My story of trucking in North America: Hello California...

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Hello California...

Parking spot last night

Glenwood Canyon Colorado

Received a message from despatch yesterday which proves keeping it simple is best..Go to Las Vegas and call in Monday. God I love this job.
So I planned everything out, I would run a few hours from Colorado Springs across the Rockies, park up somewhere and have a lazy night. Then into Vegas for the Sunday night. All was going well until a message informed me that I am loading Bakersfield California on Monday morning so it looks like Vegas will have to wait until next time.
Had a superb day today running across Hwy-24 and I-70, the views are stunning and plenty of photos got taken. Found myself smilimg for no reason again and a few times "wow" was muttered.
The sun has been shining and its very hot.
So the plan now is to run to Mesquite Nevada tonight and visit the Oasis Casino for food and fun then leave in the morning stopping at Primm Nevada to buy some jeans from the outlet mall.
If things work out right, on the return leg of this trip I will be stopping the night in the Virgin River Valley Gorge and having a BBQ which should be amazing, so fingers crossed for that.

4 comments:

Blog It said...: So how was your trip to Mesquite Nevada??? I'm curious about your stay at the OASIS. I want to hear your opinion! Hopefully it was fun! Did you check out the View on Mesquite Magazine or Mesquite Area Guide sites? Check 'em!!; July 6, 2008 at 1:06 AM
Trkrjim said...: careful, not too close to the edge. you might do a wylie e. coyote.; July 6, 2008 at 4:47 AM
Montedarlo said...: Hi blog it. I dont actually "stay" at Oasis but rather use there truck parking and facilities such as the buffet and gaming area.
Had a look at the View on Mesquite magazine and read some really positive comments.
Personally I think the whole area is superb, the casino, the buffet and the Gorge is one of my favourite places on earth.
Will look into how cheaply I can get a room with being a trucker, I might be able to swing a discount.
Thanks for your comments.; July 6, 2008 at 8:09 AM
Montedarlo said...: Hi Jim, good to hear from you again, sorry about the dropped call the other day.
Luckily I didnt meet another truck coming the other way, it would be too easy to scrape the trailer along the rock face and for him to rub his bumper along the barrier.
Really enjoyed the drive.
Cheers,speak soon; July 6, 2008 at 8:12 AM

Your bank, its your choice.

I have already covered a bit about credit here but something has come to light.
When you arrive in Canada you will be taken to a bank and an account will be opened for you.
You are no way obliged to open an account at a branch you dont want.
I have had a few hiccups lately with ATB, the latest being having to wait 2.5hrs to have it authorised for me to be able to but my new laptop as I was going over my daily withdrawl limit.
If you are not happy with your bank then you can always change it, just as I am about to do

Rubbish pic but I have seen it

The Salton Sea is an inland saline lake, occupying the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink, part of the larger Colorado Desert in Southern California, north of the Imperial Valley. The lake covers a surface area of approximately 376 square miles (974 km²), the largest in California. While it varies in dimensions and area due to changes in agricultural runoff and rain, it averages 15 by 35 miles (24 by 56 km), with a maximum depth of 51 feet (15½ m), giving a total volume of about 7.5 million acre-feet (9.3 km³). Sea inflow averages 1.36 million acre-feet per year (53.2 m³/s).

Facts about Canada

Canada invented the baseball glove in 1883
Canada does not own the North Pole.
Santa Claus does !!
Its population equates to 3 people per square Km
Canadians rank 6th in the worlds standard of living
Canada has almost 2 million lakes
Cigarettes and Alcohol are cheaper in the UK
Hockey is the national sport
The word Canada translates as "Village"
it has the longest highway,7604km long
Canada has 42 National parks
25% of the worlds fresh water is in Canada
Second largest country in the world
There are 3 oceans on 3 sides
Canada hs the worlds longest coastline
population is roughly 33 million
6 million of those speak french
It has six time zones

Winter is coming and its serious

A few weeks ago my night heater packed in through the night. I woke at 2am and the temp in the cab was -2. I was freezing in my pants and summer quilt. I told a canadian lad about it and received the biggest bollocking. How was I to survive if I got stuck somewhere for a few days in temps as low as -30 ? Basically I would die so the need for proper winter clothing is essential and needs to be in the front of the mind of lads coming over in the winter time. I have added a list of what I consider essentials and a rough guide to the prices.

Bank accounts and Credit

When you arrive in Canada you will be taken to open a bank account which is easy enough. Unless you can prove your credit worthyness from the UK its unlikely you will be offered a credit card. You will need one in the USA unless you pay cash for everything. The answer is to put cash up front. Mastercard/visa will give you a card if you put say $500 up front so in theory you are spending your own money but it will build you a credit history in Canada. Its worth budgeting for this before you arrive over here.