Friday, July 13, 2012

Got on the road real early this morning and drove into Baltimore to the port and delivered the generator.  Different part of the port than where I usually go.  This one was on the south side of the Harbor Tunnel. By the time I got there the plastic shrink wrap had disintigrated.  This is what it looked like under it.

And here is the boat it is going on.

Since I still don't have another load, I went to the TA truck stop in Jessup, MD for the weekend.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Left this morning and drove pretty much straight through to Hancock, Maryland to a truck stop there.  Will deliver tomorrow in Baltimore.  No real hurry, don't have another load lined up yet.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Left Hurricane, WV at sun up and drove to Lafayette, Indiana and delivered the excavator.  Fortunately my next load was also in Lafayette BUT it didn't load until tomorrow at 11 am.  Since I was only 5 miles from there I decided to go over and see if they could squeeze me in.  I got very lucky!!  They could and I got loaded with a Caterpillar 3516 Engine and a box of parts.  They are going to the port in Baltimore and then on a boat to Abu Dhabi.

After that drove to the Petro truck stop in Angola, Indiana for the night.

Monday & Tuesday, July 9, & 10, 2012

Finally got a load Monday afternoon.  Drove over to Kernersville, NC and loaded a John Deere 290G Excavator.  It is going to Layafette, Indiana.  It was very hot and no shade!  Thermometer on the truck read 109. 

Got on the road and drove through Mt. Pilot again.  I wonder why they called it Pilot Mountain?  It doesn't look like a pilot.

It looks like a big breast.  Maybe it should be called Boob Mountain?  Or Ta-Ta Teton?  At the top would be the Breast Crest. The road around it would be Areola Circle. Sorry, I guess I'm milking this for all it's worth.  Anyway, I stopped for the night at the truck stop in Mt. Airy (Mayberry), NC.  Verizon's internet service was down so I couldn't post last night. 

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Got up this morning and noticed that my trailer looked a bit odd.

One of the pins that hold the back axle on was gone.

Obviously, I couldn't go anywhere like that so I went over to Goober's Garage to see if they could fix it.  It really wasn't Goober's, but close enough.  It had to be a pin of solid steel 2 inches thick and 6 inches long.  Like this one:

Of course no place in town had anything like that, however there was a machine shop down the street.  They said that they could make one.  They did, and it was a good one too.  When the pin got back to the garage they put it in and I was finally on the road.  Since I got such a late start I didn't get very far.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Hurricane, West Virginia.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Drove in to Belle, West Virginia this afternoon and delivered the big ole' bucket. Don't have another load yet but possibly in Kernersville, NC.  Drove down to the Petro truck stop in Mebane, North Carolina for the weekend.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Drove to Wamego, Kansas first thing this morning and loaded a bucket for a Caterpillar 993K.  It is a bit large weighing 36,500 pounds. It's going to Belle, West Virginia.

Got on the road pretty quick and drove to Haubstadt, Indiana to the Pilot truck stop for the night

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Pretty uneventful day today.  Drove to a convenience store with truck parking in Maple Hill, Kansas this morning.  Load about 10 miles from here tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Since I didn't have a load yet I decided to go over to the Peterbilt shop that was 2 blocks away and have some work done.  $890 later I was done. By then I had a load lined up.  It is in Wamego, Kansas and loads Thursday.  I drove for a little while and stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Oakley, Kansas. Washed the truck there too.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Got on the road at sun up this morning.  Drove non stop today.  Didn't see a lot of fire today.  I expected to see more.  Very smokey all day.  Didn't see any signs of fire until Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The mountains behind the city looked like they had smoke coming out of them.  The Air Force Academy looked untouched.  Drove down to Pueblo and delivered the excavator.  Stopped for the night at the Love's truck stop in Pueblo.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Got on the road at sun up this morning.  Great day to be on the road!!  Started off climing again.  The arrow points to the truck stop I stayed at last night.  I'm about 3000 feet up.

Georgous sunrise in Oregon.

Here are some photos of the scenery along I-80 east of Salt Lake City, Utah.  Sorry about the bugs on the windshield.

Stopped for the rest of the weekend at the TA truck stop in Fort Bridger, Wyoming - in the middle of nowhere and at elevation of 7300 feet.  Get started again first thing Monday morning.  Should be an interesting day.  Going to go through a lot of the fire areas in Colorado.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Went over and loaded a John Deere 470G Excavator just down the road in Kent, WA.  It is going to Pueblo, CO.

Then drove out east of Seattle to the TA truck stop and scaled up.  I was too heavy on my drive axles for Oregon - fine for any of the other states I'm going through, just not Oregon.  Untied it and repositioned it.  Scaled again.  Still not right.  Moved it again.  Scaled again.  This time it was ok.  Gross weight is 110,900 pounds.  Tired it back down again.  Then went inside for a well deserved (and needed) shower!!  Finally got on the road. 

Since I was going so slow up the mountains I was able to get a few photos of the scenery for you.  These are I-90 east of Seattle in the Snoqualmie Pass area. Misty rain in that area.

The roadway in the photo below is I-90 west bound lanes.

Waterfalls.

The avalanche tunnel in the photo below. I wonder why only the west bound side?

Continued on into Oregon.  Stopped for the night at the Arrowhead Truck Stop on I-84 in Mission, OR.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Got on the road early again.  Drove through some beautiful scenery today along I-90.  Weather, again, was perfect!  Sunny and in the 60's.  Drove in to the Port of Everett, Washington and delivered the dozer.  After that drove over to the Boeing plant where they build the 747s, 777s, 787s, etc.  and went on the tour again.  They improved it since I did it last time.  Tried to take some photos but the stupid auto focus on the camera didn't focus so they all came out blurry.  Here is the link to the Boeing Tour web site.

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/tours/index.html

Next load is in Kent, WA.  That is just outside Tacoma.  Drove down there to a small truck stop for the night.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Got on the road early this morning.  Started off in heavy smoke.  Cleared up after a while.  Passed one fire that was up in the mountains in Montana.  Other than that, very uneventful day with perfect weather.  Only in the low 60's and sunny.  My truck enjoyed the cooler temperatures going up and down the mountains today.  Was as high as 6,400 feet.  Stopped for the night in Superior, MT at a very small Pilot station.  Only at 2,700 feet here.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Left Albert Lea, MN first thing this morning.  Drove straight through to Wall, South Dakota and had lunch at the "world famous" Wall Drug.

Just east of Rapid City, SD, as I drove past Ellsworth Air Force Base, I saw the B-1 Bomber doing touch & go's.  My timing was perfect as one of the bombers went right in front of me then made a left turn tight enough that I was looking at the top of the aircraft as it turned past me.  VERY COOL!!!  I tried to catch a photo of it but it went past too fast.  I took a few photos of the B-1 Bomber from Ellsworth AFB web site so you could see what aircraft I'm talking about.  The first photo is exactly like what I saw except it was the top of it, not the bottom.

It was 105 degrees going through the Badlands, Rapid City, and Sturges, South Dakota.  I stopped for the night in Gillette, Wyoming at the Flying J truck stop.  It is so dry out here that when cleaning the bugs off the windshield the cleanning fluid would dry before I could wipe it off.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Went into Coal Valley, IL first thing this morning and delivered the dozer.  Then over to Peterbilt in Davenport, IA to get the truck fixed. Was first in line!!  Lucky me!  They still had work left over from the weekend so I didn't get in right away.  Replaced the speedometer sensor and an air valve and I was out the door.  Glad that all it was!!!

Drove up to Dubuque, IA and loaded a John Deere 850 Dozer.  Same as the last one except smaller.

Legal width, legal height, but a few thousand pounds overweight.  This one is going to the port in Everett, Washington and then on a boat to Russia.  Got on the road and drove up to the TA truck stop in Albert Lea, Minnesota for the night.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Left Pennsylvania this morning and drove pretty much straight through stopping only for fuel and lunch.  Drove through the weather front in Zanesville, Ohio that is supposed to cool off the north east this weekend.  Stopped for the rest of the weekend at a truck stop in Woodhull, Illinois.  Deliver about 30 miles from here Monday morning.  After that I have an appointment at Peterbilt in Davenport, Iowa to get the truck fixed.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Went over to the port and unloaded the tractor and then loaded a John Deere 1050 J Dozer.  It is a big one.  Not too wide, but heavy and high.  I am 13 feet 8 inches tall.  It is going to Coal Valley, Illinois.

After I loaded the dozer I went back to the TA truck stop and scaled up.  My gross weight is over 115,000 pounds. Then took a shower and had lunch.  Got on the road.  Have problems with my speed / odometer.  It is also affecting the transmission.  Will have to have that addressed when I get empty.  Took forever to get across all the mountains on I-70 and I-68.  Very slow going.  Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Claysville, Pennsylvania. 

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Left the service plaza in Ohio  at sun up this morning. Nice and uneventful day on the road today.  In Pennsylvania my GPS took a dump.  Could not find any satellites anymore.  So, when I stopped for the night at the TA in Baltimore, Maryland I bought a new one.  Deliver and reload in the morning at the port.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Left Sawyer, MI this morning and drove up to Sturtevant, Wisconsin.  Took two hours to get through Chicago!  Bumper to bumper traffic almost the entire way through. Finally got to Sturtevant and loaded a Case 290 Tractor, 4 wheels and 2 spacers.  They are going to Dundalk, MD and on a boat to Bolivia.

Got on the road and drove to the first service plaza in Ohio on the Ohio Turnpike.  The Ohio Turnpike Service Plazas are the best ones in the country.  They have huge well lite truck parking, good food court, truck drivers lounge, and free showers for truck drivers.  Stayed there for the night.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Last night after the NASCAR race was over at the Michigan Speedway a couple of the trucks stopped in to get fuel.  Recognize any of them?

This guy won the race!!  Yup, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

And this one is Jimmy Johnson's truck.

They drew quite a crowd.  Lots of people taking photos.

This morning I left and headed off to deliver.  Took all day to get up there.  Drove through a cool looking weather front on the way.

 Finally delivered in Minden City, Michigan.  Next load is over in Wisconsin.  Headed that way. Stopped for the night in Sawyer, Michigan at the TA truck stop.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Thought, since I have a little down time, I'd explain a little about what it is that I am transporting.  When I say that I have a wind energy hub most of you have no idea what that is. 

I'm sure you have seen or heard about the wind energy "wind mills" that are popping up all over the country. 

Most of these produce about 1.5 megawatts of electricity or enough electricity to supply 400 homes for a year.  It costs, roughly, 3 million dollars for each wind turbine.  A minimum of 8 trucks, most of which are oversize requiring expensive permits, are used to transport the various sections of the turbine to the site.  Most turbines are about 394 feet tall or the height of a 40 story building.

The section I have been transporting is called the "hub". 

It's 57,300 pounds and manufactured in a GE plant in Pensacola, Florida. It is the section that the blades attach to and controlls the pitch of the blades. The nose cone is seperate and not part of the hub.

Hope that helps you all understand a bit about this stuff.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Left Sulphur, KY this morning and had a very uneventful drive up to Michigan.  Unfortunately oversize loads over 10 feet wide ( I am 11 feet, 11 inches wide)  can't drive in Michigan on Saturday or Sunday so I had to stop.  Stopped at exit 5 on US-23 in Michigan at the Pilot truck stop for the rest of the weekend.

Friday, June 15, 2012

My Tennessee permit finally arrived and I was all set to go but the truck wasn't.  Tried to start the truck but it was dead.  Fortunately there was a repair shop right behind me.  They came over and tried to jump start it but that didn't work either.  They tested a couple other things and determined that my starter was shot and I had a bad battery.  They replaced both and after several hours and $680 I was back on the road.  

Went past the home of the Chevy Corvette in Bolling Green, KY.  Right next to the car plant is the Corvette Museum.

 Only made it as far as the Pilot truck stop in Sulphur, KY today.  Not nearly as far as I had planned.  Oh well, will make up for it tomorrow.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Finally got loaded this morning.  Loaded another wind energy hub.  57,300 pounds.  It is going to Minden City, Michigan.

Got on the road but didn't get very far today.  Stopped in Montgomery, AL for fuel, scale, lunch, and took a shower.  After that drove to Cullman, AL to Jack's Truck Stop.  Have to wait there for UPS to deliver my Tennessee permit in the morning. 

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Didn't get my next load until noon.  It is down in Pensacola.  I drove down to GE in Pensacola because I was told that I would be loaded today.  They called ahead and said I was coming.  Does this sound familiar??  I got there and checked in.  Sat there for over 2 hours.  Went back and inquired about my status.  To make a long story short, Was told that I was not on the list for today and that I would have to wait until tomorrow. Stayed in their parking lot for the night.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Left Paducah, KY at sun up this  morning.  Got to Nashville a bit too early and had to wait an hour and a half for curfew to get over.  Back at it again at 9 am and to College Park, GA (basically Atlanta) and delivered the dump truck.  The place was at the very end of one of the runways for the Atlanta airport.  Planes were landing right over my head.  I loved it!!  Got the truck off and then headed over to the Petro truck stop in Atlanta for the night.  Don't have another load yet.  Hopefully tomorrow.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Drove in to Davenport, IA this morning and loaded a John Deere 250 Dump Truck.  This one is a bit smaller than to other ones I've had.  It is going to Atlanta, GA.

I got about 15 miles south of Bloomington, IL when my "Check Engine" light came on.  Truck was running fine.  I decided to turn around and go back to the Peterbilt shop in Bloominigton to have it checked out. Another loose plug in the wiring harness that supplies the actuators with power.  They spliced in a new plug and I was back in the road.  I will have to replace the whole harness sometime soon.  Stopped for the night at the Pilot truck stop in Paducah, KY.