Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Battleship and Causeways





Just east of Mobile Alabama, is “Battleship Park”.A museum of sorts containing the Battleship “Alabama”,(photo) a WWII Submarine and now they're starting to add Warplanes. Need to stop here sometime and check out the Sub like my father served on in WWII. I cross numerous causeways(photos) across Mobile Bay and river outlets and onto Florida. Around Pensacola FL, home of the “Blue Angels”, they have mounted Jets (photo) at the Interstate Rest Areas. Not my time of the year in Florida, nice weather, but too many “Snowbirds” from up North creating a lot of traffic and inflating the prices on everything.
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Monday, December 29, 2008

My Kind of Country



Through Houston Texas and onto Mississippi on I-10 today. Louisiana is my kind of country. Trees allover, green grass and water everywhere you look. (the Cajun music of my Southern Cousins doesn't hurt either) Just East of Breau Bridge Louisiana, I-10 travels for 18 miles on a elevated Causeway over the Atchfalaya river basin.One river,lake or swamp after another all the way.
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Boreing!!!

Along I-10 in Western Texas today. This stretch of road, between El Paso and San Antonio, has to be the most boring Interstate in the country. Speed limits of 80mph for cars and 70mph for trucks (a lot of good it does me with a 62mph truck). Nothing but desert, scrub trees, and brown grass with a cactus thrown in now and then. Even the towns are spread out, sometimes 50+ miles apart, and the type of towns, that if one blinks you miss them.
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Along I-10 From Arizona to Texas




One of those loads; Dispatch held it to the last minute,and I have to run my backside off to deliver it on time. Through fields of Saguro Cactus in Arizona.The Saguro grows in patches only in the Sonora Desert at certain elavations (picture) I-10 across Arizona and New Mexico is pretty much nothing worth looking at, with the exception of “Texas Canyon”.I-10 goes through a 2 mile pass called Texas Canyon, which is strewn with hugh boulders, many looking like they should fall down if touched.(Picture)
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Friday, December 26, 2008

On the Road Again

Picked up in Compton California and headed to Atlanta Georgia, with a stop along the way at Lakeland Florida. Expected light traffic today, the day after Christmas, and traffic was the normal daily rush hour traffic in the Los Angeles area. Traffic may have been even a little heavier today because a lot of traffic to the malls.
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Desert Snow


Took a load down to Fontana California, by way of the Mojave Desert. It snowed this week in the desert, and it sure looked strange, as it is usually dry and barren. Took a picture of a Joshua Tree in the snow. The Joshua tree only grows in the Mojave desert and the Holy Land, and is related to the Lilly plant. Home for the holidays in the San Joaquin Valley and looking forward to a White Christmas (Fog)
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Beautiful Country-Wrong Time of the Year




Sent into the mountains to the small town of Burney California. Beautiful ride as all the trees were snow covered and the roads weren't too bad, with only a few icy spots. The shipper is located about 4 miles off the main highway on a small one lane road I got to within a mile of picking up my load, when a loaded truck coming up the road slid off and got stuck blocking the road. No way for me or the 6 other trucks behind me to go anywhere for 9 hours waiting for a tow truck to pull out the truck blocking the road. By the time we got to the shipper, they were closed, and we had to camp overnight in their lot.
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Slippin N Slidin From Wyoming To California




Spent the last two day going from Wyoming to California on I-80. Roads were pretty clear with only a few Icy spots along the way. Snowing last night in Utah, but the weather cleared up this morning and clear sailing across Nevada and across Donner Pass into California. Got lucky as Donner pass required chains for two days and lifted the Chain Law about an hour before I went across.
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Rock N Roll Across Nebraska



Crazy weather! 60 degrees yesterday in Lincoln Nebraska, and 39 degrees this morning at 6am. Heading West across Nebraska and the winds started blowing up to 40 mph from the side.Luckily I have a heavy load to keep the truck on the ground and there isn’t much snow on the ground to blow across the roadway. The temperatures kept dropping all day and was down to 0 by 2pm (see picture) and at –7 by the time I got to Wyoming at 5pm.
Took a picture (attached) of the Platte River Museum which was built across I-80 a few years back to commemorate the Oregon and Mormon Trails which followed the Platte River.
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Friday, December 12, 2008

North to the Land of White Stuff




Through Chicago Illinois and Milwaukee Wisconsin to deliver a load in Richfield Wisconsin.Everything is snow covered but at least it’s on the ground and not falling. Temperature got down to 2 degrees last night. Too darn cold for normal people? from California. Back across the Mississippi going west to Nebraska (see pictures)
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Hang the S.O.B

The Governor of Illinois got arrested today. Great news for truck drivers! A few years ago, the Legislature of Illinois approved raising the speed limit to 65mph for trucks and the Governor vetoed the bill, supposedly because the roads were too bad for trucks to go 65mph. What a crock of BS. If the roads couldn’t meet the standards for trucks to go 65mph, then they wern’t built and maintained properly with the taxes levied for them. Probably another case of Illinois corruption in using the road funds for other things. All the Governors veto did,was to cost each truck driver lost wages while driving in Illinois and opened us up to extra speeding tickets when the state needed extra revenue. Hopefully the Governor spends a long time in jail and loses as much income as he cost us truck drivers.
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Monday, December 8, 2008

Into the East, Once Again


Through Oklahoma and Missouri on I-44 then across the Mississippi River into Illinois.
(Picture)Looks like rain tonight,then possible snow tomorrow. Fun and Games, Maybe??
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Ghosts in New Mexico and Religion in Texas



On I-40 in New Mexico, between Santa Rosa and Tucumcari, is the little town of Cuervo New Mexico. Only signs of life is a small store, a few homes,a garage and a junkyard. Spread out on both sides of the Interstate are alot of old closed up mud-brick buildings. Must have been some town at one time as there are 2 churches and one school among the buildings. (see pictures (not very good))
This afternoon I passed through Groom Texas, home of what is claimed to be the "Tallest Cross" in the Western Hemisphere (picture)
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Back in The United States



Every time I leave California, I feel like I'm back in the US from a foreign country. Most truck drivers feel the same way because of the idiotic speed limits and BS they get while driving in California. Crossed the Colorado river on I-40 about noon (see picture) and my attitude took a turn for the better. The Colorado River was so named because of it's red appearance with all the mud and silt it carried. Today, with all the dams along the river, The Colorado is blue and clear, especially at the I-40 CA-AZ crossing.
About 20 miles into Arizona on I-40,I come to the Town of Yucca AZ. Known mainly as a military test ground, a real estate company tried to sell land there and advertised with a giant "Golf Ball" (see picture). Don't think much land was sold as there ain't nothing there, but the Golf Ball has become a home to someone who has added little flying saucers around it to make it appear as something from outer space.
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Friday, December 5, 2008

Back to Work

Dispatched on a load from the L.A.area to northern West Virginia. Foggy all the way south to the I-5 CA 99 split,south of Bakersfield CA, when the sun came out and sunny all the way into the L.A. area and out through the desert heading East. Just east of I-5 on the I-210, I came across last months California fire damage. On the south side of the freeway everything looks normal. On the North side of the freeway there was about a square mile of nothing but streets and home foundations (no homes or any vegetation as it all burnt up)Looks like the freeway served as a fire break to save one side from the other. Will have my camera ready next time I go through.
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Getting to Look Like a White Christmas?

Home for a few days, then out again till Christmas. Looks like a typical San Joaquin Valley Winter coming. Foggy as hell in the mornings, and sometimes clears up in the afternoon. Sometimes it doesn't clear for a week and while the temperatures don't fluctuate much between highs and lows, the dampness gets to one in his old age . Fog is our version of a "White Christmas"
Keep on Truckin
The Iceman