Week #5 & Week #6

Back in sunny California. What a great place to visit...don't know if I could live there though. Lots of people and traffic and everybody is in a hurry. I miss the Colorado mentality. A bit more laid back that out west. The pics are from the I-5 coming north from Sacramento. Once you pass Bakersfield you are in a complete agricultural world, nothing like what you would think California would be. The cherry trees were in full bloom and up against the green velvety mountains it was beautiful. We stopped and got fresh oranges and some of the best corn nuts (freshly toasted) I have ever tasted. They weren't hard as a rock either!

The following pics are starting at Grapevine, CA. This is a pass that everybody going into LA has to pass through. It has 6% grades and lots of trucks racing their way to their destinations. In the daytime it is a beautiful drive...at night it becomes a truckers hell, with 100's of trucks racing up the hill at un-Godly amounts of speed (which the speed limit is 35 mph)...it can be pretty intimidating. But now that we have driven it at least 5 times, it doesn't seem so bad! The last photo is of Pyramid Lake which sits on top of Grapevine Pass. It is very pretty and the water is crystal clear. We have driven this pass when it was pouring, late at night and in the wee hours of the morning. This day the weather was perfect and the sky could not have been any more blue.

Starting out the week in sunny California...then it was off to Jersey. We had to be there in 3 days by 6 pm and we made it! Listening to weather reports and the closer we got to the east coast we knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy task. The storm started in Ohio and quickly began to pick up speed along I-80 in Pennsylvania. These pics are all from Pennsylvania all along I-80...these are all taken in color, even though they look like they are black & white photos. The last photo is of the New Jersey Turnpike. Once we delivered our load we had to make a quick choice on where we were going to land for the evening. If we stayed anywhere close to Totowa (where we dropped our load) we knew we were going to be stuck there for a few days. We had not had a shower in the 3 days getting to our destination to make sure we didn’t waste any time getting there. The closest truck stop was 45 miles away and the terminal in New Jersey was 53 miles. We opted for the terminal. It took us another 2 hours to go the 53 miles, but once we finally got the the terminal we realized we had made a good choice. We got stuck turning around to find a place to park the truck and that took another 2 hours and a lot of Jeff perseverance to get us unstuck. We finally parked down-hill in front of the terminal and called it a night (at 3 am) We woke up the next morning and found out that Totowa had received over 2 feet of snow, so we did make the right choice after-all!

We left Jersey and headed back down to Dalton, GA to pick up a load of carpet and then headed to Spokane, WA. Had 2 days to drive 2800 miles and we made our deadline. We drove straight through with me driving 11 hour shifts and Jeff driving 11 hour shifts, one sleeping while the other one is driving. That is the way it works when you are driving across the country. Once we got to Spokane we got a load down to Los Angeles. It was a load of batteries...pretty exciting stuff! We stopped at our first fuel stop and decided to get a good night sleep. We weighed the load the next day and found out that we were over-weight. We waited for dispatch to tell us what to do and then headed back to Vancouver terminal, where we picked up the load, and they used the fork lift to re-distribute the load so we passed the scale legally and made our weights work correctly on each axle. For only traveling 989 miles on this trip it seemed like this load was taking forever to accomplish delivery. We decided to take the scenic highway along the Columbia River in Washington along the border of Oregon (the pics). What a beautiful area of the country. Drove through wine country in Washington ...someplace I think Jeff and I could retire. We really need to reconsider our new career. Maybe we could learn how to grow grapes and live in a huge home surrounded by hillsides of grape vineyards...sounds pretty tough. But we are sticking with the trucking thing for now! The last photo is of Mount Shasta in northern California. It is 14,000 + feet and quite a pass the go over, but what a pretty drive. This is why we chose to do this job. To look at beautiful scenery and enjoy each other's company. Simple, but yet very rewarding.

These last photos are of Portland, OR...this is one place we will be coming back to explore further. The City is along the Columbia River and is very artsy and granola like at the same time. The gondola goes up the hill across the highway...not sure where it goes to, but really cool. Would love to have time to get over to the west coast of Oregon and see the beaches, but what a pretty state. Green everywhere, moss growing all over the trees. Yes it does rain a lot, but my skin totally digs the moisture as does my hair. But I do miss Colorado. We will be asking to come home in the next coming week. We will see how long it takes to get dispatched in that direction. All in all we have driven approximately 40,000 miles in the last 6 weeks and covered 36 states. We finally sat down and looked at a map of the US and these are the only states we haven't seen yet...besides Hawaii (can't drive there!) and Alaska. They are as follows: CO, ND, MN, WI, MI, ME, FL, AL, MS, LA, AR. Yes I put Colorado on there because our truck hasn't actually driven to Colorado yet! Still lovin' what we are doing, so stay tuned for more great adventures.

Week #4

...I think!

(downtown LA on Friday afternoon)

Wow, what a week it has been. Our warm California stay was put to an abrupt halt, but before we left, thinking we were

still going to be in sunny California, we took the opportunity to wash the truck (Dorothy). Yes we named her Dorothy, like the Wizard of Oz. She came out nice and shiny and it was a real treat to have a clean truck.

It was just like a drive-in car wash except the tractor pulled into a bay, instead of your car. Then at least 4 people started spraying & scrubbing. We felt like we had gone to the spa for a moment! But the dream of warm weather was over and we were dispatched to NewJersey and had to arrive by 4:30 am on Monday the 15th. That meant no Superbowl viewing for us. I heard it was a great game and yes, we now, the Saints won.

Once we hit Pennsylvania we hit a good storm over the Pocono's. We have figur

ed out that truckers in Pennsylvania have no idea how to drive in the mountains. At the end of the pass, the Continental Divide, which was 2300 feet (I kid you not) there was a line of at least 5 miles of trucks trying to come down the back side of the pass at about 2 miles an hour. No accident....these people were never trained in the mountains and didn't know what to do. Fortunately we have had fantastic training from Sage as well as from Watkins Shepard and we knew what we were doing. At the end of the pass there were trucks lined up with their brakes all a glow, because they weren't using their "jake brake" to slow them down. Anyway... we made it to New Jersey by 2:00 am and had time to stop at Dunkin Doughnuts, which made Jeff very happy!

The drive across country to New Jersey was pretty and we were lucky to have clear weather most of the way. We dropped our load and picked up a new one about 60 miles away

in Jersey and it was off to Atlanta, GA. This was our chance to see NJ in the daylight. I think NJ should just be dark all of the time...what an unattractive city. Who would want to live there? I hope I don't offend anyone, but if there is anybody out there from Jersey, please let me know what the point is in living in this dirty, busy and not to mention toll-ridden city. It cost us $76 in tolls to get through NJ to DE then to MD. It costed us $20 of that, just to pass over the Delaware Bridge. I wonder if George Washington gets a cut of that?

The drive through the Caronlina's was pretty. Cannot wait to come back here in the spring to see all of the beautiful color. Sorry no pics....I was driving most of the day through these states.

Once we arrived in Georgia we dropped off our load. This was too funny. Our load was a load of web rolled paper heading for Quebecor in Atlanta. We got to smell the smell of a print shop again and I have to say I have missed that smell. But once we got to smell it was time to go. We had to make a local pick up in Atlanta and head back to drop that trailer at the terminal in Dalton, GA. Once there we were dispatched out to Spokane, WA. We made great time through TN and KY and took a break that night at a Walmart.

When we awoke we had a lovely treat...a White Castle was right in the Walmart parking lot. Yummy :o )

We ran through MO and just missed a big storm in St. Louis. Then though IA and then SD. It was below 0 in Iowa as we were fueling and it warmed up a bit in SD. We obviously missed a big storm there too and by the picture below I am glad we did! The roads were clear, but there was snow piled as almost as tall as I was (see below). It was sunny and blue skies that day. Looks like

we hit that one just right.

When we were heading towards Rapids City one of our headlights burned out, so we stopped at the Volvo dealership in town and got new headlamps and replaced them in the truck. What a difference. We can see so much better now at night. We drove completely through SD, which was over 400 miles and made it into the top east corner of WY through Gillette and Sheridan. This has got to be the MOST darkest highway ever. When you turned off the headlights you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face. It was a bit creepy. We made it to Montana the next morning and needed to pick some things up at the shop in Missoula. It was nice to see everybody that trained us and say hi to familiar faces. Everyone at Watkins Shepard is so friendly and helpful. It is truly like being part of a family and when you are out on the road it is refreshing to have that support. I also have to say that whenever we have been on the road and encountered another W/S driver they have always been very friendly and helpful. We picked a great company to work for.

Off from Missoula we headed into Spokane, WA. On the way down the 4th of July pass we lost our cruise control and our jake brake, not a good thing. So needless to say, we stopped at the Volvo place in Spokane, but couldn't get the truck in until the next morning. We went ahead and dropped our trailer at the terminal and were going to find a place to park for the night when Jeff

decided it was time for a hotel stay. This could not have happened at a better time. I had been up since 4 am that day starting in WY

(Montana: above)

and drove all the way through to Missoula. It had been a LONG day and I cannot tell you how luxurious it was to sleep in a king size bed with this thing called a bathroom that has a toilet AND a shower in it. It was like heaven or should I say it is like heaven. I am now sitting here typing in our room while Jeff is taking care of the truck at the shop. I feel like Queen for the day.

(Coeur d' Alene, ID at sunset)

We have to drive through Idaho to get to Spokane and this city is beautiful. The lake is gorgeous and this is another place I cannot wait to come back to in the spring and summer months.

Well, Jeff just got back and the truck is all fixed and ready to rock and roll. My dream is over and it is time to head to Vernon, CA, which is down around LA somewhere...I haven't done our pre-trip planning yet, but I'm just sure it will be another great day in the life of the Linn's trucking adventure.

Had to include this pic....this a McDonalds in Ohio that runs directly over the highway. What will they think of next? On the right is the painted desert in NM.

Week #2 into Week #3

(stopped in North Platte, NE to have lunch with Chris and Dick Linn) Sorry it has taken me so long to update....having trouble stopping the truck long enough to get a wireless connection. We have left California and went all the way to West Virginia. Then went from West Virginia to Ohio to pick up a load then down to Dalton, GA. We left Dalton on Tuesday the 9th and headed to Salt Lake City, then to Modesto, CA. It is now 65 degrees and I hope we can stay here for a while.

On our way back east we hit nasty frozen fog from Amarillio through Oklahoma. We finally stopped for the night. The pic to the left is from a Walmart parking lot. I hope this guy got his car open! We missed the storms back east and have been really lucky in our travels heading back west. We had absolutely

no fresh snow and the roads were nice and dry...except through Wyoming going into Salt Lake City. I wanted to turn the truck so badly to the south when we hit Cheyenne and the sign said, 108 miles to Denver....it was a tough turn not to make!

We have been getting better at getting our rythym down and things have been working much smoother this past week than in week #1. This job is very challenging at times and I am glad Jeff and I have had an opportunity to work together in the past and learn how to communicate effectively. Of course, some days are better than others, but for the most part we seem to be holding things together well and haven't

been late on a load yet.

I have had a request for more photos. (Groovy bridge in Ohio

to the left) The only opportunity I have had to take photos with my camera was in St. Louis. I have some arch pi

cs that I will upload when I have a chance, but for now, these have all been taken on our handy dandy iphone...how did we live without this thing for so manyyears previously???

Salt Lake is beautiful an we hit a perfect day. As far as driving and passes. I accomplished coming into Salt Lake City from Wyoming at night. Utah doesn't believe in posting too many signs about grades in the road or curves either for that matter. In Colorado you see a sign and know how big the grade is and how long itmay be. Utah...you better hold on, cause whatever is around the corner is what is next. I don't see great at night, but have been getting better and more confident in my abilities to drive the truck and stay on the road in the dark!

(photo: The Salt Lake)

Jeff drove over Donner pass yesterday from Salt Lake to

Modesto, CA. This pass is right after Reno, NV. It was dry...thank you Lord...but this pass has to be the longest pass EVER. It just keeps going down and down and down on the California side. Once you hit the summit, we saw a sign that said 40 more miles to the bottom with 7%, down to 6% and then 4% grades. It

seemed like forever, but we made it through. We have heard horror stories about this pass and Jeff kicked ass and took no prisoners! I would not want to cross this one in a storm, but I know eventually the chains will have to be put on and we will have to make it happen.

(driving right through the Salt Lake)

As I digress...our trip into Ohio was beautiful. I had no idea how pretty this state was. We followed the highway all the way down the Ohio river and it was gorgeous. Passing many a power plant

and I think a nuclear plant as well.

(foliage in Georgia) (bridge in Tennessee) (the Ohio River)

The only tip I have on food at the moment is we saw a place in Nevada that was open 24 hours a day and they sold donuts and chicken teriyaki bowls. Yes, thats right. Very strange combination, but I spose you could stop for lunch and grab a bowl and then get a dozen to go for the next day. Needless to say, the truck kept rolling.

I have to go finish up paperwork, but before I total up the miles for the last couple weeks, my estimate is around 6,000 miles. These last two weeks have been such a blur, but I tried to fit in some interesting sites. We wanted to see the country and we are doing just that. Sometimes it is in the dark, but we are covering a lot of miles quickly. Things are good.

Watkins and Shepard- Week #1

First Load from Missoula, MT to Sacramento, CA

(Jan. 23, 2010)

What was supposed to take 12 hours took about 36 hours. The entire state of OR was one big blizzard as well as coming into California over Mt. Shasta where we almost hit our first deer. After recovering from that, we dropped off one of our fellow students who rode down with us at Wallly World (Walmart) and made our first delivery by 7 am on Monday, the 25th. The pic below is of our new rig...the big red sporty number. We haven't named her yet, but I'm sure it will happen soon. This was our first delivery at the dock and yes...Jeff backed it into the dock, so it was a perfect shot!

Sacramento, CA to Modesto, CA then to Commerce, CA

(Jan. 27)

We picked up our load in Modesto at the Gallo plant. Very official. Had to check in with the guard. They like to keep their booze secure. We then headed down to Commerce, which is in the heart of LA down I-5. This was our first encounter with the infamous Grapevine pass, which we have heard all kinds of stories about and I believe every one of them now. This was truly a wake up call that we were in CA. These people drive like crazy folk. We were in the slow lane traveling at 35 mph, which is the speed limit for trucks and were passed by I would have to say at LEAST 500 trucks all going over 60 mph. To be honest with you, it was terrifying, but a good lesson was learned by all. If you didn't know know how to downshift you were srewed at this point.

Santa Fe Springs, CA (Watkins Shepard terminal) to Paso Robles, CA (Jan. 28)

Our third run was awesome. We picked up our load at midnight and were on our way. We took the 101 up the coast and got to drive right along the ocean for quite some time with an almost full moon...it was awesome. We both remembered at this point why we made this drastic change in our life and it all came into perspective after laying in the sleeper and watching the moon glow on the ocean and through our "sunroof" on the tractor. It

beautiful drive through agricultural land. Saw many a winery and as you drive past the fields, was a it was really cool to see the rows of grapes go by. The "mountains" were so green and fuzzy I just wanted to touch them they looked so soft! After dropping off half our load in Paso Robles, we headed for Modesto to drop the trailer off at the terminal and picked up another load to Gallo... the Grapevine again. It was better this time except we got stopped at the weigh station on the bottom of the hill and we were 500 lbs. over-weight on our drive wheels and got a ticket. Not sure what they will entail yet, but I'm sure we will find out. We scaled our load when we left the Gallo plant and everything scaled just fine. We did learn an important lesson from the highway patrol guy at the weigh station. Always use a CAT scale to confirm the weight of your load because you can get a copy of the weights and if you scale differently at the weigh station CAT scales will back you in court. I also heard the words of wisdom over and over again in our heads that our instuctor Kelby told us in Missoula... ALWAYS scale once you have picked up your load! The company reimburses you for it, so why would you not take the time? We are newby dumb-asses and will scale every single load we get from now on.

We just got our new load assignment for the morning (Jan. 30) and are going to be heading to West Virginia next, 2547 miles. We will be going through AZ, NM, TX, OK, IL, OH, WV and PA....I might have missed one, but I am so tired right now I had to look at my phone just to see what day it was.

I have to say that everyone we have met at Watkins Shepard has been very helpful and friendly and we feel as if we are part of a family that we didn't even know existed. This has been a really hard transition for both of us, but I think once we get our rythym down, we are going to love this new adventure. Until then, this is an exhausted and cold-ridden Melissa signing off.

5 Days Down...5 to go!

Okay...so the picture isn't great, however it is really two pictures made into one because the truck is so flippin big! The trailer is 53 feet and along with the tractor it measures 70 feet 4 inches total. We have been driving 48 foot trailers at school...and yea it is only 5 more feet, but when your backing it up it seems like its 20 more feet. But after practicing backing for 9 hours on Sunday I'm hoping I can get it "in the hole". I know what most of you are thinking...but your wrong. The trailers in the background are lined up like you would see at a truck stop. We are backing in to the spots that are empty, with just room for one trailer. Truckers make this look so damn easy, but its really not. There is about 2 to 3 feet extra on each side, but it can seem like 2 or 3 inches. Someday I am just sure Jeff and I will look back on this little task and wonder why it was so difficult :o )

We took the truck out 3 times last week. The first day of city driving. Not too bad. That is truly the part I enjoy the most. Heck thats why we wanted to do this in the first place, right...to drive a truck! The second day we learned how to up shift on an uphill grade (6%) and then down shift on the same hill going down hill. It was awesome to know that you can always catch another gear so you don't have to worry about burning your brakes out. Takes a lot of worries out of mountain driving. The Jake Brake is great, but this is a skill that is truly fantastic to have. The third drive we went downtown and took turns and curves that I would have never thought a big semi truck could ever take, let alone me taking them, but..who knew...it can be done. I believe only 1 curb was bruised along the way, which if I could have shown you what we drove down you would be proud as punch.

Both of our instructors, Dick and Kelby have been great. They both have a great sense of humor...which is important when dealing with The Linn's. Both of them make everything look easy, so you know that they are good truck drivers. I have come to the conclusion that when anybody shows you how to do anything with the truck and they say " see, its just that simple", is usually somebody who makes it look really simple, but when you get behind the wheel and try the same thing it doesn't seem to be as "simple". Time, practise and more practise will all make a big difference.

Its getting late so I think I will be turning in so I can be fresh for tomorrow...who knows what might be coming next.

First Day of Class

Well...this is going to be interesting! Missoula is beautiful, but it is cold and humid...which we aren't used to both at the same time. The raining when it is 23 degrees out is interesting as well. It freezes instantly on your windshield. Shouldn't it be snowing when it's 23 degrees?

We didn't drive today, but went over loading procedures and shifting the Watkins Shepard way. Tomorrow we take our first drive with our instructor...should be interesting. The last class finished up today and 4 out of the 6 students passed and were hired to be drivers. I think we will do just fine, but the pressure is difficult. When you have an instructor and students together in a truck and you have to remember everything your doing and perform correctly it does get a little intense.

We had a thick fog this morning until about 2 pm...and I mean thick. Also the sun doesn't rise here until about 8:30 which makes it a bit more difficult to to wake up and be motivated.

We Got the Call

Jeff and I will be leaving for Missoula, MT on Monday, January 11th to start our journey to Watkins and Shepard. We will be in training for the following 10 days starting on the 13th of January. If all goes well and they think we can drive a truck, we will be assigned a rig and be on our way to our first load within 2 days following our training.

It is finally beginning!