10/27/2009

Let's see..... I left you in Laurinburg taking off at dark 30 and making a dash for PA.

Well I got up at 1am cinched down the load and hit the road. Made it just shy of the VA line on I-95 and figured my mind and eyes were drifting a bit too touch. Time to grab a nap. Pulled off before I got to VA and grabbed a 1:45min nap. Woke up somewhat refreshed (at least no wonering mind) and took off yet again. Gonna try a different route that avoids the DC metro area. Turned off on US17 to I-66, I-81, then back to the (now) normal route to upstate NY. It adds 30-40 miles to the route but avoids the stress of the DC area. Fair trade if you ask me. Made it to New Buffalo, PA and Angie's Truck stop/Resturant. I could have driven an hour more but I didn't like the Petro at I-80/I-180. More specifically I didn't like the buffet there or the parking. Nuff said. I thought about eating at Angie's but there was never enough cars parked at the resturant there to give an indication thast it was any good. So I didn't. Made sandwiches in the truck andcalled it a night.

I made it there early enough to get up at midnight and venture the rest of the way to my consignee.

Now a little background. When I sleep, I sleep, the sleep of the dead. Idling trucks, reefers turning on every 10 minutes, boneheads with thier jake brakes running through perfectly flat parking lots be damned. I'm asleep.

10:30 last night my dash board is beeping and flashing to beat the band. It actually wakes me up before it goes nuclear. This isn't your typical low voltage regulator gonna shut everything down because the battery is low thing. What do I do? I fire up the truck. So far so good. Beeping stops, dashboard isn't flashing. Only warning light still iluminated is the tractor abs is out. KK now we are idling turn the heat on it is a bit cold after all. Ten minutes later XM radio cuts out, Computer is on battery and I can no longer make my morning coffee. Not good especially the coffee part. And I still have an hour before I can head to the consignee 11/14 rules afterall. I don't have any interior lights and the cig lighter plugs and my inverter won't work. I called maintenance in Laurinburg (wasted phone call) "Did you check the fuses?". I could have called myself and got that answer even though I'm mechcanically handicapped or disinclined depending on which way you want to look at it. To be PC (politcally correct) or to not be PC that is the question.

The rest of the saga belongs on tomorrow journal/blog entry.

Have a nice day

Bookerz out