STRAYCAT’S DOGGONE BLOG

Life Day 21867: Visiting Vegas

For the last week or so, I have been working with our terminal at the Walmart Distribution Center in Corinne, UT. They keep you busy there which is good. General freight is still bad in the west, so this was a chance to get some decent miles for a while. I don’t particularly like the hours. Most loads pick up in the late afternoon or evening. You then have to drive to your destination overnight. I do like the paychecks though. You can easily clear $1200 a week. I renewed acquaintances with a number of Swift drivers I hadn’t seen for 5 years since they transferred up there.
Now for the chronicles:

Wednesday, May 16th, 2007:
I picked up the load in Tolleson at the appointment time of 1000. I drove here last evening from Vegas. I then drove to our terminal in Phoenix for fuel and to walk the MMM. At 1400, I drove to Panguich, UT where I stopped for the night. No need to be in a hurry because the load has a ‘firm’ appointment at 1600 tomorrow in Salt Lake City, UT, about 4 hours away.

Thursday:
I left Panguich at 1130 and drove to the consignee in SLC, arriving about 1530. After the unload, I drove to our terminal for fuel. That was it for the day. No freight.

Friday/Saturday:
I finally recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picked up in Corinne, UT and delivered in Henderson, NV. These loads are “round trip” loads meaning that after I do the Henderson drop, I return empty (or with store returns) to Corinne. After I accepted the load, they (Corinne)asked if I could help them out for the next couple of weeks, basically working out of there. I eagerly accepted. I went to breakfast, then drove over to Corinne (about an hour north of SLC). My load was ready at 1900. I left at 1930 and drove to the MMM’s favorite Rest Area for a quick break. I then drove on the the store in Henderson. They unloaded me as soon as I arrived. I then drove to Saint George, UT, arriving at 0700, where I stopped for the night/day/whatever because of the 11 hour rule. after my 10 hours off, I left St. George at 1715 and drove to Cedar City for fuel and a quick MMM break. At 1830, I left Cedar City and drove back to Corinne, arriving at 2330. I went directly to bed after dropping my trailer.

Sunday/Monday:
My load for today went to Colorado Springs, CO. I was ready about 1530. After hooking up and doing my paperwork, I left about 1630. I drove to Wamsutter, WY where I took a break for dinner. I left at 2200 and drove to the store in Colorado Springs, arriving at 0345. There was another “Walmart” truck in the dock, so I had to wait about 15 minutes to be unloaded. After I was unloaded (about 0600), I went to bed on their lot. after my 10 hour break, I left Colorado Springs at 1615 in a thunderstorm. I drove to Cheyenne, WY where I took a quick MMM break. It wasn’t raining there. At 1915, I left Cheyenne and drove to Wamsutter, WY, arriving at 2215. I fueled here and walked the MMM. At 2300, I left Wamsutter and drove to Corinne.

Tuesday/Wednesday:
I arrived back in Corinne at 0315, and went to bed. After my 10 hour break, I recieved my next load. It had 2 drops, Murray, UT and  Rock Springs, WY. I picked it up at 1930 and drove to the Murray store, arriving at 2100. After they unloaded their portion of the load, I drove to Rock Springs, arriving at 0100. They unloaded the rest of the trailer. I left Rock Springs at 0200 and drove back to Corinne, arriving at 0515. I went to bed. I’m having to take these shorter loads because of my “hours” situation. After taking my 10 hour break, I got my next load. This had 3 stops, Draper, UT, Washington, UT, and Saint George, UT. My load was ready at 2230, and I drove to the Draper store, arriving at 2345.

Thursday/Friday:
I left Draper at 0100 and drove to Washington, UT arriving at 0530. The bulk of the rest of the load delivered here. When they were done, I took 1 pallet of watermelons to the Saint George store, arriving at 0645. It took no time to finish here, then I went to bed. After my 10 hour break, I left St. George at 1730 and drove to Corinne, UT arriving at 2330. After dropping my empty, I went to bed. My next load (the one i’m on now) went to Las vegas, NV. It was ready about 1730 and I left Corinne and drove to Parowan, UT for fuel.

Saturday:
I left the Parowan at 0045 and drove to the store in Las Vegas, arriving at 0400. I did the drop/hook delivery, then drove to the Petro truckstop north of Vegas and went to bed. I don’t have enough hours available to drive all the way back to Corinne right now. I pick up enough hours after midnight to make it, so i’m waiting here until about 1800, then i’ll make the run all at once instead of in 2 legs.

Life Day 21856: Warding of Boredom at the WWW

Saturday May 12th:
Shortly after I awoke this AM, the driver of the truck next to me on my right hand side approached me and said that last night when I had backed into my spot, I had dinged his left fender. I got out and looked, and sure enough, I did it. It was more of a “scrape” than a ding, but his fender was scraped and his fender mirror had been shoved through the top of his fender. There was white paint and parts of blue decal from his truck numbers on the right rear corner of my trailer. I was totally unaware that it had happened. It must have happened on my initial backing maneuver just before I pulled forward again to get straight into the parking spot, because the scrape was barely 18 inches long. It was a “Swift vs Swift” accident meaning that the other driver drove for Swift as well. We did the appropriate accident reports, and he went on his way. I have no idea why he waited until the morning to contact me.
The rest of the day was pretty mundane. I just loitered around the Wild Wild West and vegged and geeked. I’m getting pretty good at Video Blackjack. I won $63.00 (pocketing my initial $20.00 investment plus $43.00), but then piddled it away at the ‘live’ Blackjack table.

Sunday (Mother’s Day):
The WWW had an excellent Mother’s Day Special in the Gambler’s Grill (cafe). I’ll get to that a little later. My load scheduled for delivery at 1800 this evening, so I just geeked most of the day. I made a couple of CD’s. I again tried my hand at Video Blackjack with much the same results as yesterday. I doubled my $$$, so I quit.
I drove to the consignee about 1600 (2 hours early) just to avoid some of the traffic. I was able to do the drop/hook delivery as soon as I arrived, so that was good. When I was moving from one trailer to the other, my air lines became entangled with my driveline, and one of them snapped, so that was bad. I had to drive to the Pilot truckstop (about 20 miles one way from the customer) and buy some replacements (I replaced both because the one that didn’t snap was so stretched out). That cost me $70.00 plus a couple of hours. I arrived back at the WWW about 1930 and miraculously got my “pole position” parking spot back.
Now it’s dinner time. The Special was a choice of a Shrimp Caesar Salad or a Strawberry Spinach Salad. The choice of entree was Poached Salmon or a Petite Filet Mignon with Crab Legs. I opted for the Spinach Salad (which was excellent) and the Petite Filet. It too was good, but it took them 2 trys on everything. First the Vegetables were cold, so I sent them back. Meanwhile, I started on the Crab Legs. By the time I was ready to eat the steak and baked potato, they were cold, so back they went. I ate the vegetables in the interum. When the steak and potato returned they were just fine. (GEEEEEZE, why not just do it right the first time). After dinner, back to the Casino for more Video Blackjack. This time, I lost my $20.00.

Monday:
Today, nothing untoward happened. I geeked, went shopping, and visited the Casino for yet another round of Video Blackjack. I went to the Vegas outlet mall and bought underwear and socks, and a pair of boots. I again doubled my $$$, but piddled it away at the ‘live’ table.

Tuesday, May 15th:
I spent the morning waiting for a load. About 1300, I recieved and accepted a PrePlan that picks up tomorrow at 1000 AM in Tolleson, AZ and delivers in Salt Lake City, UT. That is a 280 mile deadhead, but at least it gets me out of here. I’ll drive to Tolleson this evening after it cools down a bit.

Life Day 21852: Sedentary in Salt Lake City

I know, I know, it’s been forever since I posted anything. This is due to connectivity problems. I have been traveling on “the roads less traveled” recently. Every time I have the time to update the BLOG, i’m stuck in some remote village where my wireless card won’t connect; every time I can get a connection, I don’t have time to post anything. Currently, i’m in Salt Lake City. I finally recieved a PrePlan going to Las Vegas, after sitting all day yesterday. Freight is still dismal here in the west. The New Years slump seems to be lasting longer every year.
Anyway, on with the chronicles.

Friday, April 27th:
I finally left Las Vegas about 1300 after picking up the Grandview, WA load. I drove to Ely, NV via US-93 north. I had dinner here, then walked the MMM. At 1930, I drove to Jackpot, NV, still on US-93 north, at the Nevada/Idaho border. I stopped here for the night. I drove about 500 miles.

Saturday:
I left Jackpot at 0900. Before I left, I stopped by a small market and bought a few things to cook in my microwave and Crock Pot. I drove to Ontario, OR where I took a break for lunch. I microwaved some Fetucine Alferdo. Yum Yum!! I then drove to Stanfield, OR where I took a short MMM break. next, I drove to the consignee in Grandview and did the drop/hook delivery. Being a weekend, there was no freight, so I drove the 8 miles to Prosser, WA to wait.

Sunday:
I sat all day today. Boredom set in quickly. I was staying in a Rest Area, but it bordered a truckstop with a ’strip mall’ across the street.
 
I chose the Rest Area because of the grassy area for the MMM.
About 1000, I put on some Kraut, Taters, Wieners, & Pork Chops in the Crock Pot. I walked across to the ’strip mall’ and browsed around for a while. In conversation with one of the store clerks, I found out about a winery that was about 1/2 mile away. I had some Pepermint Gelato and a couple of cookies for breakfast (hey, it contained most of the basic food groups recommended by the Government).   :>}   I then gathered up the MMM and we set off for the winery. We had a nice stroll taking about 1/2 an hour to cover the distance because of all the “investigation” along the route by the MMM. I was disappointed when we got there. I was expecting a Chateau on groomed grounds similar to those in northern California. What I got was a PreFab building, barely landscaped at all.

Much to their chagrin, I tethered the MMM to a decorative wagon outside the winery and went inside.

The tasting room was in full swing, but I didn’t partake.

There was a small Home and Garden Center across the street that was landscaped. 


After about an hour, we headed back toward the Rest Area. Along the route, the MMM tried to make friends with some horses in a field, but they (the horses) wouldn’t come near. Farther along, the MMM were taunted by some squirrels.

It was a nice outing. The MMM were exhausted after their walk. They aren’t accustomed to walking so far. The excursion killed a couple of hours. I vegged and geeked until my delicious dinner was ready. The aroma drove me crazy while I was waiting.
Later in the evening, I recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picked up in Wapato, WA and delivered in Nogales, AZ. It didn’t pick up until tomorrow, so I vegged and geeked a while longer and went to bed about 2300.

Monday:
I arrived at the shipper in Wapato at 1100 and spotted my trailer in the dock. I didn’t take long to load and I was en route again by noon. I drove to Stanfield, OR. I had lunch and walked the MMM. I then drove to Ontario, OR. I took a quick MMM break here. At 1845, I drove to the last Rest Area in Idaho on I-84 at mm-268 where I stopped for the night. I drove 11 hours today.

Tuesday (May Day):
I had no distress on this May Day. I left the Rest Area at 0900 and drove to our terminal in Salt Lake City for fuel and a break. At 1215, I drove to the MMM’s favorite Rest Area on I-15 at mm-88. They enjoyed a nice untethered romp and I re-heated some of my left-over Kraut and Pork. After this lunch/dinner, I drove to Las Vegas, NV. I took another break here, then drove to Kingman, AZ where I stopped for the night. Another 11 hour day today, this time covering 677 miles.

Wednesday:
I left Kingman about 1100. I drove to our terminal in Phoenix, AZ. I walked the MMM, had lunch, fueled, then left for Nogales about 1600. I arrived at 1915. I geeked for a while then went to bed.

Thursday:
Today was a “long” short day. I arrived at the consignee at the appointment time of 0900. I spotted my trailer for the ‘live’ unload. It didn’t take long. After I left, I drove a couple of blocks to an IHOP which had limited truck parking. I went inside for breakfast since I was utilizing their parking area. I had Stuffed Strawberry French Toast as part of their Sampler Breakfast which included 2 Eggs to order, Hash Browns, 2 Sausage Links, 2 strips of Bacon, and a strip of Ham. I had OJ and hot tea to drink. It was good and reasonably priced. I then retired to the truck to wait for a load. At long last, about 1700, I recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picked up in Miami, AZ and delivered in Coffeyville KS. I called the shipper and they said that I could park at their facility for the night. I left Nogales at 1745 and arrived in Miami at 2100. I settled in for the night.

Friday, May 4th:
After a smooth loading experience, I left Miami at 1030. This was a copper mine, so I had to watch a video about OSHA regulations, Emergency Procedures, and general Safety, and take a short test, before I could enter their facility. My route took me over US-60 east to Show Low, then US-77 north to Holbrook. It was a steady climb out of Miami, then a steep downgrade. Since I was hauling 45000 lbs plus, it was a gruelling trip until I got to Show Low. At the bottom of the hill in Salt River Canyon just as you enter the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, there is a Rest Area. I stopped there even though I had only traveled about 45 miles, to give the truck a rest and walk the MMM. I took them down by the river on their walk so they could swim (splash). Wolfie waded around, but Walter just stuck his front paws in the water to drink. After their walk, I took these pictures. 

Since it is on the Reservation, local Native Americans were allowed to sell their wares in the Rest Area. The bridge was built in 1931.

The river facing west is full of rapids, but is calm by the time it reaches the bridge.

There were 2 primary species of cactus here, neither of which I can identify with certainty.

The Pinion Pine i’m fairly sure, are native to the region. I doubtful about the Palm trees though.
After this pleasant interlude, I drove to our terminal in Albuquerque, NM where I fueled and walked the MMM. At 1830, I drove to Amarillo, TX where I stopped for the night.

Saturday:
I took today off. My load doesn’t deliver until Monday, and i’m only about 7 hours away from Coffeyville. I’d rather kill the time here than in Oklahoma City or Coffeyville. I don’t even know for sure if there is a place to wait in Coffeyville. Anyway, i’m rambling. I used my time off to get a PM service on my truck, then give it a bath. After that, I just vegged and geeked for the rest of the day.

Sunday:
I left Amarillo at 0900. I drove to Oklahoma City, OK. It was cheaper to fuel at the Pilot truckstop than at the terminal, so that’s what I did. I also had lunch and walked the MMM. At 1415, I drove on to Coffeyville, KS. I arrived at 1730. There was a miniscule truckstop here. Room for about 6 trucks. When I arrived, there were two others plus myself. The weather was overcast when I arrived. I vegged for a while in the truck, then inquired in the convenience store about a place to eat. The said there was a nice restaurant about 2 blocks away. I decided to walk over there for dinner. I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak, which wasn’t bad, but a far cry from Harris Ranch or Black Bear Diner. In the 45 minutes I was there the weather deteriorated rapidly. By the time I was ready to leave, there were Tornado warnings in the area, and there was a deluge outside. Just as I was paying my check, the power went out. Fortunately, I had exact change, so that wasn’t a problem. My second problem (walking back to the truck in the deluge) was solved when I was offered a ride by the bus boy. When I arrived back at the truck, it was still raining hard. I waited for a break in the weather to walk the MMM. I had to wait almost 2 hours, but the rain finally died down enough. I then went to bed.

Monday:
I arrived at the shipper a little before the appointment time of 0700. There were 3 trucks ahead of me, but it didn’t take long to be unloaded. While I was waiting, i recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picked up in Springfield, MO and delivered in Grantsville, UT. I left about 0830, and drove to Mount Vernon, MO. I stopped here for lunch. I called the shipper and they said that they were pretty much sticking to appointment times. I drove the rest of the way to Springfield, arriving about 1230. There were about 4 hours before my appointment time so I took a nap for a while. About 1800, I was ready to go. I drove to our terminal in Edwardsville, KS and stopped for the night. My 14-hour window had slammed shut. I stopped briefly along the way in a very peculiar place for a Flying J, Peculiar, MO, for some snacks to munch on later.

Tuesday:
I left Edwardsville about 1100. I drove to Percival, IA and took a break for lunch. At 1500, I drove to Big Springs, NE. I took a quick break here for the MMM. then drove to Cheyenne, WY where I stopped for the night.

Wednesday:
I left Cheyenne at 0930. I drove to Fort Bridger, WY. I had lunch and walked the MMM. At 1600, I drove to Grantsville, UT. I did the drop/hook delivery, then drove to our terminal in Salt Lake City. It was too crowded there, so I drove to the Sapp Brothers truckstop. It wasn’t much better there, but I did manage to secure a parking spot for the night.

Thursday:
I waited to no avail, for a load. I vegged and geeked all day.

Friday:
I finally recieved a PrePlan about 0945. It picks up here in SLC and delivers in Henderson, NV on Sunday. You have been reading what I did most of the day until my load was ready. At 1700, I left SLC and drove to the MMM’s favorite Rest Area at mm-88 and took a break. I then drove to Las Vegas where I stopped for the night.