STRAYCAT’S DOGGONE BLOG

Life Day 2160: Wolfie’s Woes

April 29, 2006 on 11:22 pm | In On The Road | No Comments

I had to take poor Wolfie to the Vet today. Over the last few days his right ear has been sensitive to the touch. He would yelp whenever his ears were scratched, even if he was doing the scratching.
The vet determined what I suspected, that he had yeast infection in his ear. He had to be sedated before she could do a thorough examination because he was not going to allow anyone look into his ears.
This left Walter and I with a couple of hours to kill. I decided just to wait it out rather than drive back to the WWW, only to have to fight the ubiquituous Las Vegas traffic back to Henderson a little while later. It’s about 12 miles one way. First, since he was left alone in the car while Wolfie was being examined, we went “shopping” in the store. I use PetSmart for all my pet needs. In addition to regular “pet stuff”, they offer grooming services, and most also have Veterinary services as well. After he selected his treat and I determined approximately how long Wolfie would be, we went to Starbucks to hang out in the shade on the patio. This Starbucks was part of a Barnes and Noble Bookstore a few doors down from the PetSmart. It was ‘pet friendly’ as long as you kept them outside. Walter was naturally the center of attention. He enjoyed every minute of it, and was especially well behaved. He would walk up to someone, sniff them, sit down, flash his winning smile and wait to be petted. No one ignored him. Everyone thought he was adorable. After about an hour of this, Wolfie was ready so I headed back. I had the foresight to put Walter in the car before retrieving Wolfie.
Wolfie was still a bit “goofy” from the “canine quaaludes” after his ordeal, but did manage to “shop” for his treat. Poor guy could hardly walk on the waxed floors and wasn’t much better outside. He got into the car and immediately went to sleep in the back seat. When we arrived at the truck, he jumped in without the usual argument, and went to sleep again. Nothing better after a nap than a good snooze, especially if you’re still a bit “loopy” from sedatives.
Because of the sedation, this visit cost about $250.00 (including treats and medications). He was prescribed some antibiotics, an ear rinse, and an ointment; all of which ‘daddy’ gets to administer twice daily while on the road. YEAH!! The pills won’t be a problem. I learned ‘many Moons ago’ that the best way to administer a pill to a beloved canine is to simply wrap it in a piece of bologna or cheese. By the time they realize they’ve been medicated, it’s too late. The ear rinse and ointment are an altogether different problem. The instructions are to first rinse the ear, wait an hour for the ear canal to dry, then apply the ointment. I just hope he cooperates come ‘med’ time. If he doesn’t, things could get messy.

Life Day 21474: Outstanding Oregon Outing

April 28, 2006 on 8:42 am | In On The Road, Travelblogue | No Comments

After finally getting out of the Salt Lake City area late Friday afternoon, I managed to drive to Boise, ID before I stopped for the night. It’s only about 330 miles, but since I had been awakened before “the chickens”, it was far enough.
On Saturday, I drove from Boise to Troutdale, OR. This is my first venture into the Northwest since late last September. I refuse to drive here in the winter. Not being familiar with the west coast of Oregon, I was leery of continuing any farther. I didn’t want to drive all the way to Toledo only to find out that it wasn’t “truck friendly” and have to retreat 50 or 60 miles to find a place to park.
Along the way, I did a little sightseeing. The first place I stopped was at a View Area overlooking Pendleton, OR at the top of “Cabbage Hill”. Why it is called “Cabbage” I don’t know. Probably for the same reason that “the Grapevine” near Bakersfield, California is called “the Grapevine”, which I still don’t know either. Anyway, I took these pictures from the overlook.

In the lower left picture, you can see how the highway winds down the mountain. The elevation drops 4000 feet in about 10 miles (from 4400 feet to under 500 feet). The body of water shown in the lower right picture is the Columbia River which separates Oregon and Washington.
After you drive through Pendleton (where they make the world-famous Pendleton shirts), I-84 makes a sharp left turn, heading west, and begins to parallel the above mentioned Columbia River. It follows the river for about 180 miles and takes you through the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. This is one of the most beautiful spots on Planet Earth. Time constraints prevented me from stopping at every View Area and Rest Area to take pictures. There are just too many “Kodak moments” to make that possible. The next place that I did stop was the Memaloose Island Rest Area.

The Rest Area itself was clean and well maintained, but I would expect no less from Oregon. Everything was so green and fresh. I enjoyed a leisurely stroll.

The natives were skittish, but plentiful and hungry.

After reluctantly leaving I continued to Troutdale. It is the trucker’s “Mecca” in the Portland area, and I arrived at the Flying J early enough to secure a nice parking spot near the grass as well as the buildings.

Spring had sprung here as well. The foliage on the hillside (above left) are actually wild blackberry bushes. The Roadside Diner (above right) is a new concept for some smaller Flying J’s, whose restaurants are usually located in the main building. They gave the menu a new look, but, unfortunately, the fare is still basically the same. The atmosphere also misses the mark. I don’t know about you, but when I enter a diner, I expect to hear Elvis or Roy Orbison blaring from the juke box, not the Euryrhmics or Oingo Boingo coming from a “canned” tape somewhere out of sight. Also, the waitstaff should be appropriately attired. The females should be wearing sneakers and “bobby sox” with Capri’s or a Poodle skirt. The males should be wearing a white shirt and black slacks. They could take lessons from the 5 and Diner, a franchise started in Phoenix.
On Sunday I drove to the customer in Toledo. The route took me over the Coastal mountains and onto US-101 which parallels the Pacific Ocean. Alas, I was unable to take any pictures. On the way to the customer, I was rushed for time because of heavier than expected traffic from ’sunday drivers’ crawling along at a snail’s pace gawking at the coastline. It took over an hour to drive the 30 odd miles to Toledo once I got onto the highway. Once I arrived, things went smoothly at the customer and I was unloaded in less than an hour. Unfortunately, there was little freight and I waited 4 hours before I finally recieved a Pre-Plan which didn’t pick up until the following day in Albany, OR some 90 “truck miles” east. When I use the term “truck miles” I refer to being unable to use the most direct route to a particular destination due to weight or size restrictions. It was a ’short’ run of only about 250 miles to Yakima, WA, but I accepted it due to a lack of anything else. The route to Albany took me over US-101 again, but again no pictures. The area is not ‘truck friendly’ regarding view points. All of the best view areas either restrict truck parking, or are too crowded. The few places where I could park offered no picture worthy scenery. DRAT!! I drove to a nice little truckstop called the Pioneer Villa in Halsey, OR to park for the night. It was about 10 miles past my destination, but Albany offers no truck facilities. After I parked and walked the MMM, I went to the Bar/Restaurant for dinner. I was famished after having only a skimpy breakfast and no lunch. I ordered pork chops. They were excellent with lots of meat and little bone. However the breading was “bullet proof”; hard as a rock and unfit for human consumption. The MMM enjoyed it though.
I arrived at the Shipper at the prescribed time of 0700 on Monday, the 24th. My pre-loaded trailer was ready, so I did the drop/hook and set out for Yakima. As I was crossing the Columbia River into Washington at Biggs Junction I snapped off a picture, then, since I had a 4 hour delivery window from noon to 1600, I took a few minutes to stop at a View Area near Goldendale, WA to take these pictures.

In the picture top left, Mt. Hood is in the background. The sign in the picture top right is misleading because Mt. Ranier was not visible today due to haze. Middle row left is Mt. Hood which is in Oregon. Middle right is Mt. St. Helens. Bottom row is 2 different views of Mt. Adams, lower left including a quaint old house.
I finished the Yakima trip at about 1430. Enroute, I accepted a Pre-Plan from Wallula, WA to Industry, CA. Not bad, a 1000+ miler. I drove the 90 odd miles to Wallula where my preloaded trailer was awaiting my arrival. Including the drop/hook, weighing the load, and doing the the paperwork, I was there about an hour. I then drove to Stanfield, OR about 35 miles away for dinner. I still had a couple of hours left to drive, but after dining on a couple of hot dogs and a bag of chips, I opted not to utilize them. I was safe, secure and ready for a break.
My drive on Tuesday took me through Twin Falls, ID where I transitioned from I-84 to US-93. This took me over the I.B. Perrine Bridge which spans the Snake River. I have long admired the view from this bridge. Realizing this, the State of Idaho finally constructed a small View Area. Today, I used it to take these pictures.

As you can plainly see, the view facing west (top left) is much more impressive.
I like the location of the Golf Course. When I win the Lottery, I’d like to play it. With my skill level, it would cost me about a dozen balls per hole due to all the water. I’m genetically programmed to find water with a golf ball.
I finished my driving day in Ely, NV. I stopped in Wells, NV for a sit-down dinner in the Smoking section at the Flying J along the way. I finally put the Neo-Facist Nanny States of Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington behind me.
Ely finally has a decent truckstop. It’s not very large (parking room for about 25 trucks), but it is nice. There is no restaurant, but it does have a Subway and a Taco Time. Across the street is a Mickey D’s and an Arby’s, so you won’t starve if you stop there.
Before departing early the next morning, I took these pictures.

The picture lower right shows that they knew I would eventually be stop here.
About an hour after I left Ely, I encountered this Equine road block. I think their intention was to “truck-jack” one of the many hay trucks which frequent this route.

After they determined I wasn’t hauling hay, I was allowed to proceed. About 3/4 mile farther along, I encountered a lone rider in hot pursuit. Must have been the Sheriff, or maybe the Gang Leader going to check on his minions. By the time I noticed him it was too late to snap a Blogworthy picture.
I drove to our Terminal in Fontana where I spent the night. My destination, the City of Industry, despite what it’s name implies, doesn’t allow overnight truck parking.
Thursday morning I drove to the Consignee about 25 miles from Fontana. I had to wait 2 hours to be unloaded. I arrived before my appointment time, so this wasn’t unexpected. I was amazed at the light traffic this morning. It took less than 45 minutes to make the drive. I’ve had days when it would take 2 hours for the same drive, which explains my overly prompt arrival. I had to wait another hour or so before I recieved and accepted a load from Southgate, CA to Loveland, CO. I contacted my DM and arranged to T-Call the load at Swift’s drop lot in Henderson, NV. After picking up the load, I drove post haste to Henderson, dropped the load, and drove to the Wild Wild West to begin a much deserved rest.

Life Day 21467: Stationary in Salt Lake City

April 21, 2006 on 11:02 am | In On The Road, Travelblogue | No Comments

Rather than bore the readers of this BLOG with a daily dose of the doldrums and ennui of everyday life “on the road”, I am henceforth going to just hit the highlights and/or lowlights of my travels between postings in a ‘narrative’ rather than a ‘diary’ format. Hopefully it will be more interesting and appealing.
I made myself available for Dispatch on Monday the 10th. I accepted a load from North Las Vegas, NV to Ft. Worth, TX. I’ve run this particular load before and it is a nice way to begin one’s work week. There are two practical routes to take from the Las Vegas area to the DFW area. The first is to take US-95 south to NV-163 east to AZ-68 to Kingman, AZ, then take I-40 east to Amarillo, TX then US-287 south to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. It is boring and mountainous through Arizona & New Mexico with little to break the monotony. The second route is the same to Kingman, then US-93 south to US-60 east into Phoenix, then I-10 east through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to I-20 east to the DFW area. It is about 90 miles farther and equally as tedious, but it offers more Interstate driving. I opted for the second route this time. The main reason for chosing this route was that almost as soon as I departed Las Vegas, the maintenance “demons” that “possess” my truck began to once again rear their ugly heads. It is still, despite what the ‘experts’ try to tell me, running about 10 degrees hotter than normal and my truck is now using coolant excessively (6 gallons in a week, at $13.99 per gallon). Also, my air conditioning is working only intermittantly. On this route, I have 2 Swift Terminals between me and my destination (Phoenix and El Paso) rather than only 1 (Albuquerque) on the first route. A better chance for HELP if I breakdown.
I made it to Ft. Worth on the 12th. I spent most of yesterday without air conditioning, but it seems to be working fine today (those rascally demons). After I delivered the load, I drove to the Lancaster, TX terminal and put my truck in the shop (again) for the above mentioned complaints. I only had to wait about 3 hours before I was brought into the shop (a new record). The mechanic diagnosed that my A/C just needed a good ’service’. He did a pressure check on the cooling system and determined that the radiator was leaking. Brilliant deduction Sherlock. I could see the indications of a leak every time I opened the hood to add coolant. To sum it all up, they serviced the A/C and ordered the radiator. I had to be held over until the next day because they didn’t have enough time to change the radiator on their shift (it takes about 5 hours) since the shop closes at midnight. The MMM spent the evening in the canine calaboose again.
The next morning, I was brought back into the shop as soon as they opened at 0600. It was a good day weather wise, so I didn’t incarcerate the MMM, but let them bask in the sun.

While the MMM were basking, I was fuming. The night shift last night had ordered the wrong radiator for my truck. Therefore, the day shift had to re-order the correct one. Delay, delay, delay. At about 1100, the proper radiator FINALLY arrived, just in time for LUNCH. Delay, delay, delay.

Fortunately, someone there had a ‘functioning brain-stem’ because they had pulled the old radiator while waiting for the new to arrive. I was finally ready to roll by about 1500. I accepted a load from the Lancaster terminal to Atlanta, GA. Not a bad run. Straight across I-20 through Texas, Louisana, Mississippi, Alabama and into Georgia. Because of the late start and early “wake up call”, I only drove for about 6.5 hours to Pearl, MS (with a dinner stop in Shreveport, LA) before calling it a day.
GOOD FRIDAY, BAD SATURDAY:
The next day, Good Friday, I “passed over” (get it) the rest of Mississippi, Alabama, and made the delivery in Atlanta. It was a good day for a drive. I had already accepted a Pre-Plan for a load which picked up in La Grange, GA and delivered in Ogden, UT. Another good load (over 1800 miles). There were no empty Swift trailers available at this customer, so I was sent to another customer in Morrow, GA about 6 miles away. There were none available here either. At this point, I “dug in my heels”. I messaged my home Terminal that I was not going to waste my valuable (almost $3.00 per gallon) fuel chasing empty trailers. Someone needs to get on the telephone, call the customers in the area, and when they locate one that has Swift empties available, then send me there. A while later, I recieved directions to a customer in Opelika, AL and was assured that there were Swift empties available there. Unfortunately, my 14-hour driving window was about to ’slam shut”. I had barely enough hours remaining to drive the 70 odd miles to La Grange, GA, which I did. Saturday, AM I drove the rest of the way to Opelika, and indeed did find an empty Swift trailer as promised. I then drove the 27 miles back to the customer in La Grange to pick up my load. Then things went into the toilet. When I gave the Shipper my pick-up number, he said that the load was not even supposed to pick up until after 0400 the next morning, and the product was not even manufactured yet. GREAT!! I drove to a small truckstop and contacted my Terminal for instructions. After a while, I was told that there was no other freight available in the area and that my best bet was to wait it out there. I just LOVE week-ends when i’m on the road. I settled in for the vigil. At noon, my A/C fritzed again, and my truck still seems to be running a little hotter than normal. About 2030, I called the customer. They said that the product was ready, but that they had no Swift trailer on which to load it. The load was supposed to be a ‘pre-load’ trailer. I said that I would bring my empty and they could ‘live’ load it. They said that was a good idea and gave me a door over the phone. When I arrived about 5 minutes later, they were waiting for me. It took about 2 hours to load me, but by then, their main-frame was down for routine maintenance, and they couldn’t print my bills. The shipping clerk said that it was usually only ‘down’ for about an hour or so. Nothing however, was ‘usual’ about this day (Bad Saturday). Just before my 14-hour window once again slammed shut, I checked with the clerk to see if he could print my bills. At least, I could then leave the customer and start off from the truckstop in the AM. No such luck. I told him about my situation regarding the hours of service, and he told me to find an out of the way place and sleep, then in the AM, I could sign the bills and be on my way.
Sunday morning, I hit the road about 0830 after signing my bills.

Before we left the customer, we took a long break. Their property had a pond. It was really nice.

As soon as the MMM saw the “duckies”, they hit the water running. This was the first time that I have ever seen them swim. Usually, they go into water until it hits their chest, then just wade and splash around. Walter, of all people (I mean doggies), was the first one in.

After their swim, I let them run around to ‘drip dry’.
The most practical route was I-85 north to Atlanta, then I-24 west through Nashville to it’s junction with I-57 north in Illinois, then I-64 west to I-70 west to Kansas City, MO, then I-29 north to Hwy-2 west to the junction with I-80 in Lincoln, NE, then I-80 west through Nebraska, Wyoming, and into Utah to the junction with I-84 west, to I-15 north to Ogden.
I was thankful to be driving in the “northern tier”. With my A/C not working the cooler weather made the trip bearable once I got into Missouri.
I arrived in Ogden on the 19th, dropped my trailer, then headed to the Terminal in Salt Lake City to get my truck re-repaired (I just made up that word). The shop was busy, so I didn’t get into the shop until about noon the next day. I don’t know why I bother with other Swift shops. The guys in the Salt Lake shop are the best. I don’t just say this because I worked there for a time (between 1993 and 1996). To make a long story short, they changed the Thermostats to solve the “running hot” problem, and the Binary switch to solve the A/C problem. The mechanic also noticed that the wheel seal on my left rear drive axle was leaking. Since repairing this would also naturally involve changing the brake shoes, I told him to just go ahead and change the brake shoes on all the drive axles. They could have gone a few thousand more miles, but since I was already “down”, I figured it was best to change them now rather than have more down time later. As he was finishing up around 2300, I noticed a “puddle” under my truck near the transmission. The mechanic checked it out and discovered that the lines to the transmission cooler were leaking. This is the same transmission cooler that the shop in Lancaster, TX changed a couple of months ago. Like I said, why do I bother with other Swift shops. They were closing, so they said they would leave a note for the morning crew and get me in first thing in the AM to change the lines.
While my truck was in the shop, I went into the office to have my picture re-taken for the Driver Recognition (Seniority) Board. They somehow managed to lose the first one.

The picture on the left is the one they will use. The pictures are organized by seniority beginning in the upper left of the first panel. Since i’m #5, mine will be in the center of the group of pictures in the left panel of the board. The center panel begins with #10 in the upper left, and the right panel begins with #16 in the upper left. I went to dinner with #1 (Evan). I also saw and visited with #3 (Ikani), #6 (Ed), #10 (Paul), and #17 (Leland) while I was hanging around waiting for my truck.

I tied the MMM to a couple of trees on the lawn. They recieved a lot of attention and ‘treats’.

Spring has sprung at the Terminal. It is located on the northwest side of Salt Lake City near the Airport.
On Friday morning they came for my truck at 0530. They replaced the defective hydraulic lines and I was ready to go at 0900. Freight was slow, but early in the afternoon I accepted a load to Toledo, OR. Like me, you probably ask: “Where the #@*& is Toledo, OR.” It is on the west coast of Oregon just off US-101 south of Portland parallel with Salem.

Sunday Driver

April 9, 2006 on 7:46 pm | In Travelblogue | No Comments

Sunday, the 9th, I took a day trip to Mount Charleston (11,918 feet), about 40 miles north of the Wild, Wild West. It is located in the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area of the Humbolt-Tioyabe National Forest.

Here’s a map of all the places I visited once I turned onto SR-157.
The first place I visited was the Mount Charleston Hotel.

On the left above is a picture of the objective (Mt. Charleston). On the right is the Hotel.

There were numerous carved wood and painted statues interspersed throughout the grounds.

A few of the local residents were having a ‘pool party’. They didn’t invite me.

Inside the hotel, the lobby was a Western motif. (surprise, surprise). There was not a Casino, but there was a “one armed bandit”.

I had lunch in the Steakhouse. It was really ‘pricy’, but it was not unexpected considering it is a resort area. The picture on the left shows what you get for $25.00 (including tip). I had a cup of Chicken Noodle Soup, a Reuben Sandwich w/ French Fries, and Iced Tea and water. On the right is the view out the window from my table.

After lunch, I continued on SR-157 to it’s terminus, Cathedral Rock. The picture of Mt. Charleston above left was taken along the route. On the right is Cathedral Rock. The elevation here was about 8500 feet.

After Cathedral Rock, I backtracked to SR-158. About 1/2 mile after the junction I saw this view of the Hotel. I also took one more picture of Mt. Charleston.

About 8 miles farther along SR-158, I encountered this view of this valley floor, again from an elevation of about 8500 feet. The elevation of the valley floor is about 2100 feet. The picture on the right was a nice view of an unidentified mountain taken about 1/2 mile after transitioning from SR-158 west onto SR-156 south.

Highway 158 ends at the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort at Lee’s Summit (11505 feet). It is not much of a “resort”. Mt Charleston is not visible from here, but is about 10 miles behind Lee’s Summit.

After leaving “the Resort”, I took SR-156 north to the junction of US-95 from where I took this ‘parting shot’ at the entire area.
The entire round-trip was 112 miles from the Wild Wild West. The weather, even at altitude, was perfect. It was a pleasant outing.

Life Day 21454: Las Vegas Lounging

April 8, 2006 on 5:19 pm | In On The Road, Travelblogue | No Comments

Wednesday, April 5th, was a day of contrasts. When I departed Idaho Falls at 0900 for Worland, WY, the rain had ceased and I could not have custom ordered more beautiful weather. I stopped just over the Wyoming State Line after US-26 intersects with US-89, at a View Area.

These photographs typify the scenery through which I drove for most of the morning and early afternoon. POOR ME. They were taken from the above mentioned View Area in the Targhee National Wilderness about 13 miles south of Hoback Junction. The river in the photo center left is the Snake River.
I stopped at a small truckstop in Riverton, WY to walk the MMM, then drove on to Worland. I did the drop/hook. Here’s where things started to go south, both literally and figuratively. By now it was raining hard. The wind kicked up as well. By the time I got to Thermopolis, the rain was waning for the moment and the sun peeked through the clouds. I stopped briefly to take these pictures of a double rainbow.

I was too close to capture the entire rainbow in one picture. I tried to line them up as much as possible, but wasn’t too successful.
I continued south and as I transitioned onto WY-28 west, the rain returned. It soon turned to snow and ice and 20 mph sustained winds with gusts of over 30 mph as I went over the summit at the southern tip of the Shoshone National Forest at South Pass City. This load was only 7040 lbs and I had a 14 ft trailer. Light loads, high trailers, gusty winds, ice and snow do not mix well. Lets just say, driving conditions were less than ideal. It was a good reminder of why I avoid Wyoming in the winter. I made it to Rock Springs about 2130, walked the MMM and went to bed. I drove 583 miles in 10.25 hours.
On the 6th, I awoke to light snow. By the time I was ready to leave at 1000, it was heavier. I was worried about traveling over “the sisters” between Fort Bridger and Evanston, as it can get “nasty” in inclement weather. By the time I reached there however, the snow had subsided a little and I made it across with no problem. I continued to Salt Lake City where I had lunch. At 1530, I left and drove to The MMM’s favorite Rest Area on I-15 south at mile marker 88.

The MMM enjoyed their brief stay while I enjoyed the sunset.
At 1930, I left and drove to Las Vegas where I stopped for the night. I drove 619 miles in 10.25 hours.
On the 7th, I left Vegas at 0900. I drove directly to the Consignee in San Bernardino. I arrived early and had to wait 2 hours to be unloaded. The unloading took another 1/2 hour. About 1430, I recieved and accepted a Pre-Plan which picked up in Mira Loma, CA and delivered in Salt Lake City, UT. It was scheduled to ‘drop in transit’ (T-Call) at our drop yard in Henderson, NV (20 miles empty and 237 miles loaded). I drove to Mira Loma and picked up the pre-loaded trailer. I left at about 1615 and immediately upon transitioning to I-15 north, got stuck in the quotidian LA to Las Vegas Friday “rush hour” traffic. It was compounded by a truck fire near the summit of Cajon Pass. I eventually made it to Henderson, dropped the loaded trailer, picked up an empty and drove to the Wild, Wild West to begin my time off. I drove 509 miles in 9.75 hours.
Today, the 8th, I just relaxed (lounged) all day. Tomorrow, I may take a day trip somewhere.