It's a Face Off

  On a rare early morning drive, early, being the rare part, we were headed to Athens.  You know it is spring with the dogwoods and iris blooming. It is cool and windy after the thunderstorms that blew through the night before.  Then eagle eye, Danny, spots turkeys off in a field.  We pulled over to watch for awhile.

  It looked like a gun fight was fixing to take place.

  It seems these two males need to strut and show off...and that they did.  They walk toward each other then back away.  Turn and strut with tail feathers in full fan.  Amazing to watch.  And not surprising...there was a female in the middle of it all.

Southerners in French Canada

I do enjoy going up into Canada. How can you not like a country that gave us Tim Hortons, has mounties, break-up on the rivers, money with a queen and loonies, not to forget the quirky way they end most all sentences with....aee.  

Traveling up into Montreal is a different story.  Everything is in French. 

The little villages run right into each other and reading directions from our dispatchers, whom it appears, aren't sure what the difference is between right and left makes for interesting driving. 

So...we are meandering along, as much as you can weighing 72,000 pounds (not kilograms), and stop to ask two gentlemen for directions.  Needless to say, they are speaking french with a few english words thrown in...Georgia (it's written on Dannys sweatshirt) and McDonalds (presumably we can turn around there).  Now, the only french I really know and speak well would be the french fries I can order at said McDonalds.

Danny, with his best southern drawl, thanks them and says "just point me to Martin Luther King Boulevard, I think I can find my way from there".  We do get turned around find our pick-up location drive back to the border and after two attempts made it through customs. 

Back on U.S. soil where there is, for the most part, english spoken and the miles are counted off in...well miles, only for me to be attacked in the parking lot of Office Max by none other than a Canadian Goose.  It flew at me, landing on my head, biteing and clawing.  Danny had to beat it off of me with his Georgia Bulldog ball cap. 

I wonder if it only spoke french.

Save Some Road Rage For Me

The days are long and the work is hard but the view out of the windows is forever changing and the miles that go by show the most amazing sites.  I have had the pleasure to drive through mountains covered in snow and the hot dry desert. Cities with buildings soaring into the sky.  Miles of grass covered plaines dotted with pronghorn.  A valley full of buffalo.

There hasn't been enough time to keep up with my blog because the electical converter outlet in the truck we are in right now isn't working.  I am adjusting to the irregular hours, not knowing what day of the week it is or what time zone we are in. Waking up and not knowing what direction to walk to go the bathroom in the middle of the night.  I am aware of looking at the truck door that you are putting your key into when you get back from said bathroom trip in the middle of the night (dude, I again apologise for waking you).

I will never take for granted a hot shower and having towels larger than an oversized hand towel to dry off with.

I think of the gentleman that I met at one of our drops who, like me, was just getting started.  He was missing his home, family and friends.  We talked about what all we had learned and the progress we were making.  How scary it can be when a little car comes flying over into your lane not thinking about how heavy you are and how long it takes you to slow down or stop if needed to quickly. 

How frustrating it is when no one will let you off of a ramp to get onto the freeway, or let you change lanes.  I hope I will always be a careful and courteous driver. 

As I was leaving the drop that day that man yelled to me...

By Julie...... Good Luck........ And Save Some Road Rage For Me! 

Yes, I think of that often when I get frustrated...and I have a little laugh...and keep drving!

And Still Waiting

Today is my fourth day out. 

First day down to Jacksonville, Florida.  Dropped our load and picked up an empty trailer.  The trailer was bad so off to the TA shop we go.  After many back and forth conversations with company they completed the work and we hit the road.  It seems that it really is important to the company that we have air bags that aren't dry rotted and brakes that function. 

We are now DOT compliant and ready to hit the road. 

Got the dispatch to pick up a load at Snapple while we were still in the shop, so they had to give it to another driver.  Guess what?  They forgot to cancel us and assign another load. 

I reckon that I am learning the bad stuff first and maybe that is good.  I didn't have on rose tinted glasses anyway.  The weather in Florida is warm, sunny and a little breeze. 

It's a shame I didn't bring a lounge chair and sunscreen

Hello

Coming soon….I will be starting a new adventure into the world of Commercial Truck Driving.  I plan on blogging the ups , downs and mishaps.  Hopefully not so many mishaps. 

Please join me as I see the country from behind the steering wheel of a big rig as I travel miles and miles of interstate.