 I wasn't sure about this.  I think it was a house in progress, but then again I could be wrong.  Some people think that this is home and leave it at that.

 We finally turned off US 121 and traveled on US111 for a ways.  This was a very secnic ride..  I find the roads back here to be intresting.  They have a quality of their own.

 Then we came upon these guys.  They were getting paid to do what the other folks were doing for free.  I guess they got tired waiting for these guys to show up.  Not really, but it sounded good.

 We were in a lot of farm country.  Horses and cows abounded.  This silo was just a lucky shot and no bug guts, for I took it out the passanger window, which was down at the time.

 This is Cumberland valley.  I can see why they would want to fight to keep their land during the Civil War. 

 Ok, this place you do not want to visit.  We stopped in and the help was so rude that we didn't even want to stay and buy anything.  The girl behind the counter was on the phone and she couldn't put it down long enough to wait on us.  The grill was by appointment only, it seemed.  No wonder they parking lot was empty.

 Where they come up with some of the names they have for places, makes me wonder How they did.

 Just as we came into Soddy Dasiy, there is a lake, (this is what we call a pond) and I happened to see this father and his son's fishing.  This is Americana.

 As we go down the road we see just about everything.  Some days it is boring and others not so much.  This trucker has a sense of humor, for sure.

 Just as we left the state of Georgia, low and behold there was this great big peanut.  They are proud of their peanuts in the state of Georgia.

And as you can see the Confederate flag still flys in the South.  I find that there are a few that are still fighting the War and are proud to still be doing so.  Go figure.   Well it is time to call it a day and tomorrow we will deliver our load and then find out where we will be going next.  So, I will see you on the other side.

Still in Tennessee

Well another interesting day in trucking.  We delivered in Nashville, TN and then the company sent us to Monteray, TN to pick up a load of charcoal.  Royal Oak is the brand.  We had an appointment for 3:30pm and arrived at that time only to be told that they stop loading at 3:30pm.  But I find that rather interesting for there was a Wally's World truck right ahead of us and they loaded him.  I guess the folks at Royal Oak aren't interested in getting their product to the public.  What amazes me is that the shippers and receivers fail to state as to their policy on when they will receive a truck, if they have set times of operation.  If they do, the individuals handling the freight are, maybe, lacking?

When I woke up this morning and we were getting ready to leave the truck stop, I was sitting looking out the window and observed a crew that seemed to be working on the truck stop parking lot.  I do hope these guys aren't on the clock and getting paid by the hour.  For almost an hour the were standing around doing..just standing.  Finally there was one man that got on a little street sweeper looking thing and started to go around and around the area that was taped off.  It kind of reminded me of one of those little toy cars that when it hit something on the floor it would back up and go another direction.

When we were leaving Nashville, we were able to pass by the Grand Ol' Opry.  The mall that is right next to it had a notice that all the shops were closed and would not reopen until the damage from the flood was repaired.  Right in the same complex is Bass Pro Shops and it was the only business that I could see open.  There were quite a few boats outside looking as if they were ready to go in case there was more flooding.

As you can see the spill ways are doing their job.  The water was high wherever I looked. 

Tomorrow we head for Florida, the land of Sunshine.  So, I will see you on the other side.

Freeport, TX, Paris,TX and on to Nashville, TN

On the way to Freeport, TX, there was a lot of road work going on.  We happened to be stopped at a red light, when across the street I noticed a construction crew working.  Now I just had to take a picture of these men at work.  When I downloaded the picture and was reviewing it, I was amazed at the number of men that were actually working and those that were just standing around.  And then there are the two, that I have yet to figure out what they are doing.  They are the ones that are just about in the center of the picture.  Now it is apparent as to why the road projects take longer than they should.

After loading in Freeport we headed to Paris, Texas.  Going the back roads you get to see a lot of different things.  In the county of Van Zant, TX they are trying to raise funds for a Veterans Memorial Park.  There has been quite a bit of work already done on it, but apparently there is stall a ways to go, until completion.

As we came into Memphis, TN we were able to see the waters of the Mississippi River.  A lot of the land was under water.  The only crops that I think the water helped, was the rice crops.  The rice is grown in water anyway. 

 In the morning we deliver our load and then on to the next adventure.  See you on the other side.

On the road to Houston, TX

We have left Denver, CO and will be stopping in North Platt, NB to deliver a beverage load.  It is amazing to know that one place can make several different brands of something and still be the same thing.  I guess when you go to the local supermarket, buying the store brand is almost the same as buying a name brand.  Just different packaging.

As you can see the landscape of Nebraska and Oklahoma are just as flat as can be.  I tell my husband, Tom, that I now know how Columbus felt when he was sailing the ocean blue, for you can see the curviture of the earth.

Even on the back roads you can find the most interesting signs.  This sign caught my eye, but it doesn't give much information as to why.  I guess that is the reason there is a phone number to call.  I just wonder how many do call.  This is not my idea of where to retire, for the weather is full of tornadoes, ice storms, and humidity.

Mile after mile you see nothing but farm land and cows.  The windmills are dotting the landscape and just about always with a few cow's near by.

As we were traveling through Dallas, the traffic became almost bumper to bumper.  This is one example of an 18 wheeler that shouldn't be doing what he is doing, TAIL GATING.  But then again you have the next one...

a four wheeler TAIL GATING a truck.  Now what is so bad about this, you ask.  See how close the car is to the back.  Well if the trailer blew a tire there on the back it could cause the mud flap to break off and fly into the vehicle behind it.  Right into the windshield and doing some serious injury to whoever is driving.  People never think of things like this, but it does happen, and more often than you would think.  So, next time you are behind one of these big rigs, stay a little bit further back than you normaly would just to be on the safe side.
  Tomorrow we will be in Houston, TX and so I will sign off for now and see you on the otherside.

From Las Vegas to Denver, CO

It was an interesting travel from Las Vegas, NV to Aurora, CO.  We experienced vast temperature differences.  From 80 degrees to 43 degrees in Vail, CO.  On the way, I-70 follows the Colorado River for miles. As we drove, I noticed that the water was running very fast and the color of the water was reddish brown. There were rafters that looked as if they were enjoying the experience

  I wouldn't be in that cold water.

On our way we saw this old VW bus.  Going up the hill the bus would go slower than the 18 wheeler carrying 42 thousand pounds.  I think the occupants were retracing their grandparents trip.

They were on an adventure, that is for sure.
When we arrived in Aurora, we were to deliver at a grocery warehouse. King Soopers.  It took the guard 35 minutes to even check the truck in the gate.  Then when we were at a door for them to unload the freight, it took them 4 hours to unload the trailer and on top of that, they charged $215.00 to unload the trailer.  It is called a lumper fee.  The company that is receiving the freight is charging to unload the freight that they ordered.  Now does this make sense?  I don't think so.
On to the next destination.  We won't know until tomorrow.