Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas

Right after we crossed the line into Tennessee, we hear a heads up over the CB that traffic in our lane up ahead is at a standstill, and backed up about 5 miles. Sounds like it’s a bad scene, 2 cars and a big truck tangled about 10 hours ago and the roads are still closed, which certainly means fatalities. We get directions over the radio from another driver rerouting us around the worst of the logjam.

We take the scenic route around, and guess what we stumble upon? it’s a Waffle House with plenty of truck parking! Gak!! The Waffle House is truly one of my least favorite places to eat. Without a doubt. it’s a major point of contention between Joe and I, because its one of his favorites. Well, there’s no accounting for taste. But those are the sacrifices we make, and I’m more than willing to go in when we find one. This one is not bad for a Waffle House, I have certainly been in worse. Joe gets his waffle high, and I get some raisin bread toast and apple butter . See, it’s the fruit in your food theory again, its got raisins and apples in it, so its got to be healthy and then the calories don’t count…sweet!! That works for me. The food wasn’t bad at all today much better than the one in Kansas we went to that even Joe didn't like.

Funniest Named Town of the Day: Bucksnort, TN
Best sight of the Day: Magnolia trees in full bloom
Best site of the Day: www.trucking show.com

Notable story of the Day: The trucking sector saw 33,400 layoffs in the month of February alone. In the past, professional drivers were always in demand, but the trickle down effect of the economy is taking a hard toll. People and companies spend, buy and build less and it all adds up to less freight at lower rates.

The Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) is this week, showcasing all the new products and innovations in trucking. International has revealed a special Harley Davidson edition of their Lonestar. The Lonestar is an amazing truck, we’ve seen 4 or 5 of them since they were unveiled last summer. Production will be limited to 250 trucks, and with the Lonestars starting at about $140,000, I can only imagine the price tag on these Harley editions. Here is a picture of the new truck, which won’t be available until this summer : http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2009/03/19/international-lonestar-harley-davidson-special-edition/

Today’s Copycat Recipe
Amarillo Salmon - Red Lobster

4 (8 oz.) salmon fillets or steaks
1/2 C. thick and spicy barbecue sauce
1/4 C. horseradish sauce
Mix barbecue and horseradish sauce together. Grill one side of the salmon on a well-oiled grill. After turning over, baste cooked side with sauce mixture. Before taking off the grill flip again and baste the other side of the fish. Yields 2 servings.

On a totally non related note, I read an article this morning about a group of veterinarians at Miami Metrozoo that completely reconstructed the head of a crocodile that was hit by a car. They used 4 steel plates and 41 screws to complete the surgery. Hmmm, well that just defies comment.

I’d like to heartily thank everyone that’s been leaving comments, now that I’ve got that figured out, finally. I’d love to hear some feedback, talk at me and let me know what you like or don’t like about the blog, or what you’d like to see or not see. Lay your ideas on me!!

Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky...........

Yesterday morning we loaded a crane boom and some counter weights in Detroit. We’ve loaded there before,the yard guys are great and really know what they are doing. We are first in line and get loaded in good time. A couple of chains and binders and a few straps and we are good to go. Piece of cake, for a change. I won't get too used to that, though...it's pretty rare.

Looks like there are about 8 of us going delivering pieces of this crane to a wind power site in Taft, Texas, which is just outside of Corpus Christi. Its going to feel good to be warm again.

We get the heck out of Dodge and head south. After stopping at the Flying J in Ohio for showers, lunch and a quick wash of the truck at the Streakin’ Beacon, we hit the road again.

The J has re-vamped their menu and I've decided to try their new chicken apple sausage. I’m constantly battling with the dilemma of should I eat something good for me, or something that tastes good? Why do we always have to choose one or the other? Why can't Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese frosting be nutritionally sound? Or nachos? There aren't too many places we eat that offer a choice of something that fits both descriptions. Bummer. Joe has it easy, if it's bad for you, its got to be good and that’s what he has.

Anyway, I enjoyed the sausage, it was a welcome change of pace and I can fool myself because, hey, it has fruit in it, so it has to be good for me, right? RIGHT??? I thought so. Even Joe was pleasantly surprised..

We manage to get through the rush hour traffic in Dayton and Cincinnati with only minor delays.
We both breathe a sigh of relief as we cross under the Welcome to Kentucky sign.

Kentucky is really a beautiful state and not just in the blue grass country of Lexington. Here in the central part of the state, we find pleasantly rolling hills, flowering trees, and farms. Very little of the urban sprawl with its McMansions and cookie cutter town homes and developments. But that is all changing.

Yesterday the temperatures were still in the low forties but the grass is green and the trees are blooming, ahhh, spring is definitely in the air. The calves are frolicking, yes, they are actually frolicking, in the pastures. Its looks like its going to be a beautiful day even though its only 32 degrees this morning.

We managed to survive a winter of blizzards, 20 below temperatures, scraping the ice off the inside of our windows and now we are so ready for spring. Bring it on!!

Today we will finish up about 50 miles left in Kentucky, trek across Tennessee (blech, Memphis and west Memphis) through Arkansas and we should make it into Texas before we park it for the night.

Be Safe and God Bless

Can you guess what this is?

Its my handier-than-a-pocket-on-a-tee-shirt strap roller and it rocks!

These straps are 4 inches wide, 30 feet long and have a heavy chain on the end. Rollin' these fellas up by hand are a real pain (in the hand that is) and this makes life just a little bit easier.

Hey, I have to have some fun, ya know?

Did anyone see the news story yesterday about the West Virginia truck driver?
George Lantzy, witnessed a woman driver having a heart attack while driving her car. He managed to maneuver his truck in front of her car, brake his truck and slow her car down and prevent a serious accident.
Fast thinking, and great job, George!

We are traveling directly across the “palm” of Michigan today, east to west, from the shores of Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. We are back up into the north’s cooler temps, 29 when we first woke up this morning, rising only into the mid-thirties. High today should get about 10 degrees warmer than that. If we are lucky.

We get the first part of our load off by 9 am. Last night we stayed right in the parking lot of the Tractor supply and start getting unloaded at 8am. I ran in to do some shopping, Three of our straps frayed on the trailers, despite the padding under them, and need to be replaced. Luckily they have some in stock.

Tractor Supply is now officially my new favorite store, I had a ball walking around and looking at all the horse themed home and garden items, not to mention a huge selection of John Deere clothing and Ararat boot. I’m one of those rare woman that hate to shop, but give me a Tractor Supply, or a Bed, Bath and Beyond and I’m good to go. Kitchen gadgets and snaffle bits, that’s all me right there. I’ll also spend hours walking around a Scheel’s, Gander Mountain or Bass Pro Shop.

They had a quartet of adorable long haired bunnies for sale for $15 each. Boy, was I tempted. They were just so cute. Grudgingly I pass on the bunnies. . alas, I had to satisfy myself with just looking at all the great horse and John Deere goodies they had., which almost made up for it.

We make it to our second Tractor Supply and despite some very cold winds and snow showers, get that load off as well. Amazingly, we get a load offer within half an hour. Back down to Detroit in the morning to pick up some crane parts for a wind farm near Corpus Christi . At least we know it will be a lot warmer back in Texas.

Shame on you, Virginia!!

The top picture was taken in the parking lot of a Pilot Truck stop in Virginia.

The second picture was taken along the interstate in Indiana.

Every picture tells a story, doesn't it?

Now, which state would YOU rather park in?? hmmm, I thought so.

To the Virginia state police representatives answer to the truck parking problem is for drivers to "get a room"....I say.....get a brain!!

552!!

Martin Brodeur has broken the record for most wins by a goalie in the NHL!!

Brodeur, without a doubt the best goaltender in the history of professional hockey, broke the record to a sell out crowd last night at home in New Jersey.

Brodeur has played his entire 15 year career with the N.J. Devils, leading them to 3 Stanley Cup Championships. He is currently second in all time shut-outs with 100, and chasing Terry Sawchuck's record of 103 career shutouts.

Have I mentioned food yet?

As the luck of the Irish would have it, I wasn't able to find Corned Beef and Cabbage for dinner last night. (Or any sudsy brews either....sigh)

Speaking of food (aren’t I always?) I find that I do have to take back at least some of the unkind remarks about Subway that I have made in the past. (Who, me?) I tried their personal pan pizza today, and I must say it was very close to Pizza Hut and not bad at all. Definitely a huge improvement over the sandwiches. I do like their fresh baked cookies too, but then again, its hard for me to find a cookie that I don’t like. And speaking of cookies, its that time of the year again, Girl Scout Cookie Season. I don’t think I will find any of those anytime soon, and that's probably a good thing.

We arrived in Montross, Virginia about 3:30 yesterday afternoon. We finished getting loaded about 1:30 in the morning. No, that isn’t a typo. We sat in the shipping yard all night waiting for them to load the 3 trucks ahead of us, then when it was finally our turn, one of their own trucks came into the yard. We ended up having to wait for them to unload the Styrofoam blocks on that truck and then load it with trailers. The yard foreman did tell us to let dispatch know, and hopefully we will get paid some detention pay for the delay.

We have a load of 24 small utility trailers, going to two different Tractor Supply stores in Michigan. It barely pays enough to make the trip worthwhile. Michigan, one of the worst, if not the worst state in the county in regards to economy, is not a hotbed of frieghht in order to get something else to pick up either.

We spent the night right there at their yard but we needed to head to the nearest truck stop first thing for fuel and showers.

We pass the sign for the George Washington birthplace national monument, as well as many other historical markers.

The thick almost impenetrable fog only adds another element to our gloomy moods. The caffeine gods have not shined on me yet this morning, and I have a very good feeling its going to be one of my “mole-asses” days today! Yep, slower than molasses in Fargo.

The fog finally lifts, but only outside. In my head its still as impenetrable as ever. Two hot steaming cups of Earl and a hot shower hasn’t ignited any flashes of comprehension in my gray matter yet this morning.

For me, that is the worst part of dealing with Fibromyalgia, the "brain fog" and loss of cognitive function. Gee, I look "normal" and act "normal" (sometimes), its hard to believe that those synapses in my brain arent in any way functioning normally.

I feel a cold coming on, or maybe allergies, so I take some zinc, some Emergen-C Immune formula and, after 2 more cups of caffeine (no vodka or valium in those. It might not make me feel better, but I wouldn't care!) I'm starting to feel almost human again. Or maybe its just the sunshine and 75 degree weather we gladly find in Maryland.

I try to stockpile whatever supplements I think I’m going to need, because, lets face it, the only supplements you are going to find at a truck stop are expensive little bottles of high powered caffeine shots.

While truck drivers do not need to be able to leap tall buildings with a single bound, there are many talents that they do need to have. Not the least of those is the ability to go all day without a bathroom break while drinking copius amounts of coffee. Seriously though, truck drivers deal with a tremendous amount of pressure, both in constrainsts placed on them by Hours of Service laws, shippers and receivers, and deadlines, just to name a few. Then there are your garden variety blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and flash floods. Mechanical problems.....always. the ability to navigate rush hour traffic while simultaneously driving, talking on the phone and the CB, writing down directions, reading the map and eating a sammie.....JUST KIDDING!!! You cant do all that while you are eating a sandwhich, you'll crush your bread!!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

The luck of the Irish to you all, may you all find that pot of gold at the end of your rainbows, or at least, a mug of ale!!

In Heaven there is no beer that’s why we drink it here!

Irish Blessings and Sayings
May you always have
Walls for the winds,
A roof for the rain,
Tea beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you,
Those you love near you,
And all your heart might desire!

May you be in
Heaven a half hour before the
Devil knows you're dead!

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.