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August 14, 2009

Next to Last

After delivering to Nestlie Purina in Flagstaff, we parked and slept a few hours. Then Malcolm got up to drive the 35o miles north to Redmond, UT. I woke up around 7:00am and this is the view that greeted me.

The Utah state line on US 89. This is a pretty pretty drive. US 89 runs all the way from Flagstaff to I-70 in Utah. Basically you are squeezing in between the Grand Canyon and Arches National Park, and passing the turn offs for those as well as Bryce's Canyon, Zion National Park, and several other special areas. So you can use your imagination as to what an incredible drive it is!

We loaded around noon in Redmond and I drove east on I-70 towards Denver. More beautiful scenery, and then the Rocky Mountains. Its amazing that they even got a road through there! The had to elevate the road, east and west bound on two different levels, because its such a narrow steep canyon along the river. You have to crane your neck in order to see the sky because the canyon walls are so high. Not much of an opportunity for picture taking at 65 mph though. Malcolm had gotten back up and was driving again, so I guess I could have tried, but I decided to just enjoy it for myself.

Spent the night at a parking area about 80 miles west of Denver, and then drove on in here this morning.

A sure sign that winter is around the corner! We delivered a load of "icesliver," (which is apparently some kind of road deicer) to the Denver road department for the toll road around Denver. Ahh, the anticipation of winter is getting to me. Call me crazy, and most Montanan's will, but I am looking forward to fall, all two weeks of it, and winter. I know I was sick of it just a brief 3 months ago, but this time of year I always get the fall/winter bug!

This is our truck's next to last trip. We're loading later this morning just north of Cheyenne and taking that to Three Forks, MT which is about 45 miles west of Bozeman. Then we'll drive home, strip the truck of all our stuff, and Monday we'll deliver her to Kenworth in Billings and bring home the new baby!

I'm excited about every aspect of the new truck, save one. And forgive me for not knowing the ins and outs of it, but something about the transmission is different and requires a different pattern of shifting. There are two splitters on the gear shifter, instead of one like we have now. I'm nervous about catching on quickly enough to suit me. (I'd explain what a splitter is to everyone but it feels too complicated for this early in the morning. Maybe in a later Trucking 101 I'll cover that.)

Jessica just called and wanted to know if I'd be home Saturday night. Yes I will be, I told her. Well this week was Montana Fair in Billings, and Saturday night, the last night, they always have the rodeo. Jessica said she could get free tickets from her Dad, and wanted to know if we want to go with her. Me, I'm bouncing in my seat with excitement! I LOVE rodeo! Malcolm...I haven't told him he's going yet. He's not such a big rodeo person. Well, I won't make him go, but maybe just us girls will go. I know, I know...I ought to be working on gutting the truck...but I can play a little, can't I?

(actually I plan to play a lot *wink*)

2 comments:

Ed said...

You're right we just missed each other in Flagstaff, thurdays I spent the day just around the corner from the purina plant on US89...:-) Have fun at home..:-)

Jennifer said...

I love rodeos, too. We don't have them very often here and when we do they're rather small ones, but fun just the same.