A time of sorrow

Another year has past and unfortunately this one ends with some sad notes. A fire took the lives of a mother and 5 year old son down the block. Four other children escaped to call for help.....their father, a truck driver was not home at the time. Our hearts go out to the family...

The morning after.....

After you attend a big wild party (and have a sleep over) you wake up to drag yourself home to see the haphazardly parked cars. Early morning at a truck stop is just like that!

The night before people pull in after long days on the road and  pretty much park wherever they can. People are parked in no parking zones (like we were last night) taking a chance at getting kicked out. Trucks are blocking other trucks. Then there are those who are lucky enough to have stopped before the rush and get a spot that's actually between the lines!

So the next time you wake up at a truck stop.....just pretend everyone was at a big party (including you) and you had such a good time along with a few too many that you just can't remember it!

I Still Don't Get It

We just passed through a weigh station in the state of New Jersey. We pulled in and there were two state policemen waving the trucks through and over the scales. Did they weigh the truck? I mean...did it actually do something? Was there actually a reason we pulled off the highway in the middle of rush hour traffic, risking accidents on the freeway? Or was it for nothing? How much do these guys get paid anyway? And what about all the trucks that didn't stop? How come they didn't have to stop?.....do they know something I don't?

White....the new black

Traveling across this country gives you a lot of time to think. Added to that is the fact that we get to see inside some places the public never sees as well as deliver items the general population doesn't want to know exists.

Time on your hands, deserts, places where there's no cellular service even though you can see the towers on top of distant mountains, places called Roswell, and the dodododo factor makes for some great conspiracy theories for those of us with an active imagination!

Regardless, there is one thing I know for a fact......

The next time you're next to a black SUV with tinted windows don't worry about who's inside that one....worry about who's in the white one right behind it!

Back to work!

Had a great week in Lake Tahoe over the 4th. We did stay in service but it was so slow if we would have been stuck at a truck stop all week we would have been miserable!

So it looks like our run through the Dakotas, Montana, Utah and Nevada will circle us around through California and back through Colorado and only the wind knows where we will go from there!

This is a good one.....

At a delivery today and trying to find the correct building on a  military base (that's your first red flag). Nothing matches the "address" on our paperwork (remember military base). So after driving up and down the same road for 20 minutes (in a truck with a logo as big as your house).

We pull into a building where there are loading docks and ring the bell. The sign on the door says " do not ring bell more than once, we hear you". So we wait some more....  then we call the number, again. Quote...." yes Sir, I don't know where you are but I'll come find you".

An interesting morning!

North Dakota prarie changed forever?

I've spent the last year traveling the lower 48 states and Canada but I haven't seen anything like the oil boom in western North Dakota. They say the output of oil will surpass the Alaska pipeline.

I visited North Dakota over 15 years ago, traveling in a giant square so I could see it all, but I never saw anything like this. There are travel trailers as far as the eye can see, housing that resembles military barracks and so much new construction along highway 2 in the west that it takes my breath away.

Need a job....there was 39 pages of jobs on one website! Everything from geologists, biologists, safety managers, technicians, national guard, electricians and everything in between.

If you aren't afraid of the cold and you love to duck hunt this is the place for you!!!!!

For the Birds!

<p>Here is a little known fact.....birds love truck drivers! It's true! You see we drive across the roads of America gathering bugs on our grills. Then we stop at a rest area or truck stop and the next thing you known ....it's dinner time! </p>
<p>That's right....the little birdies sit on your hood and get the free pickins' off your truck. It's a smorgasbord of beetles, butterflies, bees and other crunchie edibles!

See truckers are environmentally friendly!

The turn-around

Last week we picked up a load from Kentucky to take to California. California doesn't bother us much because we have the chance to see family of we don't get a load back east quickly. So I was driving through Texas and just as I got to Amarillo we got the call....turn around and bring the shipment back to the shipper, they made a mistake! Yeesh! So what do you do? Turn around!

So we drove all the way back to Kentucky. No family visits this trip! We did get some cool post cards in Oklahoma though so the trip wasn't a total loss and they do have some funny looking cows! Ha!

Common courtesy

I realize that we all grow up differently. Some with parents, some without.  Some go to church, some don't.  Some grow up in rural areas, some in the heart of the big city.  Some have money, some barely get by.

We are a diverse nation of race, religion, color, ethnic background and values.  Each of us are just a small drop of water in an endless sea of struggling to pay bills, make a living and trying to etch out some vacation time.

But do you have the faintest idea of right and wrong? Don't you for a moment consider the other guy? Is it really all about you?

I admit most of my life is about me and my desires. I don't sit around and listen to music I don't enjoy or use shampoo that I hate the smell of just in the name of "personal growth".

I do however occasionally allow a car in front of me during a traffic jam, hold the door open for the person behind me and quite often say the words thank you.

It seems to me that there is less of that going on every day....

Crying the blues

So we're having a rough week....seems we're having a little difficulty getting back into the swing of things since our May vacation. Having little runs without anything of substance makes life difficult! 

Granted our current location in Vermont isn't a hot spot of activity for FedEx but we were in NY and nothing was happening there....NH either last week for that matter.

So we cry the blues and then something I know will make me feel better rolls by! You just don't see this everywhere!!!!

Our backyard

Someone once said somewhere, "The whole country is my backyard." That was true for us this weekend. We were on the border of Maine and New Hampshire waiting for a load and decided to take advantage of our location and visit our backyard.

We spent time in a small coastal town in Maine (New Harbor) where a friend of ours used to live and I got to eat my first whole lobster. Of course we subsequently had crab cakes, crab rolls and lobster rolls after that too but not all at once.  Very good stuff! Then we spent the following day and morning in the Bar Harbor area and explored Arcadia National Park.

It threatened rain all day on Saturday but we didn't let it dampen our spirits and had an great day. Sunday brought rain and awesome waves to the coast that were magnificent.

Definitely worth the trip and I would recommend it to anyone who has a few dollars to spend! It's expensive but these days what isn't? Sometimes those few extra charges on the credit card are worth it!

Repairs

So we get a little maintenance done on the reefer unit, which turns into all new belts. Of course they don't have all the belts so we have to wait to get it fixed. In the meantime Fedex takes our flag off for Tval and we can no longer run reefer loads.

So we stop after our next delivery to get the belts put on and find out we have a bad hose. But they don't have the hose so we have to come back the next day. The next day we show up, they switch out the hose.....but wait it wasn't the hose.....now its the water pump! Isn't that special?!?!???!!!!!

Life of an expediter!

When you gotta go....

Picture it....New Jersey turnpike, rush hour, accident blocking 5 lanes of traffic.....

Yet somehow we all managed to move along at a slow crawl. Those impatient drivers changing from one lane to another because they think it will get them home faster.

Now the fly in the soup ......you gotta pee.

You've been on the Turnpike an hour and could be here another one at the very least. Your pushing 60 years old, have a head of gray hair, drive a nice fancy silver car that matches your hair.

The other fly.....you can't hold it a second longer.

So as a highway full of people look on you pull over to the shoulder. Get out of your car dressed in a nice pair of khaki pants and button down shirt and frantically look for a place to pee.

Alas, that row of trees you thought you could quickly disappear into is really a fence line overgrown with weeds. Yikes! Now what? Only one thing left to do! Turn your back and breath a sigh of relief!

Oh yeah and hope no one notices or blogs about it!

Back on the road!

Yes we had an excellent two week vacation! I personally think that should be the minimum time spent at home....you get paperwork done, bills paid, there's time to see friends and family and take care of yourself!

As we left on Monday I realized how much I enjoyed the job.....then around 3am I realized how much I hate the job! LOL. But isn't it like that with all jobs? It certainly is! So just like life, you take the good with the bad.

We are making some cool military deliveries though......

Rain showers

It's amazing when you travel that sometimes you can go in and out of a storm so quickly and others are days and days of rain. This was after a nice thunderstorm....taken one handed at 65 mph. Pretty good huh?

It's not an accent!

Well I have to say that some places have a deeper southern drawl than others. Here in Florence SC it's pretty thick. But if you spend the time talking to people you begin to realize that it's not an accent, it's an attitude!

These people are warm, friendly and loooove to talk about anything at all.

I'm in love with the south (even though its hot)!

New Hampshire

While everyone knows I love the south I have to give a shout out to the citizens of New Hampshire. Not only do they have the best state motto (live free or die) they are kind, friendly and courteous especially to truck drivers! I had someone actually back up to give me more room so I either scared him or he was a nice guy! Thanks mister!

I love Tennessee

Its the whole southern thing I suppose, but the hospitality gets me every time I'm in the south. Tennessee is a beautiful state and today is a bright sunshiny day! Now lest see how do I put this kindly
.....Tennessee has the most indecisive drivers in the lower 48 states. There it is, as kind and gentle as I can be! Maybe they are less aggressive? Maybe they aren't in as much of a hurry as the rest of us? All I know is it takes a little getting used to driving around these here parts!

And the winner is......

Tim Hortons!!!! Oh yeah, Tims beats Starbucks hands down, no competition what so ever on the best coffee! I'm talkin taste here and not even mentioning that I can buy three iced caps at Tims for the price of one....yes....one Starbucks coffee.

Plus they have great baked goods and soup and sandwiches......its just a good thing I no longer live down the block from one, I sure do miss their cafe mocha...yummm!

Crossing the border

Well we can cross Toronto Canada off the list! We took ourselves  across the Peace Bridge into Fort Erie and then took a little stroll through Toronto and back down. Being from Michigan I've been to Canada many times, especially on fishing trips but this was first time in a commercial vehicle. It's a little different but we came back to American soil unscathed! We weren't even gone 24 hours but its good to be home!

Trying Times

I know everything isn't Ben and Jerrys Phish Food, but a day can sure test your endurance and patience! The when you wake up to a new day with a new attitude and its as bad or worse than the previous day...what do you do? You can get angry and throw your $400 smart phone on the ground (I would never do such a thing, I'm just saying) or you can be mature and go with the flow. But sometimes its just not easy being mature!

I have one word for today....Monday!

Today's is a lovely day! No A/C in the truck, the reefer is down and we lost our load! Are we having fun yet???!?!!!???

Vacation!

Aren't hotels the coolest? You get room service directly from TGI Fridays, your very own bathroom, pool, breakfast and a maid that comes in every morning to make your bed!

I get a nice little desk to work and write at, while Dennis plays MW3 and kills all kinda people!

We have amenities!

Alarm! Warning! Warning Wil Robinson!

Driving down I64 in Indiana with a load of valuables and the reefer set at -4 degrees F......and the alarms start going off and the temperature starts rising!

Whatdyado? Panic! Lol

No, you pull over and act like you know something about the machine that's supposed to work when you push the little button inside the truck cab. You look here...look there....smack it a few times with your hand and Viola' the temperature starts to drop again! You send a message to dispatch letting them know you've got everything under control and you roll back on down the road!

Aint life grand?

Spring is in the air

We've spent the last week running the eastern US and now we thankfully are on our way to the midwest. New York is just not very truck friendly, you can get in ok but getting back out is a pain! Going back to some of my favorite places...Kansas if you can believe it and Louisville KY. Been busy and predispatched since last week! ChaChing!

My next job

I am excited to say I've found my next job!

Insanity!

$9 for a large and small coffee from Starbucks!  That's why this world is so completely messes up! However, I will agree I just condoned their prices by buying their product which just proves I am more insane than they are!!! And a good morning to you!

Flowers in the spring

Birds are chirping, flowers and trees are blooming! Its a beautiful day on the east coast! Maybe it seems so pretty because yesterday was gray and rainy, in any case its a great day to be breathing....

Sandusky Bay

Back on the road again! It was rough leaving home this time....I wanted at least another week off. But now that we're rolling and the sun is rising the day looks pretty good! Spring is springing all over the US and I look forward to taking it all in.

The most beautiful picture.....

After two months of seeing the country, this is one of the most beautiful pictures of all.  Home.

Amazing planet....

In the last couple of days we've seen the ocean, been through an array of mountain scenery, and now today we arrive in the desert. The Mojave  Desert holds its own beauty, though it doesn't do much for me personally. It's a little hard for me to understand what someone would find appealing about living in the desert. The picture is the Mojave River.....see what I mean? We did pass  a place advertising boat repair which gave us a chuckle, but that wasn't the strangest thing we saw. In the desert is a military base, one of many I am sure, but exactly what would they need with a half dozen massive ship anchors? Do the folks in the desert know something we don't know....or maybe they're just hopeful? Either way weird stuff goes on out here!

All I know is I'll take my Great Lakes, green grass and mosquitoes any day!!!!

Something to share

Dennis read this to me this morning so I thought I would share. This is from preacherrich on expeditersonline.com....."so I pulled into Portland Oregon on Friday afternoon to deliver my load, parked the cargo van at the TA and noticed there were quite a few people living in their vehicles there. I didn't get a load and on Sunday evening and I got approached by the guy living in his van next to me. He said, "hey, are you hungry? Need some food?" I told him I was all set and he was on his way. That was so cool to me, a guy that doesn't even have a home (this guy does work but comes back to the TA to sleep) would give what he has to help someone out. Me and that dude, both live in our vans doing the best that we can. No so different really. How many people do we pass every day that $5 for a meal would brighten their day?"

I would like to be more like that man.....

Alpine Inn....Daly City Ca

Just wanted to let all the expeditors know that the Alpine Inn is a nice little place with very clean rooms, right near San Francisco airport. They have space for a 40' truck and for $50 a night it's worth not commuting if you have a pick up or drop off in or near the city. The lack of truck stops in the bay area can cause us a lot of commute time and fuel, so if you get a chance this little place gets 4 out of 5 stars. Lots of restaurants to walk to or delivery.

It only missed a star because of no flat screen TV and limited cable...but very nice place! (It has laundry too)

The Rock

It's quite imposing, even in it's shut down condition (actually is a National Park) to look out at the rocky island and imagine the  criminals that have been housed there. Upon reading a little on The Rock, it seems that the famous escape of the three inmates still remains open to this day and will remain open on each man until their 100th birthday. Sometimes I really wonder .......

But we saw San Francisco Bay and waived hello to Chuck in San Quentin on our way past. Found ourselves a nice, clean hotel room with a view of the bay and may have some chinese cuisine for dinner.

It's a wonderful life....

A week of the west coast

Spent last week running the west coast from San Diego up to Spokane and back down again. We crossed off the last two states in the lower 48, now we've been to them all!

Rain, snow and heavy winds have been our constant companions....you would think we were back in Michigan! What happened to the California sunshine? Actually they need the rain and mountain snow very badly so can't complain too much.

Now we just need a load to go back east! Please?!??!!!!

West coast

Hanging out on the west coast this last week! We got to stop in and see some family and kept working all at the same time. Rotten weather with storm advisories, and high winds. Hoping to get back east sometime soon!

California irony

This here state is green....right? I mean save the plant right? Drive electric cars? Don't litter? Use bamboo flooring?

Know how they get all...and I mean alllll of that crap?

By a big old diesel burning semi truck that they dont allow in their rest areas and only provide a hand full of truck stops to accommodate the people who bring them their electric cars and whole foods!

Irony - "the use of words to convey a meaning that is opposite of its literal meaning" (see California)

Speak no evil

So there I am, traveling through the great Rockie Mountains.....on one particular downgrade I see a few fellow drivers pulled over and said to Dennis, "What? Are they sight seeing?" Then I see one trailer's brakes smoking and I'm not sure I actually made fun of them, but I wasn't compassionate.

Yeah, you guesses it....a little while later, on another downgrade I look in my mirror and sure enough, the back end of the truck is smoking like a brush fire! Talk about freaking out on the side of a mountain!

But we endured and we're fine, just a little to much brake .....I think there's a lesson in there somewhere!

Colorado, Denver

Had some minor repairs done to the truck yesterday and enjoyed the beautiful day, suppose to be warm again today. Had offer to go to Saskatchewan yesterday to Detroit....maybe if it was summer...you Michiganders have too much snow! Think I'll go take a look at the Rockies this morning!

A long ride to Denver

Dennis and I just finished our 1800 mile drive to Denver, now we get a brief breather. That is one heck of a drive, I can't imagine going coast to coast all at once! We've been through Kansas several times in the last couple of weeks and I've got to say the place is growing on me....no wonder Dorothy wanted to go home! It's actually a vastly pretty state and makes me want to see a little more of South Dakota too!

A bowl of jello

Have you ever felt like a bowl of jello? No? Then you've never spent any time in the sleeper of a moving truck. You bounce wiggle, jiggle and everything in between. Oh it's fun for the first week, if you ever try it, but it's almost impossible to sleep. That is until you're so exhausted not even my husbands snoring can keep you awake. (Ha that was a good one)

You would think that with all the technology of stealth bombers and space stations someone would come up with some solutions for truck drivers! Shows where their priorities lay! And yes, I'm a newbie and I'm sure it's improved......but NASA are you listening????

Georgetown KY

Georgetown is one of my favorite places in the country. Dennis wouldn't slow down for me to take many pictures but the rolling countryside is something to see. This is where horses have some of the finest homes in the country, with rolling hills of blue grass and miles of fences either brown or white (I can't decide which I like best).

If I had a million I'd buy me a farm to visit from time to time just so I could smell horse shit....lol.  Course we all know that aint gonna happen but we can dream!

And here some pics in Louisville!

Good morning St Louis!

Very pretty sunrise this morning over downtown and the arch! My family lived outside St Louis for a brief period in time and I remember visiting ....it doesn't look quite so big now!

Giving truck drivers a bad name

Truck drivers are lazy, disgusting, slobs! They sit in their trucks, smoke cigarettes, and flick the butts out the window as the pile outside grows larger. When it's time to go to the bathroom, they leave their sanctuary, take two steps to their right and piss on their back tire. They don't comb their hair, their personal higene sucks, and they smell!

Well I'm here to say that its time for the MADNESS TO STOP!

It's no longer acceptable to act this way and truck stops should no longer tolerate this behavior! Assess heavy fines! Install cameras! Kick ass!

Thank god there are many who have stepped up to the plate and attempt to clean up after these pigs. Many have updated facilities that have bathrooms and showers nicer than my own! They sweep the parking lots and offer friendly service!

That said let me say something else, I've spent my entire life/career in the medical field (since I was 18 years old) and I've seen orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, nurses, and higher educated individuals put the piglet truck drivers to shame.

Let's face it, people just don't give a shit about anyone but themselves!

Im done now.....lol

Still in Nashville!

So here we sit, it's now Saturday morning and no good load offers. I suppose one may consider that we are being greedy and we may have to take something just to get out of town!

While I sit, I go onto my trusty phone to scope out what there is to do in Nashville. Granted nothing is free but a taxi, trip to the museum and lunch is going to cost us $100. So I look for a hotel, maybe find some place nice to stay....and I find a place that has an indoor atrium and think that it might be nice...they offer 15% off for a winter special and wait ...."plus receive a $50 dinning credit for breakfast for two."

Well if breakfast costs over $50 I think it's out of our budget right now! LMAO. Must be some breakfast!

Sunny Nashville

As we sit at the TA staring at Titan Stadium, the sun is up and it's going to be a beautiful day! Waiting for dispatch to send us on our way.....

Dennis' idea of a funny post!

It's all about the truck!

Your truck is like your living room, bedroom, kitchen and bath all combined into one and just like homes, trucks are not all created equal! I am the first person to admit I'm spoiled rotten but there's a difference between comfort and necessity.

Is it ne necessary to have a sink? Only if you want to do dishes. How about a TV? Only if you want to watch television. My point is if you are in the business each of us have different needs in mind for their truck. For myself, well, I want a truck where I can prepare a meal, clean dishes and brush my teeth. I want a place to enjoy a meal with my husband, go on the computer or read a book with my feet up.

They've come a long way in providing all of those comforts and more for truck drivers who spend the majority of their life on the road. Who wouldn't want it all?

Asses to the wind!

For those that know me and understand my sense of humor.....I was driving across the flat plains of Kansas today with 40 mph winds. I see standing in a field at least two dozen horses. Normally they would be milling around facing all different directions, but not today! Every one of those horses had their asses to the wind...and people think animals are stupid! Ha!

I would have tried to take a picture but those winds were a killer....wish I could have pocked up a tail wind, would have given us some great fuel mileage!

Destination Tennessee

Well we spent the weekend in Salina KS, relaxing in the king sized bed and watching cable TV at the Best Western. Since I've been sick it was just the thing to allow me to keep warm, relax and recover. Today I'm ready for our adventure to TN and hope we have a lucrative week ahead because we need it! (who doesn't? )

Layover in Salina Kansas

At the Petro truck stop and Dennis is in love with shower #3 because it has a rainforest shower head plus the regular shower head! Mine was just normal...boo hooo....but very nice and clean truck stop and well worth the drive!

We successfully delivered our first TVal load today! No hitches either! ( Tval is a temperature control unit that prints out readings at certain increments for controlled environments)  It wasn't as bad as anticipated, but then again most things aren't.

Cancel Georgia!

Well our load to Georgia got canceled but we are still on our way to Virginia Beach, an area I happen to love off the Chesapeake Bay. It's a balmy 65 degrees and a huge difference from home! We did get a good four inches of snow while home which is beautiful, but I was wondering..... how come we can't have snow and 60????

Home time

The thing about home time is that there is never enough! After you unpack, clean, do laundry and repack it's time to go back on the road. Weekend trips are just too short! But we are off to Virginia, one of my favorite places and then heading down to Georgia.....at least it will be warmer!

Welcome to the world Katelyn Christine!

Katelyn was born today at 2:15 pm.....Aunt and Uncle can't wait to meet another fledgling expediter! Ha!

Another passed class!

I'm not sure if another passed class at Fedex means we are really smart or they're just easy, either way its done, at least for another year and it should make for an interesting year!

Everything, and I mean everything in this country is shipped by truck so let your imagination run free!

Classes....

Almost time for another Fedex class. I will say that through all our education the personnel at Fedex CC is knowledgeable and professional . However, I hate classes! Yes I learn and yes its important but there is just something about being confined to a classroom for 8 hours that I dislike. Oh well......off we goooooo

How do you know?

How do you know if you're making the right decision? Will it work out okay? Will it be better or worse? Will your own greed lead you down the wrong path? Or will your quest to work more efficiently and perhaps a little smarter be the right choice? While I don't have any of the answers, I do know one thing......my best friend goes along for the ride! Here we go.......

Seeing the countryside

We had a beautiful drive today starting at the northern end of Lake Champlain in Vermont and drove around the lake and through the Adirondack Mountain Range. There was a light dusting of fresh snow and bright sunny skies as we crossed over into upstate New York. What a beautiful part of the country....

Cross off Vermont!

I miss winter and snow....call me a lunatic but thats just how it is. Maine is very Michigany, add a few mountains and so is Vermont. One of these days I will spend a weeks vacation in this part of the country, probably in the summer or fall.   However, there's something about snowflakes slowly drifting to earth, the quiet, and the smell of wood burning that I love and will always love.

As we drive through snow flurries tonight I look forward to waking up with a few inches of new snow on the ground.

Cross off Maine!

Another state crossed off the list which only leaves Vermont, Washington and Oregon! If we get stuck I know I'm making Dennis find me a lobster to eat! Yummy!

The Biggest Boom!

Our hazmat instructor for explosives said "the smaller the number, the bigger the boom!" That's something that tends to stick with a person and it doesn't get any smaller in number than 1.1. Well we went, we conquered and we didn't explode!

We did however get to visit Fort Stewart in Georgia which is where Dennis was stationed with the 24 th infantry division. We got to visit the museum and he met an army buddy for dinner but all of that couldn't douse the disappointment he felt at the lack of representation the 24th has in the museum and the fact that the small monument that was erected when he was there was actually moved to another base.

It's all about the 3rd infantry division these days, who just got notified that they are being shipped to Afghanistan for 12 months, which is as it should be.

But no matter if its the 24th or the 3rd infantry division, no matter if there is or isn't a monument to those who served, there are those who will never forget.

He is the bravest, loving, most honorable man I know and I met him after his service days. While I cant imagine what the families of the 3rd are feeling my hearts go out to them. Godspeed

Goodbye Florida, hello Georgia....

Almost a week in Florida and didn't do too bad despite the bad press about never getting out of Florida. We did a few local runs and are on our way to Atlanta. Got to see my BFF, citrus trees, GATORS, oceans and beaches. Next trip hope to see my Auntie Ruth but we have to be in OH for training next week and don't want a long deadhead. Sure is nice being in warm weather!

Thanks Nini for the shower shoes!

Alligator Alley!

Gators...gators everywhere! From Miami to Naples, way cool to see a strip of the Everglades and the birds and alligators sunning themselves along the shore. We stopped at a boat launch but none came to visit but it was still way better than the submarine.....

Ahhhhhh.....

There's nothing like driving with your windows down in January without freezing your ass off! Ocala to Jacksonville, Tampa to Miami in three days and 80 degrees by Sunday...sweet!

Will be able to see my BFF on Saturday and hope to see my Aunt on the way back up from Miami. Dennis will also try and hook up with an old army buddy....makings for a pretty darn good weekend!

Another case of hot brakes?

New Jersey Turnpike, 7:33 pm, tractor trailer in flames, actually just the trailer. Was a moving truck, hope it wasn't full of someones belongings, that would be terrible....

Ocala Florida here we come!

Goodbye cold snowy weather....hello 70's and sunshine!  Hope to see my BFF Nini too!

And Auntie Ruth too..

Cross off another state!

Did you know you can fit Rhode Island into Michigan 95 times? Or into Texas 173 times? Or into Alaska 634 times?

Funny ....

Saw this going down the road....we see some funny things but rarely have the camera available!

Our journey through Long Island

The police here really want to be seen....as you can see they have vertical flashers (very bright at night)  that stick up from the car about five feet! Wonder how long til we see these everywhere.....

New York by day....guess we got enough money to come back, lol!

Washington DC

This is National City Christian Church on Thomas Circle in Washington. The early morning really made a nice picture. We visited Embassy Row representing almost 200 different countries  in our nation's capitol.  Interesting seeing the Pentagon, Washington and Lincoln Memorial's ....we skipped the White House, sorry Michelle and Barack! But it's kind of like New York City, we'll only be back if they pay us enough money, after all everyone has a price!

Virginia Beach

Too many days sitting and waiting for a load but that's the expediting business in January....either that or we really ticked off someone in dispatch! So as we wait I wanted to share with my friends what I've been doing in my free time. You can visit www.countyroadromance.com and see for yourself! I would love to hear from you, here or there!

Since tomorrow is a holiday we don't have high hopes for tomorrow but seriously we really do want to work!!!!

One ping only....

We can't say where we've been or where we're going but I got to see a Nuclear Submarine...and there's a reason Hunt for Red October is my most favoritest movie ever...it was wayyyy cool!

The Ohio River, Pittsburgh PA

Hello Pottsburg!....oh..I meant Pittsburg!

Riding to Pittsburgh for Monday pick up I realized that I miss being on the road. I was always afraid that if I went home I wouldn't want to come back but not true! It's all about finding the right balance which will take a little time but I enjoying seeing new things and meeting new people! We are looking forward to taking different type of loads and learning new things with Fedex and while you have to put up with corporate bull just like anywhere they know what they're doing!

So we drive along the OH and PA border looking at all the small farms, gray skies and leafless trees and think about spring!

We passed another hurdled!

Dennis and I passed our explosives and radiation hazmat training class...yeah!!!! Got to seen Fedex Custom Critical home office near Canton OH and now we wait for a load!

I don't wanna!

Christmas was great and we spent too much time at home because I don't wanna go back to work! Just like millions of people tomorrow morning!

But, I owe, I owe, so off to work we go! Crazy week ahead of us, have to be in Green OH on Friday for training and pick up another truck to help out a contractor since the truck is in northern MI.

After that, hello warm weather! (we hope!)