Tour of Duty 12th October 2011 to 7th November 2011 Part I

Time to hit the road again and I got word of a trip from Prineville, Oregon to Innisfil, Ontario. The company booked me on an early morning flight from LAX to PDX on WN with a stop in OAK. I had a super early rise, got the Super Shuttle to LAX and checked in after a queue. My bags weighed 47.5 and 46.5lbs. I then cleared security after a queue of over 20 minutes and my briefcase was examined. I did not have to opt out of the scanner as a new queue opened up which did not have the scanner.

Southwest #757 LAX-OAK B-737-300 Boarding Pass A46 Seat 21A
Cruising altitude 36,000 feet Estimated flying time 0:56, actual 0:53
Depart: Gate 13 Scheduled 07h10, actual 07h15 Taxi: 6 minutes
Arrive: Gate 29 Scheduled 08h25, actual 08h20 Taxi: 5 minutes

I saw the sunrise before boarding. The plane was not full with 81 passengers. It was announced it was clear and 56F at OAK. Pushback was 5 minutes late and takeoff was to the west, over the ocean and a turn north and landfall just before 0:04. I saw Pacific Coast Highway and US101 and Oxnard/Ventura to the distance. We went over Simi Valley and I saw California 118 at 0:06. At 0:08 I saw California 126 then we went over the mountains.

I saw a layer of clouds over the southern San Joaquin Valley but parts of the Valley farther north were clear. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:24 and I got cup of soda at the same time. Descent was announced and seatbelt sign went on at 0:31. I saw the Monterey Peninsula at 0:36. At 0:43 I saw Mt. Hamilton. The Bay Area was partly blocked by clouds.

I saw the south part of the San Francisco Bay and the Dumbarton Bridge at 0:49 and the San Mateo Bridge at 0:51. We went over the Bay and landed south to north and arrived at gate 5 minutes early.

Southwest #757 OAK-PDX B-737-300 Thru Passenger Seat 21A
Cruising altitude not given Estimated flying time not given, actual 1:16
Depart: Gate 29 Scheduled 09h00, actual 09h06 Taxi: 9 minutes
Arrive: C15 Scheduled 10h45, actual 10h34 Taxi: 3 minutes
Reclaim bags 17-18 minutes after arrival

Plane was not full and I had entire row to myself. Pushback was 6 minutes late and takeoff was to the north. I saw San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. I got a brief glimpse of Mt. Diablo to the right and to the left I saw San Quentin State Prison. Then I saw Marin County, California 37, Petaluma, Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa.

At 0:12 I saw Clear Lake. There was a drink run and I got cup of soda at
0:19. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:23 upon reaching cruise. I got pretzels at 0:24. I saw clouds and mountains. At 0:26 I got a glimpse of Mt. Lassen to the right. Seatbelt sign went on at 0:32 and clouds and haze increased as we headed north. At 0:55 I saw the Three Sisters to the right briefly and saw what may have been Eugene, OR.

At 0:57 it was announced it was cloudy and 54F at PDX and I was unsure of when descent actually started. I felt descent at 0:58 and saw the Willamette Valley. Final approach was announced at 1:07 and we made turn east then west and the view was greatly blocked by clouds but I saw Interstate 84 on final approach. We landed east to west on a mostly dry runway and arrived at gate 11 minutes early.

After reclaiming my bags I grabbed a rental car the company reserved for me and started for Redmond, OR. I went through Gresham, Government Camp, Warm Springs and Madras and took a few pictures in Central Oregon before turning in the car at RDM and then I hired a taxi to Prineville where I picked up the truck.

Trip: Prineville, OR to Wyoming, ON 2,375 actual miles Intended destination: Innisfil, ON
Route: US26 to Oregon 201 to Interstate 84 to Interstate 80 to Interstate 94 to Interstate 69 to Blue Water Bridge to Ontario 402
Maximum elevation: 8,640 feet at Sherman Summit on Interstate 80 10 miles east of Laramie, WY.
Make: International
Model: Tank Truck
Transmission: Automatic
Highest diesel price: $4.029/gallon at Loves Heyburn, ID
Lowest diesel price: $3.639/gallon at Pilot Ontario, OR
Permits required: OR Fuel Permit; ID, WY and NE Trip Permits

I got the truck and headed immediately for motel as I had to log the transit time on duty as I did not take a break of ten hours or more before getting the truck. I spent the night in Prineville, OR.

Thursday the weather was fair for the most part. I got emergency triangles then got rolling. It was slow going eastbound on US26 as there were many curves and grades. There were six summits on US26 between Prineville and Ontario, OR, the highest of which was 5,277 feet. There were a few drops of rain between Prairie City and Unity, OR. I got word this was a "hot" truck and it needed to be in Innisfil, ON on Monday for a demonstration. I made a little better time once I got on the Interstate in Idaho and spent the night in Mountain Home, ID.

Friday it was a nice day. There was a lot of construction on Interstate 84 in Idaho and Utah. I spent the night in Rock Springs, WY.

Saturday the weather and temperature were fine but windy with gusts of 45mph (72km/h) in parts of Wyoming. I spent the night in Ogallala, NE.

Sunday I attended morning service at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Ogallala, NE. The sermon was on John 9 and there were a total of 10 people in the building including myself. After church I got on US30 which parallels Interstate 80 in order to bypass a construction zone on the Interstate. Instead of getting back on the Interstate at Paxton I elected to continue to Sutherland with the intention of getting back on the Interstate well past the construction zone.

East of Paxton and west of Sutherland, NE I saw what looked to be smoke and realised there was a problem so I pulled over to the breakdown lane. I thought the truck may be on fire but fortunately it wasn't. However I found the truck suddenly lost all its coolant fluid. I rang the after hours number to notify dispatch then rang the breakdown number. It was about three hours before a tow truck came and towed the truck to the International dealer in North Platte, NE.

The shop was not open on Sunday so I got settled into motel and looked up churches and ended up being taken to Grace Community Bible Church in North Platte. The pastor talked about using social media such as Facebook and Twitter. I spent the night in North Platte, NE.

Monday I got word the truck would be ready that afternoon as it was a heater hose that went, not a crack in the EGR cooler as originally feared. There was drizzle and light rain much of the day. I got the truck back and got underway and ended up spending the night in Avoca, IA.

Tuesday it was cloudy and windy at times with sprinkes and light rain at times. I got to the Howard Johnson in Lansing, IL and checked in and ended up having trouble with the room as the smoke detector kept chirping and even taking the battery out did not help! The clerk was reluctant to allow me to switch to another non smoking room as the only one left had two beds but switch I finally did. I spent a rainy night in Lansing, IL.

Wednesday there was rain and wind and I realised I did not have many hours to legally operate. It rained all day and I shut down and spent the night in Battle Creek, MI and I had only 15 minutes left on my 70 hours in 8 days when I shut down.

Thursday I got some hours back and got rolling. There was rain almost all day. I learned I would hand the truck off to another driver after I crossed the border. I finally crossed the Blue Water Bridge and discovered the new border facility in Sarnia was finally open. I was not sent to Immigration and also I was not even asked about previous issues at the border. After I was cleared I headed to a truckstop in Wyoming, ON I handed off the truck to the other driver who took the truck to Innisfil. I hopped in the company vehicle and was taken to motel in Mt. Hope, ON where I spent the night.

I awoke and was taken for the first time to the new company headquarters in Caledonia, Ontario. I thought I was getting a truck to Baltimore but plans were changed and I was going to Bayonne, New Jersey instead. Then there would be a truck from Parsippany, New Jersey to Nashville or Houston. There was rain at times. After taking care of some business at the yard I got the truck and got started.

Trip: Caledonia, ON to Bayonne, NJ 475 paid miles
Route: Ontario 6 to Link Alexander Parkway to Red Hill Parkway to QEW to Ontario 405 to Interstate 190 to Interstate 290 to Interstate 90 to Interstate 690 to Interstate 81 to Interstate 84 to Interstate 380 to Interstate 80 to Interstate 280 to Interstate 95 to Interstate 78 to New Jersey 440 Maximum elevation: unknown
Make: International
Model: Dump Truck
Transmission: Standard, straight 10
Diesel price (USA): $4.139/gallon at Flying J Pembroke, NY
Permits required: PA Trip Permit

After getting the truck I made my way to the border and was sent to x-ray upon crossing. After I was cleared I spent the first night in Niagara Falls, NY.

Saturday morning a street preacher from the area came and took me to Niagara Falls where I took some pictures and we visited some as well. After I got back to the truck I got started and the truck was a slow truck and did lousy on any upward incline. There were clouds but no rain. I got in late and spent the night in Moosic, PA.

Sunday morning I got up and went to shave but the shaver would not work. I turned it to the "on" position but nothing happened. That burned up some time and my beard started growing. I got directions and made my way to Revival Baptist Church in Scranton, PA. I saw a "low clearance" sign denoting 12'8" and was real cautious and made it under the low bridge. I arrived late but caught some of the sermon which was on Matthew 7.

Fall colours were inconsistent in Pennsylvania with many leaves gone but other trees green and some ugly and a little good colour. I spent the night in Parsippany, NJ.

Monday I delivered to the Port of Bayonne and waited outside the gate in queue a long time. By the time I completed delivery and got the dock receipt it was too late to get the bond canceled so I got the next truck and spent the night in Parsippany, NJ.

Trip: Parsippany, NJ to Nashville, TN 868 paid miles
Route: Interstate 287 to Interstate 78 to Interstate 81 to Interstate 40 to Interstate 65 Maximum elevation: unknown but Wytheville, VA on Interstate 81 is 2,299 feet.
Make: International
Model: Straight Box Truck
Transmission: Automatic
Highest diesel price: $3.899/gallon at TA Bloomsbury, NJ
Lowest diesel price: $3.669/gallon at Flying J Knoxville, TN
Permits required: PA Trip Permit

I hired a taxi to downtown Newark and went to US Customs to get the bond cancelled from the previous delivery. I had to queue up and clear airport style security in order to enter the building. I was wanded. Clearing security took longer than the business I had at hand. Then I returned to the truck parked in Parsippany, NJ and got started on the trip. After fuelling up in New Jersey I continued and ended up spending the night in Winchester, VA.

Wednesday I continued and got a little rain near Winchester, VA. I saw better fall colours in New Market and Raphine, VA and saw some Sassafras leaves. Sassafras leaves are three basic shapes and can be various shades or red, orange or yellow. I was out of the rain by Lexington, VA. I spent the night in Bulls Gap, TN.

Thursday I contacted the customer and was told to deliver the following day. I saw nice fall colours in White Pine, Knoxville and Monterey, TN. There was a rain shower as I started my run on Interstate 40 then after a break in the Knoxville area rain started near Crossville, TN and continued the rest of the day. I saw the exciting part of Game 6 of the World Series and spent the night in Whites Creek, TN.

Friday was rainy when I awoke but the rain let up by the time I got rolling. I went to make delivery and ended up picking up another truck at the same location.

Trip: Nashville, TN to Houston, TX 800 paid miles
Route: Interstate 65 to Interstate 20 to Interstate 55 to Interstate 12 to Interstate 10 to US59 Maximum elevation: unknown
Make: International
Model: Straight Box Truck
Transmission: Automatic
Highest diesel price: $3.999/gallon at Kwik Sak Nashville, TN
Lowest diesel price: $3.779/gallon at Pilot Meridian, MS
Permits required: none

Friday was cold (for the South) and cloudy with temperatures probably not making it up to 50F. The rain quit and I headed to the nearest filling station as the tank was almost empty. I saw some nice fall colours in Nashville and Cornersville, TN. I stopped for a Friday fish buffet in Dodge City, AL at a truckstop and got my fill of frog legs, tilapia and clam strips among other things. I ended up spending the night in York, AL.

Saturday I continued into Mississippi and stopped at Walmart and got a new razor. The weather was nice and clear. I stopped in Jackson, MS and found a place downtown to park and took some pictures of downtown and the State Capitol. There was a little fall colour in Mississippi but most trees were green and there were many pine trees as well. I continued into Louisiana and ended up spending the night in Walker, LA.

Sunday morning it was 40F in Baton Rouge when I woke up but 53F when I was ready to go. I attended service at First Baptist Church of Algiers in Walker, LA. This church used to be located in New Orleans but relocated after Hurricane Katrina. Walker is on Interstate 12, 15 miles east of the junction of Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge. The message was entitled "Encouragement For God's Children" and the place was packed. At the conclusion fo the service was the Lord's Supper (communion).

This was the Radio Missions Fellowship Day and some people came from considerable distances. I talked to a couple who drove all the way from North Carolina. After the service I changed from my shirt,tie and vest to a more comfortable t-shirt then partook of the potluck lunch before I got rolling.

I stopped in Baton Rouge and found a place downtown to park and took pictures of downtown and the State Capitol. This is the 40th State Capitol that I have photographed so far. I stopped in Sulphur, LA and had a Crawfish dinner then continued and spent the night in Baytown, TX.

Monday I got directions from the customer and headed into Houston during the lunch hour and delivered the truck. It was nice and warm with temperatures in the high 70's to the low 80's F. After I delivered the truck I waited while the company figured out what to do. By the time there was a plan there was not enough time to make it to Hobby Airport in time to catch a flight so the company booked me a flight leaving early the next morning out of Intercontinental. I hired a taxi and the driver told me he used to drive trucks and he got a citation once for only 3mph over the speed limit. I spent the night in Humble, TX.

Tuesday morning I got up way too early for my aging body but I had a flight to catch. I got shuttle to IAH and after a rather long queue I checked in and paid the $60 to check two bags which weighed 45.5 and 49.5lbs. Then there was a queue for security and no secondary screening but my briefcase was run through twice and looked at. Total time from arrival to finishing security was ~50 minutes.

US Airways #1924 IAH-CLT B-737-400 Zone 1 Seat 4A
Cruising altitude 35,000 feet Estimated flying time 2:15, actual 2:06
Depart: A19 Scheduled 07h00, actual 07h06 Taxi: 9 minutes
Arrive: C11 Scheduled 10h25, actual 10h32 Taxi: 10 minutes

The plane was almost full. It was announced it was 36F with scattered clouds at CLT. Pushback was 6 minutes late and takeoff was to the southeast. I saw US59 then we circled around and I saw Interstate 45 and the Hardy Toll Road.

At 0:16 I got cup of soda. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:43. At 1:09 I saw Birmingham, AL, the Interstates in that city and BHM as well as the start of the Appalachian Mountains. It looked like there may have been fall colour below. Then I saw the racetrack at Talledaga, AL.

At 1:24 I saw Atlanta, GA and the metro area and we made a slight turn northeast. Seatbelt sign went on and initial descent was announced at 1:40 and it was 43F at CLT. I saw what looked to be GSP and the Greenville/Spartanburg metro area with the Appalachians farther out. We landed south to north and arrived at gate 7 minutes late.

US Airways #1576 CLT-EWR B-737-400 Zone 1 Seat 4A
Cruising altitude not given Estimated flying time 1:15, actual 1:18
Depart: C6 Scheduled 11h24, actual 11h32 Taxi: 8 minutes
Arrive: Gate 37 Scheduled 13h11, actual 13h05 Taxi: 5 minutes
Reclaim bags 19 minutes after arrival

Plane was almost full. Pushback was 8 minutes late and takeoff was to the north. At 0:17 I saw Interstate 40 and the Winston/Salem area to the distance. It looked like there was fall colour below. There was a drink run and I got can of soda at 0:19. At 0:41 I saw Washington, DC partially blocked by small clouds and the Washington Monument below as well as the Beltway.

At 0:45 I thought I felt descent begin. Seatbelt sign was on the entire flight. At 0:48 I saw Baltimore and vicinity. Descent was announced at 0:56. I saw some snow on the ground on approach and made turn east and saw the New Jersey Turnpike and some fall colours We landed south to north and arrived at gate 6 minutes early. After reclaiming my bags I hired a taxi to Parsippany and got the truck.

Trip: Parsippany, NJ to Denver, CO 1,746 paid miles
Route: Interstate 80 to Interstate 76 to Interstate 71 to Interstate 270 to Interstate 70 to Interstate 470 to Interstate 435 to Interstate 70 (including portion of Kansas Turnpike) to Interstate 25
Maximum elevation: unknown but 5,280 feet at Limon and Denver, CO
Make: International
Model: Straight Box Truck
Transmission: Automatic
Highest diesel price: $3.979/gallon at TA Columbia, NJ
Lowest diesel price: $3.759/gallon at Pilot Boonville, MO
Permits required: PA Trip Permit

After I got the truck I headed to the nearest filling station with diesel as the tank was almost empty. Then I headed to a diner to get a bite to eat. Traffic was congested for awhile. I fuelled up in Columbia, NJ then met and visited with a street preacher in Stroudsburg, PA and spent the night in Stroudsburg, PA.

Wednesday it was 38F when I woke up but 53F by the time I was ready to go. There was a lot of construction on Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania resulting in delays. Otherwise it was a routine day and I spent the night in Kent, OH.

Thursday was dry to start and I encountered the first raindrops in London, OH. I had a buffet dinner in New Paris, OH. There was a lot of construction on Interstate 70 in Indiana and the rain tapered down to drizzle by the time I shut down and spent the night in Terre Haute, IN.

Early Friday morning I was sick to my stomach. I went back to bed and had a late (as usual) start. I got rolling into Illinois and fuelled up in Effingham and continued and stopped in Troy and made a phone call to see about suitable parking near the Gateway Arch.

I crossed the Mississippi River into St. Louis, MO and exited the first exit and after difficulty due to a low clearance I parked along the Mississippi River. I took some pictures of the Gateway Arch and downtown St. Louis from down below. Then I cleared security and got a ticket and went up to the top of the Gateway Arch and took more pictures.

Afterward I got back on Interstate 70 and traffic was heavy but moving. I stopped at Mr. Fuel in Foristell, MO and had a deli sandwich made to order then continued and spent the night in Boonville, MO.

Saturday started out cloudy and windy. It cleared and the winds temporarily diminished around Kansas City. Later on the winds came back stronger and gusted to 44mph around Salina, KS. After a late dinner in Salina, KS I continued and spent the night in Russell, KS.

Sunday I heard a 5.6 earthquake hit Oklahoma and was felt in other states but I did not feel it. It was clear to partly cloudy and the winds were greatly diminished. I attended morning service at Bible Baptist Church in Russell, KS and the message was based on Psalm 84 entitled "My Soul Longeth". Afterward I took pictures of Russell, Hays, Quinter and Colby, KS.

Sunday evening I stopped in Goodland, KS and attended the evening service at Bible Baptist Church. The message was on Israel and various Scriptures were used. Afterward I continued. It was cold as the heater in the truck was not working so I wore my jacket and gloves while driving. I was concerned about the weather forecast as there was the possibility of snow moving into the Denver area but the timing and amount was uncertain. I felt I was racing the weather toward delivery. I spent the night in Byers, CO.

Monday morning it was partly cloudy and I was relieved to hear that the snow would be arriving later on if at all. I headed into Denver and made the delivery. I was told of a possible trip from Miami, FL to Houston, TX. I told the company I would take that trip. I hired a taxi to DEN and en route learned the trip fell through so the company booked me a flight home.

I arrived at DEN and rang the company and got the confirmation code. Then I checked in and my bags weighed 47 and 48lbs. I cleared security after a short queue and beeped the WTMD so I took my wallet out and went through the WTMD again and no alarm this time. My briefcase was looked at and run through again then I proceeded to the tram to the gates. I got dinner during the long wait for the flight.

Southwest #502 DEN-SJC B-737-700 Boarding Pass B33 Seat 22A
Cruising altitude 40,000 feet Estimated flying time 2:10, actual 2:09
Depart: C33 Scheduled 18h30, actual 18h37 Taxi: 7 minutes
Arrive: Gate 24 Scheduled 20h15, actual 19h57 Taxi: 3 minutes

Plane was not totally full with a load of 95 passengers. It was announced it was clear and 61F at SJC. It was still dry when departure time came. Pushback was 7 minutes late and takeoff was to the north then turn west. I saw the lights of the Denver metro area but view was blocked by clouds in under 2 minutes.

Seatbelt sign went off at 0:15. At 0:31 I got pretzels and Nabisco Sweet & Salty Mix. There was a drink run and at 0:47 I got cup of soda. At 1:00 seatbelt sign went on due to bumps and off again at 1:22. I thought I felt descent at 1:35 and saw snowcapped peaks of the Sierra Nevada. At 1:45 I saw lights of what may have been Modesto, CA.

Descent was announced and seatbelt sign went on at 1:49 and it was 54F and clear at SJC. At 1:56 I saw Interstate 5. At 1:59 I saw what looked to be California 152. I saw the lights of the Silicon Valley on approach and we landed south to north and we arrived at gate 18 minutes early.

Southwest #502 SJC-SNA B-737-700 Thru Passenger Seat 22A
Cruising altitude 39,000 feet Estimated flying time 0:53, actual 0:56
Depart: Gate 24 Scheduled 20h35, actual 20h40 Taxi: 8 minutes
Arrive: Gate 16 Scheduled 21h50, actual 21h49 Taxi: 5 minutes
Reclaim bags 9 minutes after arrival

Plane was even less full with 53 passengers. It was announced it was 57F and clear at SNA. Pushback was 5 minutes late and takeoff was to the north with a steep climb at first. We turned east then south over the South San Francisco Bay and I saw the Dumbarton and San Mateo Bridges then the lights of the Livermore/Pleasanton area farther out during the turn.

Once headed south I saw lights of various cities of the San Joaquin Valley. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:14 upon reaching cruise. I got pretzels at 0:16 and a cup of soda at 0:25. I saw lights of what looked to be Bakersfield. I felt initial descent at 0:28 and at 0:32 I saw the lights of the Santa Clarita Valley with Lancaster/Palmdale in the distance. Then I saw the lights of Santa Clarita and the San Fernando and Simi Valleys.

At 0:36 we went overwater and I saw Malibu, Santa Monica and LAX as well as the South Bay. At 0:37 descent was announced and seatbelt sign went on. It was announced it was 54F at SNA. I saw the Palos Verdes Peninsula and we made turn east and I saw the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

We made landfall over Huntington Harbour at 0:48 going northeast and I saw the split of Interstate 405 and California 22. I saw Disneyland and we crossed Interstate 5 at 0:50. I saw the junction of California 91 and 57 and we turned east then turned to line up with the runway over the foothills of Orange/Tustin.

We crossed Interstate 5 again at 0:53 and then crossed Interstate 405 and landed toward the ocean. We arrived at gate 1 minute early. I noticed the gates were renumbered as there used to be only 14 gates but we arrived at gate 16. Upon entering the terminal I saw a lot of construction is still in progress. I reclaimed my bags and headed home and this latest tour of duty came to an end.

I'm wondering if the "hot" truck was needed in Innisfal as an exhibit...?

http://www.innisfilexaminer.ca/Artic...n&archive=true

Nice report as usual. Thanks.