A Good Day...Almost

DATELINE: CARMEL CHURCH, VA

Miles Today: 420

It had to happen, and now it has. I had an accident today, right at what was to be the end of a long, but good, day. I had completed my delivery this morning, drove another 150 miles to make a new pickup in southern VA, did that fine, headed up the road to start toward my new destination (Green Bay, WI), and pulled off at a truck stop here for fuel and to park for the night. After fueling, I pulled into the lot. I spied an empty area at the end of a row of trucks. It was now dark and the spot was near the scales and I wasn't sure if it was a driveway or a legal parking spot, so I was trying to pull in next to the truck at the end of the row. Alas, in my concern to see the markings on the pavement, I forgot to consider the whereabouts of my trailer, and pulled it into the back of the other truck. Which, of course, was a car carrier. Its pointy end frame carved a nice gash in the side of my trailer, and mine scatched and dented the rear of a Lexus on the back of the other. Totally my fault, caused by a mere 5 seconds of inattention following 12+ hours of careful driving and other duties. Another of the myriad "glitches", as you regular readers know I've come to calling them, that befall my professional life. Fortunately, nobody was hurt.

So now instead of going to Green Bay (I have some doubt that I could have made it there, anyway, within my 70-hours-in-8-days limit), I'll be going to our Roanoke terminal for repairs. After that, I don't know. I'm supposed to be coming home on Tuesday. I'm hoping they don't decide to send me there by bus. (See if you can discern what that would mean.)

You know, everyone says, "These things happen", and they're bound to with as many miles as we drive. But I wish I could have at least a few days in a row without something going wrong. Naturally, it's been clear and very sunny the last couple of days. Now that my trailer is open to the elements, and with a load of paper, it's supposed to rain tonight and/or tomorrow. I have taped a tarp over the hole, and I dearly hope that will hold 'til I can get to Roanoke tomorrow, only about 200 miles away. Please pray for a little divine intervention for my benefit. I haven't been feeling much of that lately.

Anyway, I'm exhausted and need to get to sleep (if I can with all I have going on in my head). Have a good night, and hope I can keep on truckin'.