another man impressed with my driving

November 27, 2011

You have all been so patient. Faithfully reading my blogs. Hoping one day I would demoralize and humiliate myself with another lost story. Well your patience has paid off.

This trip had everything I dread. Airports and New Jersey. ~throw in Texas  and you'd win the daily trifecta.

    

                              ok , you got me, there are some things I like about Texas

Our first load was going to UPS at the Philadelphia airport. There is construction and detours  everywhere, which only add to my confusion.

 But the drive into Philadelphia was fine.

I was following the directions from Swift and it wasn't long before I was staring at the arrival/departure parking garage.        Same problem, different airport.

I stopped to ask the guard, with the horrified look on his face, how to get to Hog Island Road? He pointed behind us and to the left. When asked if we could go straight ahead, he said 'I don't see how.' .(not nearly as helpful as when I get going the wrong way at the Salt Lake City airport, They had a guard come up to me and help me get turned around. Salt Lake airport is the place to get lost if you have a choice.)

I forgot to mention, we are stopped in 1 lane of 4, all going one way, and we need to go the other way......Where is the rapture when I need it?

So Will backs up about 1000 ft and just like that we are headed in the right direction. We thought. The new directions take us right back to the passenger terminals. Been there, dont that. But Will sees a road that looks like it goes around the back of the airport.   It does and soon we find a UPS truck and follow him. What can Brown do for you? It can lead the way, thats what. And soon we are at UPS.

UPS doesn't have an empty for us. Swift sends us to New Jersey to look for one. I'll make this part short. We were suppose to go to Ocean Spray for an empty trailer. The directions sounded easy, only a couple of turns. Turns out the address Swift gave me is for delivery's, the empty's are a few blocks away. Only one wrong turn, and since I was bob-tailing I didn't have a drag a trailer around town with me.

One hint that I'm driving where I shouldn't be is people stop and look at me Like I'm from Mars. And everyone was staring at me now. I turned into a park because the bridge in front of me was only 10ft high.  I need at least 13'6" and even then I duck when I drive under.

 

That's right, Stop playing ball, stop pushing your kids on the swings, just stare at the lost truck driver. At any rate I need to be at the other end of Park Street ...............North, East, South or West would be a nice touch on the address.

**note to self, buy more lottery tickets

I finally get an empty, now I am off to The Christmas Tree Shop.

This is where it gets interesting.

Ok, everybody unfold your New Jersey map. Log into Google Street View, or map-quest. 
       
Go ahead I'll wait...

Everybody ready? Good. Now look for this address

270 Daniels Way, Florence NJ.

What? You cant find it in Florence? Try Burlington City.

Now here are the directions Swift sent me.

Go south on us130 (5miles)

Right on Delaware Ave (cr656) (1  1/2 mile)

Left on Broad Street

Left on East 3^rd Street

*arrive at destination; christmas tree shops, Florence, NJ

            NO!!!!!

I have arrived at a small residential neighborhood.

Oh my, the people were staring at me now. Beautiful neighborhood, seems nice and quite, till the semi (with a trailer now) showed up. Oh hey look how low those power lines hang, that cant be legal.

                                                 I hope I dont end up like that

One guy on a bicycle turned around and followed me. Which was pretty easy since I was going so slow trying to decide how to get out of there. He was waving his hand so I stopped. He asked what I was looking for. I told him. He said “ a big warehouse, right?” I nodded my head (I didnt really know I just guessed it wasn't here at Mr. & Mrs. Nussbaum's driveway) 

Then he asked how I got in here. ~Just another man impressed with my unique driving skills. He said he doesnt even drive his motor home down this street!!.~ now he's just flattering me. I think he was flirting.

Turns out he's a firefighter and knew where I wanted to go. His directions were right on the money. 

                                             Thank You, New Jersey's finest!!

We arrive safely and pick up our loaded trailer and head for Augusta Georgia.

Leaving town was pretty easy.        Almost.
You know how most people have an internal compass? Something that lets them figure out where North is? Well my internal compass is stuck on shipyard. Must be the sailors daughter in me.

 

**a lot more lottery tickets

Well that was just a little site seeing trip, hardly even out of the way. The important thing to remember is nobody got hurt.

To top off a perfect day I listened to the Civil War. 
                                                         Beavers vs Ducks.

In reality, Beaver Nation knew the season would end this way. The same way it started. We are the giant killers, so there was a little hope. But I am still a Beaver Believer and just wait till next year. Then we'll shut the duck up!!!

                      GO BEAV”S

After Augusta, we pick up a load going to Memphis.
Memphis, we were just there for Thanksgiving.  We ate at a Piccadilly Cafeteria. We ended up having to wait 24 hours before picking up the load that started this whole adventure. While in Memphis we went to a gas station across the street from our hotel and Will bought a beer. He was carded!!! My 53 year old gray bearded husband was carded. I dont think Barbie could even count to 21. We walk back to the hotel and stop to get stuff out of the truck. While Will is walking across the parking lot some little Suzie Q stops her car and asks Will if he needed a date ? He said he had one and pointed to the room. ??

WHAT?  oh no he didn't, What did he say? Did he mean me? After 29 years, Im just the date waiting in the hotel room? I should be charging him more. Maybe this is my way out, after all it's just a date. 
So I had to put up with his inflated ego the rest of the day, and the next day.....Now really I dont mind some young thing stroking his ego once in awhile as long as that's all they stroke.!!

I love and miss you all

occupy oakland, dead starter, whats next

We made it out of oakland safe and sound. We were down by the docks but did not have to pickup there this time. We were not downtown so we didnt see anything there. We were on the freeway that was shown on the news. Good thing we were in and out in the morning. 

 

I tell you watching it on tv, I was scared for those truck drivers.

The whole time I kept thinking of Reginald Denny, the truck driver that was pulled out of his truck during a riot in LA. And nearly beaten to death. It was so long ago, in the 90's I think, I dont think it was in the 80's. The whole thing was caught on tape by a news-chopper. Im so glad nothing like that happened in Oakland.

There have been a couple of times, Will has told me to get in the back. (sleeper), delivering to a very bad neighborhood. Guys walking up and down the middle of the street. Looking in cars as if to find an easy one to car jack. One business we really had to rush to get to before they closed because they lock the gate and the guard doesnt let anyone in. And that was one area you do not want to be left out on the street. I remember the lot inside was full of trucks. Most were there 12 hours early just so they could be locked inside safe for the night.

There have been times while driving that Will, wakes me up, and tells me to sit up front. He thinks the front seat and seat belt is safer than the safety net in the sleeper.

The truck is in the shop. Again. This time its for the starter, shocks, airbags and to figure out why the check engine light is on. Yes I made sure the gas cap was on tight. Silly. The starter went out fast, not a lot of warning. We had a hard time starting it once in Salt Lake City. Will told me not to turn the truck off, and we'd get it checked later. After we left Oakland, we stopped in Livermore at Jack in the Box and I shut the truck off. It would not start.

Will looked at it but where it is he couldnt get to it. We called swift and asked if they can come and give us a pull start. Of course you knew that cant push start and tractor-trailer. Swift said they dont have the equipment. We thought we had 1 free tow available from international, so we called them and they had no idea what we were talking about.. $$ OUCH. $$ We were on the phone ordering a tow when the starter and it started. I didnt mind cashing in karma points for that. 

                                                      didnt need the tow truck

We went to the swift shop in Lathrop and told them the issues and they said they could fix it, most of it would be warranty work, Cool Beans.

So hear we sit at the hotel. Will sleeping. Me with nothing to do. No book. I finished, Cleopatra’s Daughter. Very good. And I am out of yarn so I cant work on the sweater. The last 3 walmarts did not have the yarn. I have more at the house, but that doesnt do me any good here does it.

Got the truck back from Swift/Lathrop. They said all was fixed. We looked at the paper work and they did not fix the starter because it started. They did fix something with the check engine light, even though that light came on 20 miles down the road.

Next stop International in Springfield Oregon. Put the truck in there, same problems, same results. They can't get the starter to fail so they cant fix it under warrenty. 

They did spend a lot time and fixed they real problem with the check engine light. Guess we will see about that down the road. We told them to replace the starter and we'll pay out of pocket. We cant have it only fail on us. As soon as they heard we were going to fork over $1000 they get right on it.

Our son is down in San Diego for some magic card show/tournament, he loves it. 

Says it is differentially on his list of places to live. 

We were just glad to hear that we are not the only place on his list.

Love and miss you all,

hey, it's like winter out here and if swift thinks im going to forget about the money they owe me they have ice cubes for brains.

Oct 29, 2011

The weather is starting to turn to winter here in New Jersey. We arrive friday and the weather was nice, we would have walked a couple of blocks to eat dinner but there was no sidewalk and it was busy 4 lanes near the on ramp to the turn pike.  We ordered pasta and boy was it good. I had chicken Parmesan  and saved half of it to take with us in the truck. Your right I forgot it..

Today its snowing. And snowing hard. It's a Nor~East'r. Its starting to get windy too. Most of the trees are weighted down with snow on their branches because not all of the leaves have fallen off. 

                   just about an hour of snow.  very wet and heavy snow too

They sent us a load to Houston, first we were just going to ignor it and not even answer it, but then we saw the weather report and thought we'd better take anything that gets us out of the north east on a saturday, before we end up hanging out here all weekend. 

Since we are 3 hours ahead in New Jersey we got up and had to check out of the hotel, check out time was 10am. Now we are just sitting in the truck finishing The Gangs of New York. Got a good find at the truck stop the other day seasons 1 & 2 of Northern Exposure. Some of you may have to explain to the youngsters what a cool show that was.

Our load from new jersey is to houston. That didnt go to bad. Still had to wait to be dispatched but after Houston we got a load to Salt Lake City. This time it didnt cancel.

                                            

I did have to stop on the turnpike in New Jersey and get a sweat shirt. I only have just my summer jacket. Who knew winter would come in October. Either need to get home to pick up our heavy clothes or find a Cabellas.

                                                Nashville, showing off it's colors

I get to drive through Moab. I like when we hit Moab and its my shift. A very pretty place. All times of the year. Even for the desert, which you wont here me say to often.

                       the red color is caused by a mixture of iron and oxygen ~~iron oxide

                    the green is caused by a mixture of chlorite or clay consisting of iron silicate

We have been arguing with swift for about 4 weeks now on some empty miles we were never paid for. we have 51 miles when we got to the shipper the load was canceled at LAX. And we have 494. thats the one that hurts. I have messaged our dm first 3x a week then last week once a day . With no resolve. I talked with the fleet manager, and he said he would look into it and get back to me.

                                                           Nothing yet.

Besides losing the .81 cents a mile, the 494 miles really affected our fuel rebate. That is 494 miles not included in the total trip miles but miles we burned fuel. When I called the rapid response center they told me that our home termianl took those miles off. Said they were un authorized. When I confronted our driver manager she assured me that Troutdale did not take those miles off. I said thats good to hear, but if Troutdale did not take those miles off us, then where is our money

                                                        that's what I said

The part that really burns me is, beside it happening in Houston, I never thought to take a picture of the load when it is sent to us. To prove we were dispatched those miles. The whole day was screwed up. We delivered in Houston, hooked to an empty trailer only to be told they assign empty's there. Some places do but most make it a free for all, you see one grab it. So we unhooked, went up front and said we need an empty. We were told they didnt have any. What about the line of empty's, we just hooked to one. Oh those are already spoken for. Ok what ever. So we bobtailed out and went down to the truck stop to wait for a load.

They stacked 3 loads on us. Sometimes the loadplanners do that because they want you to do the crappy one and they are showing you a good one to make up for the crappy one.

I called our dm and complained about the first one. It was a pick up at a rail yard and the trailer was going a big 24 miles, to walmart. Where we pick up another load going a couple hundred miles to arkansas. Then we go to Jenks, Oklahoma and take it to Dover Delaware .

after compalianing about the waste of time the rail yard was. And how the swift yard would not give us an empty. I gave in , and she told me just to bobtail to the rail yard. It was only 5 miles away, but because of road construction, Houston being Houston and a train blocking the tracks it took 45 min. To get there.

                                                      Houston traffic jam

 When we get there I wait in line and get up to the front and the guard tells me only one driver allowed in the yard. Someone will have to wait out side. I said what, but it is my husbands sleeper time, you want me to wake him up and make him stand out here. Forget it cancel the load. I called our dm and she said that was crazy, just head to our next load. 

Next on my list was walmart 24 miles away. When I arrived there, waited in line only to hear, you cant come in with out an empty. I said our last load was cancelled and that was going to be our trailer. The guard said that doesnt matter, Icant pickup a loaded trailer unless I exchange it with either a full or empty.

So I called our dm again, and she was gone for the day now but the guy that answered said walmart was not our next pickup we should have headed to Jenks Oklahoma. I said ok there was a little confusion. I guess our dm knew that walmart would not let us in without a trailer and just canceled it, unless im giving her too much credit. I told him we still didnt have an empty I didnt want to get to Oklahoma just to find out they wont let us in, and he said no your good.

                       Yeah good and screwed is what he should have said.

I take a picture of our detention notices. they come in handy when they say they dont have a record of us responding to the notices. As soon as I say i have a picture what is your email, they suddenly say oh here it I see it now. But i never thought to take a picture of our dispatched miles, you bet I do now.
And while I'm complaining, all the crapy roads in Texas and Oklahoma bounced the life right out of our refrigerator and of course it took all the food with it.  That had to be replaced. 
Just Bleeding money on that trip.

So now that I got that off my chest.

We are sitting in Salt Lake City waiting for a load. Why do we have to wait they know we're coming. Why do I bother putting in our projected time available. They did send us a load to Dallas. I turned it down, this time dont being so polite, I said        
                                    NO ALWAYS GET SCREWED IN TEXAS. 
(and not in the good way)  ***sorry kids**

Of course they put us in time out for having the nerve to turn now the wonderful load.  No load offers for 1 hour. “bad driver”

well hope everyone had a safe Halloween 

I love and miss you all

oct 14

Oct 14, 2011

My goodness its been a long time since I last blogged. 

Thought I should let you all know that thanks to karma, St. Christopher patron saint of travelers, daily prayers to my patron saint and 2 gps devices  I am happy to report I have not gotten lost.....Thank You, Thank You, Please your standing ovation is too much~~~~Your applause was plenty

after some home time, that allowed us to work on our new home, well its not a home yet, now it is just a house, barely.

      everybody giving advice on how to put in new floors, and insulate and move rooms around etc...

But our plan is within a year we can move in. We also put the truck in the shop, again for the airconditioner. This is the 3^rd time in a year and a half that its been it. Thankfully its all been warrenty work. This last time it cost us $28.00 because they changed a couple of filters. You will be glad to know the air conditioner worked for about 36 hours, until we got to kansas. Of course. Looks like i cant spread my karma to cover not getting lost and having air conditioning.

When we get to kansas city we needed to take some time off because Will hurt his back. Slipped a disc (*diagnoised by dr leslie) when we delivered at the swift yard I told the lady at the window that I needed to take Will to an er or urgent care, which one is closest. Um I dont know, he cant wait and see his doctor in the morning? we dont live here, thats why I asked where the er is... oh, and she giggles a little. Um theres the phone book over there I dont know what its called. Dont you live here? Yea but I never had to go to the er. (ive never been to the oregon state mental hospital , but i can tell you where it is lady) So after looking up the hospital and putting in the address in the gps. We are only about 5 miles away.

Getting will in and out of the semi was slow going. He couldnt lift his leg very high so getting in was harder than getting out, easier for him to step down. Er asked when it hurt, when it feels ok, he said it hurts when i sit or stand, the only time it doesnt hurt is when Im laying on my back. so they said sit here. 

Er gave him some flexeril shot, (what a baby)and they gave me directions to a walgreens and a couple of hotels. Walgreens was easy, The hotels were all full some big event Lance Armstrong Live Strong Arena hoo~haa going on. We had to make do at and expensive hotel for the weekend because that was all that was available. Just friday, saturday and sunday, then will should be feeling better and can sit and drive.

                                 Legends Mall in Kansas City, near our first hotel.

Monday rolls around and will isnt any better, if we are going to stay another couple of days we need to move to a cheaper hotel. So we pack up and leave for a comfort inn or quality inn, our usually hang outs over the road. After 2 days there and will isnt any better i ask the desk clerk if there is an urgent care near by. She said yes, just about 4 blocks. So i get him in the truck, no he didnt want to use a taxi because he thought that would hurt more trying to stand up out of a low car than climb down from the semi?? so we get to this little urgent care, of course the parking lot isnt set up for semi parking, but i manage to crowd my way into a spot, help will out of the truck shuffle across the parking lot, wait in line just to hear, this isnt an urgent care until 5pm. Right now its a doctors office do you have an appointment? I said are you kidding me the sign out front that is lit up says urgent care. Yes mam but not till after 5pm. Ok she told be they did have a real urgent care about 25 miles away in Shawnee.  Reverse the whole show, shuffle back to the truck steady will was he climbs into the truck, and off we go. Parking is worse in Shawnee, i trimmed 3 trees in the parking lot at no cost to them. I get in there and it is so small I ask if they do xrays here, she said no they would send us to a place down the street. Then they would be read within 6 hours and......never mind. All that wore Will out so we went back to the hotel. Thursday I conviced him we should just go back to the er. They took xrays this time, said nothing was broke. And gave him some pain meds, more flexeril and steriods. With in 24 hours he was beginning to feel better.

                                          look at him go....

But not good enough, so friday morning i went down to pay for friday, saturday and sunday and she tells me they are booked for the weekend. WTH. What do you guys do around here on the weekends? She found another comfort inn a couple of towns over and got us in there. They were just having a hot rod car show and that wasnt very popular we were lucky. All in all we spend 10 days in kansas city and the surounding towns.

                          the Legends mall in Kansas City, walking distance from our  first hotel

I did get a lot of knitting done. Trying to finish a sweater for my mom for Christmas. Hope i dont have to make it a mothers day gift insteed.

After wills back started feeling well enough to sit and drive he had to stop the pain pills and the flexeril. So the first 2 days I drove and he went into rehab in the sleeper. I think the steroids is what really worked. After Kansas City we headed for Flordia........oh my gosh it was so hot and humid there. 

                i hoped change the color setting on the camera would help convey of hot it was in Flordia

                                                      2 cranes at the customers pond

                                                                              pretty colorful duck

It was so hot ~~how hot was it?~~ my little gold hoop earrings turned bronze or pewter color. Ok walmart gold, but still I guess it must be some chemical reaction involving an oven, swearing, sweat and maybe some tears.

From Florida we headed to Dover Delaware. ~The first State. At last some cooler weather, thats where we will spend our 34 off too. Its 82 Dover is having a heat wave, they are loving it. %$#&*^

                                              the picture doesnt do this home justice, the green just glistened

                                                                              Chesapeake Bay

                             at least it fall in some places

the hotel in Dover was a comfort inn. I beg each and every one of you not to stay here. They were nice and let us check in at 7am, normally check in is 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Our refrigerator in the truck died

We drive back to the huge walmart ,at the other end of town and its closed. Not open yet, grand opening is oct 26. so we end up at the little walmart that does have a refridge, but no groceries. So have to shop at the safeway. Anyway done and now back to the hotel. 

                                                         OH be still my heart!!!

The room is very musty smelling. And the window is painted shut so we leave the door open for some fresh air. I grab the laundry bag from the truck and head down to the laundry room. The desk clerk told me to come see her and she would give me a laundry room key, it is separate from our room key card. So I did that and she points the way. The door is open when I get there, and there is only one washer and one dryer. Ugh! I have two loads, oh well get one load started, shut the door and head back to the room. When I went back to change the laundry, my key card wouldn't work. I went in and told the desk clerk and she looked at me funny and said who shut the door? I said I did, isnt that why you gave me a key? Oh ok she got housekeeping to come over with me and see if she could get it open, no luck, then someone else tried, again, no luck. They both left and I waited thinking they were going to solve this problem. But about 10 minutes later I see the housekeeper coming out of one of the rooms. So I go back to the desk clerk and she said, its still not open? Nope. She said she would call someone and get them to open it from the inside. So I go back and wait. And wait. AND WAIT. About 15- 20 minutes later I went back to the desk clerk just looked at her and she said she is one her way she was on the road shell be right back? I said really, cause I have more to do today than just hang out waiting for the laundry room to be opened. In about 20 minutes someone opens the door from the inside. I change the laundry and grab a big upright over stuffed chair and drag it and block the door open with it. I was so mad when I got back to the room my face was all red I was sweating and swearing. I sit on the edge of the bed and look down and see a black sock and was mad that a sock fell out of the laundry bag, then I remembered I didnt bring the laundry in the room. That sock was left here. Oh and I guess the toe nail clippings belong to the owner of the sock. &*^%# *(&$% then I started looking around and found an atm receipt on the tv dated oct 2. so guess that was the last day the room was cleaned, or sorta cleaned. I did check for bed bugs and they didn't have any, you can check on line before you stay             http://bedbugregistry.com/

and of course always check when you get there. I did complain, and got the room charges reversed so that wasn't so bad then.

After Delaware it was off too Arizona, where our good luck held out and I had a blow out. 

I was thankfull the next rest stop was open becasue many of Arizona's rest stops are closed budget cuts i guess. so at least I wasn't sitting on the side of the road for 3 hours. 

                                                                      a camel in Quartzite, AZ

Well guess this is long enough.

Love and miss you all