Oh my! I can't believe it has been 4 months since my last blog post. In case you're wondering, no I have not been on vacation all this time...well, physically I haven't been but mentally I probably have. I've just had a bit of blogger's block and haven't really been motivated to write one. I've thought about it but just couldn't seem to get myself to drag out the computer, which by the way, is on the floor right beside me. I'm ashamed to even admit that! It takes a LONG time and a LOT of THOUGHT for me to do a blog. I just really haven't wanted to do a lot of thinking or any thinking for that matter! BUT... at the requests of my mother...I am putting my brain back to work.
Where and what have the Truckin Duo been up to the last 4 months?! We have been busy, busy, busy! East to west...west to east...east to west...pretty much the same route each time. Maybe that's why my brain quit working!
One exciting load that we did was an ULA load (United Launch Alliance). Well, we thought it was going to be exciting. When we got the load we were told that it was 15'11" wide, 9' high and 38' long and was called a PLF fairing. Yep, there went Los' excitement! "What the heck is a PLF fairing?" All Carlos knew was that it had something to do with NASA. So I quickly texted a friend to get some info. "Oh my, Los it's the cone nose on top of some of the unmanned rockets to protect the vehicle through launch. Once it's out of the earth's atmosphere, it separates from the rocket usually in two pieces. How cool is that!" I couldn't wait to get to Harlingen, TX to see it.
What I thought I was going to see once we got to Harlingen.
Well, shoot fire...that doesn't look anything like the picture she sent me. AND...there went my excitement! Oh, for the record, we only had half the fairing and another driver had the other half. We had to carry that enormous box all the way to Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. We had three escorts and the other driver also had three; plus we had hired security each night we stopped. Can you say "feeling special?" We were only allowed to do 300-350 miles per day (we usually do 500-600) and could only travel 55mph. With all the detours and no weekend travel it took us 14 days to get to Vandenburg and 14 days before Carlos could breath again. What started out as an exciting, interesting load turned into one huge migraine headache. There will be a lot of thought and prayer before we do another one of those loads.
If you would like more information on ULA and to watch a live launch you can go to this website http://www.ulalaunch.com/. They also have a facebook page that you can follow https://www.facebook.com/ulalaunch.
After we unloaded at Vandenburg Air Force Base we were able to relax and really enjoy the beauty all around us. Which is something we should do all the time and then maybe we wouldn't get so stressed out.
Grapes, grapes and more grapes
California is putting in a lot of solar plants so we've been hauling Power Skids to the job sites. One of the largest solar photovoltaic farms is in Desert Center, CA. The facility will provide enough power to more than 160,000 California homes annually.
Solar Plant in Desert Center, CA
before the solar panels have been installed
The building in the background is what we have been hauling.
This is one side of the street.
This...well I have no idea what this is or was but it's on the same
side of the street as the caboose. And that concludes the sites
of Desert Center, CA. I hope you enjoyed the tour.
We have also hauled a couple of Verizon buildings/communications buildings or if you remember Connecticut made us call it a vault. If you haven't read that post and would like to read about our trailer falling from the sky, just click on this link.http://adventuresofthetruckinduo.blogspot.com/search/label/Connecticut. The first one we took was to Sturgis, KY which was almost as thrilling as the Connecticut load. Once again traveling down a tiny little pig tail road...then up a narrow, wet, slippery, rocky road that lead up to the unloading pad. Oh, I forgot to mention that if we had gotten off the gravel we would have been in a fine mess...both sides of that tiny so-called road was thick, mushy clay and we would have been...stuck. Carl already had to kick in the 4-wheel drive to get across all those slippery rocks. We would have needed a tow truck to get through that clay. Once again I was holding my breath. We made it and all was good...until! "Los, how are we going to get out of here?" "I'm not real sure. I haven't figured that out yet." Here we go again! "Hmmm, don't you think you need to be figuring it out! Well, we are not letting them pick up this trailer! We are not doing that again! I'm serious, now. Why can't we just back down the road" "Because there isn't enough room for us to turn around without getting off the gravel." I know what all of you are thinking and yes...yes, we did! They picked up our trailer and turned it around but this time we did it a lot different from the first time. I still held my breath and I still did a lot of praying. The Lord is probably thinking, "Girl, you have really got to quit holding your breath so much. One of these days you are going to pass out. Relax! Trust me! I've got this!" I told the little Verizon man that was walking around that if I'd had my way we wouldn't even be up on that hill. I mean really, do these people think we're hauling these big ole buildings behind a little bitty pick up truck. Sometimes I wonder what they are thinking!
I REALLY REALLY should have gone with him.
It was hard as all get out to walk on those rocks. They were so big and slippery. We kept waiting for one of us to fall down or twist an ankle...oh wait, Carlos did slip and fall. I so hate I missed it!
Too bad the crane driver was all eyes!
Here we go again!
Happy happy happy! Gently went up and gently came down!
All turned around and ready for our next adventure.
As many of you know, we absolutely hate to tarp. I usually feel like I have just completed a triathlon. No, I've never competed in a triathlon and I don't plan on it. All I know is that every bone...every muscle...every vein...every hair...every inch of my body is tired, sore and aches when we finish a tarp job. Oh, and did I mention...DIRT! Dirt and grease from my head to my toes. I really really do not like to get dirty. My family used to call me the Queen Bee; well, Queen Bee's are not supposed to get dirty...are they? And no I'm not being a little wimpy tail; Carlos feels the same way because we usually shower, eat and go to bed once we are done. Even though we despise tarping we always make the best of it and some how laugh our way through it. Just like everything else in life you have the good and then...you have the BAD.
FYI this is what I look like after a tarp job.
I swear sometimes I think I get nastier than Carlos.
We plan, plan, plan! Plans for doctor appointments, vacations, visits with friends, shopping; we have to plan for just about everything in our life. Plans are great otherwise our lives would be a chaotic mess and as long as those plans fall easily into place, we're happy as a lark. The problem with planning is that we want it our way on our time and when those plans are altered or do not go the way we want..look out... frustration, aggravation, sadness, madness, disappointment and irritation are just a few of the emotions that take over. Carl is really good about just going with the flow and taking things in stride. I don't know about you but I can become a real sour puss. Being in the trucking business our plans are always changing which is
usually fine until...it's time to go home or our truck breaks down.
Recently I let that frustration get the best of me.
At the end
of February, we had to put our truck in the shop for some much needed
work. Well, one problem turned into two problems into three into four,
five, six...you get the picture. After four weeks and a small fortune we
finally had LC back. We were good to go, shouldn't have any more
problems. I mean we practically had a new truck. Finally back on the
road, trucking up. We had it all planned out. Work, work work until June
25. On the 25th, we wanted to be home packing and getting ready for our
week long vacation with family at the lake. Everything was going
smoothly just like we wanted. We had load after load after load...busy,
busy. Two weeks before the 25th we picked up a Verizon building in
Louisiana and headed to Columbiana, OH. That should be a clue right
there...Verizon...there is going to be a problem! We had plenty of time
to get there, unload, get a load headed south and be home by
June 25. Sounds like a plan to me.
We make all these plans but our plans are not always God's plans. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. No, God doesn't promise us a life filled with a bed of roses...a life without problems...without frustrations and disappointments, but what He does promise us is that He is always here for us. He has not forgotten us. He loves us. He has a plan. He knows our future. He wants us to trust him...have faith and praise him during the good times and the BAD. It's easy to trust when things are running smoothly and going just as planned. The real faith comes when a plan has turned topsy turvy and we seek him for peace, comfort, reassurance and guidance. My life (and Carl's life) would be so less...aarrrrgggghhh if I would just do this more often. I tend to get all frustrated and stressed before praying and turning to God. It should so be the other way around...pray first...no frustration! What in the world is so hard about that?
As I mentioned earlier, we had a plan to be home June 25th. We made it home about 10:30 p.m. a little later than we wanted but we made it on the 25th. Great, everything went just as planned...wrong! We took the Verizon building to Columbiana, OH with no problems but...yeah here comes the but! Once again Carlos had to kick in the 4-wheel drive to get across all the thick rocks and up the hill and that's when we heard it...pop, pop, pop. With eyes as big as an owls and fear in my voice, "WHAT was that?" "I have no idea! I think something just broke!" Every time Carlos would take off...pop, pop, pop. Ok, this was not in the plan! We finally made it up to the pad, got unloaded, back down and checked things out. Los crawled under the truck but couldn't find anything wrong...nothing was broken. New plan, head home with no load so we could put LC in the shop. Columbus, OH is NOT home! The popping continued to get louder and louder every time we took off. There was no way we could make it home so in the shop LC went...for THREE days...that was SOOOO not the plan. My frustration level went straight through the roof. We just spent a small fortune on LC in February and 4 months later we are spending another small fortune which included part of our vacation money...once again SOOOOO not part of the plan. I kept trying to focus on the positives like...thank goodness we missed out on the load going to Washington State. We could be stuck in the middle of no where dealing with this or it's a good thing it happened before going on vacation and not after...when all our money was spent or at least we had enough money to get it fixed and didn't have to borrow any. If I had prayed and thanked God for the positives of the unplanned circumstances, I would have had the peace that I needed. But no, I was ill...thoroughly disgusted...highly aggravated...just put out and then there's Carl the complete opposite...calm...smiling...having fun aggravating me...resting nicely in the hotel room...yep, he had peace. Yes, he did get frustrated but the difference between us was that he didn't let it take control...unlike me. He would quickly turn his attitude of aggravation to an attitude of happiness. This my friends is something that I really struggle with but also something that I am working on. "They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD." Psalm 112:7. My prayer is that when plans do not go as expected that I immediately pray for peace, comfort and reassurance.
"For God is not a God of disorder but of peace." 1 Corinthians 14:33.
Pray first. Pray first. Pray first
Unloading another Verizon building in OH.
After being on the road for what seems like forever and spending 3 days and a small fortune in Ohio with our truck in the shop, it was time to head home for some much needed R&R. Our glory load of all things would be a jet engine that had to be...TARPED! But that's ok, if it's gonna take me home I'll tarp 20 jet engines.
It might be smaller but we were still just as tired and sore.
Our escort leading us out on the tarmac at the Atlanta Airport.
Ready to unload that jet engine so we can go HOME!
I told Carlos it was too bad we couldn't load LC up on that plane
and let it fly us home.
Now that is the best sight ever!
Those are just a few of the exciting/stressful/adventurous loads that we've done since April. Hopefully my blogger's block has been unblocked and it won't be 4 months until my next post.
Til we meet again!
Only by His Grace!
Lynne
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed reading it!
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