Be careful what you hope for

Well, I was hoping for a day or two off.......we ended up having 4 days off. Then we were offered a load that we would pickup in San Diego. 

It was a gorgeous weekend in the Phoenix area.

On Sunday we found a fantastic church in Chandler, AZ. It was big but we really felt comfortable there. 

While there we were happy that Joe Castillo, a sand artist, was there. His performances were astounding.

Roger Storms, the evangelist, preached a wonderful sermon. 

The church was absolutely beautiful inside and out with an outdoor baptismal pond.

So Monday we headed toward there from Arizona.

We hope the birds enjoyed their stay as much as we did.

We drove within 50 miles of our destination only to find out that our load had cancelled. Oh how disappointing, especially after being off for so many days already.

But within an hour's time we got another load. It was a short load picking up at the airport and delivering south of San Diego very near the Mexican border.

We were then going back to Phoenix for a pickup that was going to Chicago.

After leaving Phoenix with our Chicago load we headed north and the elevation rose quickly. We could look ahead and see the Mountaintops were covered with heavy, swirling clouds. I told Pops that it was probably bad weather ahead.

When we reached to top of the Arizona mountains, it was cold. It was now about 37 degrees. We got out of the truck to check out the sites from the Mogollon Rim. It has an elevation of 7500feet. It is a huge rim of cliffs. But it was too cloudy and foggy to see much. And it was cold so we ran back to the truck.

But from that point in Arizona until we reached Oklahoma City, we had snow. In fact, it was a blizzard dropping 8-10 inches of snow through the Amarillo area. It was a rough, scary trip. We stopped at one point because my nerves were a wreck.

 Even with the big snowstorm we made our original delivery time in Chicago. It was Friday. And by noon we had a load for Monday.

It picks up in Kentucky.

After driving closer to our pickup, restocking our food, and cleaning and maintaining our truck, we had all of Sunday free.

We attended Westside Christian Church in Richmond, KY. It is a really great congregation. We were encouraged to stay in their lot and come back for evening service, so we did. We were told that we could come here anytime and to feel at home.

Now tomorrow we are picking up a military load and heading out. 

Keep praying for us. 

I SAW A MOOSE

Oh my, we have been so busy. We have run many miles from hot weather to very frigid weather in a short time. 

We picked up a load in SanDiego. It was at a military installation. We had to park along the street and walk two blocks for our pass onto the base. Just as we parked a big, fat raccoon came up out of the sewer drain, looked all around, ran under our truck and then back into the drain. I did manage to snap a quick picture of it. You can see it below.

Once we were loaded we headed east along the southern most border of California. We headed up and over the mountains that looked like huge piles of boulders, almost like someone heaped them up on purpose. 

After coming down from the mountains, we passed many fields of produce. The workers were busy harvesting crops but I couldn't really tell what it was.

After that came the desert. And some of that was made up of all sand and very little vegetation. Some of those dunes were 3-4 stories high.

We did stop at the dunes and spend some time before setting out again. It wasn't long before we entered Arizona. It was dusk and so of course, we got a few sunset pictures. And some cacti pictures too.

We immediately drove to Las Vegas after we delivered in Arizona. We were picking up a load that was going into Canada and the bringing a load from there back to Las Vegas.

We did spend the night in Vegas at a truckstop before picking up a load of gaming equipment that was going to a casino in Regina, Saskatchewan. As we were leaving Vegas Pops was capturing some of the casinos on my camera.

Not long after leaving Las Vegas you cross the state line into a small portion of Arizona. This 30 mile stretch includes 18 miles of an area known as The Virgin River Gorge. It is narrow and deep, but so beautiful. 

Imagine, a gorgeous gorge.

After driving through the gorge and 80 miles into Utah, I went to bed and Pops drove. He saw over 200 mule deer and elk during that drive. The moon was big and the night was bright. 

When I woke up we were already Montana. It was my turn to drive.

Pops went to sleep.

Oh how majestic was the scenery of the mountains. I just couldn't get enough of it. I stopped at a truckstop to grab some snacks and then got moving again. 

I was now driving through Deerlodge National Forest. And I SAW A MOOSE!!!!!

I have been wanting to see one for so long. I have strained my eyes so often looking for one and right there it was, standing right along the road. My camera battery was dead from all the mountain pictures that I had taken. I also saw many deer, coyotes and 3 eagles. But that moose, I will never, ever forget that.

I yelled and woke Pops. He didn't see it, but he didn't seem to mind my screaming waking him either.

I passed a mountain that reminded me of a sleepng lion.

We don't have magpies back home. I think they are so pretty.

We spent the night and one day at a truckstop in Shelby, MT. We didn't want to enter Canada before we had to because of no phone service or Internet while up there. Also the temperatures now were below zero and going lower.

After crossing the border of Alberta and driving over into Saskatchewan, we came to the Casino in Regina, unloaded and headed back out, we were in Canada for almost 20 hours and all but 3 of those hours were -20 degrees.

I did see a few interesting sites there.

Then it was back across the border and retracing our drive back to Las Vegas. It was cold and dreary until we reached Arizona. And we reached the truckstop in Vegas about midnight. It was chilly, but I didn't need the scarf, hat, gloves, and boots.

After unloading that load we didn't even get to rest at all. We immediately left for Los Angeles for a load that needed delivered the next day in a Tucson, AZ.

As I came into California and reached the checkpoint where all traffic must stop and show their registration cards and insurance cards, I noticed that I had 5 or 6 honey bees on the windshield and a few more flying around my driver's window. Then I saw that they were on everyone's vehicles. It was something. Needless to say, all cars and trucks got waved through without having to stop.

Our pickup location was very near the airport.

Pops drove all night to get us out of LA traffic and to our destination. We have been spending a lot of time in Arizona lately. I don't mind though.

We are empty now and so far no load in site. It is Thursday afternoon. I got my truck/home cleaned, stopped at the grocery and we are now restocked. I am going in to do laundry shortly. We need some truck maintainence performed and we need to wash all the road dirt and salt off the truck. 

I probably will get my hair trimmed too while here. There is a woman here that cut my hair before. She is good and pleasant to talk to. 

Yeah, a day or so sitting still in between Tucson and Phoenix sounds like a fabulous plan to me.