Long day. We started out in Linnton, OR (near Portland) unloading roofing material we brought up from South Gate, CA (LA). So we untarped, and while it was nice to get reloaded without moving the truck an inch, we then had to tarp again immediately. I like to think I'm helping more and more with that, but it sure takes a long time. And boy is it dirty work. I don't mind it, though. It's more physical work than I have done in a long time, and while my body is achy, it still feels better than just sitting at a desk day in and out.
After we tarped, we headed over to Tec Equipment to look at this truck that Tony the salesman has been telling us about. A 2006 Volvo, auto shift, with a 77" sleeper, fridge, inverter, double bunk, lots of storage... A good deal more space than we currently have. We worked a deal out and got payments down to where we needed them to be. Things could be a little tight until we really get out there, but I think we'll be able to manage.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Needed: New Truck
10:49 PM
New trucks and rushing to retreat
Long day. We started out in Linnton, OR (near Portland) unloading roofing material we brought up from South Gate, CA (LA). So we untarped, and while it was nice to get reloaded without moving the truck an inch, we then had to tarp again immediately. I like to think I'm helping more and more with that, but it sure takes a long time. And boy is it dirty work. I don't mind it, though. It's more physical work than I have done in a long time, and while my body is achy, it still feels better than just sitting at a desk day in and out.
After we tarped, we headed over to Tec Equipment to look at this truck that Tony the salesman has been telling us about. A 2006 Volvo, auto shift, with a 77" sleeper, fridge, inverter, double bunk, lots of storage... A good deal more space than we currently have. We worked a deal out and got payments down to $825/mo. Things could be a little tight until we really get out there, but I think we'll be able to manage.
Then we headed back home so I could clean up and head to McKenzie Bridge for SOAKED retreat. I wasn't sure about coming, but I am sure glad I did. It will only be for tonight, but even just for the meeting tonight, it's totally worth it.
But it is time to sleep, now.
Goodnight.
New trucks and rushing to retreat
Long day. We started out in Linnton, OR (near Portland) unloading roofing material we brought up from South Gate, CA (LA). So we untarped, and while it was nice to get reloaded without moving the truck an inch, we then had to tarp again immediately. I like to think I'm helping more and more with that, but it sure takes a long time. And boy is it dirty work. I don't mind it, though. It's more physical work than I have done in a long time, and while my body is achy, it still feels better than just sitting at a desk day in and out.
After we tarped, we headed over to Tec Equipment to look at this truck that Tony the salesman has been telling us about. A 2006 Volvo, auto shift, with a 77" sleeper, fridge, inverter, double bunk, lots of storage... A good deal more space than we currently have. We worked a deal out and got payments down to $825/mo. Things could be a little tight until we really get out there, but I think we'll be able to manage.
Then we headed back home so I could clean up and head to McKenzie Bridge for SOAKED retreat. I wasn't sure about coming, but I am sure glad I did. It will only be for tonight, but even just for the meeting tonight, it's totally worth it.
But it is time to sleep, now.
Goodnight.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Break Down!
The truck broke down last night, just as Collin was trying to get to the truck shop in Buttonwillow, CA.
We had noticed an air leak on the last little descent of the Grapevine, heading north out of LA. It was intermittent so we were able to limp ahead a little further but when he tried to pull in, he got stuck behind some trucks stopped at the corner, and couldn't get it going again. At first we thought the brakes had locked up due to the air leak but that wasn't it. We blocked the intersection for at least a half hour, upsetting several truck drivers who couldn't speed around like they apparently desperately need to... I got the joy of flagging them down, trying to get their attention so they would slow down. (Yes, I was wearing a high viz vest, and waving a flash light.)
What it turned out to be was the air line to the splitter on the shifter. We were stuck in high range, and didn't have any low gears for starting out from a complete stop. (Think of starting your manual transmission car in 4th or 5th gear...)
Thanks to Paul Wolfe for getting his tractor out to pull us put of the way, and the two young mechanics who crawled around under the truck to fix it, and only charged us $75. We were back on the move within 3 hours.
We had been debating whether to push hard and try to get to Portland before 3pm today, or to take it easy. We had our answer after this incident... It was time to take it easy.
We had noticed an air leak on the last little descent of the Grapevine, heading north out of LA. It was intermittent so we were able to limp ahead a little further but when he tried to pull in, he got stuck behind some trucks stopped at the corner, and couldn't get it going again. At first we thought the brakes had locked up due to the air leak but that wasn't it. We blocked the intersection for at least a half hour, upsetting several truck drivers who couldn't speed around like they apparently desperately need to... I got the joy of flagging them down, trying to get their attention so they would slow down. (Yes, I was wearing a high viz vest, and waving a flash light.)
What it turned out to be was the air line to the splitter on the shifter. We were stuck in high range, and didn't have any low gears for starting out from a complete stop. (Think of starting your manual transmission car in 4th or 5th gear...)
Thanks to Paul Wolfe for getting his tractor out to pull us put of the way, and the two young mechanics who crawled around under the truck to fix it, and only charged us $75. We were back on the move within 3 hours.
We had been debating whether to push hard and try to get to Portland before 3pm today, or to take it easy. We had our answer after this incident... It was time to take it easy.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Oh, And Driving in LA..?
I'm not ready for this, yet...
And these pix are only of the slow traffic. Never mind once it got moving, and we're hauling ass just to keep up with traffic...
And these pix are only of the slow traffic. Never mind once it got moving, and we're hauling ass just to keep up with traffic...
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| LA on a Wednesday night - rush hour anyone? |
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| I could have reached out to touch this truck beside us... |
Delivering Plywood to the Army at Fort Irwin
We arrived in Fort Irwin in the morning, and had to ask for help locating the actual building we were to deliver to. It seemed a little disconcerting to me that after only a cursory glance at our driver's licenses at the gate, we could drive a half-camouflaged semi truck around with a tarped load, turning around, making aborted darts at various driveways, without being challenged. Then again, we were passing troops training with guns...
Once we located the supply depot, we untarped and unstrapped, getting ready for the forklift operator. When she came out and asked us to move forward, the truck wouldn't start. We had our first inkling that the "Duck Hunter" as some of the loaders have come to call it may be about ready to give up the game. We were able to have the forklift driver pull start us - although Collin had to tell them how to do it. A forklift pull starting a semi, you ask? Well, you know how the Army has giant everything? Well, they have giant forklifts, too. :)
It was an interesting delivery, seeing our nation's brave troops training, and seeing a glimpse of how they live life on base. Fort Irwin is in the desert, but I was very glad we visited on a very pleasant fall day. Clear skies, temps at about 75. Perfect.
Once we located the supply depot, we untarped and unstrapped, getting ready for the forklift operator. When she came out and asked us to move forward, the truck wouldn't start. We had our first inkling that the "Duck Hunter" as some of the loaders have come to call it may be about ready to give up the game. We were able to have the forklift driver pull start us - although Collin had to tell them how to do it. A forklift pull starting a semi, you ask? Well, you know how the Army has giant everything? Well, they have giant forklifts, too. :)
It was an interesting delivery, seeing our nation's brave troops training, and seeing a glimpse of how they live life on base. Fort Irwin is in the desert, but I was very glad we visited on a very pleasant fall day. Clear skies, temps at about 75. Perfect.
Dawn in Tehachapi
Driving on Hwy 58 out of Bakersfield, CA, I was climbing the hills at a crawl as the sky grew pink with the light of dawn. There were windmills turning on the peak of the ridges, and on the slopes leading down toward town.
Who would have thought that I, Kristi the night owl, would be up before dawn, driving to see these kind of sights?
Who would have thought that I, Kristi the night owl, would be up before dawn, driving to see these kind of sights?
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Snow in the Cascades
Driving up over Hwy 58 was a little bit of a gamble. It had been snowing pretty heavily overnight, but by the time we were ready to leave it looked better.
It paid off. The roads were clear, but there was a good 6" of snow on the roadside. Very pretty, with the fall leaves still showing yellow and red against the snow.
It paid off. The roads were clear, but there was a good 6" of snow on the roadside. Very pretty, with the fall leaves still showing yellow and red against the snow.
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| Early snow, or just Fall hanging on? |
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| Willamette Pass Ski Area... Are we ready to ski, people? |
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| Winter Wonderland |
Monday, October 25, 2010
Audit In A Day's Work
Had our Safety Audit on Friday the 22nd, and hooray! We passed!
Not only did we pass, but the auditor told me he was impressed with how organized our records and files were. He said I made his job easy, which really gratified me. I worked really hard to get ready - so did Collin. It is very good to be done with it.
Our Safety Rating? 'Satisfactory' - which is the highest rating available. Works for me!
Not only did we pass, but the auditor told me he was impressed with how organized our records and files were. He said I made his job easy, which really gratified me. I worked really hard to get ready - so did Collin. It is very good to be done with it.
Our Safety Rating? 'Satisfactory' - which is the highest rating available. Works for me!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Salt Sparkles in the Sunlight (and other things I noticed)
I got the pleasure to drive by the Salt Flats near the Great Salt Lake. Some people might find that boring; you can see where many cars have run off the road and been pulled out of the salt - but I enjoyed it. In the late afternoon sun, the salt sparkles like frost on a cold morning.
People apparently pass the time by using rocks to write words in the salt - think of SOS in the sand - just typical graffiti, I think; I couldn't read more than what looked like hearts and initials. The prettiest displays were created out of beer bottles stuck neck down into the salt. I don't know if they spelled words, but in the evening light they caught fire.
In a little burg called Espanola in New Mexico, (north of Santa Fe) Animal Control officers had blocked off several streets off the highway. We listened on the scanner, but never heard what that was about. It could have been anything. A cougar, a herd of cattle, a rampaging rattlesnake... Well, okay, that last one was just silly. :)
It absolutely astounds me the number of people who text while driving. In LA, in pre-rush hour traffic (which just seems to mean slightly fewer cars going twice as fast) I saw teen drivers trying to merge onto the freeway and nearly getting run into the wall, all for texting. I can't imagine anything so important that can't wait until I get to my destination, or at least a stoplight...
Speaking of LA... This was my first time down there, and it rained. I saw Sunset Blvd (from the freeway) and I think I saw the strip mall they filmed part of 'Next Friday' at. I saw a lot of places that looked familiar from movies. Enough to tell me that it really is a lot like what you see in the B footage from any number of shows filmed there. And confirms that every day I don't spend in LA is a day I'm ahead of the game. We were in Greater LA for all of 16 hours, yet it felt like about three days.
The nicest rest area I think I've ever visited is up on Hwy 89 - I think it is Eagle Lake. Super clean, nothing boarded or barricaded off, glass block windows, and wedge windows with screens, and all the stall doors locked. There were video screens with safe driving tips, recycling bins, great landscaping, clean, sturdy benches and even a hopscotch grid painted on the sidewalk. I would almost go there for a picnic. (Ah, waxing poetic over a rest area already!)
Let's see, what else? Last week my allergies turned into a chest cold. I found it interesting that the congestion was relieved in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah, but in California and New Mexico they came back. I almost dread going back over the hill into the Willamette Valley. When I came over the hill last week, it was like a... Well, let's just say my sinuses started to drain very heavily.
There are places in New Mexico where I can't even start to pronounce the names (Abiquiu anyone?) which were beautiful with stark landscapes punctuated by green river bottoms with the poplar (?) trees in their fine fall foliage.
Lots of rundown houses that we joked could be our summer house with a little fixing up. But seriously, what can one do in that kind of country besides ranch? Just getting to a grocery store in some of these places would be an all day endeavor.
People apparently pass the time by using rocks to write words in the salt - think of SOS in the sand - just typical graffiti, I think; I couldn't read more than what looked like hearts and initials. The prettiest displays were created out of beer bottles stuck neck down into the salt. I don't know if they spelled words, but in the evening light they caught fire.
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| (Sort of) Near Espanola, NM |
It absolutely astounds me the number of people who text while driving. In LA, in pre-rush hour traffic (which just seems to mean slightly fewer cars going twice as fast) I saw teen drivers trying to merge onto the freeway and nearly getting run into the wall, all for texting. I can't imagine anything so important that can't wait until I get to my destination, or at least a stoplight...
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| The Exit Sign for Sunset Blvd - Los Angeles |
Speaking of LA... This was my first time down there, and it rained. I saw Sunset Blvd (from the freeway) and I think I saw the strip mall they filmed part of 'Next Friday' at. I saw a lot of places that looked familiar from movies. Enough to tell me that it really is a lot like what you see in the B footage from any number of shows filmed there. And confirms that every day I don't spend in LA is a day I'm ahead of the game. We were in Greater LA for all of 16 hours, yet it felt like about three days.
The nicest rest area I think I've ever visited is up on Hwy 89 - I think it is Eagle Lake. Super clean, nothing boarded or barricaded off, glass block windows, and wedge windows with screens, and all the stall doors locked. There were video screens with safe driving tips, recycling bins, great landscaping, clean, sturdy benches and even a hopscotch grid painted on the sidewalk. I would almost go there for a picnic. (Ah, waxing poetic over a rest area already!)
Let's see, what else? Last week my allergies turned into a chest cold. I found it interesting that the congestion was relieved in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah, but in California and New Mexico they came back. I almost dread going back over the hill into the Willamette Valley. When I came over the hill last week, it was like a... Well, let's just say my sinuses started to drain very heavily.
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| The Long Un-winded Road |
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| Near Abiquiu, New Mexico |
Finally, I must say my husband is a saint for dealing with my insecurities and my limited driving skills that on the one hand are improving, but on the other hand I go through periods where I seem to forget everything I ever learned about shifting...
Technical Difficulties... Please Stand By
So things aren't working out as I hoped in the technology department. I thought I'd be able to set up the laptop and printer and invoice loads as we deliver them. Turns out the converter we have isn't powerful enough to power the printer. So I couldn't print load confirmations, or load leads, or invoices. Totally shut down, there.
Then, the reason I bought the iPad was so we could look for loads and get and receive emails and send back signed confirmations. When I set it up for the 3G service, I only chose 250 mb of data, because you are supposed to be able to upgrade really easily, and I had no idea how much we would actually use. Well, I had used up all my internet by Albuquerque NM. After several tries that failed, I was unable to purchase more data. And guess what, the nifty little map app that I found so helpful doesn't work without Internet. Guess what else? I suck at old school map reading...
So there are a few technical details that need to be worked out. A new, more powerful converter to run things like printers and coffee pots. And I get to get on the phone with AT&T to get the data purchase figured out. And... No more using the iPad for social networking. I'll have to use the air card for that - or my phone. (ed. - turns out the bank had helpfully put a block on my account, since I was suddenly making charges hundreds of miles from home... Nice that they were trying to protect me, but open the account back up!)
Oh, and the worst thing? The charger for Collin's DVD player wore out, and he couldn't finish watching the Matrix Reloaded for the umpteenth time. I wasn't so crushed, but Collin was/is. :(
Then there is the issue of space and the condition of roads out here. Our sleeper isn't big enough to get all my stuff set up in and leave it up, and even if I could, the roads are so bouncy that it would be hard to work. Typing would be hard, much less expecting a printer to work while being jounced this way and that. So we have to work out a solution where I get as much done as I can during stops - or better yet on weekends when I can work from home, or if we are stopped somewhere for longer than it takes to 'freshen up', get loaded, or fuel up.
So yeah, it doesn't look like we've got everything ironed out just yet.
Then, the reason I bought the iPad was so we could look for loads and get and receive emails and send back signed confirmations. When I set it up for the 3G service, I only chose 250 mb of data, because you are supposed to be able to upgrade really easily, and I had no idea how much we would actually use. Well, I had used up all my internet by Albuquerque NM. After several tries that failed, I was unable to purchase more data. And guess what, the nifty little map app that I found so helpful doesn't work without Internet. Guess what else? I suck at old school map reading...
So there are a few technical details that need to be worked out. A new, more powerful converter to run things like printers and coffee pots. And I get to get on the phone with AT&T to get the data purchase figured out. And... No more using the iPad for social networking. I'll have to use the air card for that - or my phone. (ed. - turns out the bank had helpfully put a block on my account, since I was suddenly making charges hundreds of miles from home... Nice that they were trying to protect me, but open the account back up!)
Oh, and the worst thing? The charger for Collin's DVD player wore out, and he couldn't finish watching the Matrix Reloaded for the umpteenth time. I wasn't so crushed, but Collin was/is. :(
Then there is the issue of space and the condition of roads out here. Our sleeper isn't big enough to get all my stuff set up in and leave it up, and even if I could, the roads are so bouncy that it would be hard to work. Typing would be hard, much less expecting a printer to work while being jounced this way and that. So we have to work out a solution where I get as much done as I can during stops - or better yet on weekends when I can work from home, or if we are stopped somewhere for longer than it takes to 'freshen up', get loaded, or fuel up.
So yeah, it doesn't look like we've got everything ironed out just yet.
Colorado Rockies by Moonlight
We drove through the Rockies at night Tuesday. I'm sure they are grand and spectacular by daylight, but by moonlight they are stark and beautiful. Looking down in canyons at moonlight-washed rock fields, downed trees bleached white as bones, rivers and lakes reflecting silver, even back country roads taking on sepulchral qualities - paths of the dead and wandering. Looking up at snowfields and cloud caps and rock faces staring blackly out at eternity.
Yep. The Rockies by moonlight sure had an impact on me.
I wonder what I'll think when I go through them in daylight?
Yep. The Rockies by moonlight sure had an impact on me.
I wonder what I'll think when I go through them in daylight?
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| On the Other Side at Sunrise - Montrose, CO |
Thursday, October 14, 2010
It's Official
I had my first official run as a full time truck driver this week. We took a load of lumber down to Salinas, CA and then brought some insulated panels back from Vacaville. I didn't quite see it through - the insulated panels delivered in Seattle this morning without me. (I have a couple doctors appointments this afternoon and then the Family and I are going to scatter Dad's ashes tomorrow.)
It was a trip that had a little bit of a lot of things: night driving in the Siskiyou mountains; my first inspection at a scale crossing in Vallejo CA (passed, hooray!); heavy traffic on the I-80 and 680 going around SF Bay; hanging out in a truck stop waiting until it was time to go get our reload; an unexpected roadside stop when a strap fell off the trailer (those bumpy CA roads!) and when it went under the tires, it shredded the little ladder the strap had wrapped around; daytime driving in the Siskiyous; trying to be organized and conduct business in a very limited space...
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| Valley Pallet in Salinas, CA |
Oh yeah, and lots and lots of driving.
The driving by itself isn't that hard - I still need to work on downshifting - and I quite like it. There's a lot to deal with that will take more getting used to. Scale crossings, road construction, truck stops and parking in them.
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| A Real Piece of Work! |
He damaged the brake lines and it took hours to fix them, plus his bumper will need to be pounded out. All of this, and all kinds of trucks flying in and out the while...
I thought I would be able to slow down as a driver. While this is very true while I'm actually driving, I can see I will have to work at it a little more while in truck stops.
Anyway, it was a good 3 days.
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| Buddy on the Truck |
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Where to start?
Back when I started this blog, I promised it wasn't going to be a laundry list of everything I do and need to do, but I spent much of yesterday creating just such a list, and it is a good page long. Am I doing anything with it? Well, inching along, I guess. There is a lot, but I can't seem to get motivated. It is Sunday, after all. So here I am, avoiding the work that needs doing, that is piled up in front of me. I guess I don't have a lot to say, yet. I'm finished at the nursery, but far from ready to head out. I'll knuckle down tomorrow. I promise (myself) ...
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