More Backroads to meet Hurricaine Gustav

Still running mostly old backroads in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas and now Mississippi. A lot of small dying towns with many old vacant buildings from better days. Pretty country through the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas. Went through Memphis Tennessee today and marvel at what a dumpy town it seems from the Highway (must be a nice part of town somewhere, but I've never found it) Crossing from Memphis Tennessee into Mississippi is like traveling between two different worlds. Mississippi is clean and green and not dumpy at all. Hurricane Gustav is supposed to arrive on shore about 300 miles South of me in the morning, but all I expect to see is the left over rain. At least the truck will get washed.
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Backroad Boredom

From El Paso Texas to Santa Rosa New Mexico on US-54. Has to be one of the most boring drives in the country. Nothing but scrub trees, sage brush and cactus. Very few hills to break the monotony and even fewer towns worth mentioning. The only excitement on the road was the ICE checkpoint at Alamogordo NM (where I was given a thorough going over by an agent) and the new New Mexico scale right next door (sat there while one DOT agent inspected the truck in front of me, while another agent sat and watched him, while eating his lunch. Finally waved on after 5 minutes of watching the lazy one eat his lunch) New Mexico Taxpayer money well spent!!
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Canyonlands and the Devil's Highway

Drove south down US 191 from Interstate 70 through Moab UT headed to Texas. Only hit this route maybe once a year, but it has to be one of the most scenic highways in the West. Sandstone hills of almost every color imaginable, The Colorado river, and Arches National Park along with Canyonlands National Park along the way. The town of Moab Utah has turned into a tourist trap, but interesting to look at all the people walking around. US 191 continues onto Four Corners, but I turned off onto the old Devils Highway (US 666 now called US 491)Mostly just high desert to I-40 in Gallup NM, but it travels through the Navajo Nation. The road between Shiprock NM and Gallup NM is under construction and quite a rough, bumpy mess, in places. Bounced my TV out of it's cupboard and onto the floor.Oh Well! I needed a new TV anyway.
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

The Bee Hive State

Utah, in most cases, has pretty good roads. They are just always under construction around Salt Lake City and they can't seem to get it right.
The only place I know of outside of Utah where a driver has to travel surface streets to get from one Interstate Highway to another that intersect, is in Dallas Texas, where one travels about a block to get from I-30 E to I-35E S. In Utah I know of at least 3 places where Interstates intersect and you have to travel surface streets to get between them. In one case, one has to travel almost 9 miles on on an old US Highway to get from one Interstate to another. (Seems either the State never heard of ramps between roads or just likes to send us on the scenic routes)
Utah likes to restrict compression brakes in way too many places. Sure they make noise: but Utah seems to worry more about noise then the safety the compression brakes provide to the truck driver.(Always wondered what would make more noise: The compression brake or the scream of the 4 wheeler the truck stops on)
One last pet peeve! Utah has 3 new truck scales, two on I-15 at the UT/AZ border, and one on I-80 at the UT/WY border. On the ramp, drivers are to maintain 100' space between trucks at 20-25mph for a pre-weigh, then slow to 10mph crossing the scale. When traffic is heavy, everyone bunches up and sometimes stop because trucks can't maintain 20mph when they run into trucks doing 10mph. (Some engineer sure didn't use his brain when he dreamed up this multi-speed plan through the scales)

Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

The Truck Gods Must Be Listening

Shacked up in a motel today, while my company installs an Axillary Power Unit on my truck. Maybe my company (or Gov Arnold) read my post from yesterday?? Should be nice to treated like a human being when it comes to heat and air conditioning. Besides I can now install a microwave and eat something other then "cold food" for a change.
Keep on truckin
The Iceman

Escape From Hell

Loaded up and headed to Nebraska. Thanks to California's "no idle Law" I drove a little extra to get out of California and spend the night in Nevada. The law requires drivers to not run their trucks supposedly to help clean up the air. Never mind, a driver trying to sleep in a hundred degree plus truck doesn't get much sleep and is dangerous as hell for the lack of sleep(watch out 4 wheelers). The State of California is offering truck owners of trucks registered in California a cash handout to install auxiliary power units on their trucks, but this doesn't do me any good being with a company registered out of State. Being a resident of California,I just get to help foot the handout with my taxes. Hope the exhaust from my truck in Nevada, blows the right way back to California (I'm sure it was nothing compared to the exhaust from Arnold's Hummer and Private Jet)
The Iceman

Intro

Well, as if I don't have much to do, I thought I'd start a blog of my driving around the country and the things I see along the way. I'm a Company Driver for a major carrier, driving mainly East of the Mississippi River and living on the West Coast. (You drivers know how they love to keep us as far from home as possible)
The Iceman