Loose Cannon
May 16, 07, 1:47 am
Tour of Duty 16th April to 8th May 2007
After an all too short break at home I got a ride to the Amtrak train station in Anaheim to catch a train to San Diego in order to get the next truck.
I got to the station and after a brief wait I purchased ticket and checked my bags but only after some hassle as the agent said that they normally do not check things such as books. My logbook, road atlas and other handbooks were in one bag and my clothes were in the other.
Amtrak Pacific Surfliner #572 ANA-SAN Unreserved Coach Scheduled departure 11h51, actual 11h53 Scheduled arrival 13h55, actual 14h22 Ticket cost: $20.00
This train was scheduled to make stops in Santa Ana, Irvine, San Juan Capistrano, Oceanside and Solana Beach before the final stop in downtown San Diego. En route I saw what used to be the US Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente Pier and the Pacific Ocean and part of Camp Pendleton before reaching the city of Oceanside.
We had a delay at Oceanside. I saw police approach the train and a short while later two guys were led off in handcuffs one at a time. I later heard that the two guys were drunk and they were caught trying to evade paying for a ticket.
Later I saw the Self Realisation Fellowship in Encinitas and the Racetrack in Del Mar before we arrived 27 minutes late in San Diego. The extra time in Oceanside accounted for about 20 of those minutes.
I hired a cab to National City and after some delay because the truck needed a new mirror and the fuel needed to be topped up, I got underway.
Trip: National City, CA to Orem, UT 724 paid miles Routes: Interstate 5 to Interstate 15 to Interstate 215 back to Interstate 15 Maximum Elevation 6,600'
I got as far as San Bernardino, CA the first evening, Mesquite, NV the second evening and Provo, UT the third evening. It was windy in Mesquite, NV and breezy to windy much of the following day in Utah. It clouded up as I progressed past Cedar City and I encountered precipitation starting around Santiguin, UT and it was a rain/snow mix. I had a good motel deal in Mesquite, NV. However I stayed at the Colony Inn in Provo, UT and was satisfied the previous two times but this time the price was higher and the room was not as sanitary as before. There was some light snow/sleet along with a little thunder as I went to dinner at Sizzler in Provo.
Next day I delivered truck in Orem and took shuttle to SLC. I had gotten word next truck was in Streator, IL going to Regina, SK. I met another driver who was also going to Streator to get a truck going elsewhere. We got our respective confirmation codes and instead of flying nonstop on Southwest to MDW we were routed through DEN on Frontier for a much later arrival but less cost to the company.
I checked in and checked bags. There was no secondary screening and carry-ons were not searched.
Frontier #129 SLC-DEN A-319 Seat 19D Cruising altitude 37,000' Estimated flying time 0:55, actual 0:54 Scheduled departure 16h45, actual 16h47 Scheduled arrival 18h10, actual 17h58
Plane was totally full with all 132 seats taken. I was unable to get a window seat. Pushback was 2 minutes late followed by taxi of 10 minutes and takeoff to north. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:20. There was drink run, got cup of soda. Announced it was 61F in Denver. Descent started at 0:32 and seatbelt sign went on at 0:35. There were some real good bumps on descent after clearing the Rockies. Gear went down at 0:52 and we landed north to south. Taxi was 7 minutes and we arrived 12 minutes early.
I saw the next flight was going to be late. I walked around some and got a Quizno's sub during the latter part of the layover for consumption on the next flight.
Frontier #546 DEN-MDW A-319 Seat 4F Cruising altitude 39,000' Estimated flying time 1:45, actual 1:48 Scheduled departure 20h05, actual 20h53 Scheduled arrival 23h25, actual 23h59 Ticket cost: unknown
Plane was late arriving from Orlando so we were late leaving. This flight was not totally full and middle seat next to me was open. Pushback was 48 minutes late followed by taxi/hold of 14 minutes then takeoff to east. Seatbelt went off at 0:17 as we entered Nebraska. The live map was on though I elected not to pay the $5 to watch the other channels on Direct TV. I heard that Frontier went completely cashless in its cabins; no more cash will be accepted as payment for drinks or to activate the Direct TV.
There was a drink run and I got cup of soda and was given choice of Sun Chips or Doritos. I also consumed the sub I bought earlier. As we nicked the NW corner of Missouri I was offered and accepted more soda. Gradual descent started at 1:12 over SE Iowa and I felt descent begin in earnest as we crossed into Illinois. Seatbelt sign went on at 1:32 and gear went down at 1:45. I saw the 294 Tri-State Tollway on final. We landed southwest to northeast and taxi was 3 minutes and we arrived 34 minutes late.
First bag came at 00h16 and last bag came at 00h19 and I got ride with other driver to Streator, IL where I checked into motel around 02h00. At
12h00 I checked out and we hired cab to the shipper.
Trip: Streator, IL to Regina, SK 1,164 miles Routes: Illinois 23 to Interstate 39to Interstate 90 to Interstate 94 to US52 to Saskatchewan 39 to Saskatchewan 6 to Saskatchewan 11: Ring Road Maximum Elevation: at least 1,800'
I was looking forward to this trip and this was a good truck to drive as well. Weather started out good and I spent the first night in New Lisbon, WI. Next day it got up to 83F in the Twin Cities and I encountered a brief thunderstorm complete with cloud to ground lightning bolts and a brief heavy downpour in Hudson, WI. I was at truckstop at the worst of the storm and after the rain let up I got rolling again and the rain quit before I cleared the Twin Cities. There were a few showers as I approached Fargo, ND. I spent the night in Fargo and a thunderstorm came through after I shut down.
Following morning was Sunday and it was foggy when I woke up. I proceeded to Jamestown, ND and conditions improved. At Jamestown I was taken to Sunday morning church service at Faith Baptist Church. There were only 10 people in the building including the pastor and myself. Afterward I had lunch with a church member and saw a little of Jamestown including Frontier Village then I got rolling and saw, among other cities, Carrington and Harvey before getting to Minot where I shut down.
I was taken to Sunday evening service at Dakota Baptist Chruch in Minot then went to truck stop where I had dinner before being taken back to motel. Monday I had to stop and hold short in Portal, ND just shy of the border because a paperwork issue prevented me from crossing the border until Tuesday.
On Tuesday I crossed the border on foot and had to talk to customs agent at the booth before proceeding to broker where I got important piece of paperwork then had to see U.S. Customs where I was cleared to export the truck. I crossed the border in the truck and was directed to Immigration where there was a considerable wait (I did not time the wait) then the truck and my personal belongings were searched then I saw the broker again then back to customs where I was finally cleared to proceed.
This was my first time in Saskatchewan and I saw a few rolling hills between the border and Estevan. I made a pit stop in Estevan where the oil industry is important. The weigh scale just past Estevan was closed. I had a little bit of lunch in Weyburn and went through Yellow Grass (Canada's hottest spot at 114F back in 1937) and Lang before reaching Regina. The roads were two lane nearly all the way to Regina and the speed limit was mostly 100km/h. Some roads were a bit rough and not as well maintained as those in Alberta and Ontario.
Because of the delays at the border I made it to the receiver in Regina less than 30 minutes before scheduled closing time and I delivered the truck. Perhaps this was good because I was offered a ride to the airport so I did not have to hire a cab. I saw a bit of Regina on my way to the airport and then arrived at the airport. I checked in, checked bags and got dinner outside security. I cleared security VERY quickly with no search of belongings or any secondary screening. Regina has a small airport but there are some jetways.
West Jet #899 YQR-YYC B-737-700 Seat 8A Cruising altitude 40,000' Estimated flying time 1:08, actual 1:03 Scheduled departure 21h00, actual
20h52 Scheduled arrival 22h20, actual 22h10
Plane was not very full. Capacity was 136Y. It was announced bumps were announced at 14,000' and below on approach into Calgary due to winds. Pushback was 8 minutes early. Taxi/hold was 8 minutes followed by takeoff to southeast. I saw lights of downtown Regina, Parliament building and the metro area immmediately after takeoff. Then I could not tell where I was for a while. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:03. I saw lights of what looked to be Moose Jaw, SK. Headsets were offered for sale. There was drink run and I got cup of ginger ale along with small 14g bag of pretzels. I saw faint amount of light to west as we approached cruise and we got to cruise at 0:16. Descent started at 0:38 over eastern Alberta. Seatbelt sign went on at 0:50 and I felt some bumps. Direct TV shut down on approach. I saw downtown Calgary on final. We landed, taxi was 6 minutes and we arrived 10 minutes early.
West Jet #642 YYC-YUL B-737-700 Seat 2A Cruising altitude 39,000' Estimated flying time 3:31, actual 3:43 Scheduled departure 01h00, actual
01h06. Scheduled arrival 07h04, actual 07h09 Ticket cost: unknown
After a layover we boarded. This plane was fuller but still not completely full. I thought I heard 105 pax out of 136 seats plus 6 crew. My seat, 2A, was the bulkhead row on the captain's side. Everyone was ready to go early but the captain announced we would wait until scheduled departure to pushback because of noise curfew in Montreal we would not be allowed to land before 07h00. It was also announced the first 2:45 of flight should be smooth but some bumps could be expected after Thunder Bay. Weather in Montreal was announced as few clouds and 6C.
Pushback was 6 minutes late followed by taxi of 12 minutes and takeoff to west. There was turn to north then east. I saw downtown Calgary on takeoff. Buy on Board was offered, various sandwiches and such but I was not interested. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:13. There were a couple bumps during latter part of climb and we reached cruise at about 0:20. I tried to sleep but without success though I may have dozed off a time or two. Seatbelt sign went on at 2:33 over Ontario due to bumps.
I saw sunrise and a lot of lakes. I felt initial descent at 2:41. Seatbelt sign went off at 2:48 and we seem to have levelled off. I saw more lakes as we entered Quebec. I felt descent again at 3:01. We turned from southeast to northeast. Seatbelt sign went on again at 3:34. The Direct TV was switched off and we overflew downtown Montreal and I saw YUL then we circled around and we landed east to west. Taxi was 6 minutes and we arrived 5 minutes late. After touchdown announcements were first made in French then English. I got first bag at 07h27 and last bag at 07h31. After wait I was picked up and taken to yard where I picked up truck bound for Georgia.
Trip: Montreal, QC to Lawrenceville, GA 1,200 miles Routes: Quebec 20 to Quebec 15 to Interstate 87 to Interstate 84 to Interstate 81 to Interstate 77to Interstate 40 to US321 to Interstate 85 to Georgia 20 Maximum elevation: at least 2,299'
After picking up the truck I filled out paperwork necessary for U.S. Customs. I got to the border and was sent to building where there was radiation detector then I was clear to proceed. I shut down in Plattsburgh, NY and was exhausted after no sleep the night before. I was in Canada just under 24 hours.
The weather was cool in the north but warmed as I proceeded south. Sunday morning I attended service at Temple Baptist in Statesville, NC. Then I took an alternate route via Hickory and dropped down to Gastonia in order to avoid Charlotte. I attended evening service at Faith Free Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC.
Monday I delivered truck and was in a state of uncertainty even after being picked up by the brother of my sister's husband. We were going to get a bite but I called the company and was given a confirmation code little more than two hours before scheduled departure. I was to fly USAirways to Charlotte then on to Cleveland and get a truck to be taken to Montreal. I was taken to MARTA station and it was a good 45 minutes before I got to the airport. MARTA has a station at ATL which is very handy and light rail was no doubt quicker than driving during evening rush hour. I got over to USAirways with one or two minutes to spare before check in for the flight was to be cut off.
I ended up being bumped over to Delta for their nonstop to CLE because USAirways to CLT was running late and there was concern I (or my bags) would misconnect. I figured one less chance to lose my bags so I did not object. I went over to Delta, checked in, checked bags after shifting some things to get weight right. Then I cleared security and experienced secondary screening. There was no wanding but my carry-ons were swabbed and I was given a pat down.
I saw my new flight was running late so I went to E concourse and got a quick bite to eat. Then I rushed over to E29 and found out there was a gate change to C32 so took the train to the C Concourse and rushed to C32 where I found out the flight was to be even later. Another flight was boarded from my scheduled gate.
(To be continued)
After an all too short break at home I got a ride to the Amtrak train station in Anaheim to catch a train to San Diego in order to get the next truck.
I got to the station and after a brief wait I purchased ticket and checked my bags but only after some hassle as the agent said that they normally do not check things such as books. My logbook, road atlas and other handbooks were in one bag and my clothes were in the other.
Amtrak Pacific Surfliner #572 ANA-SAN Unreserved Coach Scheduled departure 11h51, actual 11h53 Scheduled arrival 13h55, actual 14h22 Ticket cost: $20.00
This train was scheduled to make stops in Santa Ana, Irvine, San Juan Capistrano, Oceanside and Solana Beach before the final stop in downtown San Diego. En route I saw what used to be the US Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente Pier and the Pacific Ocean and part of Camp Pendleton before reaching the city of Oceanside.
We had a delay at Oceanside. I saw police approach the train and a short while later two guys were led off in handcuffs one at a time. I later heard that the two guys were drunk and they were caught trying to evade paying for a ticket.
Later I saw the Self Realisation Fellowship in Encinitas and the Racetrack in Del Mar before we arrived 27 minutes late in San Diego. The extra time in Oceanside accounted for about 20 of those minutes.
I hired a cab to National City and after some delay because the truck needed a new mirror and the fuel needed to be topped up, I got underway.
Trip: National City, CA to Orem, UT 724 paid miles Routes: Interstate 5 to Interstate 15 to Interstate 215 back to Interstate 15 Maximum Elevation 6,600'
I got as far as San Bernardino, CA the first evening, Mesquite, NV the second evening and Provo, UT the third evening. It was windy in Mesquite, NV and breezy to windy much of the following day in Utah. It clouded up as I progressed past Cedar City and I encountered precipitation starting around Santiguin, UT and it was a rain/snow mix. I had a good motel deal in Mesquite, NV. However I stayed at the Colony Inn in Provo, UT and was satisfied the previous two times but this time the price was higher and the room was not as sanitary as before. There was some light snow/sleet along with a little thunder as I went to dinner at Sizzler in Provo.
Next day I delivered truck in Orem and took shuttle to SLC. I had gotten word next truck was in Streator, IL going to Regina, SK. I met another driver who was also going to Streator to get a truck going elsewhere. We got our respective confirmation codes and instead of flying nonstop on Southwest to MDW we were routed through DEN on Frontier for a much later arrival but less cost to the company.
I checked in and checked bags. There was no secondary screening and carry-ons were not searched.
Frontier #129 SLC-DEN A-319 Seat 19D Cruising altitude 37,000' Estimated flying time 0:55, actual 0:54 Scheduled departure 16h45, actual 16h47 Scheduled arrival 18h10, actual 17h58
Plane was totally full with all 132 seats taken. I was unable to get a window seat. Pushback was 2 minutes late followed by taxi of 10 minutes and takeoff to north. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:20. There was drink run, got cup of soda. Announced it was 61F in Denver. Descent started at 0:32 and seatbelt sign went on at 0:35. There were some real good bumps on descent after clearing the Rockies. Gear went down at 0:52 and we landed north to south. Taxi was 7 minutes and we arrived 12 minutes early.
I saw the next flight was going to be late. I walked around some and got a Quizno's sub during the latter part of the layover for consumption on the next flight.
Frontier #546 DEN-MDW A-319 Seat 4F Cruising altitude 39,000' Estimated flying time 1:45, actual 1:48 Scheduled departure 20h05, actual 20h53 Scheduled arrival 23h25, actual 23h59 Ticket cost: unknown
Plane was late arriving from Orlando so we were late leaving. This flight was not totally full and middle seat next to me was open. Pushback was 48 minutes late followed by taxi/hold of 14 minutes then takeoff to east. Seatbelt went off at 0:17 as we entered Nebraska. The live map was on though I elected not to pay the $5 to watch the other channels on Direct TV. I heard that Frontier went completely cashless in its cabins; no more cash will be accepted as payment for drinks or to activate the Direct TV.
There was a drink run and I got cup of soda and was given choice of Sun Chips or Doritos. I also consumed the sub I bought earlier. As we nicked the NW corner of Missouri I was offered and accepted more soda. Gradual descent started at 1:12 over SE Iowa and I felt descent begin in earnest as we crossed into Illinois. Seatbelt sign went on at 1:32 and gear went down at 1:45. I saw the 294 Tri-State Tollway on final. We landed southwest to northeast and taxi was 3 minutes and we arrived 34 minutes late.
First bag came at 00h16 and last bag came at 00h19 and I got ride with other driver to Streator, IL where I checked into motel around 02h00. At
12h00 I checked out and we hired cab to the shipper.
Trip: Streator, IL to Regina, SK 1,164 miles Routes: Illinois 23 to Interstate 39to Interstate 90 to Interstate 94 to US52 to Saskatchewan 39 to Saskatchewan 6 to Saskatchewan 11: Ring Road Maximum Elevation: at least 1,800'
I was looking forward to this trip and this was a good truck to drive as well. Weather started out good and I spent the first night in New Lisbon, WI. Next day it got up to 83F in the Twin Cities and I encountered a brief thunderstorm complete with cloud to ground lightning bolts and a brief heavy downpour in Hudson, WI. I was at truckstop at the worst of the storm and after the rain let up I got rolling again and the rain quit before I cleared the Twin Cities. There were a few showers as I approached Fargo, ND. I spent the night in Fargo and a thunderstorm came through after I shut down.
Following morning was Sunday and it was foggy when I woke up. I proceeded to Jamestown, ND and conditions improved. At Jamestown I was taken to Sunday morning church service at Faith Baptist Church. There were only 10 people in the building including the pastor and myself. Afterward I had lunch with a church member and saw a little of Jamestown including Frontier Village then I got rolling and saw, among other cities, Carrington and Harvey before getting to Minot where I shut down.
I was taken to Sunday evening service at Dakota Baptist Chruch in Minot then went to truck stop where I had dinner before being taken back to motel. Monday I had to stop and hold short in Portal, ND just shy of the border because a paperwork issue prevented me from crossing the border until Tuesday.
On Tuesday I crossed the border on foot and had to talk to customs agent at the booth before proceeding to broker where I got important piece of paperwork then had to see U.S. Customs where I was cleared to export the truck. I crossed the border in the truck and was directed to Immigration where there was a considerable wait (I did not time the wait) then the truck and my personal belongings were searched then I saw the broker again then back to customs where I was finally cleared to proceed.
This was my first time in Saskatchewan and I saw a few rolling hills between the border and Estevan. I made a pit stop in Estevan where the oil industry is important. The weigh scale just past Estevan was closed. I had a little bit of lunch in Weyburn and went through Yellow Grass (Canada's hottest spot at 114F back in 1937) and Lang before reaching Regina. The roads were two lane nearly all the way to Regina and the speed limit was mostly 100km/h. Some roads were a bit rough and not as well maintained as those in Alberta and Ontario.
Because of the delays at the border I made it to the receiver in Regina less than 30 minutes before scheduled closing time and I delivered the truck. Perhaps this was good because I was offered a ride to the airport so I did not have to hire a cab. I saw a bit of Regina on my way to the airport and then arrived at the airport. I checked in, checked bags and got dinner outside security. I cleared security VERY quickly with no search of belongings or any secondary screening. Regina has a small airport but there are some jetways.
West Jet #899 YQR-YYC B-737-700 Seat 8A Cruising altitude 40,000' Estimated flying time 1:08, actual 1:03 Scheduled departure 21h00, actual
20h52 Scheduled arrival 22h20, actual 22h10
Plane was not very full. Capacity was 136Y. It was announced bumps were announced at 14,000' and below on approach into Calgary due to winds. Pushback was 8 minutes early. Taxi/hold was 8 minutes followed by takeoff to southeast. I saw lights of downtown Regina, Parliament building and the metro area immmediately after takeoff. Then I could not tell where I was for a while. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:03. I saw lights of what looked to be Moose Jaw, SK. Headsets were offered for sale. There was drink run and I got cup of ginger ale along with small 14g bag of pretzels. I saw faint amount of light to west as we approached cruise and we got to cruise at 0:16. Descent started at 0:38 over eastern Alberta. Seatbelt sign went on at 0:50 and I felt some bumps. Direct TV shut down on approach. I saw downtown Calgary on final. We landed, taxi was 6 minutes and we arrived 10 minutes early.
West Jet #642 YYC-YUL B-737-700 Seat 2A Cruising altitude 39,000' Estimated flying time 3:31, actual 3:43 Scheduled departure 01h00, actual
01h06. Scheduled arrival 07h04, actual 07h09 Ticket cost: unknown
After a layover we boarded. This plane was fuller but still not completely full. I thought I heard 105 pax out of 136 seats plus 6 crew. My seat, 2A, was the bulkhead row on the captain's side. Everyone was ready to go early but the captain announced we would wait until scheduled departure to pushback because of noise curfew in Montreal we would not be allowed to land before 07h00. It was also announced the first 2:45 of flight should be smooth but some bumps could be expected after Thunder Bay. Weather in Montreal was announced as few clouds and 6C.
Pushback was 6 minutes late followed by taxi of 12 minutes and takeoff to west. There was turn to north then east. I saw downtown Calgary on takeoff. Buy on Board was offered, various sandwiches and such but I was not interested. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:13. There were a couple bumps during latter part of climb and we reached cruise at about 0:20. I tried to sleep but without success though I may have dozed off a time or two. Seatbelt sign went on at 2:33 over Ontario due to bumps.
I saw sunrise and a lot of lakes. I felt initial descent at 2:41. Seatbelt sign went off at 2:48 and we seem to have levelled off. I saw more lakes as we entered Quebec. I felt descent again at 3:01. We turned from southeast to northeast. Seatbelt sign went on again at 3:34. The Direct TV was switched off and we overflew downtown Montreal and I saw YUL then we circled around and we landed east to west. Taxi was 6 minutes and we arrived 5 minutes late. After touchdown announcements were first made in French then English. I got first bag at 07h27 and last bag at 07h31. After wait I was picked up and taken to yard where I picked up truck bound for Georgia.
Trip: Montreal, QC to Lawrenceville, GA 1,200 miles Routes: Quebec 20 to Quebec 15 to Interstate 87 to Interstate 84 to Interstate 81 to Interstate 77to Interstate 40 to US321 to Interstate 85 to Georgia 20 Maximum elevation: at least 2,299'
After picking up the truck I filled out paperwork necessary for U.S. Customs. I got to the border and was sent to building where there was radiation detector then I was clear to proceed. I shut down in Plattsburgh, NY and was exhausted after no sleep the night before. I was in Canada just under 24 hours.
The weather was cool in the north but warmed as I proceeded south. Sunday morning I attended service at Temple Baptist in Statesville, NC. Then I took an alternate route via Hickory and dropped down to Gastonia in order to avoid Charlotte. I attended evening service at Faith Free Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC.
Monday I delivered truck and was in a state of uncertainty even after being picked up by the brother of my sister's husband. We were going to get a bite but I called the company and was given a confirmation code little more than two hours before scheduled departure. I was to fly USAirways to Charlotte then on to Cleveland and get a truck to be taken to Montreal. I was taken to MARTA station and it was a good 45 minutes before I got to the airport. MARTA has a station at ATL which is very handy and light rail was no doubt quicker than driving during evening rush hour. I got over to USAirways with one or two minutes to spare before check in for the flight was to be cut off.
I ended up being bumped over to Delta for their nonstop to CLE because USAirways to CLT was running late and there was concern I (or my bags) would misconnect. I figured one less chance to lose my bags so I did not object. I went over to Delta, checked in, checked bags after shifting some things to get weight right. Then I cleared security and experienced secondary screening. There was no wanding but my carry-ons were swabbed and I was given a pat down.
I saw my new flight was running late so I went to E concourse and got a quick bite to eat. Then I rushed over to E29 and found out there was a gate change to C32 so took the train to the C Concourse and rushed to C32 where I found out the flight was to be even later. Another flight was boarded from my scheduled gate.
(To be continued)