This trip has been a little different than others. After washing out on Tuesday I got a call from despatch asking if I would mind waiting a while, a new driver was also going to Washington to load and deliver at the same place. We have now been following each other since Tuesday afternoon.

The scenery is also spectacular, we have been in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Washington, Montanna, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indianna, Michigan and finally Ontario. Even if I wash out and reload on Monday back to Winnipeg I still have around 1500 miles to go making this month the best so far.

Haven't been able to post all week as I have been extremely busy and only once did I find a wireless connection but it was so slow I couldn't do anything.

I left on Monday headed for Calgary. It was a holiday in a few provinces on Monday and I really hate the holiday traffic seen in the top two pics. Once tipped and cleaned out in Calgary on Tuesday I had to run empty to Central Ferry, Washington to pick up a load and tip in Alvinston, Ontario on Monday, by the time I deliver this on Monday I will have covered more than 3600 miles in 1 week, with today off.

The top two pictures are crossing the Mississippi River, the top one looking towards Memphis, Tennessee and the second one coming back into West Memphis, Arkansas. The bottom one is of an ice sculpture as you come into Winnipeg.

Got back home on Friday morning from this little jaunt and will be leaving on Monday for a delivery in Calgary Tuesday morning.

Got a fairly busy weekend planned, it's Sues weekend off too. We are having lunch with Jason and Jenn, they are just back from Mexico, then going out this evening with Craig and Jacey.

Maybe Sunday will be a little quieter.

Nice to get away from the snow and ice for a while and with the teperature shown above even the air con was switched on.

I would like to thank Ali, Mark, Emma & Scott for a lovely breakfast on Monday morning (haha).

Sitting in West Memphis, Arkansas tonight and washing tank out tomorrow, no rush getting paid layover for tomorrow as I can't load till Wednesday.

I left this afternoon with a loaded tank going to Roanoke, IL and it looks like I am pre planned to run empty to Memphis, Tn to wash out reload and back to Winnipeg.
A nice little run taking me to somwhere I haven't been before.

This is very sad, I know but remember I am living and working in a country where you even have to buy your own boots, overalls and gloves. Since joining Jade at the beginning of December I haven't had to buy a thing and yesterday I was handed a binder complete with notepad and pen to keep all my paperwork and log sheets in, very unusual for a Canadian trucking company.

Got to Hancock, Mn this morning, made my delivery and after a couple of phone calls it was decided to bring me home empty, so back home for a couple of nights.

The temperatures were very mild at the weekend, above freezing for all of my journey and warm enough to clear the snow in some areas. All went according to plan with no breakdowns or delays and I got back to the yard about 4.00 this afternoon.

Going back out again tomorrow but with a tank this time, doing a load of tallow to Hancock, Minnesota.

Had another change of plan for tomorrows work. I will now bobtail to Arcola, Illinois (1607 km) and pick up a brand new "Great Dane" van for Flying Eagle. Then I will be loading it Monday afternoon with 5 reels of paper and bringing it back to Winnipeg. Still have to leave Saturday.

Made it back home last night at last. Having a couple of days off now and going back out Saturday, looks like I may be going to Oklahoma City with another box van but this time for a company called Flying Eagle. I know a few of their drivers and one of our friends, Bryn, drives for them.

Well there is still no happy ending yet to my long weekend. I went over to Georgetown to pick up the trailer and then back to Mississauga to load but according to them I wasn't due there till Wednesday so I sat another day in Toronto getting paid for doing nothing but getting extremely bored now. They got me another load going back to Winnipeg from Rexdale but can't load that till tomorrow morning, hopefully!!

As promised here are the pictures of the hotel that "Jade" are kindly paying for because I can't load till Monday, and I am getting layover pay and paid hourly for yesterday while my truck was in the shop, can't be bad!!!

My "FAST" card also arrived in the mail this week so I will collect that when I get home.

Had a nice job planned for me this week, pick up a loaded trailer at "Quick X" yard in Winnipeg on Wednesday and drop in Toronto Friday, run to Georgetown and pick up a clean tank to load. All went really well till Friday.

Dropped the trailer in the "Quick X" yard in Toronto and discovered I had no left signals. After a call to the shop it was booked into the Peterbilt shop in Toronto for them to have a look at.

7 hours later I was ready to go but by the time I had picked up my tank in Georgetown I was too late too load in Mississauga, can't load till 8.00 Monday now.

I was sitting in the truck stop in Mississauga when I got a satellite message to call dispatch to receive details of the hotel I would be staying in!!!

More photos and details of weekend to follow.

Just a quick update but I am back home again, I won't say for how long or what I am going to do in case Gremmie (Graham) lets "Jade" know, look what happened to my plans last week!
Had a nice trip this week, across to Regina, down to Kankakee empty and then back to Winnipeg. A quick 2500 miles to start this pay period.
I have included another picture to show how quickly, and by how much, temperatures can change. This was taken at the same place as the one last week, a slight difference of 33 degrees.

The "Burns Supper" sounded like a great idea but unfortunately "Jade" had other plans for me. I will now be leaving tomorrow to go to Regina, Sk and then I suspect it will be straight to Kankakee, Il from there ready to load Saturday Night.
I will give an update whenever I can, stay safe.

It got very cold on the way home this morning. Down in Wisconsin yesterday it was a balmy -9c with cars slipping and sliding off the road, running into things all over the place. The roads were so bad I gave up and parked up early. I left early this morning so I could get to Pembina in time for my interview. The temperatures were -36c bbbrrrr that's cold, you can see the vapour trails in my mirrors from my stacks (exhausts). It is so cold it is painful to exposed skin even in the shortest periods. Steinbach currently has a wind chill warning in effect, and I quote "Wind chill to -48c. Severe frostbite can occur in less than 10 minutes".

Interview with Customs and Border Protection went well and I should receive my card in 2/3 weeks.

Home now till Friday when I am leaving again to do exactly the same run but got a "Burns Supper" to attend on Thursday first, mmm haggis, neeps and tatties. Even have a piper and a Scotsman doing the address to the haggis.

Ode Tae A Haggis

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,

Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!

Aboon them a' ye tak your place,

Painch, tripe, or thairm:

Weel are ye wordy o' a grace

As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,

Your hurdies like a distant hill,

Your pin wad help to mend a mill

In time o' need,

While thro' your pores the dews distil

Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,

An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,

Trenching your gushing entrails bright,

Like ony ditch;

And then, O what a glorious sight,

Warm-reekin, rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an' strive:

Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,

Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve,

Are bent lyke drums;

Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,

"Bethankit!" 'hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout

Or olio that wad staw a sow,

Or fricassee wad mak her spew

Wi' perfect sconner,

Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view

On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him ower his trash,

As feckless as a wither'd rash,

His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash,

His nieve a nit;

Thro' bloody flood or field to dash,

O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis fed,

The trembling earth resounds his tread.

Clap in his walie nieve a blade,

He'll mak it whissle;

An' legs an' arms, an' heads will sned,

Like taps o' thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,

And dish them out their bill o' fare,

Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware

That jaups in luggies;

But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,

Gie her a haggis!

Rabbie Burns

Snow

More Snow

Making a delivery at Humboldt Sk

#155 in need of a bath

Icicles in Illinois

It's been a few days since I last posted and have been kept busy. I left for Edmonton on Monday and made the delivery on Tuesday. There were some loads of Nitric Acid to be picked up in Washington state but as I don't have my "FAST" (Free And Secure Trade) card I couldn't do any of them so it was decided I should go south to Fort Macleod Ab and do a trailer change with a driver on his way up to Edmonton with one of these loads and he could take my empty tank straight back.

The weather turned pretty nasty and I had to wait till the following day before he turned up. After unloading the acid I got a reload of Tallow (animal fat) with one delivery in Saskatoon and one in Humboldt then back to the yard empty.

I left the next morning with an empty trailer to go and load in Kankakee, Illinois. I was running short of hours by the time I got there and only had 9 hours available for today but 12 tomorrow so that will get me home again.

I have been invited for my interview with US Customs and Border Protection to complete my "FAST" application process. I was able to arrange this at Pembina, ND so I can do it on the way back into Canada tomorrow but they could only see me at 10.30 so a 3.30 start in the morning to get there on time.

Surprise Surprise!!!! It's snowed again. Had about 20cm overnight and it's still coming down. We had to clear the drive again or we weren't going to get out of the garage. Sue shouldn't really start a fight when standing at the bottom of the decking while I am shovelling snow, she was never going to win that one.

I called work this morning and there is a slight change of plan, I am now going to Edmonton not Red Deer and I only need to be there Tuesday morning, hopefully the roads will have cleared a little before I leave tomorrow.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

All The Best For 2009

Christmas and new year has gone and it's time to try and get back to Normal, whatever that is???

Sue is already back to work full time, she never really had a day off worked a couple of hours even on Christmas day and New years day.

I called dispatch this morning and it looks like I will be leaving on Sunday to take a load to Red Deer, Alberta but will find out for sure tomorrow.

Pretty cold today, -33c, so I asked if anyone would be in the shop on Sunday if I had problems starting the truck, "It's ok the shop get a list of trucks that are due to go out and start them up and make sure everything is ok before the driver comes in." Very nice, never had that anywhere else. There has been another 20cm snow forecast for tonight, the drive can stay the way it is ;0)