8-29-2006 Abilene, KS to Ruther Glen, VA – Baltimore, MD to Junction City, KS
11:10AM I’m out the door headed for Virginia. Dispatch called and said that there wasn’t a reefer at the yard (needed for this trip) so I should go to Junction City and get an empty. (Strange intermittent clunk in the left front end of the Cavalier; hope it isn’t a ball joint.)
I guess I’m getting paid for the extra miles, but……
When I get to Salina, it turns out one has emptied out at Abilene, so just a short jaunt to get it and head in to get loaded.
Quick stop for the usual at the Flying Hook – ice, water, cash and coffee. On to Abilene for the empty and into the shipper's to load.
About an hour later, I’m on my way to VA.
The usual scenery ensues after a short snooze at Topeka. (I shouldn’t get up so early…)
The six-lane section of the KS Turnpike is getting closer to completion. Beautiful sunset and Marc Maron sitting in with Sam Seder on AAR makes for a nice drive east.
Stop at Kingdom City, MO for the night. Some doofus has parked east of me and really closed up the distance for the line of trucks on the east side of the lot to get out easily. I was worried I was getting too close, but since he pulled in there, I’m not going to sweat it.
Guess I’ll hear angry air horns in the morning if they can’t get out.
8-30-06 Breakfast at Denny’s again. Not bad for the money and the coffee’s good; plus they usually give me a big mug of ice for my water mug. Fog sets in after leaving Kingdom City; right down to the deck. Hope it burns off before long- even fog doesn’t slow the crazy drivers down much on this section of Speedway 70.
Rachael Maddow replays CNN’s Kyra Phillips and her little bathroom open microphone faux pas. She called her sister-in-law a “control freak” over national TeeVee. The loud ZZZZZZZZZZiiip of her dress was a nice touch, too.
Bet Thanksgiving at the Phillips house will be interesting this year…..
Hopefully I beat the traffic at St. Louis.
I catch a great interview of John McPhee about his new book Uncommon Carriers. It chronicles the long-haul truck drivers, riverboat crewmembers, Merchant Marine, etc. of the country. Add that one to my list, too.
Tom Ashbrook’s On Point has an interesting discussion on Daniel Dennett’s controversial new book Breaking The Spell: Religion as a Natual Phenomenon with it’s author and Boston College Professor of Theology Stephen Pope. I can’t say I would totally agree with Dennett’s theories regarding the origins of religion and it’s evolution along with mankind; but he does make some interesting and thought provoking observations, however Prof. Pope made even better ones.
If you’re into PodCasting, I would recommend downloading that one.
Stop at the Goshen Road rest area in IL for a sandwich and a break.
Fuel at Haubtstadt, IN. Continue across IN on I-64 into KY. I’m trying to think of a way to make my log look halfway accurate in dealing with the turnpike coming up in West Virginia. Maybe I’ll stop on it somewhere and I can make the toll receipt timestamp agree with a legal (well, sort of…) log. Stop for coffee and more ice at the Flying J at the KY – WV line.
8-31-06 I spent the night on top of the mountain (what passes for one in this area, anyway…) above the New River gorge. I think the closest town is Smoot, WV.
The sign at the "Mandatory Truck Stop (to) Check Brakes" says “No Overnight Parking”.
It wasn’t ALL night…just most of it. No law enforcement officials stopped by to say “Hello”, so it was a successful slumber. It’s at least a 7% grade on the way down. I head down in 6th gear and the compression brake eliminates the need to use the brakes very much, so I make it to the bottom without incident or the stink of hot brakes. The “Runaway Truck Emergency Ramp” is at least two miles from the top; I don’t see how you could make it to there if you were indeed in a runaway condition. My guess is that you would be burning in a crumpled heap in the bottom of one of the ravines long before you got to the ramp.
Climbing up the next mountain on I-64 near exit 99 I see there are lights inset into the road surface on the edges about every 30 feet or so. They’re quite bright; I guess to mark the edges in the fog (usually a low hanging cloud) so common here. Really a neat idea and the first time I’ve ever encountered it.
I make my delivery appointment on time and I get a satellite message to reload in Baltimore, MD. This is welcome news, as the remnants of hurricane Ernesto are heading up the eastern seabord and leaving much rain and high winds in their wake. I want to reload and get out of the area before that hits…
I bypass the bridge construction at Washington DC by going around the west side, missing the Woodrow Wilson bridge mess completely.
I’ve read it is the worst commuter delay in the nation. No point in finding out firsthand…
It takes a few hours, but I get out of Baltimore after the evening rush and head for the MD panhandle. Pass through Cumberland, MD: the hometown of actor/voice talent Eddie Deezen. The name might not ring a bell, but you’ve likely heard his unmistakable voice in a commercial, movie or cartoon. (Hint: He’s the odd little guy with the ventriloquist’s dummy on the Ferris wheel in the movie 1941).
Stop for the night on top of Keyser’s Ridge at Little Sandy’s Truck Stop. (Exit 14 on I-68.)
9-1-06 Omelet and three cups of coffee for breakfast. Back on the road, now driving in the outer edge of precipitation from Ernesto. Slow quiet day across Ohio (a.k.a. Slow-hio).
55 MPH makes an almost endless drive seem worse.
I see a wonderfully profound bumper sticker on a car: Blind Faith in Bad Leaders is NOT “Patriotism”.
Stop for the night at Marshall, IL at a big, well-lit rest area. It’s cool enough outside tonight to shut the truck off and open the windows for a nice breeze.
9-2-06 I get up at 4:15 AM and pull out. Hope I can get in and drop this load early today.
Stop for a break and coffee in Effingham, IL. About exit 13 on I-270 in IL, I see a nice bike trail heading off northwest with a recumbent speeding along it. There are several nice trails like this in the St. Louis area.
On across MO into KS.
Stop for a 30 minute nap at the rest area just west of Maple Hill. That’s what I get for getting up so early…
Drop the loaded trailer and hook an empty reefer in Junction City and head for home. Stop for fuel at the Petro 2 in Salina and then to the yard to drop the empty and get my stuff gathered up.
4:50 PM In the Cavalier and headed to the house. Another run in the record books.
Nice to be home again.
11:10AM I’m out the door headed for Virginia. Dispatch called and said that there wasn’t a reefer at the yard (needed for this trip) so I should go to Junction City and get an empty. (Strange intermittent clunk in the left front end of the Cavalier; hope it isn’t a ball joint.)
I guess I’m getting paid for the extra miles, but……
When I get to Salina, it turns out one has emptied out at Abilene, so just a short jaunt to get it and head in to get loaded.
Quick stop for the usual at the Flying Hook – ice, water, cash and coffee. On to Abilene for the empty and into the shipper's to load.
About an hour later, I’m on my way to VA.
The usual scenery ensues after a short snooze at Topeka. (I shouldn’t get up so early…)
The six-lane section of the KS Turnpike is getting closer to completion. Beautiful sunset and Marc Maron sitting in with Sam Seder on AAR makes for a nice drive east.
Stop at Kingdom City, MO for the night. Some doofus has parked east of me and really closed up the distance for the line of trucks on the east side of the lot to get out easily. I was worried I was getting too close, but since he pulled in there, I’m not going to sweat it.
Guess I’ll hear angry air horns in the morning if they can’t get out.
8-30-06 Breakfast at Denny’s again. Not bad for the money and the coffee’s good; plus they usually give me a big mug of ice for my water mug. Fog sets in after leaving Kingdom City; right down to the deck. Hope it burns off before long- even fog doesn’t slow the crazy drivers down much on this section of Speedway 70.
Rachael Maddow replays CNN’s Kyra Phillips and her little bathroom open microphone faux pas. She called her sister-in-law a “control freak” over national TeeVee. The loud ZZZZZZZZZZiiip of her dress was a nice touch, too.
Bet Thanksgiving at the Phillips house will be interesting this year…..
Hopefully I beat the traffic at St. Louis.
I catch a great interview of John McPhee about his new book Uncommon Carriers. It chronicles the long-haul truck drivers, riverboat crewmembers, Merchant Marine, etc. of the country. Add that one to my list, too.
Tom Ashbrook’s On Point has an interesting discussion on Daniel Dennett’s controversial new book Breaking The Spell: Religion as a Natual Phenomenon with it’s author and Boston College Professor of Theology Stephen Pope. I can’t say I would totally agree with Dennett’s theories regarding the origins of religion and it’s evolution along with mankind; but he does make some interesting and thought provoking observations, however Prof. Pope made even better ones.
If you’re into PodCasting, I would recommend downloading that one.
Stop at the Goshen Road rest area in IL for a sandwich and a break.
Fuel at Haubtstadt, IN. Continue across IN on I-64 into KY. I’m trying to think of a way to make my log look halfway accurate in dealing with the turnpike coming up in West Virginia. Maybe I’ll stop on it somewhere and I can make the toll receipt timestamp agree with a legal (well, sort of…) log. Stop for coffee and more ice at the Flying J at the KY – WV line.
8-31-06 I spent the night on top of the mountain (what passes for one in this area, anyway…) above the New River gorge. I think the closest town is Smoot, WV.
The sign at the "Mandatory Truck Stop (to) Check Brakes" says “No Overnight Parking”.
It wasn’t ALL night…just most of it. No law enforcement officials stopped by to say “Hello”, so it was a successful slumber. It’s at least a 7% grade on the way down. I head down in 6th gear and the compression brake eliminates the need to use the brakes very much, so I make it to the bottom without incident or the stink of hot brakes. The “Runaway Truck Emergency Ramp” is at least two miles from the top; I don’t see how you could make it to there if you were indeed in a runaway condition. My guess is that you would be burning in a crumpled heap in the bottom of one of the ravines long before you got to the ramp.
Climbing up the next mountain on I-64 near exit 99 I see there are lights inset into the road surface on the edges about every 30 feet or so. They’re quite bright; I guess to mark the edges in the fog (usually a low hanging cloud) so common here. Really a neat idea and the first time I’ve ever encountered it.
I make my delivery appointment on time and I get a satellite message to reload in Baltimore, MD. This is welcome news, as the remnants of hurricane Ernesto are heading up the eastern seabord and leaving much rain and high winds in their wake. I want to reload and get out of the area before that hits…
I bypass the bridge construction at Washington DC by going around the west side, missing the Woodrow Wilson bridge mess completely.
I’ve read it is the worst commuter delay in the nation. No point in finding out firsthand…
It takes a few hours, but I get out of Baltimore after the evening rush and head for the MD panhandle. Pass through Cumberland, MD: the hometown of actor/voice talent Eddie Deezen. The name might not ring a bell, but you’ve likely heard his unmistakable voice in a commercial, movie or cartoon. (Hint: He’s the odd little guy with the ventriloquist’s dummy on the Ferris wheel in the movie 1941).
Stop for the night on top of Keyser’s Ridge at Little Sandy’s Truck Stop. (Exit 14 on I-68.)
9-1-06 Omelet and three cups of coffee for breakfast. Back on the road, now driving in the outer edge of precipitation from Ernesto. Slow quiet day across Ohio (a.k.a. Slow-hio).
55 MPH makes an almost endless drive seem worse.
I see a wonderfully profound bumper sticker on a car: Blind Faith in Bad Leaders is NOT “Patriotism”.
Stop for the night at Marshall, IL at a big, well-lit rest area. It’s cool enough outside tonight to shut the truck off and open the windows for a nice breeze.
9-2-06 I get up at 4:15 AM and pull out. Hope I can get in and drop this load early today.
Stop for a break and coffee in Effingham, IL. About exit 13 on I-270 in IL, I see a nice bike trail heading off northwest with a recumbent speeding along it. There are several nice trails like this in the St. Louis area.
On across MO into KS.
Stop for a 30 minute nap at the rest area just west of Maple Hill. That’s what I get for getting up so early…
Drop the loaded trailer and hook an empty reefer in Junction City and head for home. Stop for fuel at the Petro 2 in Salina and then to the yard to drop the empty and get my stuff gathered up.
4:50 PM In the Cavalier and headed to the house. Another run in the record books.
Nice to be home again.
posted by Barry P. at 11:46 PM
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