Walmart Refunds

Hi, as you may know I bought a new stereo for the truck simply so I could jack my Sirius Radio into the Aux Port which in turn meant that I didnt have to constantly retune the radio to get an empty station so that I could hear Sirius.
Well I lost my temper with the constant whining noise and retuning so I packed the radio up and returned it to walmart.
I purchased the Stereo in Montana and returned it in Idaho which isnt a problem,far from it. As Montana is tax free (so to speak) and Idaho isnt I was refunded not only the full cost of the Stereo but I also received the tax back as if I had made the purchase in Idaho, an extra $11.
So I suppose the moral of the story is to buy your stuff in Montana and if you should need to return it then do so out of State and then you get a little extra back.

Back In Calgary.

Hi, well everything went smoothly including loading potatoes from Mattawa Washington the only hold up was trying to fax all of the paperwork to the broker at the border which took around 3hrs.
I enjoyed the run back as the weather was pretty good and the scenery is marvellous.
Arrived in Calgary, dropped the trailer and even though I have loads of hours I was told there was nothing for me, I thought work had picked up but it still seems to be quiet.
So, I am parked at the Flying J and in two minds what to do, my laundry or watch a movie? I could do with seeing a good action film as lately all I have seen is "chick flicks", 27 Dresses and Over Her Dead Body are just a few.
Ok, will have to see what tomorrow brings so see ya all later.

Taking waste paper to Oregon City

Hi everyone. Not much has really happened the last few days. Arrived in Calgary,dropped the trailer and waited to be despatched.
I was preplanned on a load going to Sioux City Iowa but as it didnt load for a few days I was taken off that. Then a load to Los Angeles was on the cards but the load wasnt ready intime for me to take it so I presume it was given to a team to run down which is a shame as I wanted to get some jeans from the outlet mall at Primm Nevada.
The satellite beeped again and I was give a load of waste newsprint to run into Oregon. I am parked at Post Falls and have about 380 miles to run into the customer but there is no rush as it won't unload until about 9pm.
The weather has been miserable the last few days, grey,raining and pretty chilly temperatures have hit Alberta and as I ran across the Crowsnest Pass into British Columbia the snow is still on top of the Rockies.
I have Sirius satellite radio in the truck and had enough of tuning the stereo into a empty channel so I could get a clear reception so I bought a new stereo with an auxillary port and a lead to connect the two together. It works great when the truck is turned off but it picks up a lot of interference when the truck is running, its so bad that I cant bare the whining noise and resort to finding an empty channel and using it that way.
I have been thinking about returning to the UK for a few weeks pretty soon. The cheapest flights seem to be through "Canadianaffair" and a return from Calgary to Manchester is about $600 all in. It seems to be cheaper as well to book a single flight to Manchester then while in the UK book the return. I have just looked for someone to fly out here from Manchester and the cheapest I could get was for the end of May and cost 303 GBP return which is not bad as the car I hired for a week to go to New York almost cost the same.
So, thats about all for now.Speak soon.

The sun has had its hat on.

A buffalo/bison herd
Breakfast, apple fritter and a custard filled doughnut Mmmmmmm

Hi all, well everything is going well, the weather has been good and a bit of sun never hurt anyone.
Have had a good run so far,parked at Jamestown North Dakota last night and met a couple of guys that play Frisbee Golf. At first I thought they were joking but they are deadly serious and its apparentley very popular, check it out at www.pdga.com.
Made it as far as Swift Current SK tonight which is further than I wanted to be as I need to try and keep my hours low but its not a major issue. So far I am up to 11 days without having to reset my hours and I have got plenty of driving time left.
I have no idea yet what tomorrow will bring, I should be at Calgary in good time to drop the trailer so that the city drivers can deliver it. Fingers crossed a trailer will be ready for me to hook up to so I can get away with it.

Delivered to Chicago

Downtown Chicago

Hi all, had to deliver the load late but it had all been arranged so there was no problems. I have spoken about "Lumpers" before (people who unload you), well I have just had to pay $140 for the priviledge of been unloaded or rather H&R have had to pay. This is by far the highest amount and considering they took 3hrs to get the stuff off I think its a bit of a con but thats the way it is.
Chicago itself is just one set of roadworks at the minute,everywhere is dug up but thankfully I didnt lose too much time.
On route to Little Chute Wisconsin for a load of pizza which is bound for Calgary,apparentley the trailer is already loaded so I should have a quick turnaround.
Not much else to say really,have plenty of time to reach Calgary which is good as my hours are running low and have already have started to roll over. I think I am going to see just how long I can go without having to reset my hours.
Will keep you up to date, bye for now

The last Few Days

Beautiful skies and empty roads are my idea of bliss.

Not sure if this is a Gopher or a Prarie Dog but will do some research. There are thousands of these critters running around and yes,they are very cute.


Hi.
Well dropped the trailer from Mississauga in the yard at Calgary, got preplanned to go to Los Angeles then had it taken off me.
Picked up a trailer to go back to Montreal and did a switch (trailer swap) at Brooks and the gave the trailer to another H&R driver who took it to Calgary. In the meantime I picked up a load from Brooks and ran for the border to make meat inspection. Joined the queue of about 20 trucks which in turn meant I was too late for inspection and had to wait until 0800 the following morning (Thurs).
Cleared customs no problem but as I had lost time I now could not make my delivery in Chicago 8am of the 17th so I am waiting to be advised whats happening from my despatch. There was talk of me switching again but in the meantime I was to do my best and get as far as I could which is what I am doing.
Stopped for lunch at the minute in Fargo North Dakota and have just enough time to reach Black River Falls in Wisconsin tonight.
Will update as soon as I know whats happening.
Bye for now !!

Spectacle wearing in Canada

Hi, Tom who signed my guestbook brought up a good point regarding the eyesight test and the wearing of glasses.
If I remember rightly when I arrived I surrendered my UK licences and took and passed my truck test, it was when the examiner came to sign my pass certificate he noticed I had not taken an eye exam so I was whisked off to the Licencing office and took the eye test.
This consisted of looking into a machine and reading the letters until they got so small I couldnt make them out and that was it. I have spoke to other drivers who were tested for colour blindness and also field of vision but this never happened to me.
The test was taken while wearing my glasses.
There is an endorsment on the back of my licence that states I must wear "Adequate lenses" and I presume I would be deemed to be unfit to drive without them.
I expected the eye exam to be a bit more stringent but it was a walk in the park.
Hope this post helps, cheers

Pics of the moose and fave ones from Niagara

Back to the grindstone.

Well folks its back to work time. Dropped the car off a day early (thurs) and collected a trailer from Mississauga on friday afternoon. Only ran to North Bay and called it a day. Set off in good time this morning and before too long I saw my first live skunk running along the side of the road and a few hours later saw two moose and just managed to get a pic of ones backside as it hopped into the trees. I will post it tomorrow as I cant find the lead I need to plug the camera in.
Parked at Nippigon Ontario at the minute after doing just under 1000kms today,had some tea and a pint of milk and going to watch a movie.
I forgot to mention how strange it was to jump into a car after not driven one for 8 months and then to jump into the truck again, everything felt different in the truck as to how I remembered it but things are back to normal again.
Hopefully I should be able to get an internet connection tomorrow but if not I will speak to you soon.
Cheers

The falls in Video.

Niagara Falls

Maid of the mist inside the horseshoe
Lee looking on.
Me and Stacy looking sexy in blue
Eric,Stacy and Lee in the Hardrock Cafe
Both sets of Niagara Falls.


Hi, Lee and myself tagged along with Eric and Stacy after the wedding and spent a few days at Niagara Falls which was superb.
Its truly an awesome sight and perfect for a few days vacation.
The first day was spent on the american side of the falls seeing the sights and was rounded off with a visit to the Seneca Niagara Casino.
The following day we crossed the border into Canada where the views are a lot better as you can easily see both sets of Falls.
Myself, Lee and Stacy went on the "Maid of the Mist" which is a boat ride into the heart of the falls and well worth the $12. Eric didnt fancy the idea of going on a boat but made up for it when he took Stacy on the "Sky Wheel" which is a huge ferris wheel that gives superb views of the falls.
Once again I had a great time and enjoyed the trip. I am pleased I spent the time with friends as I am mostly on my own when I visit places.

I made it to the church on time.

The weather was beautiful
Me with Eric's Grandma
The wedding partyCutting the cake.



Hi people, sorry its been a while since I posted but I have been busy having some "me time".
Had some hassle renting a car as a lot of places had sold out but eventually got one so filled it with the stuff from the truck and set off south.
The destination was a place called Bouckville NY and it was 273 miles door to door.
I met the groom probably 5yrs ago on Xbox live where a group of us would meet up regularly and play games. Since then he has visited the UK twice,the last time bringing Stacy his future wife and Lee my bro in law has flown to NY on a couple of occasions for holidays.
Bouckville is very rural and is a small tight knit community and the Nower family all work the farm as well as having regular jobs.
I couldnt have wished for a better welcome as the whole family made me quickly feel at home so I would like to thank them all, they are really lovely people.
The wedding itself went without a glitch,nobody made a scene because of drink,no family fueds just a great day. I was particularly impressed with the fact that the Minister attended both supper with the whole family on the night before the wedding and the reception party.Also the photographer took memory cards from everyone, uploaded them to his laptop and then burnt a disc for the happy couple which I would guess contained in excess of 1500 pictures.
Eric and Stacy had the night to themselves in a hotel and that rounded off a perfect day.
It was nice to see how a typical family live as all you really see is stuff on the TV and in movies. Thanks again to the Nower's for letting me into your homes and for being very welcoming. Its a pleasure to know you all.