Most Asked Questions of Recent

Are you finished Truck Driving School? Do you have your license? Are you driving? YES! YES! and YES!

Now isn't that just like a professional truck driver... no eyes on the road!!!

School Begins

Richard and I drove into Salt Lake City, Utah on Thursday, December 31st, so I could begin trucking school on January 4, 2010 at C.R. England. On Friday, January 1st, Richard left on a solo run and it would be two weeks before we would see each other again.

C.R. England’s trucking program works

So, let me explain a bit of how C.R. England’s trucking program works. We began at 6:00 am on Monday, January 4th and graduated on Monday, January 18th and went to get our hard copy license at the Registry on Wednesday, January 20th. We were in class or out on the driving range EVERY day ALL day and studying or practicing EVERY night.

On Monday, the 4th we started right in with class at 6:00 am. We received our curriculum and the material necessary to prepare for our CDL Permit. Wednesday was the FIRST big day that would separate the truckers from the non-truckers. All other days began at 7:00 am and went to 5:00 or 6:00 pm. Then it was studying the rest of the night or out on the range until 9:00 pm then study the rest of the night.

CDL Permit Day

It was Wednesday, January 6th. Six AM class came too fast after a long night of studying. The test consists of four major categories: Skills, General Knowledge, Air Brakes and Combination Vehicles. The Skills test we took at the school on Tuesday (because the school is a Utah State 3rd party examiner) and the other three we had to take at the Registry on Wednesday. WOW! Literally two days to commit all that information to memory. Total permit questions for (all four categories) were 335.

For all you curious out there, my test scores were:
• 100 % Skills
• 90% General Knowledge
• 88% Air Brakes
• 85% Combination Vehicles

I was so excited! WHEW! The first hurdle had been cleared.

CDL Backing Test

Our next big test was the CDL Backing Test which was January 10th. We took this test at the school on the driving range. Again, C.R. England Utah is a 3rd party examiner. The Backing Test consists of three driving categories: Straight Backing, Parallel Backing, and Off-Set Backing. The 10th came and everyone was on pins and needles. I think more so than the Permit testing. Most everyone had taken their Backing test and I was up next. I had prepared myself mentally (and emotionally – lol) then the instructor announced that he was shutting down for the night and would resume on Monday. I could not believe my ears. In fairness to him, it was close to zero degrees and he was standing, pretty much, in the same spot all day which ended up hurting his back. OKAY! So I cut him some slack.

Fun! Fun! and more Fun!

Monday we began over the road driving. That was fun! I was in a truck with three others and our instructor Lowell. The plan was to get me back to the yard in the afternoon so I could take my Backing Test. Well, Lowell had been sick for days and Monday just put him over the edge so he went home sick. The four of us students had to go in different trucks for the afternoon. I drove us (Lowell and me) back to the yard. The others went to different trucks out on the road. I went in Andy’s truck with four other students for the afternoon. We never did get back to the yard for my Backing Test. Tuesday came and we were back out on the road for more driving practice. I was in Andy’s truck again because Lowell was still out sick. Finally, we made it back to the yard in the afternoon so I could take my test. The Backing Test is calculated by points. You are allowed 17 pts. (mistakes). Anything more than that; you fail. I passed with one point off for doing an extra pull-up. Not bad! I was incredibly psyched!

CDL Over The Road Test

Wednesday and Thursday we were back on the road preparing for Friday’s big day of our CDL Road Test. Monday through Thursday of this week we were in class and studying each day after our OTR driving practice. Friday finally made its appearance! We were split into roughly 10 trucks and began our Road Tests at 7:00 AM. I was the first to go out in my group which I was thankful for... (especially, after my fun day of trying to get my Backing Test done).

It had snowed a bit during the night and it was close to zero in the morning. Yes, the roads were very slick until the sun warmed things up and melted the icy roads. We still went out to do our CDL Road Test. I was very relaxed and confident going out for my test. I was the first one to drive out of our group. I drove out of the yard onto the streets of Salt Lake City in rush hour with slick roads for almost an hour with only one hairy turn. After pulling back into the yard Andy announced that I passed and I am now a CDL holder. YA HOO! The hard work from the past two weeks finally paid off as my body went limp with the excitement of success!

Not Over Yet

Although I passed my Road Test, it wasn’t over yet. Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were filled with class, paperwork, and more tests. Wednesday, January 20th finally arrived. We all loaded onto the bus and headed to the Department of Public Safety (registry) to get our hard copies. The DPS was packed due to the Holiday. When I say packed, I mean looped four times through the main entrance and out the door. We were there for hours but really didn’t mind too much since this meant “mission accomplished”. Our licenses were valid for 60 days to give us time to get our CDL transferred from Utah to our home state.

It has been an exciting time. Driving is fun and challenging at the same time. When I first started driving I was so scared at every corner. After several thousands of miles, that feeling is now negligible.

Next Goal

Our next goal is our Hazardous Materials Endorsements. We've already begun the process by taking the test at the DPS. Richard and I both passed our tests. Now we have to be fingerprinted and investigated. After the investigation we will be endorsed - unless they find some hidden secrets we don't know about - lol. These next steps could take up to 90 days. We will keep you posted!!!

May God shine His blessings on you all!

Texas - OMG!!!

We made it to our destination of Paris, Texas and made the drop in time for our scheduled December 22nd drop! It was now time to do our 34 hour reset. So, we traveled to Sulphur Springs, Texas where we laid over at a truck stop. On Wednesday, December 23rd, we were able to get to the registry, take in a matinee movie, Avatar – excellent movie - do laundry and go shopping. All in the middle of tornado warnings, thunder, lightning and pouring rain – that was wild. The thunder rumbled through the WalMart we were in. We were told that it hailed when we were in the movie theater.

We received our next load assignment for pickup at noon on the 24th at Conway in Dallas, Texas. Our destination: Salt Lake City, Utah. This is where the real fun (NOT) began. It was a full-fledged blizzard in Dallas, Texas. Can you believe it? We couldn’t and we were in it. We were really in it. Our trek in the snow out of Dallas wasn’t too bad. Once we moved to the other side of Dallas it got real nasty. We were traveling US 287 and things turned into a nightmare. The combination of the storm’s severity and drivers, who “definitely” were not experienced snow drivers, caused mass chaos, many drove as if the roads were dry and they’ve driven in snow all their lives. BIG mistake!!! There were cars, trucks, RVs; you name it, off the road everywhere!!! It was like a scene from a movie. When we could, we were traveling at speeds of 5 mph if that and we were dodging vehicles the whole time. Several times we were at a stand-still for hours on end. We would creep along for ¼ to ½ mi and then sit for hours. Travel ¼ to ½ mi and sit for hours... and so on. You get the picture, right?

At one point, there was another CR England truck stuck in the middle of the highway going uphill. Richard, as did other vehicles, attempted to go around the truck on the right side. BIG mistake!!! That’s it, we were stuck for sure! The other England driver (Steve) came over to us and together we pooled our resources to get us both out of the situation we were in. Because our truck was half to the side of Steve’s truck and half behind his truck, we decided to free our truck first. Now mind you, we were in a blizzard on the open highway. It was extremely cold, windy, and snowing. We each agreed that putting chains on the truck was our best course of action – I know, better late than never, right? This was a sight for sore eyes. Neither of us had ever put chains on a semi let alone in a blizzard. The three of us were bundled up in our winter gear, between two semis fighting for what seem like our lives at this point. Obstacle number one, we couldn’t get the outside compartment unlocked that houses the chains and miscellaneous tools, gear, etc. Well, thank You God – WE HAVE A MICROWAVE! YES! I heated up water in a bowl, we poured it on the lock and we were able to get it open. We had to do the same with Steve’s truck to get his chains out. So, we got the chains out and made a very good attempt at getting them on. We tried for about 1 ½ hours which in the blizzard seemed like four hours. Each time we tried to move the truck to get the chains to roll on the tire it would just spin in place and send the chains flying off or wrapped around the axel. FRUSTRATING! I sent out a prayer request via text to several people and I know God sent His Holy Angels to be with us. Even during the frustration there was a sense that we were going to make it out of this mess.

Now that the chain idea didn’t work we had to go to plan B. Steve came out of his truck with one of those, mini-mini-mini dustpans. You know! The kind that has the flat brush that snaps inside the dustpan! The kind you buy at the dollar store! (get the picture? - lol) This was improvising to the tenth degree. I said, WOW Steve, great idea. I jumped up in the truck and got our mini-mini-mini dustpan and the two of us went to town removing the snow from behind the wheels. Again, you need to get a good visual on this; Steve and I were on all fours shoveling about a foot of snow out from under the a 73’ semi with mini-min-mini dustpans!!! Where are the camcorders when there are sights like this going on?

After Steve and I diligently removed as much snow as possible, Richard tried to move the truck but no-go. I suggested that the trailer brakes were frozen and sure enough they were. Poor Richard was under the truck for about a half hour knocking the brakes until they released. Then he got in the truck and rocked that truck, and rocked it, and rocked it some more until finally it rolled free. AMEN! Thank You Lord.

Now, it was time to help Steve. His was much easier because by this time, the traffic that was behind us had made it by. Steve and Richard placed chains under Steve’s drives and Steve was able to rock his truck until he freed it. We guided him back down the highway until he had enough of a head start to make the incline. We followed behind him up the hill making the crest where everyone who passed us was at a stand-still and there we stayed for HOURS. I felt bad for people who were in cars that didn’t have the luxuries we have being in the truck; large diesel tanks, heat, microwave, food, water, etc. It was so bad that people stayed in their vehicles because it was too cold and dangerous to get out unless absolutely necessary. We made some Beef Stew, bread & butter to pass along to Steve who was still in front of us. He certainly appreciated having a warm meal after the ordeal we went through.

Eventually we were able to inch along and come to another stand-still for HOURS. It was five o’clock in the morning before Richard was able to pull over in a safe location to get some sleep. When I woke, I could not believe my eyes. It was literally a HUGE parking lot of cars, trucks, semis, RVs, etc every which way you can imagine. There was no semblance to the parking. It was chaos, wherever you land, you park it and sleep. It was a sight that I could never depict enough to come close to the reality of the situation. All this makes me think of the devastation people suffer to a much greater degree with hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc. I keep thanking God for the protection He gave us through it all, and for the comfort and luxuries of our truck.

So, now it is Christmas and all of these people who were scheduled to be with loved ones the day before were scrambling to get to their destinations. The problem, the highway was still a mess with vehicles literally everywhere half on and half off the road. It was an obstacle course the whole time and morning didn’t offer a much brighter situation. To make matters a bit more interesting, I woke with the worst migraine of my life. I felt like my head was going to explode. I walked from the truck to the building to go to the bathroom. The pain was so excruciating that I vomited several times. I was in bed ALL day. I was finally able to get up about 7:00 pm and still had a severe headache. OUCH!!! I missed Christmas Day and Richard had to persevere through the rest of the storm situation by himself as he worried about me because of how sick I was. It took us a day and a half to get out of Texas. I waved goodbye as we crossed the border into New Mexico! Goodbye Texas – won’t be back for awhile I pray.

So, what was the problem on the highway? We still don’t know the “all” of it. We read online that there was a severe accident that involved four semis along with several auto accidents. Unfortunately, one of the auto accidents took a life. Sad times! The road conditions were so severe that the state was not prepared to handle it. So, hours went by before cars that were blocking the roadway were removed and even more hours before they could get emergency vehicles in to clear the roads. Even the emergency vehicles were going off the road. It was just crazy and sure makes me appreciate the efforts of our DPW and others in Massachusetts who work endless hours clearing the roads and do a great job at it.

Now, we are still trying to get this load to Salt Lake City, Utah. It is Saturday, December 26, 2009, @ 22:12 hours. We are on I-80 in Wyoming with two more hours of driving before we have to pull over and reset for 10 hours. We just passed a sign that said, Continental Divide. It is so dark out here that we will not be able to see it. So, this is where I’m going to stop for now. Goodnight all! Blessings upon each of you! Love Tricia & Richard

From Kentucky to Ohio

Kentucky to Minnesota

Dec 16th pickup at Smuckers in Scottsdale, KY and brought it to St. Paul, MN for drop on the 18th. On the 17th we spent about 4 ½ hours at a Freightliner shop in DeForest, WI attempting to get the truck repaired. One of the major problems is the Webasto heater will not work and emitting diesel fumes into the cab of the truck. The Webasto is a heater that runs off of the diesel and doesn’t require the truck to be running; a huge space heater of sorts. They couldn’t fix it so we now have to find another shop somewhere soon.

Minnesota to Georgia

On December 18th we received a load for pickup on Saturday, December 19th, @ 0600. Our pickup location was Birds Eye Food, Waseca, MN. Our scheduled drop off was December 21st in Atlanta, GA at Nordic Cold Storage.

Georgia to Alabama to Texas

On December 19th we received a load for pickup on Monday, December 21st with a spread of 10:00 – 17:00 @ Kimberly Clark in LaGrange, GA. Our destination: Paris, Texas via Alabama which meant a trip to Enterprise, AL to see our daughter Chrislyn and grandsons Corey and Phoenix. It was our first time meeting our grandson Phoenix who is now 1 ½ years old. He is so cute and has quite the personality, fun loving and full of character. It was only a few hours BUT a few hours that is very much treasured. Again, our departing was very difficult and my heart was deeply saddened. I do thank God for the blessing of being able to visit with them after two years of not seeing them. It was a great Christmas present for us.

Utah Drop & Load – Ohio Destination

We successfully dropped our load in Salt Lake City. Oh how I love coming to this part of the country. I don’t know what it is but there is definitely something that makes the hair on my arms stand up. And, the beauty is absolutely incredible. The snow capped mountains are so refreshing to look at and there are plenty.

I was able to capture some good pics for you. Last night when we were driving through Wyoming it was very late and very dark. The only thing you can see is the lights from other vehicles and the occasional town alongside the Interstate.

 As we approached Fort Bridget, Wyoming, out in the distance were flashing red lights. There were hundreds of them and they lit the horizon with a mystical beauty. Richard said, “Those red lights are Windmills.” He is so smart! It was a Windmill farm.

Okay, let me interrupt my train of thought. I just looked over at the dash and it is -07 degrees out here. We are on I-80 in Wamsutta, Wyoming heading to Ohio. WOW! Talk about cold!

Getting back, after dropping our Conway load, we couldn’t find an empty trailer in Conway’s lot so we headed over to CR England to see if we could find one there. When we drop a load at a customer’s location, we pick up an empty trailer to bring to the next pickup. Ninety-nine percent of the time you must bring an empty to your pickup location. Little lesson on company policies – lol. Can you believe that there were NO empties at England either? So, we had to call the customer and get authorization to Bobtail into their facility to pickup our load. We picked up from Nestle in Springville, Utah and bringing it to Youngstown, Ohio. We are hauling Stouffer’s Pizza! Yum-yum. Nope! No goodies for us. We just haul it.

It is 22:43 hours and our plan is to stop at a Rest Stop around exit 260-ish on I-80 for the night. We have another hour and 27 which is about 90 miles before we have to be off the road. There are no truck stops in that location so a rest area it is!

Sleep tight all ~ we will talk again soon! Love Tricia & Richard

Back From Florida

Hello everyone! Well, I’m back on the road with Richard. It feels good to be “home”. We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support regarding Mom’s fall. She is doing much better and is now able to walk around in the house without her walker. She still has to use it outside of the house and she still needs to wear her back brace 24/7. All-in-all she is very blessed to be recuperating so quickly and to have many people in her life who love and care for her.


For those of you who have never met "Mommsie". She is the one standing to the right of me. From right to left: Ellie, Tricia, Ruth(Mommsie), Kerri, Stephanie. These are my sisters from the "first four". I have two sisters and two brothers from the "second four" as well.

I left Salt Lake City, UT Friday evening November 20th, to go spend some time with Mom. My flight went from SLC to LasVegas, NV, then from NV to Detroit, MI, and finally from MI to Tampa, FL. I arrived in Florida around noon on Saturday, November 21st. Since Daddy Harry was out to sea, Uncle George came to pick me up at the airport while Aunt MaryEllen cared for Mom. I really need to figure out the secret of packing light – lol.

Thank God for placing people in our lives who are very special! Some of those special people: Paul Grey and Mom’s neighbor Jim came to Mom’s aide when she first fell – thank you both. Uncle George and Aunt MaryEllen helped out at the hospital. Once she was discharged from the hospital (they don’t keep you long at the hospitals anymore), they took Mom home with them. Aunt MaryEllen and Uncle George cared for her every need and did a fine job at it – thank you Aunt MaryEllen and Uncle George. Dad came home later in the day Saturday from his sailing trip and together we began our new found job of taking care of Mommsie! Mom is a tough patient since she is accustomed to doting on others, making it hard to except the care others want to give her. It was a great time of being together and I am thankful that God provided a way for me to break away to be there for Mom. I joked with Mom and said, “She really didn’t have to go to such extremes to get me down there”.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Uncle George and Aunt MaryEllen’s house. Paul and Mike (their sons) were down from Massachusetts to enjoy the holiday with us. We had a great day filled with family, fun, Thanksgiving trivia, great food, and lots of love. During my time with Mom and Dad I had the pleasure of shopping for Mom (and myself of course), wrapping gifts, decorating outside of the house with Dad & Aunt MaryEllen, decorating the tree and inside the house with Dad. Mom helped from a sitting position – lol. We had a great time of rolling in the Christmas season.

I also had the pleasure of escorting (had to make certain she behaved herself and didn’t overdo it) Mom to her Ladies Christmas Luncheon. It was nice to spend time with the people in Mom’s life. From left: Doris, Ruth (Mom), Tricia, Paulette, Kathy.

Aunt MaryEllen and I took a sleigh ride (her golf cart – lol) one night throughout the park to see the houses decorated with lights. The only thing missing was hot chocolate. Another night Mom (in a wheel chair), Dad, Uncle George, Aunt MaryEllen, Martha, Vinny and I enjoyed a wonderful meal together and then went out to see the lights at Largo park and at a Horticultural park. Again, we had a wonderful time. Okay, I know by now it seems as though I did more sightseeing and festive events than I did taking care of Mom! We did manage to mix work and pleasure that’s for sure.

I was due to fly out of Tampa back to Salt Lake City, Utah on Wednesday, December 9, 2009, however, in an effort to make things easier for us, Richard’s DM sent Richard with a load to Massachusetts of all places. Johnny thought I was in Massachusetts helping Mom. So, I worked diligently to sync up arrival times for both Richard and myself. I then managed to get a flight into Bradley Airport on Thursday, December 10th. Let me tell you, it was like jumping through hoops to get the airline to change my flight to Bradley instead of SLC. Well, after all of that and reserving a hotel room outside the airport, Richard was stuck in a severe snow storm all the way across the country. His load ended up getting swapped in New York and he didn’t make it to the hotel until 5:00 am on Friday, December 11th. After a few hours sleep, we had a small Christmas together in the hotel room. We just couldn’t wait for Christmas!!! The clerk at the front desk let me take a Poinsettia plant into my room, we had candles and more, that Mom sent me off with. It was a little Christmas for us before we had to leave. We received an immediate load assignment which caused us to have to leave the area right away.

Some of our eleven grandchildren. Picture on the left is Ethan and Corey. Right picture is Lucas and Corey. Corey, Ethan, and Phoenix are brothers (Chrislyn's children).

It was very, very difficult for me to be so close to our daughter Jessica, grandbabies, family and other loved ones and not be able to see them. It was a few days before I was able to adjust emotionally to that one!

Below is Hailie and Frederick. Lucas Hailie and Frederick are siblings (Jessica's children).

Jessica to the left and Jess with Mom to the right... We were at the Waterfires in Providence, Rhode Island celebrating Jessica's Birthday in August '09. We had a great time. It was awesome just the two of us hanging out.

Beautiful Country, Nov 1-7, 2009

OK – I know each time I write I say how beautiful our country is. IT IS!!! I am in awe each time I look up and see the snow capped mountains, red rock mountains, and plains. We have traveled these roads (several times) for over a week now and WOW! There is so much to see and each time it holds a different source of beauty.

We see all sorts of wild life, unfortunately we see allot who have not made it across the highways. We have seen more deer in this past week than I think I’ve seen in my lifetime. Yesterday we were traveling US 6 Utah, where there are many areas of flat plains that are made up of packed down soil/sand mixture. When I looked closely I saw about 12 – 15 deer laying there in the sand. It was so cool because it was within 50 - 75 feet of the highway (separated by a small wire fence) but the deer were camouflaged with the earth. If you weren't looking closely you would drive by assuming they were part of the earth. Amazing!!! Horses run wild in many pastures and yards which is one of my favorite sights. I love watching them run and play with one another. Where re are vast areas of just land and mountains you see herds of cow, horse, lamb,the sheep, deer and more. When you look at the two pictures of the sheep you will see that they are all running together in one direction. It was funny to watch, as if the dinner bell had rung.

The highways are so different out here than in the Northeast. Houses are built right alongside of the main highways. Some areas are extremely built up while others seem so desolate. At one point we were traveling down off a mountain into a small town outside of Moab, UT. It was run down with piles of junk cars, wood, scrap metal and just about anything that a household could not dispose of through the local dump. About 98% (munchin statistics) of the residents have heaps of something (some with multiple heaps) in their yard. It was a shame to see such a cute “girly word” town marred by lack of resources.

A few miles down the road we entered the cutest “girly word again” little town of Moab, UT. It reminds me of the old western movies you catch on television with a modern twist. Moab has a welcoming aura that calls out, “come to one of our roadside cafes, relax and take in the moment with a cup of java.” My kind of town for sure!

Pictures of the bridge being constructed and the red rock were taken on the outskirts of Moab, UT. If you look real close at the picture of the red rock you will see that I was trying to capture a picture of the mountain tram. Look even closer and see that there are two cable cars hanging. One is a short distant after the pole at street level and the other is almost to the pole on the mountain.

The pictures of Richard with the truck were taken at the Flying J Truck Stop (we frequent) in Springville, UT on rte I-15 South. We just had the truck washed so it is looking good and temporarily “bug free” – lol. The color is metallic green which looks black at times.

Can you hear Richard doing the "he man" grunt .... isn't he cute!

The WalMart trailer is not the normal trailer we haul. We usually haul an England trailer but we were assigned dedicated to WalMart on November 2nd. What that means is that WalMart has contracted England to assist with the holiday surge, thus, Richard and I are one of a handful of England drivers that are hauling for WalMart right now. We anticipate this assignment continuing for the Christmas season.

The pictures of me in the canyons were taken at Wilson’s Arch in La Sal Junction, UT on rte 191 North in the Lisbon Valley Region. Most of the red rock pictures attached were taken along routes 191, US 6, I-15 in Utah.

Another update and more pictures will be coming soon!

So Much Has Happened, Oct 23-26, 2009

Oh My Gosh!!! So much has happened since our last update. We have taken many pictures. It is difficult to work on the computer while the truck is in motion. I make typos and sometimes I get a severe case of nausea.

Okay! We last left you when we delivered Heinz products to Fogelsville, PA. From Fogelsville we went to Anheuser-Bush in Newark, NJ to pick up a load which was delivered to Jefferson Distribution in Martinsburg, WV. Our pickup date was October 23rd with a delivery date of October 26th. We did make our pickup and drop on time. Yahoo!

Traveling from Fogelsville, PA to Newark, NJ we went over a high expansive bridge that overlooked a city. It was in Bethlehem, PA. Pictures 121 - 128 captured just a glimpse of this breathtaking sight. Most of the pictures you will see were taken when the truck is in motion at 65 mph so they don’t always come out great. These pics were taken in motion with rain, and at the last moment.

We were traveling the highway on our way to Martinsburg, WV, when we came up over a hill and Richard said, “Look at all the hot air balloons!” I thought is he seeing things? He shouldn’t be driving if he is this tired. I continued to scan the sky for “all of these hot air balloons” and sure enough way out on the horizon there were nine hot air balloons. They were so far away they looked like tiny basketballs in the sky. If you look real close out on the horizon you can see the balloons. I couldn’t wait to get closer to them so I could capture the sight with my camera. We finally caught up to them but I was unable to get some good pics of the nine of them together because they were in the direct sun. So I did my best as you will see in attached photos. We pulled off the road into a Pilot Truck Stop (yes, we stop mostly at Pilots), and I was able to get a few close shots.

If you look closely at the upper left corner of picture number 13, you will see a green balloon coming up out of the valley. I had watched him for awhile and believe that he was stuck in the valley unable to pull himself out until the last moment. I followed him out of the valley and up above the Pilot Center as you can see in pics 18, 20, 23. It was an awesome sight to see the balloons enjoying the open sky.

God has blessed us tremendously with safe travels, incredible sights, time together and all of your prayers and well wishes for our journey. We pray blessings upon you all!

Our Journey Begins, Oct 18-23, 2009

WOW - our journey up to this point has been action packed with packing, moving, and getting on the road. We left Worcester, Massachusetts Sunday afternoon around 2:00 pm. Richard had detached the trailer from the tractor and left it parked at the Mr. Mike's Truck Stop on Rte 117 while we moved. It was a difficult but exciting time for me as we left our home behind to begin our new life on the road.

Our first pickup was scheduled for pickup at 2100 hours/9:00 pm in St. Albans, Vermont, which is up by the Canadian border. Our load: 44,000 pounds of chocolate chips for Bakeries. On our way we ran into heavy snowfall which made driving slow but didn't stick to much other than our truck. In the midst of the snow we were also slowed down due to an accident. We stopped in Concord, NH to fuel and pick up load-locks for our load of chocolate. We ended up sitting there for two hours waiting for authorization to fuel and purchase the locks. We finally made it back on the road and to our pickup point in St. Albans, Vermont around 11:15 pm, Sunday, October 18th, 2009. We left St. Albans and immediately headed for Jackson, Michigan where we had to drop the load of chocolate at a Bakery distribution center. Our scheduled drop-off time was

Our next load pickup was scheduled for Tuesday evening, October 20th @ 6:00 pm in Napoleon, Ohio. We arrived to find that our load would not be ready until 10:00 - 11:00 pm. So, Richard and I went to Home Depot and purchased some white wire shelving to put in the truck cabinets so we could organize the truck. We made it back for 10:00 pm to find that our load still was not ready. We laid down to catch a few minutes of sleep while waiting. At 1:00 am came a knock on our door stating that our load was ready. YEAH!!! We are hauling something for Campbell's Soup. Campbell's distribution facility had a factory size Campbell's Tomato Soup can outside the plant. Our drop-off point was Cedar Falls, Iowa at Target's distribution facility, for Thursday, October 22nd @ 6:30 am. We arrived early and ended leaving there late morning to head to the nearest truck stop. This plant was amazing! It was immaculate. When you look inside (from the trucker's waiting area) through the plant door window, you feel like you are looking into a sterile warehouse. Up above near the ceiling are conveyor belts that carry product all over the warehouse. I was in awe at the organization and production system they have.

Last night we stayed at the Pilot Truck Stop in Elk Run Heights, Iowa. After pulling into the truck stop yesterday afternoon we dropped (detached from the tractor) the trailer and Bob-tailed across the road to a Frieghtliner Service Center to have the truck looked at. We were there for roughly four hours. It was a long four hours. We got up about 9:00 am and began our chore list for the day: laundry, cleaning, organizing, stop at Home Depot and WalMart for necessities. We left the truck stop about 2:00 pm this afternoon and headed for our next pickup @ 3:30 pm in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We are delivering this load to Fogelsville, PA. We are hauling 42,500 pounds of Heinz products. We need to be there, Saturday, October 25th, @ 11:00 am.

We already have our next load assignment for pickup on Saturday, October 25th in New Jersey after we drop the Heinz products. It will be delivered and dropped off in West Virginia. I will update you on the details.

We have seen shooting stars, beautiful star filled skies, huge cows, statue art, wind mill farms, unbelievable farm land (miles upon miles of it), incredible fall foliage and so much more. I am so amazed at how many trucks are on the road. At night they light up the highways. It is an awesome sight.
Well our dear friends and family. We will be in touch. Thank you for your prayers and support. We love you. Take care and God speed!