A few years ago I took a picture of my son, Steve, holding my Granddaughter, Carlie, while she was sleeping. I submitted it to an online site to share it with others. The funniest part of this is something you can't see in the picture. When Carlie woke up a little while later, she had puka shell impressions on her forehead from Steve's necklace. It looked so funny we all couldn't stop laughing.

If you click on this link it will take you to a site to view the photo and you can vote on it while you are there. I think it is one of the best pictures of Steve we have. What do you think?

PHOTO LINK

7/3/07
6:00 AM – Woke up in time to walk over to MacDonald’s to get Egg MacMuffins for breakfast. I knew it might be a while before we stopped for food again, so I ordered two. We brought them back to the truck to eat with our own drinks. It is so nice to have a refrigerator in the truck. Cold Diet Pepsi anytime I want it. The Egg MacMuffins had absolutely no flavor. I guess with all the changes trying to make fast food healthier they forgot it still needs to taste good. Of course we ate them anyway and left about 7 AM to deliver our load at the Little Rock National Airport.

9:00 AM – We are just now leaving Little Rock. Per usual the guy unloading said he didn’t know we were coming and needed to go get a boom truck to take the poles off our truck. Said it would take him about 30 – 45 minutes to go get it. Of course, as I figured it would, it was over an hour before he got back. We delivered 11 poles here…the load is shrinking. We are on our way to Windsor, MO.

Later – We drove through the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. Gave Carl a chance to break in the new break pads he had put on his truck. We only smelled them once, so he did a good job keeping the truck under control while going down several really steep grades.

1:00 PM – Drove through Branson, MO today. It didn’t look like I’ve been missing anything by not ever going there. I can’t imagine having a lot of fun watching variety shows…but, to each his own. A few minutes later we drove by the exit to Forsythe, MO and waved to the Blackstock’s. Would have loved to see Aunt Connie’s new home, but we didn’t have time, two more deliveries to make today before 6PM. After we drop off one pole and a box in Windsor, we will be beating it up to Olathe, KS. After we get the last stop off, I am really hoping to find a Wal-Mart. I just figured out we probably won’t get a shower until morning, but at least I can count on one tomorrow.

2:25 PM – I have just determined we have officially driven through the “middle of no where.” After leaving Springfield, MO we got on MO-13 and have seen virtually nothing all the way through here except a dead cow in the median all swelled up. I am having a really, really hard time even staying awake!

3:30 PM – We have found the next stop. The guy wanted us to take it out to his house in the country. He said the job site was too small to get a truck into. He assured Carl there was a crossroads about a mile past his house out on a very narrow dirt road. We left the light pole by his mailbox and continued up the road looking for the crossroads to turn around at. Over 3 miles later we gave up and Carl maneuvered his truck back into another very narrow dirt road to our left, just missing a fence in the front yard of someone’s house. I bet, if they were home, they were wondering what a semi-truck was doing way out their road. I know the two guys working on the road scrapper were confused when we drove past them.

6:30 PM – We made it to Olathe, KS and located the place to deliver our next pole. It was out in a new industrial park so Phoenix and I got out and walked around while Carl unloaded and resecured the load. I ask him to see if the guy we delivered to could tell us were the nearest Wal-Mart was. Thankfully he knew of one on our route to Denver that was just 30 minutes up the road. We found it and spent about an hour picking up the few things on our list…and a few extra things as usual.

8:00 PM – Just after we got onto the Turnpike in Kansas (I-70) we saw some really dark smoke ahead. We were glad to find it was on the other side of the road, so we weren’t delayed. As we got nearer we started seeing huge flames. As we passed we realized it was a mini-van engulfed in flames. It had just happened. The only cop on the scene didn’t even have any lights on his car. I was impressed to see that he had still stopped the traffic that was going over 70 mph and had them lined up in the right hand lane so that emergency vehicles could get up to the burning vehicle.

As we came into Topeka, KS we started seeing lots of big fireworks. They looked beautiful out over the city. I told Carl that was my favorite way to view fireworks…sitting in an air-conditioned vehicle. As we were leaving Topeka I spotted a giant gorilla. (No I wasn’t hallucinating) It was all lit up, holding its arms up as if it was going to grab a car and eat it. Down below it was a tent selling fireworks. I bet they get a lot of attention.

10:00 PM – We finally found a truck stop with one lonely park in Willard, KS. We are just an hour and a half from where we had planned on driving, but are all tired and ready for bed. Carl and I ate peanut butter and banana sandwiches with milk for dinner and are more than ready for bed. We don’t get to lie up in the sleeper all day, like Phoenix.




7/4/07 – Independence Day
8:00 AM – We all slept in this morning. It sure felt good! We all dressed for the 4th including Phoenix, with her flag bandana.



9:45 AM – Had a beautiful drive to Salina, KS this morning. Stopped for fuel and showers…only cost us $398.91 today. Do you think they will give us two showers for that?

10:45 AM – A shower never felt so good! They even had a blow drier, so I was able to make my hair look a little more normal than it has in the last couple of days. We lucked up and stopped at a truck stop where they had just remodeled. The showers looked like something from a resort and were VERY clean. I complimented the lady who cleans them and she gave me a tour of their shower room for Platinum Club members. It had a TV that was projected on the mirror and the shower had a special ceiling that made it feel like it was raining or you could use just the regular shower head. I ask Carl why he wasn’t a Platinum Club member. He said he didn’t buy enough fuel from the Petro stations to become a member – 15, 000 gallons a year minimum. Carl picked up a truck stop guide so we could see what was on our route. He had wanted to buy one for a while so this gave him an excuse. It will come in handy when deciding where to stop for lunch. I like it because it told if there was a Wal-Mart near each of the truck stops. He also found some short sleeved work shirts he liked for $7.00 a piece. I encouraged him to get a few, so he ended up with two navy and a dusty green one.

12:15 PM – After reviewing the truck stop guide we decided to stop at Hayes, KS exit because it had several restaurants within walking distance. BIG mistake, so much construction we could hardly get off and back on. Also, from the one fuel stop it was quite a ways to walk to Applebee’s or Golden Corral and getting ready to rain. We decided to go on about 50 miles to WaKeeney exit.

1:00 PM – Good decision…the exit at WaKenney had a little fuel stop. It was a BP station with a 24/7 restaurant. We went in and looked at the buffet and decided we would get it. They had things you would get at a 4th of July picnic…Fried chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, pork & beans, deviled eggs, corn on the cob, watermelon, etc. After lunch I looked around the store for a minute and Carl went on out to the truck to walk Phoenix. She has figured out how to get back up in the truck without his help and only needs a little help to jump out. When I got back they were just getting back to the truck and had picked me a piece of Kansas wheat from the field next to the parking lot. It was so pretty, I love the look of wheat up close.



2:00 PM – We are on our way again, more open fields for as far as the eye can see. Yesterday, when we were in Wal-Mart, we picked out a small toy for Phoenix. It is just a little yellow plastic monster, but if she steps on it or sits on it, it will squeak as she lets up. The first time it happened, it scared her and she looked back at it, like it was alive. She is starting to get use to it, but when she got up this morning it surprised her again.

6:45 PM – We have arrived in Denver, CO. Made excellent time today because it was all Interstate and we could run 70 mph. When we were coming into town we could see the airplanes arriving and departing from the Denver Airport. In just a couple of minutes we spotted over 20. They were coming in two at a time with two more right behind them. Crissy sent us a list of all the 4th of July festivities that are being held in this area. We are actually parked at a truck stop in Aurora, CO and one of the fireworks displays on her list is right next to this truck stop. We hope we will be able to see it all from the truck because we are facing that way. My favorite way to view fireworks…sitting in an air conditioned vehicle. The trick will be staying up long enough to see them. They start at 9:30 PM which is 10:30 central time. Not sure we will make it!

7/1/07
2:30 PM – It took most of the day, but we finally were able to leave Macomb heading to Jackson, MS. Steve came over about 8:30 this morning to eat breakfast with us and take Carl to Bushnell to pick-up his truck. He had some general maintenance completed along with repairing the front fenders…they are now black instead of red.


They returned about 11 AM and we still had to clean out the truck and get everything packed up for the next couple of weeks. Bill brought the Grandchildren by on their way to Spring Lake so we were able to hug them all goodbye. I’m going to miss them while we are gone, so was especially happy to see them before we left town. We also went by to see Crissy and drop off a big bowl of homemade tapioca pudding I made for the Grandchildren last night. I guess it was amazing we were able to leave when we did.

First Stop – We stopped at a VERY small fuel stop right outside St. Louis in Woodriver, IL. I jumped out of the truck and hurried into the store and just beat another woman to the ladies room, thank goodness!

Next Stop – We drove for about another hour to the first rest area we came to so Phoenix could get out of the truck and stretch her legs. On our way back to the truck she met a little Yorkie puppy traveling with a guy that went around to festivals selling lemonade. The minute they got out of their truck she noticed the puppy. It was interesting to see her notice another dog since she didn’t even look at other dogs when we went to the Heritage Day parade last weekend…even when they barked. The only animal that got her attention at the parade was the group of Llamas.

10:25 PM – No time to stop for food today. (Note to self: Should have eaten lunch before we left home.) We need to be in Jackson, MS by 8 AM in the morning. It looks like we will be lucky to get their by 3 or 4 AM. Hope we get to stop again today!

11:00 PM – We stopped at a small fuel stop in Sunset, AR. We thought we could walk Phoenix for the last time today, but the lot was too muddy so it just wasn’t worth it. We went inside to get some snacks to help Carl stay awake a little longer. When we walked in the door the guy said, “good morning” and I thought it was already after midnight. It felt like it.

2:30 AM – We still have a couple hours until we get to Jackson but all of us need sleep, especially Carl. We decided to stop at a truck stop in Winona, MS to get a little rest before continuing our trip.

7/2/07
6:00 AM – Way too early for any of us, but our appointment is at 8 this morning and Carl is never late! I went ahead and got up to go inside and water my hair and brush my teeth before we left. I learned riding with Carl to never miss an opportunity to eat or use the bathroom, they are few and far between.

7:40 AM – We arrived to pick-up our load in plenty of time. When we started to turn into the yard the gate was closed and locked, so we had to park on the side of a very narrow road with lots of traffic. Carl had been there before and thought it was strange they weren’t there yet, in the past they were there by 7 AM. At 8 AM I told him I thought he should call someone – just in case the guy that ran the yard had died over the weekend. The only reason I thought was a good enough excuse for not being there on time after I had to get up at 6 AM with just 3 ½ hours of sleep. Good thing he called because the person that scheduled the appointment forgot to tell him we were going to be there this morning. It took him until almost 9 AM to get there, but had us loaded and on our way to the truck stop for fuel and a shower by 11 AM – 2 hours earlier than Carl had hoped they would be finished. The load is smaller than he normally gets when he picks up light poles from this yard. Even though it goes to 11 separate locations, some places are only receiving 1 or 2 poles. By the time we get them all off we will have driven over 5,100 miles. I will be posting pictures and stories as much as possible throughout the trip. Check back often for updates on where we are and where we have been.

11:35 AM – Carl just finished filling up the fuel tanks and cleaning the windows and mirrors. It took 178 gallons and $476.93 later – oh well, at least we get a free shower with a fill-up.

2:00 PM – Lunch finally!!! We stopped at the TA truck stop in Tallulah, LA. It stopped POURING rain just in time or we had planned to skipped it and go on to the next one after it quit. We even lucked up and got the first park closest to the building. Things got even luckier after lunch. On our way out after lunch I stopped at the ladies room. While waiting for me to come out, Carl looked over at the ATM machine and saw someone had left a $20 bill. When we were walking across the parking lot to the truck he asked me how my free lunch tasted. I thought he meant because he paid for it and I was confused because he usually pays for it, this was nothing new. Then he told me how he had found a $20 bill, exactly the amount he had given to the waitress for lunch and a tip. This is the second time this week he has found money. The first time he found a $5 bill on the edge of a parking lot next to the road. He couldn’t decide if someone had dropped it or if it flew out of a car window.

Later Today– On our way to Little Rock, AR we drove through a very small town called Transylvania, LA. As we drove right past their Post Office I wished I had the DVD’s, I made of Austin’s home movies, ready to mail to Benita. It would have been cool if they were postmarked from Transylvania…HAA HAA HAA HAAAAAA

We also drove through an area right before we crossed into AR with an absolutely beautiful lake along the roadside, Lake Providence. All along the bank just inside the water were the most amazing trees. We think they were Cyprus, but what I liked about them was how the trunk near the water was so wide and became very narrow towards the top.



4:30 PM – We made it to AR. As we came up to turn onto US 82 just across the road was the Mississippi River.


We stopped at a VERY DIRTY little fuel stop. It reminded me of Headley’s in Clanton, AL, only with more stuff and more DIRT. I went in while Carl made a few phone calls. Everything was so dusty I had to wipe the dust off my candy bar onto my pants. While in the ladies room I stepped on a mosquito to keep it from landing on my leg. Carl was trying to set up deliveries and get directions to the next couple of stops. He is hoping to get them off on the 4th so we can continue driving to Colorado with no lay over for the holiday. Wish us luck!

7:00 PM – We have arrived in Little Rock, AR. It has been raining off and on most of the day and or course started pouring right before we got stopped. We are delivering light poles at the Little Rock National Airport at 7:30 in the morning and it is just a couple of exit up Interstate 440 from where we are spending the night. It is just a fuel stop, but there is a MacDonald’s across the street. We walked over in the rain to get a hamburger and had to wade through ankle deep puddles to get there. Of course I splashed water up the back of my pant legs and froze to death in the restaurant. I am hoping for Egg MacMuffins in the morning…if I can talk Carl in to walking over to get them before we leave. It hasn’t stopped raining yet, but we aren’t far from the door to the fuel stop.

9:30 PM – We have finished eating, walking Phoenix, organizing paper work, and getting our trip information ready to post to this blog. We are all EXHAUSTED and ready for bed. Goodnight!