Saturday, June 15, 2024

 Felt really good to be lazy!!!  This morning I went and got fresh donuts for breakfast then went back to the hotel and had the hotel breakfast too. Then, I took a nap. When I woke up I went into town.  Everything here is based on the UFO experience in 1947. Even McDonalds is a flying saucer with little space aliens walking around it.

Stopped by the Visitors Center and then went to the UFO Museum.

Interesting place.

Left there and had lunch.  Back at the hotel, I sat out by the pool for a while.  For dinner, I went to a steak house.  Had a very good rib eye steak.  The service should have been better, but that happens a lot to single diners. It was reflected in her tip too. 

Ate it all plus a salad, and dessert.  Now at the hotel again.  Feels so good to do nothing!!!! Especially with a full belly!!!!

Friday, June 14, 2024

 As soon as my 10 hours were up, I left.  I drove through the middle of the White Sands Missle Range. Drove 524 miles to Roswell, New Mexico today.  My next load is there on Tuesday.  Last night I sent an email to my dispatcher saying that since I was going to be in Roswell for 4 days, do you think Daily would spring for a hotel?  I gave him my suggestion for the hotel too.  Never thought they would, but you never know if you don't ask.  Well, much to my surprise they did!!  I'm in the Best Western in Roswell.  I also used my points to rent a car for those days too!  Basically, a free mini-vacation!!  Wonder if I'll see any space aliens!! 

OK, now I'll talk about the place I delivered to yesterday.  This place was massively huge!!  They are building four huge data centers there all at the same time.  Each building is about the size of an Amazon Distribution Center except these are two stories tall!!  They are being built by a company that builds and has these places all over the country.  The company, QTS Data Centers, builds these places and then leases "space" to various companies around the world.  They are nothing but computer data storage facilities on a scale that is mind-blowing.  They are spending over a billion dollars just on this Phoenix project alone.  Each building will have at least seven emergency power backup generators like the one I delivered yesterday.  Each generator sits on a diesel fuel tank that holds 10,000 gallons of fuel.  They told me that once the buildings are done the site becomes super secure.  There will be technology going in there that they do not want foreign countries to know about.  The power company built a substation just off the property to supply power to it.  Amazing stuff!!

On a side note, I saw a lot of self-driving cars all around Phoenix.  Weird looking.  They are taxis. 

Thursday, June 13, 2024

 I left early this morning and drove the rest of the way to Phoenix, AZ.  I was told to go to a yard where they were staging stuff for the project.  It was about 3 miles from where the construction was.  When I arrived at 8 AM MST, I was told they wouldn't be able to unload until tomorrow.  There are 3 other trucks with generators coming.  They loaded when I did.  There is also a fuel tank coming too.  I was the first to arrive here.  I parked in the corner of the lot, took the tarp off and put it away, then settled in for the rest of the day.

After I had been settled in for a while, I got a call that said they were all caught up at the job site and that they were ready for me to go in to unload.  I drove over to the job site and was led back to where I was to be unloaded.  I backed into the spot and they rigged up the crane.  They didn't like the rigging so they took it all off, had a group meeting, then re-rigged the crane.  

First rigging

Then they stood around and talked about it some more.  Then it was lunchtime!! After lunch, they decided that the rigging wasn't right either so they took it off and re-re-rigged it. It STILL wasn't good enough so they took it all off AGAIN!!!!  They had to bring in some other equipment because these generators were different than the other ones they had done and needed different rigging than what they had there. In the process of trying to lift the unit, they damaged it. They put a dent in one of the pipes.

The correct rigging arrived, they hooked it up and off it went!  Finally!!!  

My next load is in Roswell, New Mexico and it loads Tuesday.  I left there and drove to the Petro truck stop in Casa Grande, Arizona for the night.  In tomorrow's blog, I'll tell you more about the job site I just delivered to.  It is pretty interesting.

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

 As soon as my 10 hours were up, I left.  That was about 1 AM CDT.  Nice uneventful day on the road.  Some construction slow-n'-go traffic in El Passo, TX.  Other than that, smooth sailing today.  Drove 669 miles to the Flying J truck stop in Lordsburg, New Mexico for the night.

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

 There are quite a few trucks loading here today.  All going to the same place.  We were to wait at the truck stop until called to go in to load, there wasn't very much room in there.  At about 10 AM CDT they called and I went in to load.  Loaded a Caterpillar Generator that is going to Phoenix, Arizona.

Then the back end had to be tarped!! 100 degrees, no shade, no breeze, and no help.

That one really took its toll on me.  I left there and went to the first truck stop I came to, where I stopped for the night.  Stopped at the Love's truck stop in Comfort, Texas.  Took a vary long and cold shower.  Ate dinner and went to bed!!!!!  Phone is off!!!!

Monday, June 10, 2024

 I left at 11 PM CDT last night and drove the rest of the way to Whitsett, Texas.  Had no rain at all from Pennsylvania until about 10 miles from delivery, then very heavy rain and thunderstorm.   Delivered the telehandler in the rain, but after it slowed down a lot. My next load is tomorrow morning in Seguin, Texas.  Drove over to the Love's truck stop in Seguin for the night.  633 miles today.