It's back over the Sierras for us.
We're picking up our next load in West Sacramento first thing tomorrow morning and heading for Englewood, Colorado for a Friday morning delivery. It will probably be slow going since the load assignment lists the weight as nearly 45,000 pounds and there will be lots of hills and mountains to get over. Luckily, we have plenty of time to get there.
We'll be on the road for Thanksgiving. With any luck, we'll be able to find a turkey dinner somewhere.
Lori and I want to say how thankful we are for all the blessings our Creator has provided for us, especially family and friends. If we don't get a chance to talk to you personally, please accept our warmest wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving.
Showing posts with label Family and Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family and Friends. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Fix it
We've spent most of the past two days getting work done on the truck.
It was time to have our 22,000-mile routine maintenance done, so we scheduled an appointment at the truck stop in Ontario to have it done. While we were waiting, we noticed a nice leak out of the back of our water pump. We figured they could fix that along with doing our maintenance.
No such luck. Since the truck is under warranty, we had to go to a Freightliner dealer to have the water pump fixed. By the time we finished with the maitenance work and drove over to the dealer in Ontario, it was 4:15 - which meant having to wait until the next morning to get the work done. So, we spent the night in the dealer parking lot.
They started working on the truck about 6:30 a.m. but it took until after 3:00 to finish! However, the waiting wasn't all that bad. Since we were the first ones in the customer lounge, Lori got to pick the TV channel. It was quite amusing seeing a room full of truck drivers watching Regis & Kelly and The View.
We're now waiting at a cold storage facility in Riverside to pick up a load of produce going to a Wal-Mart distribution center just south of Kansas City. It doesn't deliver until Saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. so we can actually take our time getting there. It would be nice to stop at a grocery store along the way so we can restock the pantry and cooler.
Looking forward to being home next weekend for our annual Family Reunion picnic.
It was time to have our 22,000-mile routine maintenance done, so we scheduled an appointment at the truck stop in Ontario to have it done. While we were waiting, we noticed a nice leak out of the back of our water pump. We figured they could fix that along with doing our maintenance.
No such luck. Since the truck is under warranty, we had to go to a Freightliner dealer to have the water pump fixed. By the time we finished with the maitenance work and drove over to the dealer in Ontario, it was 4:15 - which meant having to wait until the next morning to get the work done. So, we spent the night in the dealer parking lot.
They started working on the truck about 6:30 a.m. but it took until after 3:00 to finish! However, the waiting wasn't all that bad. Since we were the first ones in the customer lounge, Lori got to pick the TV channel. It was quite amusing seeing a room full of truck drivers watching Regis & Kelly and The View.
We're now waiting at a cold storage facility in Riverside to pick up a load of produce going to a Wal-Mart distribution center just south of Kansas City. It doesn't deliver until Saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. so we can actually take our time getting there. It would be nice to stop at a grocery store along the way so we can restock the pantry and cooler.
Looking forward to being home next weekend for our annual Family Reunion picnic.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Home time
We made it home late Saturday night/early Sunday morning. It wasn't as warm as we'd hoped (and it was raining) but it's always nice to come home.
We spent Sunday with the grandkids, went to church, and helped out our son, Jason, who broke his foot earlier in the week. On Monday, we made our delivery to the local Costco distribution center and then headed back to Jason's again.
We had asked our FM, Cheryl, if we could stay through Tuesday so I could vote. Lori had mailed in her absentee ballot during our last trip home but I hadn't sent away for a mail-in ballot soon enough. I was grateful to have the opportunity to vote in this election given that I believe there are some very important issues to address this time (particularly Prop 4 and Prop 8) in addition to selecting our next president.
Haven't heard where we're headed to next or when we're going but will update you all when we do.
We spent Sunday with the grandkids, went to church, and helped out our son, Jason, who broke his foot earlier in the week. On Monday, we made our delivery to the local Costco distribution center and then headed back to Jason's again.
We had asked our FM, Cheryl, if we could stay through Tuesday so I could vote. Lori had mailed in her absentee ballot during our last trip home but I hadn't sent away for a mail-in ballot soon enough. I was grateful to have the opportunity to vote in this election given that I believe there are some very important issues to address this time (particularly Prop 4 and Prop 8) in addition to selecting our next president.
Haven't heard where we're headed to next or when we're going but will update you all when we do.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Dinner break
We've just had a nice dinner with our son and daughter, Brent and Christina, in Phoenix. The load from Texas was ready soon enough that we were able to spend a few hours with them and still be able to make our delivery in Walnut, CA tomorrow morning.
Brent has joined with with several other mortgage industry folks to start up a new mortgage company, Lendability. (You can check out their website a www.lendability.com.) They are getting a lot of traffic and inquiries, even with the slow state of the industry. We are confident in both Brent's abilities and the future of the economy, so we are hopeful their business will soon be booming.
We think, however, the heat has affected their senses. Here it is the first week in October and the temperature gauges we saw today were reading well over 100 degrees. When we commented about the heat to Brent and Christina, they said no, the weather was beautiful today. Well, at least it's a "dry heat."
We're hoping to spend a little time at home tomorrow as our first delivery is scheduled for tomorrow at 8 a.m., with the second part of the load not due for delivery until Friday morning at 11:30. We'll have to wait and see, though, as schedules could still change.
Brent has joined with with several other mortgage industry folks to start up a new mortgage company, Lendability. (You can check out their website a www.lendability.com.) They are getting a lot of traffic and inquiries, even with the slow state of the industry. We are confident in both Brent's abilities and the future of the economy, so we are hopeful their business will soon be booming.
We think, however, the heat has affected their senses. Here it is the first week in October and the temperature gauges we saw today were reading well over 100 degrees. When we commented about the heat to Brent and Christina, they said no, the weather was beautiful today. Well, at least it's a "dry heat."
We're hoping to spend a little time at home tomorrow as our first delivery is scheduled for tomorrow at 8 a.m., with the second part of the load not due for delivery until Friday morning at 11:30. We'll have to wait and see, though, as schedules could still change.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Back at it
What a great time at home! We spent five days at home relaxing and spending time with family, including a somewhat belated birthday party for Lori and her twin sister. Everybody was over to the house on Saturday for smoked ribs, chicken, hot links, corn bread, cole slaw, "armadillo eggs," peanut butter pie, and peach cobbler. Of course, we made enough to have left overs on the truck.
We got back to it Monday morning with a pickup of Rival home appliances in Fontana. But that wasn't until after headquarters managed to track down the driver who had left his locks on the empty trailer we were trying to pick up at the drop yard in Ontario. We had already called the local truck service facility to send somebody over to cut off the locks but got to call him off in the nick of time. Needless to say, we were not pleased about the delay. There was really NO reason for this driver to lock up an EMPTY trailer (other than he wanted to make sure it was still there when HE was ready to get back on the road; just plain rude.)
From Fontana it was straight through to Grantsville, UT (just outside of Salt Lake) for the delivery at a Wal-mart distribution center. Actually, we just dropped the loaded trailer and picked up another empty one. After a LONG day, we headed over to the Prime yard in Salt Lake to spend the night. We're waiting in line at the inspection bay to get one of our trailer tires looked at; it appears to have a leak.
We do have a load assignment for pickup later this evening. It's headed for Tennessee but our plan is to take it to headquarters in Springfield so I can take my license test.
We got back to it Monday morning with a pickup of Rival home appliances in Fontana. But that wasn't until after headquarters managed to track down the driver who had left his locks on the empty trailer we were trying to pick up at the drop yard in Ontario. We had already called the local truck service facility to send somebody over to cut off the locks but got to call him off in the nick of time. Needless to say, we were not pleased about the delay. There was really NO reason for this driver to lock up an EMPTY trailer (other than he wanted to make sure it was still there when HE was ready to get back on the road; just plain rude.)
From Fontana it was straight through to Grantsville, UT (just outside of Salt Lake) for the delivery at a Wal-mart distribution center. Actually, we just dropped the loaded trailer and picked up another empty one. After a LONG day, we headed over to the Prime yard in Salt Lake to spend the night. We're waiting in line at the inspection bay to get one of our trailer tires looked at; it appears to have a leak.
We do have a load assignment for pickup later this evening. It's headed for Tennessee but our plan is to take it to headquarters in Springfield so I can take my license test.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Number 3 on the way
Great news from Hawaii; grandbaby number three is on the way!
Elizabeth and Kim just learned that they're pregnant. Liz took her first trip to the doctor this week and everything is on track. Her due date is April 27, 2009.
You can follow the adventures of Baby Hamilton at his/her blog: http://babyhamilton09.blogspot.com
Elizabeth and Kim just learned that they're pregnant. Liz took her first trip to the doctor this week and everything is on track. Her due date is April 27, 2009.
You can follow the adventures of Baby Hamilton at his/her blog: http://babyhamilton09.blogspot.com
Sunday, August 17, 2008
A BIG thank you
A big thank you to all our friends and family who helped us celebrate Mike’s retirement and our transition into this new phase of life. Your love and support mean so much to us.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Everybody loves a wedding
Here are some photos from the July 3 marriage of Lori and Mike's daughter, Elizabeth, to Kim Hamilton. Enjoy!
P.S. - The countdown is underway for daughter Shannon's wedding next August. You can visit Shannon and Chris' wedding website by clicking here.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Back Out
Lori's back out on the road again following Lizzie's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and a fun reception. Best of all, there were none of the all-too-typical wedding day snafus.
On Friday, Mike broke out his smoker and 'cued some ribs, chicken thighs and breasts, and hot links for a family Fourth of July get-together. Add cole slaw, beans, roasted corn, and leftover wedding cake and you've got yourself quite a feast. Good thing the air conditioner was working at the house since it was "hotter than a firecracker" here in Norco.
Lori's not so lucky on the air conditioning situation. After getting her APU fixed on Wednesday, she tried to start it up again today and got an "overheating" alarm. A quick check of the coolant reservoir showed it was empty, with a nice big puddle on the driveway. Guess it's back to the shop but who knows when!
Lori's on her way to Las Lunas, NM (just south of Albuquerque) with various types of produce destined for Wal-Mart. There's plums, lettuce, broccoli, and croutons on board. Mike went with her to pick up an empty trailer and then over to the cold storage facility in Riverside to help count the load. Wal-Mart loads are always "shipper load, driver count" which means the warehouse workers will put the stuff on the trailer but the driver is responsible for making sure everything that's listed on the bill of lading is on the trailer before they leave.
This cold storage place was pretty amazing. Not surprisingly, it's physically huge - 30 feet tall, over 70 loading docks. But the "coolest" thing is how cold it is inside. It's got to be somewhere in the mid-30's to 40's. All of the workers are dressed in snow clothes - big jackets, insulated overalls, and wool caps. And there's Lori and I in our shorts counting pallets! I can only imagine the electric bill for this place.
Lori is due in New Mexico by 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. Not sure where she'll be going after that.
On Friday, Mike broke out his smoker and 'cued some ribs, chicken thighs and breasts, and hot links for a family Fourth of July get-together. Add cole slaw, beans, roasted corn, and leftover wedding cake and you've got yourself quite a feast. Good thing the air conditioner was working at the house since it was "hotter than a firecracker" here in Norco.
Lori's not so lucky on the air conditioning situation. After getting her APU fixed on Wednesday, she tried to start it up again today and got an "overheating" alarm. A quick check of the coolant reservoir showed it was empty, with a nice big puddle on the driveway. Guess it's back to the shop but who knows when!
Lori's on her way to Las Lunas, NM (just south of Albuquerque) with various types of produce destined for Wal-Mart. There's plums, lettuce, broccoli, and croutons on board. Mike went with her to pick up an empty trailer and then over to the cold storage facility in Riverside to help count the load. Wal-Mart loads are always "shipper load, driver count" which means the warehouse workers will put the stuff on the trailer but the driver is responsible for making sure everything that's listed on the bill of lading is on the trailer before they leave.
This cold storage place was pretty amazing. Not surprisingly, it's physically huge - 30 feet tall, over 70 loading docks. But the "coolest" thing is how cold it is inside. It's got to be somewhere in the mid-30's to 40's. All of the workers are dressed in snow clothes - big jackets, insulated overalls, and wool caps. And there's Lori and I in our shorts counting pallets! I can only imagine the electric bill for this place.
Lori is due in New Mexico by 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. Not sure where she'll be going after that.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Staying (Relatively) Close to Home
Lori hit the road this morning after a great weekend with family, including a train ride to the beach with the grandkids (see photo below) and Lizzie's wedding shower.
Jenna and Tyler with Aunt Lynne taking a lunch break.
Lori's staying close to home for the rest of this week since she has to be back Friday morning for an additional doctor appointment. Fortunately, Prime appears to have more than enough business in the region this week so she shouldn't have any problems getting enough loads to keep her busy.
This morning, she picked up a trailer at the Ontario drop yard and took it about 40 miles to Perris. It was a load of "liquid plastic" in barrels, which sloshed around quite a bit making the trailer a little challening to pull.
After that, it was back to the Ontario yard to pick up another trailer headed for Woodland, CA. When Lori first talked to her dispatcher about the load she assumed it was headed for Woodland Hills, a couple of hours away on the west end of the San Fernando Valley. In reality, the load is heading for Woodland (without the Hills on the end), which is just north of Sacramento - nearly 500 miles away. Not a big deal, really; just not what Lori was expecting.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Nap Time
The last two days have been pretty exhausting for Lori as she made her way home for the weekend. Wednesday included a stop in Phoenix to visit with our son and daughter-in-law for a few hours before driving into Ontario to make an early-Thursday delivery.
Dispatch took full advantage of Lori's offer to do whatever local runs might be available for the rest of Thursday. They kept her busy with three different runs, including a "short jaunt" up to Oxnard to pick up ONE pallet of kale and collard greens before heading down to Anaheim to fill up the rest of the trailer with flowers. The Oxnard run was late enough that Mike got to ride with her after he got off work. Lori dropped him off to go home before heading down to Anaheim for an early Friday morning pickup.
After that she took the trailer to Prime's "drop yard" in Ontario for someone else to take onto Utah before heading to grandson Tyler's "graduation" from kindergarten. When that was finished, she was finally able to grab something to eat, hit the shower, and then collapse into bed for some sleep.
Lori is off the road until late Monday or early Tuesday but we'll probably do one post over this weekend with some photos that Lori took of some tornado/wind damage she saw as she was driving across Nebraska last week.
Dispatch took full advantage of Lori's offer to do whatever local runs might be available for the rest of Thursday. They kept her busy with three different runs, including a "short jaunt" up to Oxnard to pick up ONE pallet of kale and collard greens before heading down to Anaheim to fill up the rest of the trailer with flowers. The Oxnard run was late enough that Mike got to ride with her after he got off work. Lori dropped him off to go home before heading down to Anaheim for an early Friday morning pickup.
After that she took the trailer to Prime's "drop yard" in Ontario for someone else to take onto Utah before heading to grandson Tyler's "graduation" from kindergarten. When that was finished, she was finally able to grab something to eat, hit the shower, and then collapse into bed for some sleep.
Lori is off the road until late Monday or early Tuesday but we'll probably do one post over this weekend with some photos that Lori took of some tornado/wind damage she saw as she was driving across Nebraska last week.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Home Run
Lori's on her way home - but not with a load of Kansas beef. Instead, she's filled with various cooking oils headed for Ontario, California, which is just up the freeway from home. That load was dropped off at the Denver yard Tuesday morning, thus saving Lori (and Prime) a 350 mile deadhead to Dodge City.
The original routing called for her to come over the Rockies and down I-15 through Utah. But she asked if she could be re-routed toward the south through Phoenix so she could stop and visit with her son and daughter-in-law. Headquarters said sure since it wouldn't add too many miles to the trip, as long as she made the scheduled delivery on Thursday morning at 10 a.m. That shouldn't be a problem since Lori's already in Phoenix this afternoon and can make it into Ontario with plenty of time if she leaves this evening.
She has offered to do any local So Cal runs that might be necessary on Thursday since she wasn't supposed to be home until Friday. She would, however, like to be able to attend grandson Tyler's kindergarten graduation on Friday!
The plan is for Lori to be home for the weekend through Monday so we can attend daughter Liz's wedding shower Sunday evening. That will also allow both of us to attend the Sunday afternoon memorial service for the wife of the assistant pastor at our church in Anaheim.
Lori's next return home will be the first week in July for Liz's wedding. After that, Lori isn't planning on coming home until it's time to come get Mike for the trip to Springfield after he gets his commercial driver's license. The plan is for Mike to attend four weeks of truck driving school near home for 4 weeks beginning in late August, getting his license, going to headquarters to take his road test for Prime, and then getting on a truck as a trainee with Lori full-time.
That will work just like Lori's training with Tamara; 80,000 miles as a trainee before becoming a full-fledged "A" seat driver for Prime.
The original routing called for her to come over the Rockies and down I-15 through Utah. But she asked if she could be re-routed toward the south through Phoenix so she could stop and visit with her son and daughter-in-law. Headquarters said sure since it wouldn't add too many miles to the trip, as long as she made the scheduled delivery on Thursday morning at 10 a.m. That shouldn't be a problem since Lori's already in Phoenix this afternoon and can make it into Ontario with plenty of time if she leaves this evening.
She has offered to do any local So Cal runs that might be necessary on Thursday since she wasn't supposed to be home until Friday. She would, however, like to be able to attend grandson Tyler's kindergarten graduation on Friday!
The plan is for Lori to be home for the weekend through Monday so we can attend daughter Liz's wedding shower Sunday evening. That will also allow both of us to attend the Sunday afternoon memorial service for the wife of the assistant pastor at our church in Anaheim.
Lori's next return home will be the first week in July for Liz's wedding. After that, Lori isn't planning on coming home until it's time to come get Mike for the trip to Springfield after he gets his commercial driver's license. The plan is for Mike to attend four weeks of truck driving school near home for 4 weeks beginning in late August, getting his license, going to headquarters to take his road test for Prime, and then getting on a truck as a trainee with Lori full-time.
That will work just like Lori's training with Tamara; 80,000 miles as a trainee before becoming a full-fledged "A" seat driver for Prime.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
More big news from this weekend
Shannon's graduation wasn't the only big event that took place this past weekend while Lori was home. Her boyfriend, Chris, became her fiancee Saturday after "popping the question."They're planning on an August wedding; thankfully it's August 2009 so Mike and Lori can have a year to "recover" from Lizzie's wedding this coming July.
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