Heading to Irving

DATELINE: CADDO MILLS, TX, 5:30 p.m. CDT

Miles Today: 409

My goal for today was merely to get somewhat close to the site to which I'll be delivering tomorrow morning. So I got acceptably close, within 60 miles. (I haven't mapped out the exact distance, but I'm within 45 miles of Dallas, on the east side, and my delivery will be in Irving, on Big D's west side. I stopped here (at a Pilot) 'cuz truck stops are in short supply along my route, and this place has a good-sized lot, more parking spaces than others somewhat closer to town. Besides, with a 6:30 a.m. delivery appointment, I plan to hit the road at 5:00 in the morning. That way I'll be tooling around the big city before rush hour starts.

I believe I've been to this customer once before, and I recall it has one of those small lots/dock areas, so I'm looking forward to the "fun" and "excitement" of squeezing my trailer into a tight space. And this time I'll probably get to do it in the dark, too! Woo-hoo! (Please pray for my soul.)

Anyway, today was mostly the boring drive across AR and NE TX. I got up early enough to shower and shave at the West Memphis terminal, and after that had some free time before my requisite 10-hour break had gone the full distance. So I pulled out my little car/truck-vac and cleaned up my cab a bit. I hadn't done that for a while, and the floor in there was getting a bit grungy. It's much better now. Maybe next time I'm feeling similarly industrious and have some down time I'll take the Windex to the windows.

As for today's drive, like I mentioned, it was a bore. I've made that drive quite a few times now, both in the dark and in daylight, and there's just none of the excitement about going somewhere new. I hope my next assignment tomorrow will take me further west into TX, into parts I haven't been to before. (I haven't been west of the line from Dallas down to Laredo--a drive I made earlier this year.)

So that's today's news. Thanks for looking in again, and keep on truckin'.