Sleepless Nights and Leaky Tires

From California to Ogden, UT, we delivered our load of poultry meal to the pet food plant on Wednesday afternoon after driving all night. Still I can't seem to sleep if the truck is moving. Something has got to change, and soon!

I've considered taking a Tylenol PM or something mild like that to help me, but my fear is that I'll by drowsy when it is my turn to drive again. So I just lay back there in the bunk wishing I would fall asleep and hoping the hours go by quickly.

From Ogden, UT we took a load of road salt to Colorado. We had all afternoon and night to go 480 miles so we went half way and went to bed. After 6 hours of "parked" sleeping, I got up at 2:00am and finished the drive while Malcolm rested.

The salt unloaded, we proceeded on to Akron, CO where we loaded millet. That went to Spokane, WA to a bird food plant we frequently deliver to. Twelve hundred miles over night. One would think having been up since 2:00 am I'd sleep like the dead, but no...I tossed and turned and stared at the upper bunk for 5 hours until I could take it no more. I got up at 5:30pm and took over driving at 7:00 at the Montana state line. Pushed through all the way to Butte and 12:30 this morning when Malcolm took over with just 350 miles left. I'd been drowsy when I stopped driving, and yet I still laid back there staring and wishing and feeling like crying and then screaming. Why can't I sleep?

I think I did dose some, but at 6:00am, when the Washington scale stopped Malcolm to inspect paperwork, I gave up and got dressed. We were just 20 miles from the delivery anyway.

And so here I sit, almost noon, reloading in Clarkston. A load of peas going to Illinois, and Malcolm is beat so when we're done here I'm going to drive. I'm wide awake. Malcolm calls me a solar powered driver, which is true, but lately I seem to be powered by moonlight too, or at least my brain is.

They don't want the peas till Tuesday morning so I will, by the grace and love of God, be sleeping in my bed at home tonight. I'll sleep like the dead. I always do at home.

I owe you an update on the tire story from Sunday. We did get it changed, at the TA truckstop in Barstow, and ended up only costing $1086.00 (tire, tax, and labor).

That's an expensive chunk of rubber. Malcolm is regretting getting the super single tires, but as I told him when we were discussing it, it was worth a try and now we know.

Remember last month when we had to chain up to go over Vail pass in Colorado, busted our chains up, and punctured a tire with a broken link? And then we got it patched? Well, sadly, while they were replacing the one tire, it was discovered that the patched tire was leaking air through its patch! And they wouldn't re-patch it. We were not in any mood to buy TWO new tires, so we drove down to a place to stop and eat, and after dinner we patched the tire up ourselves, laying hands on it and saying a prayer of salvation for the tire. No just kidding, but we did patch it and are hoping it holds for a while longer. So far so good.

Also discovered two more wheel seals leaking...those would be the ones Malcolm spent his entire Thanksgiving day replacing.

So...we get two days home, Saturday and most of Sunday, and Malcolm is going to be replacing shocks, brake drums, and maybe brakes. I don't know if he plans to look at those wheel seals too. Some days....being a company driver looks like heaven on earth in the trucking industry!

Despite lack of sleep, frustrating unexpected expenses, and chore lists hanging over our heads, it will still be nice to be home for a short time. I'm looking forward to sorting. I've decided to adopt my Mom's motto from a few years ago..."Simplify, simplify, simplify!" That's what I'm going to work on tomorrow. I'm planning on getting rid of things I don't use, things that are just cluttering up my life. Its a beautiful day, 42 degrees and sunny! I have a beautiful drive ahead of my along the Clearwater River in the daylight...something I don't get the priviledge of too often...and the prospect of getting home at a somewhat decent hour (verses four in the morning which is normal for this run). I'm running on little sleep, but the sun is up. This solar powered driver is ready to go.