All AL, All Day

DATELINE: COTTONDALE, AL, 5:44 p.m. CDT

Miles Today: 458

The sun has rose and the sun has set, and I ain't out of 'Bama yet. Well, no, the sun hasn't really set yet, but I'm done driving for the day and it will set before I leave the state. So that's close enough for me to use that saying. (Which actually is a commentary about Texas and its size, but I borrowed it for today. Hope TX doesn't mind.)

I was up early, drove the 200 miles to Montgomery (with a fuel stop en route) and made my delivery. Unloading took about 2-1/4 hours, so I had a little down time to rest up. When that was done, I headed to a TA (Travel Centers of America) truck stop about 5 miles away for a shower and lunch while I awaited my next assignment. That turned out to be to make a pickup on the west edge of the state--just about directly west from Montgomery--at 2:30 p.m. (it was about 11:00 a.m. when I got the assignment) and take it back north to Zanesville, OH. I'll make that delivery Friday morning, so I'll be driving like a madman tomorrow to get as far as I can. Wish me clear traffic.

At least the pickup this afternoon was a simple drop-and-hook, and my new trailer was already waiting for me, so I was in and out of the shipper's site within 30 minutes. With no waiting around, I had 2-1/2 hours left to drive to make a dent in the trip back north. I've stopped for the night outside of Tuscaloosa, at another TA truck stop. The deciding factor to stop here, about 1/2 an hour before my shift expired, was they have a Taco Bell in the truck stop. Cheap, tasty eats sounded appealing to me, so case closed.

It's kinda' hot down here, at least inside the truck with the sun beating down on it, and my next appointment for the shop will be to get my AC checked out. It's not conditioning the air very much. I have the truck running right now just so I can have the blowers going full tilt, otherwise it'd be stifling in here. I'll want to shut it off for the night so I can sleep in relative quiet, but that will have to wait 'til after sundown. The sleeper berth does have a couple screened windows I can open up for some air circulation, but they are high up and kinda' small, so their benefit is limited. Plus, with them open, the noise of the other trucks around mine just comes right in. Sigh.

That's enough complaining for today. Hope you enjoyed it, and I thank you for taking a glance today. Keep those comments coming, and keep on truckin'.