It seems that i spend a lot of time here.  i cannot go into or out the northeast without stopping here.  i don't plan it that way - it works out that way.  what is there in mahwah that i have to find?  i am snuggled up to my favorite parking spot here:  against the curb outside the # 6 fuel lane.  there is plenty of room for folks to use the fuel lane and not come close to clipping the trailer as they pull through. 

i should look back and see where i was when i posted the last installment of this soap opera, and bring you up to date, but i will just rely on memory.  here goes:  i think the last stuff was about crunching a trlr door in ok.  that got me 2 new trlr doors.  they were sorely needed, since the runaway cargo had battered and bent them, not to mention the holes punched in them.  now, all that's needed in something to haul. 

ft gibson, ok, in addition to being the first fort in the area, is home to a beverage company.  mostly making stuff for pepsi, they make monster drinks and arizona tea products.  for me, they found 22 pallets of orange-mango fizz cans.  these were just the size of small red bull cans.  they rode with me to hillside, nj.  yesterday morning found me at the dock there at 0600 waiting to be unloaded.  after that, it was just more waiting.

around 1000 comes a call to drop down to southhampton, nj and load for reading, pa.  2 hrs to go 87 miles to pickup, then 3 1/2 hrs for the 95 miles to deliver.  i think i made ~/hr on that load.  then, it's off to allentown, pa (hello, diva)  to load for northhampton, ma.  808,000 empty plastic bottles for coke.  essentially running empty, since the load weighs 6500#.  THIS load goes 275 miles and delivers on monday @ 1400.

i went to bloomsbury, pa to clean up, since my pilot in mahwah, nj (hello, yankee) has no showers.  this morning, i noticed a flat on the trlr, so went to the shop to have it repaired.  first, though, i tried it to see if it would hold air.  when it inflated to 70 #, i signed in and got in the bay immediately.  initially, the tech could not find anything.  the spot we both thought was the leak turned out not to be the culprit.  finally, he found a small nail in the tread.  since the flat was on the outside tire, he demounted it in place.  further inspection showed a nail in the sidewall also.  this meant i wound up with a new-to-me tire.  only 3.82 out the door.  still need 2 drives, though, to replace the US Baldies i have on curbside rear position.  maybe in ma they can take care of that.

well, it's been dark for a while, so i'll sign off tonight.  my body seems to run on 'chicken time': when it gets dark, it wants to shut down and go to sleep.  for this reason, i rarely run past 2200.  2300 is my absolute limit. 

good night, my peeps.  i will return tomorrow and continue this tomfoolery. 

The fuzzy teddy bear,

Bill

Not much time to be here in the last few days.  this all started with the rumored trip to ft worth.  then to athens, tn.  followed by 1 day of driving around being rejected at 2 paper mills. finally - chattanooga to bennington, nh.  this did give me a chance to see 2 grands for about 90 mins.  then it was off to hooksett, nh for n. kingstown, ri.  lastly, 180 miles north to portland, me for sallisaw, ok.  5650 miles in 12 days.  so - not much spare time. 

plenty of adventures along the way, including runaway trlr suspensions knocking holes in the rear doors, and culminating in my breaking a door this morning while backing into a dark dock @ 0500. 

it's late, so i will expand on the story later. 

the fuzzy teddy bear,

Bill

OK, be in atlanta @ 0800 tomorrow, to head for ft worth.

be there 1245 friday.  i can do this.  the bedroom will not be completely painted, but the corners and ceiling will be cut in.  i got all the other stuff done this afternoon, plus making 2 coat boards for kids (30/32) and grands living with them.

so, watch out - your fuzziness will be back endangering all and sundry starting tomorrow morning.

the fuzzy teddy bear,

Bill

That's right - maybe!  the chief called me to let me know that a load for ft worth would be in atlanta tonight.  i could then come and take it on to ft worth, to be there by noon friday.  then, he calls back to tell me that the truck may go to richmond, va, rather than tx. 

now, i am trying to do all the stuff i wanted to do, and all the honey-do's built up over the last 2 months.  so, this afternoon/evening i WILL: change oil in car, recharge car ac system, go through all my truck stuff, lay in more food for the road, paint the front bedroom walls.  probably more - oh, yeah - wash the last few days clothes, and weed out all my cold weather stuff. 

looking forward to meeting you out there.  what's for lunch?

the fuzzy teddy bear,

Bill

Last night about this time, i was starting up, and driving out of the service bay.  something didn't sound right, and eventually (100 meters later) the trouble manifested itself when the engine wound down and sputtered to a halt.  they worked on it till 4 am, then started again at 8am.  there was a massive air lock in the fuel system. noon saw it cleared up, and i hit the road @ 1230. 

my chief wanted to know if i would be unloaded in atlanta in time to go 40 miles away and load @ 100 tomorrow morning.  first, i laughed: then, i explained that i was 1000 miles away from atl,, needed 25 hrs to get there, and would have to work hard to make my 1600 appointment time.  also, only had 4 hrs sleep last night/this morning - so, needed ALL the break in order to finish strong.

time for a little forumcating, then off to the bed for some beauty rest (somehow, handsome rest just doesn't roll off the tongue nearly so well, lol).

the fuzzy teddy bear,

Bill