Happy New Year

Well this year has gone so fast, I can't believe it is almost over. It has been a year of learning so many new things, meeting new people and an entirely different way of life. Its hard to believe where we were a year ago. We still are loving what we are doing, however winter isn't as much fun as the summer months, but all in all we have seen more of this country than we would ever have the opportunity to see in our lifetime. Here is to next year...looking forward to sharing new stories and pics from abroad. We hope that everybody had a great Christmas and hope the New Year brings us all a bright and prosperus 2011.

Look at The Star

Jeff was featured on the front page of The Trucker newspaper last month. They had a blurb on the front page and then a half page article in the paper itself. He was interviewed by a reporter in Little Rock, AR and the article appeared about a month later. We have a copy at home, but haven't been able to find a copy out on the road before they went out of print.

As you can imagine, whenever we pull into a terminal and a bunch of drivers are sitting around, Jeff gets harassed all the time for being a star. I was in the truck sleeping during the entire interview. Maybe when I get back home, I can get a better pic of the front page and article to I can share.

Made it to NY

Well, for he first time we have been sent to NY. As we sat on the George Washington bridge for 3 hours at 2:30 in the morning in a line oftraffic...we wondered if we were really missing anything by not beingsent to NY. But then it just got better from there.

We found our delivery and parked for the evening. Finding a parking spot in NY isn't easy for a car let alone a 73 foot vehicle. Jeff backed the trailor probably 1/2 a mile in-between an abandoned looking warehouse and the subway. We were both so tired that sleeping wasn't a difficult task. We off-loaded the next morning around 9:30 and headed toward

Plainsview on Long Island. Through the Bronx, and over the Long Island Expressway bridge. Picked up from the customer and headed on out of the City. It is exhausting driving in NY because there is absolutely nowhere to park or even stop for a minute, so you are constantly on duty. By the time we got back over the bridge and into NJ it was time to just stop and take a breather. It is amazing how 24 hours can happen in about what seems like 6 hours.

Leaving NY heading towards the Long Island Bridge.

Driving through the Bronx.

George Washington Bridge Toll

Crossing over to Long Island

Winter has arrived

We have been traveling up northeast lately and had to deal with Old Man Winter. Our run to Spokane from Dalton was great on miles, but sure was crappy weather for the second half of the trip. From South Dakota all the way through Wyoming and then all the way through Montana, nothing but blizzard and cold cold below zero weather. Pretty to look at, but it sure takes a longer time to drive through.

Once we ran to Spokane we went from Lewiston, ID

with a paper load to North Las Vegas on Thanksgiving weekend. Before we made it to Vegas we already had a load picking up in LA with a stop in Myrtle MS then to Conover, NC and then NY.

Food and Friends

When in Dalton, GA you must make an effort to Pollo Allegre. We found this place on accident and what a great accident to have. We were looking for mexican food and just looked on our phone and chose this place and drove there. If you look at the pic you can see a screened in building on the left. As we approached the steps to the restaurant all we could smell was BBQ'd meat...yum! We walked in and sat down, no menu. Most of the people inside were hispanic...always a good sign that the food is good at a mexican food place. The waitress walks up to our table and says, "half or a whole?" Both Jeff and I looked at each other and weren't quite sure what she meant. So I explained that we had never been there before. This restaurant serves chicken...half or a whole, brought to your table directly off of the grill. We opted for the whole chicken. It was served with a side of refried beans and rice as well as homemade corn or flour tortillas. There was a fresh salsa bar with at least 6 different kinds of concoctions...we of course tried each one. I'm telling you what, this was the best grilled chicken I have ever had. No BBQ sauce or no spice overpowering the meat, just yummy grilled chicken. We walked out of there for $20 with one of the best meals we have had in a long time. Now when we go to Dalton, we have to get there before 8 pm....otherwise, no chicken!

When passing through AZ we had a chance to stop and our friends Devon and Rhonda. Devon went through the 10-day training program with us at Watkins as a solo driver, but we had the chance to meet his wife as well down in Santa Fe Springs. It was nice to catch up with them and have a meal and great conversation. Devon used to have his own pool cleaning business in LA, which he was very successful at, but decided he wanted to learn how to drive a truck. Rhonda will be on the road with him soon, once they get their youngest (14) raised and on his own.

Okay, so this isn't a meal, but this is the best thing about going to Spokane, WA that I have found so far! This is like a big hostess cupcake, filled with the white cream and all, but it is a Krispy Kreme....cannot recommend this one enough. I haven't ever seen this one in Denver, but if you can find it, buy one...YUMMY.

Clearwater Paper and Idaho

So coming from the printing industry and then picking up actual paper pulp in Lewiston, ID....pretty cool. I had no idea that when making paper it smells so bad. I have been told that it is the smell of money, but I think it still stinks! This run goes through Idaho and Nevada, highway 89, all the way through the desert. Two lane road and a beautiful drive, but in the winter it can be quite a challenge. This paper pulp is a great load because it is really light weight. It is used to make toilet paper and kleenex...interesting.

This is a photo that we actually captured

some awesome rainbows in Idaho. I didn't think that these would turn out, but Jeff took these with his phone. All day long we would be in rain a nd then come over a hill and it would be sunny and several rainbows would appear. Very cool.