Wednesday, March 1, 2017

This morning drove in to North Kingsville, Ohio and delivered the dump truck.  On the way in I passed a wreck on the other side of Interstate 90.  A step deck with an oversize load went under a bridge that was too low for his load.  It looked like he hit the bridge at full speed.  There was part of the load in the bridge and hanging down.  Was not able to get any photos of it that time.  After I delivered in North Kingsville I went back north heading up to Tonawanda, New York.  I passed the wreck again as they were in the process of cleaning it up.  This time I got a few photos.

The truck that had the load.

The two sections of whatever it was that hit the bridge.

Continued on up to Tonawanda, NY and loaded a Midland SPD-6 Road Widener that is going to Columbus, Ohio.

Left there and drove down to the TA truck stop in Harborcreek, Pennsylvania for the night.  Very cold and strong wind blowing off Lake Erie tonight.  This truck is really rockin' !!!

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

This morning went to Erial, New Jersey and loaded a Moxy MT30 Articulating Dump Truck that is going up to North Kingsville, Ohio.

Left there and drove to the Ben Franklin Bridge (I-676), crosses from Camden, New Jersey into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Had to have a police escort going over the bridge and pay the $100 toll to cross it.  

Internet Photo of Ben Franklin Bridge

After I crossed the bridge the traffic was VERY heavy.  Lots of bumper to bumper traffic.  Took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get out of Philadelphia. The rest of today's journey was uneventful.  Stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in Brookville, PA.

Monday, February 27, 2017

My next load is tomorrow morning in Erial, New Jersey.  After lunch I left and drove over to the TA truck stop in Paulsboro, NJ for the night.  Load tomorrow morning about 30 miles from here.

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Got up early this morning and drove the rest of the way into Alexander, New York.  Got there way before they opened.  Once they opened I still had to wait.  They had two fork lifts.  One had a flat tire, and the other had no fuel in it.  Once they got one of them running I finally got unloaded.  Don't have another load yet, so I drove back to the "home office" in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for the rest of the weekend.

Friday, February 24, 2017

Went back over to the Port and got my trailer then delivered the tractor.  Then loaded a couple John Deere things.  I really don't know what they are. They are going up to Alexander, New York.

Left there and drove to the "home office" in Carlisle, PA.  Had a great lunch and had a minor repair made to the trailer.  When all that was done, I left and headed north.  Stopped for the night at the Pilot truck stop in Bath, New York.  I'll deliver tomorrow morning.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Got started a half hour before sunrise this morning.  Here is another idiot.  Baltimore beltway.

Made it all the way to the Port of Baltimore but not in time to unload today.  I dropped my trailer there and went over the the TA truck stop in Baltimore, MD for the night.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Left this morning a half hour before sunrise in the fog.  Aside from that, it was a nice day on the road.  Nothing exciting.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Hebron, Ohio.

Monday, February 20, 2017

Left real early this morning and got to Waterloo, Iowa in time to be one of the first to be loaded this morning.  Loaded a John Deere 9570RT Tractor that is going to the Port of Baltimore in Dundalk, Maryland.  The rain held off until after I got it loaded and secured, for a change.

Left there and went over to the Pilot truck stop in Waterloo to scale and wait for my Iowa permit.  While waiting, I took a nap.  It finally arrived and I left.  Drove down to the Iowa 80 truck stop in Walcott, Iowa (the world's largest truck stop) for the night and to do my reset.  Will start again first thing Wednesday morning.

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Another uneventful day on the road Stopped at the Flying J truck stop in Harlan, Iowa.

Saturday, February 18, 2017

It is nice going through the mountains with an empty trailer.  Made good time on the road.  Other than that, nothing exciting today.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Rawlins, Wyoming.

Friday, February 17, 2017

This afternoon I got my next load.  I honestly can't believe that they want me to do this, but my next load is in Waterloo, Iowa.  Yup, that's right!!  They want me to deadhead over 1,800 miles (2897 km)!!!! Since they are paying for the fuel and stuff, I don't really care.  Off I went.

It had been raining all day and still was when I left Sacramento.  By the time I got to about 5,500 feet heading up to Donner on I-80 the rain had changed to snow.  The roads became increasingly worse on the way up.  Took some photos while going up.  Couldn't get any at the top or on the way back down because the conditions were too bad. 

Cal Trans doing their thing

Just before I took this picture a mini van spun out in front of me.  Was able to get around it.

You can see how deep the snow is along here.

This is about 6,500 feet elevation

Stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in Winnemucca, Nevada.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

I woke up a little after midnight and decided to check to see if the road had opened up.  Well, according to the Cal Trans web site, it was!!  I called the California Highway Patrol to confirm it.  In Nevada and California some permit loads can travel at night. I was on the road by 1 am.  It was VERY windy this morning.  The snow at Donner Summit was, in some places, over 20 feet (6 meters) deep.  Too dark to get any photos.  The roads were in very good shape.  Went past the mud slide areas.  Cal Trans had done a fantastic job getting that mess cleared.  The rain started when I got to Sacramento.  Apparently it was snowing at Donner Summit because snow chains were required and permit loads were restricted.  Glad I went when I did!!!  Beat the weather.  Made it the rest of the way to Pleasant Grove, CA.  Was there way too early so I had to wait for them to open.  When they did, I delivered the excavator.  Then went back to Sacramento to the Sacramento 49ers Travel Plaza to wait for my next load and sleep.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

The day started off real good.  I-80 had opened back up.  I left a half hour before sunrise this morning.  Here are some photos of the sunrise in Nevada.

Stopped at the Petro truck stop in Sparks, Nevada to get the lug nuts on the wheel I had worked on re-torqued.  Left there and got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic west of Reno.  They had just closed I-80 west bound to big trucks.  I got off at exit 3 and went back to the Petro in Sparks, NV.  They were still cleaning up I-80 from yesterday's mess PLUS there was another mud slide a little further west which closed I-80 to everyone.  Tonight the weather is supposed to deteriorate and we are supposed to get another storm.  I could be here for a while!!!  At least this is a very good truck stop.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Left this morning at sunrise.  Out near the Bonneville Salt Flats is this thing sticking up in the middle of nowhere.  I checked it out, its called "The Tree of Life".  Click here to read some more about this stupid thing.

Had to stop just inside Nevada to move the machine again to make the weight right for Nevada.  After that was done I got back moving again.  Stopped again for that ridiculous required 30 minute break and changed out some pins in the trailer.  California does not like these...

They want bolts instead.

So, after that was done, I left again.  While on the road heard that I-80 was closed in both directions in California due to a mud slide.  I decided not to continue to Reno because all the truck stops would be full by the time I got there.  I stopped at the TA truck stop in Mills City, Nevada.  Good thing I stopped because I had blown a wheel seal and axle grease was all over the back of the truck.  Caught it before it did any damage to anything else.

So, as I am writing this he is working on my truck.  Hope it is finished soon.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Doing much better today.  Able to eat food.  Here is my view today.

The big question is weather I will be able to deliver.  The place where I'm delivering is 50 miles (80 km) south of Oroville.  That is where the dam is about to break. Oroville Dam.

I still don't have my California permit.   I suspect that this is the reason why.  Tomorrow I'll go to Reno and we will see what happens from there.

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Today didn't start off as I had planned.  I got food poisoning from the horrible food at Little America.  Started at 4 am local time throwin' and goin'.  Half hour before sunrise I left there. Here is my view today.

 Made it 3/4 of the way to Salt Lake City and had to stop again.  Continued on.  Stopped at the Flying J truck stop west of Salt Lake City, Utah.  Couldn't go any further.  Slept on and off the rest of the day.

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Started a half hour before sunrise this morning.  Slow going for a while in Wyoming.  The wind was still blowing strong.

But not as hard as it was yesterday...

That happened on the same road I was on today.

The snow makes the mountains of Wyoming look so different.

Stopped for the night at the Little America Truck Stop in Little America, Wyoming. I can drive tomorrow, so I will.  I'll take Monday off since there is no more football.

Friday, February 10, 2017

Had another late start today.  Had to wait for the Kansas City curfew.  Couple of interesting things today.  Here is one of them on I-29 in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Going north on I-29 there were several hundred thousand birds flying south.  There were flying in groups of several hundred in loose "V" shaped formation.   I have never seen that many birds flying together like that before.  It went on like that for a good 20 miles (32 km).  Really amazing thing to see.  I tried to get photos of them for you but, unfortunately,  they didn't come out.

Beautiful day temperatures in the 70s (20s C) in the middle of February in Nebraska!!  On I-80 in Nebraska could see the smoke for a good 10 miles before I got to it.  On the way two state troopers went flying past me.  On the other side of an overpass was a grass fire.  The fire department had one truck there working on it.  The troopers got there just before I did.  I was very lucky because I got through there before they closed the Interstate.

Stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in North Platte, Nebraska.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Not much in the weather department from last night.  Got a slight dusting of snow.  No big deal.  The weather weasels were wrong again.  Left this morning and drove all day.  Nothing exciting again.  Stopped for the night at the Pilot truck stop in Boonville, Missouri.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Drove the rest of the way down to Belle, West Virginia.  Was there as they opened and loaded a Caterpillar 329 Excavator that is going to Pleasant Grove, California.

I needed two escort cars in West Virginia.

After leaving Caterpillar I had to stop and scale.  Unfortunately, I guessed wrong on the weight.  Had to move the machine.  So I moved the machine.  Scaled again.  Still not right.  Moved it again.  Scaled again.  This time it was just right. 

Finished chaining it back down and we left again.  When we got to Kentucky, they dropped off and I was on my own.  Had to stop early because of the Louisville, KY curfew.  Stopped at the Flying J truck stop in Waddy, KY.  Will be starting late in the morning too.  Louisville curfew is over at 9 am.  The weather is supposed to be bad tonight.  Thunderstorms, hale, then later changing to snow.  We already had the thunderstorms, but no hale fortunately.  They say that we won't get much snow. Don't think it will hold me up in the morning.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

My pole car arrived this morning right on time.  Left at sunrise and drove into York, PA.

We were fine until we got off the Interstate highways.  In York the pole hit some trees, a stop light, a low hanging wire, and a bridge.  Had to wiggle around all of them.  Made it to the mine where I was delivering the machine just fine and without hitting anything.  That's always a good thing.  Unloaded it and left for my next load.  I load tomorrow morning down in Belle, West Virginia.  I stopped for the night at the truck stop in Jane Lew, WV.

Monday, February 6, 2017

Left at sunrise this morning and drove to the Pilot truck stop in Hagerstown, Maryland for the night.  Have to have a pole car in Pennsylvania tomorrow because I am 14'4" high.  He will be meeting me here in the morning.

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Wow!  What a finish!!

Super Bowl LI

Super Bowl

Final/OT - Sunday, February 5, 6:30 PM

NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

New England Patriots (17-2) 34 Atlanta Falcons (13-6) 28 Box Score

4:22

All times are in Eastern Time