Wrapup of a Long Week

DATELINE: WEST MEMPHIS, AR, 5:00 p.m., CST

Miles Today: 545

The drive this morning, starting at 12:45 a.m. just north of Houston, TX, went just fine. Lots of no traffic, which is always the bonus of driving in the morning's wee hours. I'm glad I know the route, though, because I hate driving to/through new places in the dark. Many signs are nearly obscured or a bit small to comprehend with much lead time when you're driving at highway speeds. And since the route up through eastern TX is not a limited-access interstate, you gotta' watch for many signs sending you in new directions. But that all went well today.

Once I hit the interstate at Texarkana, which is about the midway point of the drive, I took a break at the Arkansas Visitor Information Center/Rest Area. It felt good to break up the monotony of the drive with a 45-minute nap. After that, it was clear sailing here to the USA Truck terminal. I got here at about 11:30, and have been relaxing and doing some computer-based work and play since. I also just got back from a quick jaunt to a Pilot truck stop down the road for dinner at the Wendy's there.

So now I'm ensconsed in a 34-hour rest break since I've just about used up my 70 hours. My truck also has an appointment tomorrow for routine maintenance service, so I'm killing 2 birds with one stone during my stay here. My next assignment is to take a loaded trailer from here to a town on the other side of the state on Monday morning. That should be no problem, unless the service department here has trouble getting to my truck as scheduled.

That catches you up on today's activities. Have a good weekend and enjoy tonight's lunar eclipse (here's wishing you clear skies for optimal viewing). I plan to stay up to see it, so think of me as you're doing the same. Thanks yet again for reading, keep the comments flowing in, and keep on truckin'.