Saturday, October 15, 2016

When I woke up this morning I saw that I had received a text telling me that my trailer was empty and ready to be picked up.  So I went back to the nuke plant and got my trailer.  Then I drove down to the Petro truck stop in Gary, Indiana for the rest of the weekend.  Now it is football time!!

Missouri vs Florida

Saturday, October 15, 3:00 PM

Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida

Missouri Tigers (2-4)

14 - 40

Final

Florida18 Gators (5-1)

	1	2	3	4		Total
Missouri	0	0	7	7		14
Florida	0	20	6	14		40

With Alabama destroying Tennessee today, it puts the Gators back on top of the SEC East.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Timed it perfectly again.  Got to Louisville right at 9 am.  No problems on the road today.  Drove all the way to the nuke plant in Bridgman, Michigan.  Dropped my trailer in their parking lot.  They were going to get it and take it back to the job site sometime tonight and unload it.  They will call me when it is back in the parking lot.  I went to the TA truck stop a few miles down the road for the night.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

This morning drove the rest of the way to Brent, Alabama and loaded whats called a LP Casing Frame.  Have no idea what it is or what it does or what it's for.  It is going to a nuclear power plant in Bridgman, Michigan.

It does not look it but it is wide and tall.  14 feet 5 inches tall.  Because of that I need a pole car for the trip.

Had a good day on the road.  Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Glendale, Kentucky.  Couldn't go into Louisville because of the curfew.  Will get a late start in the morning for the same reason.  Can't go into Louisville until after 9 am.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Yesterday I did routine maintenance on the generator and fixed (I hope) a leak in the roof of the sleeper.

Today I left and headed toward my next load.  It is tomorrow in Brent, Alabama.  On the way I stopped at the TA truck stop in Marianna, Florida and had routine maintenance done on the truck.  That took a lot longer than I had anticipated, but at least it's done.  Continued on and stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Montgomery, Alabama.

Saturday, October 8, 2016

I continuously kept an eye on the weather in Jacksonville.  I decided that I could go home today so at 2 am I packed up the RV and left.  I really wanted to beat the traffic from everyone else going back home.  I did.  Nice easy drive until I got to Jacksonville.  About 30 miles from home all three tires on the passenger side of the RV blew.  I decided to limp it as far as I could in hopes that I could make it home.  I made it about 20 miles and could go no further.  Sorry the photo is so dark.  It was about 5:30 am.

 I left the RV on the side of the road and went the rest of the way home.  Found a tire shop that would come out with a new rim and tire.  To make a very L-O-N-G story short, he came and took the old rims and tires off and put on a new tire and rim on the rear axle and the spare that I had on the front axle.  Chained up the middle axle.  Then I limped the rest of the way home with the tire guy following to make sure that I made it.

The Daily yard was damage free although it was very obvious that a big storm had gone through there.  There was a lot of tree branches and "tree stuff" all over the place.  My truck was fine!!  Whew!!  

Friday, October 7, 2016

Here is what it looks like here while Daytona Beach is getting pounded by Hurricane Mathew.  Beautiful weather here.  Not a cloud in the sky.  Glad I came here.  Click here to see what Daytona Beach was like this morning.  Next stop for Matthew is Jacksonville. Check back later to see an update.

At 5:30 pm it is Jacksonville's turn. Fortunately it has weakened some.  Now a Category 2 hurricane. The other good thing is that the center of the storm is still about 40 to 50 miles off shore.  Hopefully my truck will be ok.  Still worried about it.  Only time will tell.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Got up at 4 am and loaded up the RV.  Left at 5 am and headed west.  Glad I left early because I had no traffic problems at all. Drove 260 miles west to the Pine Lake RV Park in Fountain, Florida to wait out Hurricane Mathew.

Here is the 6 pm radar.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Left at sunrise this morning and drove the rest of the way to St. Petersburg and delivered the duct work sections.  After that I drove home to Jacksonville.   Traffic on I-10 was very heavy west bound.  

Getting ready for the storm to hit.  Gas stations are packed.  I also filled up my pick up.  Hooked up to the RV and will be heading west in the morning.  Unfortunately, the big truck has to stay here.   Here is what our office looks like...

Here is the latest from the National Hurricane Center.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Left at sunrise this morning.  Great day on the road.  No bumper to bumper traffic going around Atlanta for a change!!  Things were going great until 30 miles north of the Florida line in Georgia.  My load shifted a little causing a strap to break.  I pulled into a truck stop and fixed the problem. Then continued to the Petro truck stop in Reddick, Florida.  Will deliver tomorrow morning.  I think I will go home after I deliver.  The arrow points to where I live.  The hurricane is headed my way.

Monday, October 3, 2016

This morning went the rest of the way in to Lancaster, PA and loaded a couple sections of ductwork that are going to St. Petersburg, Florida.

Was supposed to be legal height, but it wasn't.  It was higher.  Had to reorder my permits and wait for them to come in.  Fortunately, it didn't take long and I was out of there and on the road.  

Great day on the road.  Weather was perfect.  I even rolled down my windows and enjoyed it.  Lots of FEMA mobile homes going down I-81 headed towards Baton Rouge area for flood relief.  Your tax dollars at work.  A few of them stopped at the Petro truck stop in Glade Spring, Virginia for the night.  That's where I stopped too.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

This morning I mover to the Love's truck stop in Middletown, PA.  That way I'm on the other side of Harrisburg to avoid all that traffic in the morning.

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Vanderbilt vs Florida

Today, 12:00 PM

Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

23Florida Gators (4-1)

 

13 - 6

Final

Vanderbilt Commodores (2-3)

	1	2	3	4		Total
Florida	0	10	0	3		13
Vanderbilt	0	3	3	0		6

Even though they won, they still did not look good!!

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Got started a half hour before sunrise this morning and drove in to Bridgeville, Pennsylvania and delivered the building.  As usual, as soon as we started to unload the rain came!!

Next load is Monday in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  I headed back east.  Past this little fellow on the way.  Anyone recognize him?

Stopped at the "home office" in Carlisle, PA.  Will be here until Sunday morning.  I'll go over to Lancaster early to beat most of the traffic.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Left this morning at sunrise.  Drove past the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky again today.  Also right next door to it is the birthplace of all the Corvettes, the Bowling Green Corvette Assembly Plant.

Was very nice weather until just south of Cincinnati.  That when the rain started.  Finished the rest of the day in the rain.  Had a few areas of bumper to bumper in Cincinnati and Columbus.  Had another good one today...

Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Hebron, Ohio.  Hope the rain stops before tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Started off this morning after the Little Rock curfew was over.  Stopped at the Petro truck stop in North Little Rock to get a new tire.  This is why...

When that was done I got back on the road again.  Unfortunately I didn't get as far as I wanted today.  Heard over the radio that ahead of me the Interstate was closed because of a bad crash and there was a 20 mile (32.19 km) back up.  I didn't want to play in that sandbox, so I stopped early for the night at a truck stop in Holladay, Tennessee.

Here is the info on the crash...

Monday, September 26, 2016

Went over to Minden, LA this morning to load a Cell Phone Communications Building that is going to Bridgeville, Pennsylvania.  Loaded it and scaled. Fortunately they have a scale on their property.  Was too heavy on my drive axles so I went back over to the crane and they moved it back some.  Scaled again.  Still too heavy so I went back to the crane and they moved it back as far as they could.  Scaled again.  Still too heavy.  Went back to the crane.  They picked up the building, spun it around, and put it on backwards as far back as it could go.  Scaled again.  This time it was good enough.  Third time was the charm.

Finally got out of there and on the road.  Had to stop in Louisiana and wait for my Arkansas permit to come in. Fortunately it didn't take too long and I was back moving again.  

In Arkansas drove up on a car fire.  Was burning pretty good.  

Then the fire department arrived.

They had it out in just a couple minutes and I was back moving again.

Because of all the delays today, I didn't make the Little Rock, Arkansas curfew so I stopped for the night at the Love's truck stop in Little Rock.  Can't start until after 9 am tomorrow morning.