Tag: Boondocking

HOW TO STAY FIT IN THE ROAD

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Kamloops: The Run From Hell

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In the past I have told my dispatcher I would quit before taking the Kamloops run, to put someone much lower in the food chain on it. Well, that worked for a couple years but then my Transportation Manager came to all of the remaining Canada drivers and said he is having a difficult time keeping drivers for the Kamloops route. We were all asked to take rotations until he could hire a new driver.

The route is the most difficult run we have, Over 3500 miles of 95% two lane highway, through Canada’s Rockies. The winding road conditions are treacherous with snow, ice, black ice, and high winds.

My rotation was up and to be honest with you I was looking forward to it as it has been at least a couple years since I have done the route.

After six years of driving to Canada I wanted to finally see a Moose and not just the yellow warning signs along the highway I’ve only seen thus far.

It started all well and good, in fact I was loving the scenic drive. The first day through Northern California, Central Oregon and into Washington. The second day was truly amazing, driving along over a hundred miles of lakes and rivers. All the while staying on my schedule I set to beat a harsh storm, knocking off three of the deliveries.

The third day was mundane and boring as hell but the roads were dry and completed the next three deliveries ahead of schedule.

At Prince George, BC, I took Highway 16 west, the only way to to my last stop in Thornhill, BC. Three hundred and sixty three miles, where logging trucks rule the world and own the highway.

Half way to Thornhill, I rounded a sharp corner, right there on the side of the road nibbling on some grass at the fog line was the most majestic creatures God has created. A Giant Moose!!! In one breath I screamed with excitement and in another I was cussing because it was dark and I turned off my GoPro.

It’s okay I finally saw a Moose!

THEN….

About fifty miles from Thornhill all hell broke loose. The storm I was trying to beat showed up two days early. It was dumping a ton of slushy slippery snow. I literally parked on the shoulder of the highway for the night in hopes the snow plow ferries could clear the highway while I rested.

The next morning it was still snowing but at this point the plows was keeping up. I made it to Thornhill and offloaded ten canopies and a bunch of parts in record time. I knew I was up against the clock and Mother Nature.

Traveling east the conditions worsened, the plows were loosing against Mother Nature. My top speed was 45 mph, my average was only 35 mph. With over 1700 miles to get home it was depressing.

As I was leaving Burns there is a small grade, so I ramped up from 14 mph to 30 mph. Coming down the grade a logging truck was completely on my side of the highway at I’m guessing 45-50 mph. To avoid a full head on collision I moved to the shoulder as he sped by me in my lane. As I moved back in to my lane my trailer hit slushy snow and whipped to the left then to right.

Everything I tried to get it under control didn’t work. The slushy ice was slipperier than anything I have ever dealt with before. All of this of course was happening in a blink. I was sliding towards a cliff, at that moment I wasn’t really paying much attention to the cliff itself, but I was paying very close attention to the electrical poles that I was sliding towards, I was literally fighting for my life. They say your life flashes before you but it was actually the life of my family that flashed before me, I was thinking of my boys the whole time. I felt my truck starting to tip over, the one thing that finally worked in all of this to my truck upright, I turned hard into the tip. I honestly don’t know if this was what you are “supposed” to do to keep a truck from tipping over but it worked. The next blink I was jack knifed, with my trailer across both lanes, the nose of the trailer hanging off the cliff and the trucks ass end was also hanging off the cliff.

I couldn’t believe it, I wrecked again, the second time in as many weeks. This winter driving was going to freakin kill me. I was so pissed at the logger for causing the accident but I was more pissed he kept going. Alone in my truck with everything from my pantry all around me I was cussing like a drunken sailor, I think I even made up some words. A bit compulsive I started cleaning my truck, yes I realize I might have been in a tad bit of shock. Still seething when the Mounties arrived they couldn’t approach, they yelled from the middle of the road for me not to exit the truck until they can have the power turned off. So compulsiveness is not so bad after all. After what seemed like forever the power was shut down.

One of the Mounties approached my rig, a big burly mountain of a man with a voice that sounded like he gargles with gravel, he asked if I was okay. I felt my lip quiver, my eyes filled with tears., I couldn’t form words with out completely losing my bananas so I nodded my head yes. They decided it was extremely important for me to leave the truck now there wasn’t a threat of electrocution and hustled me out. Here’s where I get pissed all over again, the other Mountie on scene made me wait in the back seat of his police car. My husband has told me stories of what people do in the backseat of police cars. I said but but that’s where the bad guys sit.. I’m now shocked the Mountie didn’t bother to move his briefcase for a Blue Wife. He had some lame ass excuse he mumbled under his breath but I wasn’t having any of it and was not going to sit in the back seat with the door shut. I was missing Deputy John and Trooper Bo, they would never have a Blue Wife sit where bad guys pee, poop and throw up.

Then there was more waiting for the wrecker to pull my truck off the cliff. Once the wrecker arrived it took all of ten minutes to pull it of the cliff, half of which was looking for my tow hooks.

The black ice accident damaged the right side fairings and the front bumper, this accident damaged the remaining fairing plus the upper cab fairing. It looks like total crap on the outside but clean as hell on the inside.

Luckily, it was all cosmetic, I tossed the broken parts in the trailer and followed the wrecker to a safe location to park for the night. I was physically, emotionally and mentally drained, I felt like I could have slept for a week. After talking with my husband to let him know I was okay I immediately fell asleep.

The next day with lower temperatures I hoped it would be better road conditions. Not so lucky I’m afraid, the crap storm kept on crapping on me. I had a 150 miles to go to get to Prince George. At normal speed it would take two and a half hours, it took me six hours.

You would think the hellish nightmare would be over but the loggers in that neck of the woods who rule the world and own the highway were out to kill me. I was almost back to civilization when another logger was hauling ass around this huge sweeping turn. He had his tractor on his side of the highway and the trailer sliding sideways completely across my lane. Praying, Straighten up Please God Straighten up…

Well I’m here to tell the story so he straightened it up.

But wait there’s more..

Seriously, there is more but not life threatening, two separate breakdowns that required road side service with another day delay. This almost sent me over the edge, I seriously considered (more like fantasized) taking a cab to the nearest airport.

I’m a little more stubborn and refuse to allow a run to get the best of me. So I pulled my big girl pants up and chugged home. Then took the rest of the week off.

Enjoy the Ride

Bell

BellsRides

Sneak Peak: Human Cargo A John Hunt Novel

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Here is a sneak peak of chapter one of the Fictional Novel I’m writing “Human Cargo” the first of The John Hunt Series.

1984

In 1984 John Hunt was sixteen years old, nearly seventeen, the only child of a single mother. His mother worked well beneath her 137 iq as a computer programmer in the basement of Macy’s. Computer programming on a main frame in 1984 was done with punch cards. John’s mom, “Anita Hunt” thought this aspect of her job was absolutely mind numbing as hell, but knew computers were the future.

John and his mother lived on the fringes of Land Park and Oak Park in Sacramento, CA. It’s kind of the grey area of two extremes. Land Park the opulent neighborhood with homes in the millions, lush green yards manicured every week by a hired landscaper. Oak Park is beyond impoverished, bare dirt for front yards, dogs tied to a scraggly tree, over ran with gang bangers.

When John was twelve years old the middle school he went to was in the dead center of Oak Park. After school one of the boys in his class was with a group of older boys. The boy said “Hey Wonderbread, what’s a cracker like you doin in our school?” John stood there for a second, he did the numbers, eight to one. He’s never been in a fight with one boy, little alone eight boys, Some of the boys looked old enough to drive. He took a right turn and headed for home. They fell in behind John, “Cracker, ain’t you gonna answer me, what’s a honky like you doin in our school?” John picked up the pace he heard the others “yeah honky!” One of the bigger boys shoved John’s classmate and said  “kick that mother fucker crackers ass.” John glanced over his shoulder to see his classmate charging him. They tumbled head over hills onto the ground, John was being punched in the ribs as they rolled around. John punching back harder and lower straight into the kidney. John was getting the upper hand, his classmate was starting to lose with every kidney punch. The other boys surrounded the two boys on the ground like a pack of wolves. The other boys saw John was winning and started kicking him in the back, in the head, in the ribs. The other boy rolled out the way trying not to get kicked. They kept kicking and stomping everywhere. John rolled up into a ball trying to protect his head, his hands, his fingers breaking with one last kick to the head. The boys took off running, scattering like cockroaches with the sight of a Sacramento PD Cruiser a couple blocks away. When the Sacramento Police Officer notified Anita of what happened, informing her John was being held at UC Davis medical center for observation he explained the extent of Johns injuries. The love everyone hippie, lost her bananas. The momma bear came out and the hippie crap went out the window.

The only positive male role model John had was his Uncle Clarence. Uncle Clarence was complete polar opposite of his sister. He was a Marine Special Forces, SRT operator. When Anita called her brother she was just this side of hysterical. She said “I want you to train John not to just protect himself but to kill with his bare hands” “He is all I have and those gang banging, ghetto drelling, mother fuckers almost beat him to death.” Clarence stifled a chuckle, he never heard his sister talk this way. She has always been a “Peace and Love” kind of person. He liked the “momma bear” of his sister and agreed to train John to protect himself and to bulk John up from his skinny, almost frail frame.

By 1984 John had been training with his Uncle Clarence and working at the same mechanic shop for almost four years. He has always liked wrenching on cars but wanted more out of life. This same year he had completed the first year of general education at the city college. When he was thirteen years old his mom came home from work to find him in the garage with the engine of her car half way removed. She calmly asked

“John what are you doing to my car?’ “I just wanted to see if I could pull the engine by myself.” She said “Okay, just put it back together when you are done.” “Thanks mom” with greasy smile.

1984 is also the year John’s mom broke the news to him she was really sick. Leading up to his mother’s death, when John wasn’t at the shop working, he was doing his homework at his mother’s bedside. Sometimes he would just sit with her talking as if he wanted to know and remember every detail of her life. He asked questions of her childhood and her parents. She wondered why he had never asked about his father. Sometimes, she would help him his studies or they simply watched tv together.

This is also the year “The Order” reared their ugly head. The Order was a white supremacist terrorist group, founded by a man named Robert Mathews. Mathews a baptized Mormon formed the terrorist group of mostly Mormon survivalist. To fund the terrorist group among other things, they robbed banks. Their big payout was when they robbed a armored car in Ukiah, California that netted 3.6 million dollars. This was the biggest news story in the history of Ukiah, the small town not too far north/west of Sacramento. John and his mother followed their crime spree in the news and  then would have long discussions of their perceived ideals.

This same year is when John decided to go into law enforcement. When he related his plans to his mom at her bedside, contrary to what John had thought her reaction was going to be, his mom was very supportive. She did however, make him promise to complete his education and to get his degree. She said “Son when you become a police officer, I don’t want you to stop learning, I want you to take every opportunity they offer to train you to be the best damn cop you can be.”

December 1984 Mathews was held up in a house on Whidbey Island, during a shootout with authorities Mathews was killed and the house was engulfed in flames. Mathews becoming a martyr in the eyes of fellow white nationalist. This same month and year John’s mother succumbed to her illness.  

Thirty four years later John Hunt retired from his chosen career as a Captain of the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office. During the the thirty years with EDSO he took every opportunity he could to better himself as his mother had wished for him. By doing so he followed in Uncle Clarence’s footsteps and was part of the Elite S.W.A.T team for most of his career. Training with the best to be the best.

I hope you enjoyed the sneak preview.

Enjoy the Ride

BellsRides

How to stay clean and fresh on the road…

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Many of my friends who have traditional careers have asked me ” What do you do about showers and staying clean while driving a big rig?”

The simple answer is I shower at truck stops, a.k.a Trucker Spa’s.

However, not all truck stops are treated equally. Sometimes the truck stops don’t quite measure up to my “Trucker Spa” standard. When this is the case I rather freshen up in my truck. There are a lot of products on the market to help with this task. I have naturally curly hair but sometimes I blow it out straight. When I do I use a dry shampoo to freshen my hair https://amzn.to/2CojZmA

When I’m rocking the curl, I use a spray bottle with water to get my hair completely wet then apply a small amount of light weight leave in conditioner, scrunch it up let it air dry and it’s a curly mess. To wash my face I first use Neutrogena facial wipes https://amzn.to/2BtntT8. I then use Huggies baby wipes https://amzn.to/2Cn4A5J. I’m using these specific brands as over the years I have found these are the best quality. The facial wipe by Neutrogena removes the most stubborn makeup without leaving your face a grease slick. The Huggies baby wipes cleans your body without leaving little lint balls all over you.

I have also been asked by my friends, what do you do about a toilet? Do you pee on the side of the road? NO!!! I’m not hanging it all out there on the side of the road. I’m fortunate enough to be a solo driver (a requirement for me, no slip seat, no team driving)

One of the first things I do when I get a truck, I remove the passenger seat. This is where I keep a Porta Potty. I use the same potty chemicals https://amzn.to/2R5zmsg. as we do in our RV to eliminate any odors. Most male counterparts us a bottle of some kind, which is perfectly fine if they dispose of them properly but unfortunately a lot of truckers don’t.

For female truckers who aren’t as fortunate as I am to either be solo or to be able to remove the passenger to make room for a Porta Potty, they will use products like the Travel Jane https://amzn.to/2EEwGf8. It’s a disposable female urinal.

This topic was recently brought up on one of my favorite channels I watch on YouTube “Story Moto ADV”

https://youtu.be/Ow-ittVt1gY

Story Moto shared 5 excellent hacks to use while motorcycle camping. I shared Travel Jane for his female motorcycle/adventure subscribers.

This method of staying clean and fresh between showers can be used while traveling by any means, motorcycle, big rig or RV.

Enjoy the Ride

BellsRides