Over-the-Road!

 Butch completed his orientation last Tuesday at CFI & is now officially a Driver!  

He called Monday morning to ask if I wanted to make the drive south.  Of course, I said yes & couldn't load the Explorer quick enough!  I dropped Nika off with Doris & was on the road shortly after noon.  

On the way south~

I'd driven to Kansas City the end of last April to pick up the Trek bike, but this trip to Joplin would be longer, at just over 300-miles.  Leaving home, it was cold & overcast, but traveling due south, the high clouds made for perfect driving weather.

Google decided to take me on a scenic drive when I got closer to Joplin.  After almost 30-min. in heavy 5 o-clock traffic, I found the motel & my husband waiting outside!  It was ever, ever so good to see him!

CFI Headquarters in Joplin

Butch took me on a little tour of the area before we went out for dinner.  I don't think we stopped talking the entire time I was there.  He finished orientation on Tuesday!  It was great to be there to congratulate him!  I'd spent the day sitting in the sun & worked on a latch hook rug I'd started a couple years ago when I was up in WA.  

Most mornings, Butch meets with the guys from his class in Springfield for breakfast. They had all completed orientation too.  Wednesday morning dawned cloudy & bitter cold!  I'd seen a huge antique mall not far from where we were staying.  After lunch, we checked it out, then took a drive around town. 

Thursday came way too fast...  The next step is the wait for a Finisher.  The men were told it could be anywhere from five to ten days, maybe more.  During that time, they receive a morning email, with the assignment for the day.  Butch was to be at CFI headquarters by noon. 

A CFI truck ahead!

Time for me to head home...  I was so happy to have had the short visit with my husband!  Three-weeks had seemed like forever...

Cap given to the Veterans who'd completed orientation~

The weather had warmed into the 40's, another perfect driving day.  This time, Google actually sent me the way I should have come in!  I saw downtown Kansas City - really a beautiful city!  The trip home was as smooth as the one down had been.  I counted CFI trucks on my way :-) Eleven heading south & only the one I passed going north.

Yesterday, Butch's Finisher called!  They meet today & if all goes well, Butch will leave tomorrow with Steve from Kentucky - for about 21-days on the road & over 7,000 miles at the wheel of a Kenworth T-680!   

God Made a Trucker~