Fun in the Sun~

 With temperatures climbing to 70, time to enjoy it!  I loaded the bike & headed to Lake Manawa.  The Wabash has to be drying out quickly with the heat & sunshine, I might try it tomorrow.

North Wabash Trailhead~

I decided to leave from the trailhead in Council Bluffs & ride the connector trail to the Lake Manawa's trails.  It's not the most scenic portion, about 1.5 miles to the railway underpasses.

Heading south from the Parking, looking east~

The trail goes over Mosquito creek & under Interstate 29.  From here you can connect to the wide sidewalk/trail on the east side of the lake, where I turned north.

East side of the lake~

Both these areas are out in the open & the wind can be fierce.  Today though, it was moderate, 5-10 mph with only an occasional gust.  At the NE corner, the sidewalk goes alongside the Veteran's Memorial Highway.  It's noisy & I go at a good pace before turning off at Tractor Supply & taking the street that also acts as part of the trail system.  The end of it used to go into a campground, now deserted & sold.

In the campground~

I found this big log, under the Cottonwood tree & decided it would make a good spot to call Butch.  He'd texted he was done with his day's drive.  It's a pretty spot, just past the northern tip of the lake.  It's far enough away from most of the traffic to be quiet too.

South side trails~

The long stretch along the power lines & into the wind on the west side puts you across the bridge at Indian Creek & you turn into the pretty trails at the SW corner.

Picnic shelter, SE corner of the lake~

I almost missed the new to me pretty trail to the lake.  I'd taken the usual offshoot trail, then turned back onto the main trail going east, when I realized I had to have passed it!  I turned back, this time staying on the main trail & sure enough, there it was.  No wonder we'd missed it so many times, since we always took the pretty little off-shoot trail through the woods.

Me & Smokey~

This area gives such nice, sweeping views of the lake.  By now, it was getting later in the afternoon & even with the longer days, Nika likes her dinner on time!  :-)

The way back north~

At the SE corner, I turned north again, with the long trail back to the trailhead parking.  This time, the wind was at my back, it's so fun to fly along on paving!  By the time I was back at the Explorer, I'd ridden just under 15-miles.  

Tastee Treet was OPEN!  I had to stop for the barbeque pulled chicken, hush puppies & potato salad to go!  Nika was happy I made it home in time for her dinner!  What a day to end the month of February!  Now - if we could just get some nice rains...

Forth Day's Drive~

 The dispatch Butch received at day's end on Sunday, sent him from Dayton, to Urbana, OH to pick up a new load.  Then - turning back from Urbana to return to Joplin.  An about face of the trip he'd just made out of Joplin.  He arrived in Urbana at the scheduled time of 8 a.m., was loaded shortly after & on the road!  

He was scheduled to arrive in Joplin by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March first.  Working with his clock & not wanting to take a 34-hr. reset.  He stopped for the day at a rest area near Marshall, IL.  A day's drive of 275-miles.

Rest Area~

I was on my bike yesterday, when Butch texted. He'd found a rest area to spend the night.  It was early enough in the day; there was a choice of spots to park!

Big Red~

The plan was to leave again, for Joplin around 1 a.m. this morning. Ten hours rest time & enough time on the road to make his delivery.

Interesting history~

I thought it was great he finally had a place to walk that wasn't in an industrial zone or circling a truck stop!  The sunshine & nice weather was a bonus!

Nice bridge~

We enjoyed our daily talk, both of us in the sunshine, with just a lot of miles between us.  I, being the nagging wife, always have to remind him to eat something & ask the something be healthy!  If he ever gets the promised routing home & we have time to get the truck organized with a much-needed refrigerator, that will get easier!

On board computer~

I'm always relieved to know he's stopped after a day or night of driving.  We both agreed returning to Joplin, at the least, gets him closer to Home!   Just the short over-night on Valentine's Day, wasn't quite enough after two-long months!

OTR - Second & Third Day~

Butch left Troy, IL & arrived at Home Depot in Monroe, OH on the 26th.  All the docks were full of trucks.  All around the perimeter, at least a couple hundred more, were waiting.  After making a third circuit - Butch notified personnel inside - the trailer was getting dropped.  Next, a short drive to another yard, to pick up an empty trailer.  By now, it was dark & the lights weren't working on the trailer.  No turn signals etc.  A call to Dispatch & Butch was routed to the nearest Love's in Dayton for repairs.  He spent the night there.  Route on the second day's drive~

Truck in the repair bay

First in line Sunday morning the 27th.  Once the mechanic arrived, they found problem wasn't with the trailer, but the pig tail on the tractor.  A stress crack had appeared & separated.  After several calls, the part needed was found half an hour away.  By 10 a.m. the repair was made & Butch was back on the board, waiting...  

Cracked & separated~

Just to come up against another issue.  The computer system in Joplin didn't recognize the trailer was in Dayton, rather than Monroe.  Butch had to send in the license plate number on the trailer.  He spent the wait cleaning the mud from the previous night - off the inside & outside of the truck.  

Love's, Dayton

By 6 p.m. Sunday, the issue was resolved & the day was gone.   He received a dispatch directing him where to pick up a load this morning.  A second night was spent at Love's~

A Beautiful Sunset & Butch's truck~

Soon we hope, things will smooth out. In our years of riding Endurance (with horses) we learned a consistent pace was key to finishing &/or winning a race.  I think this has to be true in the trucking industry too!  

First Solo Run!

 After a couple days of waiting, Butch was able to snag a load going northeast!  He texted me yesterday just before five p.m. - he was heading out of Joplin!

Having arrived there with Steve on Tue., then testing out on Wed. in the sleet storm, he was assigned his truck.  Thursday, the roads were a mess & major interstate highways closed.  With no loads coming into Joplin, none were going out.  Butch moved his things into his truck.  Friday, he made two trips in the shuttle to Wal-Mart.  Items purchased included a foam pad for the mattress, microwave & small grill.  He also picked up a few grocery items.  Without a refrigerator, he was limited to soups, peanut butter, oatmeal, fruits etc.  

Roxi's advice was to take any load, as long as it was going out!  After all, he's there to drive, not to sit.  As he returned from his second shopping trip, he stopped by dispatch to ask if there were any loads?  One had just come in, going to Ohio & he got it!  A load of insulation going to Home Depot.

By time to stop, last night, he arrived in Troy, IL, about halfway to his first drop in Monroe, OH.

On the edge!

This morning he called to let me know how things were going.  The traffic on I-44 last night was awful.  Slow, with tow trucks out removing all the cars & semi's that had slid off the road in the storm.  The slowdown was so slow, the truck computer showed "off duty".  3-mph wasn't fast enough to register the truck as moving!  

Getting close to time to stop for the night, Butch checked four different truck stops & had to drive over seven miles to find a place to park.  He stopped just east of St. Louis. As you can see from the photo above, it was tight!  He said he can understand why Steve drove at night & finished the scheduled drive, in time to find a spot to park for the off hours.

In the cab~

The little microwave fit perfectly in its cubby.  The mattress is far from comfortable, so we'll be replacing it, or buying a thicker foam pad!  Once he's home, the upper bunk mattress will go out & that area will hold the refrigerator & act as additional storage.

Closet~

The closet is convenient, but the shelf doesn't give enough room to hang clothes from the rod.  Maybe that's been changed in the newer trucks.  The desktop below swivels out so it can be used while sitting at the foot of the bed.

Workspace behind the passenger seat~

His credit card was declined this morning when he tried to buy water.  A few minutes & email verification later, the transaction was approved.  BOA no longer require being notified when you travel but said they will still randomly check to verify a purchase.  (Some merchants have more fraud reports than others.)

Dispatch is supposed to be working to schedule home time.  But from the direction Butch is driving now, that might be a while.  Parking here at home for the truck has been approved, a Good thing!  He did say it was nice not being watched all the time :-) Also listening to his own taste in music!  

P.S.  For safety reasons I'll only publish information on Butch's whereabouts after he has completed that route & gone on to the next.  The same is true for information on what the load is or where it will be dropped.

Mission Accomplished!

 Congratulations to my husband!  Today - after seven weeks of training & a final written & driving test - Butch has been assigned a CFI truck!  He's done his pre-check & the truck is in the shop as I write this, getting a few minor issues addressed.  It's nice, if you're a non-smoker, non-pet driver, the truck assigned is also non-smoker/pet.

Butch's T680

With the weather bad in Joplin (driving sleet) & getting worse as the morning progressed, Butch thought he might not get the opportunity to test out today.  He was one of only two who did.  I was at Matt-Making when I received his text!  He received a big round of applause from my friends & Pastor Seth!

Freezing sleet in Joplin!

I think the red trucks look so sharp against the field of white snow!  When his final drive test was complete & he drove his truck to the maintenance shop, he said it was strange not to have Steve in the other seat.  I can imagine, after over 8,500 miles in four weeks.  I was happy to have had the opportunity to meet Steve when they came through Council Bluffs.

I tracked each day's drive & posted the links to Facebook, as Butch drove across the entire country, twice.  Below are the links to each of his trips. 

https://goo.gl/maps/1wx1aMUfZuK8na796

https://goo.gl/maps/Zeq3dbLuFeLucKxF6

https://goo.gl/maps/wNAW113VzSSNtaRb9

https://goo.gl/maps/b9Gdxu4uSq9KXCuN6

https://goo.gl/maps/jL2p4UDbzPwkCmWC8

https://goo.gl/maps/sUCLm8SVASJGzJfh9

https://goo.gl/maps/52Ecm9dtTDqiYCMr5

https://goo.gl/maps/oC418iVYSqrhDSJ56

https://goo.gl/maps/a71CuNPaf93ZHBcX9

https://goo.gl/maps/YQWr5g6XGExB9i9z9

https://goo.gl/maps/6C36vEvgWKf9bPPc9

https://goo.gl/maps/3CZUn7Age9Nv2MJTA

https://goo.gl/maps/iPR4QF85C6YptTuV6

https://goo.gl/maps/mfpJpaGsNdHgCB2H8

https://goo.gl/maps/dHXkShPh2p8Bg9Qs6

https://goo.gl/maps/LszRNKUqWxznP61D9

https://goo.gl/maps/Xat4vd3jjpEbhjQm8

https://goo.gl/maps/b68mM1Bh43P1dKsj9

https://goo.gl/maps/QWrDyZfnMHqekYxW6

Now that he has a truck & a truck number, he has been assigned a Fleet Manger & will go check with dispatch to see what they have coming this way.  He'll be home soon, to outfit the truck for the road.  He's already received some great truck warming presents!

A Nome from Karen!

Knit cap from Doris!

Of course, license plates from CFI & a nice gear bag :-) With the expansion & reorganization occurring at CFI, things are already changing.  There are no longer safety or fuel bonuses, SFX radio for the drivers is no longer offered. Having just watched Downfall, The Case Against Boeing on Netflix, these cutbacks seem minor.  Still, sometimes it's the little things that keep company employee's happy at their jobs.  A little of CFI history~

CFI Goodie Bag~

My husband wants me to accompany him on his next trip out.  I think he might have an ulterior motive! He was pretty spoiled by Steve's cooking! :-)  If I'm going to do it, now is a good time, since spring & nice weather are around the corner.  Plus, the opportunity to see some of the country I haven't will be fun!  I've always said I'd like to do a little traveling - this is my opportunity!  As long as he doesn't forget me somewhere - I'm Good!  :-)

A Perfect Ten!

 Glorious, simply glorious day!  So very welcome after days of biting cold & blowing winds.  Still in the month of February, the ice on the lake is already melting & open water appearing!  

Karen invited me to a mutual birthday lunch yesterday at her favorite Chinese restaurant in Omaha!  All I can say, is it was very, very good!  I had some calories to burn!   It had already been two weeks since I'd been out riding & it seemed like forever.  Especially after the last muddy ride on the Wabash.

Ready to hit the trail~

Lake Manawa was busier than I've seen it so far this year & no wonder!  Everyone I passed was in such a good mood!  Smiles everywhere!  At first, I was just going to make the circuit of the lake, but after just a couple miles, I was enjoying myself so much, I decided to go out & ride the connector trail to the Wabash.  It had been closed due to the railroad working on this section of rail.  Now though, it's open & nice all the way through.

Going under!

Without the wind & without any effort at all, Smokey was cruising along at 11 mph.  Have I said how much I'm enjoying this bike?  Going under seemed about the same, I don't think anything was done on the trail.

Trail underpass~

I rode all the way to the bridge.  From there, it's along the side of the road to the parking lot near Tastee Treet.  Once Tastee Treat is open again, I'll go the rest of the way :-)

Mosquito Creek, thawed~

As cold as we've been, I was surprised to see the creek running & ice almost gone!  I stopped for this photo & had two other riders pass me, one kindly asked if everything was ok.  I think we were all more than ready for a sunshine, warm & windless day!

The underpass~

Heading back the way we'd come~ There are a couple good short hills on this section.  Smokey's gears are so nice, I hardly knew I'd gone up them.  I even rode through the old campground at the north end of the lake.  The road access has been blocked off by debris to keep cars out but was easy to ride around.  

The long west side~

I'd reached this point when Butch texted.  His drive for the day was done.  He & Steve were enjoying pot roast, potatoes & carrots!  I think Butch will miss Steve's cooking!  

Across the Indian creek bridge & back into the park, I kept riding past where I'd parked the Explorer.  I'd seen a sign on my way out that looked like another trail to the lake.  

New to me trail to the Lake

It was!  Actually, the prettiest trail in the park, I think.  As I followed it, I kept hoping I'd have a nice lake view at the end.  It didn't disappoint!  I came out at a picnic area on the south side of the lake.

Smokey at the water~

It was just beautiful, with the open water making waves of the ice as it was melting.  I wished Butch had been along.  From here, I turned back & by the time I'd reached the Explorer had covered just over fifteen miles, my longest ride in forever.

My route~

I'd been out two-hours & enjoyed it very so much!  Now I've found those miles, I plan to take advantage of the park more often, at least until the Wabash is rideable again.  With the possibility of snow this coming week, it will be a while yet.

Sun & Muck~

 Sunny, high 50's & not a lot of wind.  This - after days of freezing temperatures.  Mari Jo thought the trail surface was still frozen enough for a ride.  We were only out a short distance, when we came to the first of the soft spots.

Mari Jo & the bikes~

After getting around it, the trail dried out again, but not for long...  We felt committed at that point to continue on the four miles to the trestle.

Beaver's now have two dams'

It was totally a beautiful day - February?!  Nothing like last year!  We've had hardly two snow events, not enough to even call true storms, at least when it comes to inches of white stuff.  It has been cold enough to keep the remnants of the last snow, on the ground for days & days.

Upstream, Silver Creek~

It's easy to see from the solid sheet of ice still on the creek, it has been cold.  Even with the cold though, we've had a handful of days so nice & warm it could be spring.

Limestone on the tires~

On a few of the soft, boggy spots, I took the center of the trail, where there was still a layer of ice.  The ice was easier to get across than the slippery limestone.  We took the very edges of the trail wherever possible.  Our tracks sunk in about a half-inch in a few spots. It really wasn't much fun.  We need a few days of wind - which is expected - to dry it out.  

Back in Glenwood, I drove to the car wash to clean both the Explorer & the bike, covered in limestone & with muck on the tires.  It's been so generally dry; we're constantly warned of the fire danger.  Unheard of for this time of year...

Glenwood Preserve Walk ~

 After a week of cold days, it was wonderful to feel warmer temperatures creep in today!  I decided to take Nika on a walk at the Glenwood Preserve.  Our last visit in February of 2019, had been after trying to walk at Mile Hill Lake & finding the trails too sloppy. Looking back after we returned home, I was surprised to see it had been the same time of year.

Nika on the first bridge~

Nika & I are getting used to being on our own, but that doesn't mean it's any easier.  We comfort each other & I look forward to what's now become sporadic phone calls from my husband.  Being on the road & driving as many hours as he can in any one 24-hour period, makes it impossible to expect a call at any given time of day.

On the trail~

Today he'd hoped to make some distance toward his next delivery in Phonix, AZ, but a low tire on the trailer ended the day's drive.  The good news for me - was having a bit more time to talk while he waited for the repair.  Google Maps & Google Earth help me to follow his progress across the country!

From the hill~

I'd planned to ride my bike, but the winds had picked up along with the warmer temperature.  With this area just a couple miles from home, it's worth the short drive to have such a nice hike.  I love the territorial views from the top of the hill.

Views~

We walked down the hill along the far fence line.  At the bottom, the grassy mowed trail connects with the paved one going to the old picnic area.  Why this area fell into disrepair probably has something to do with a lack of funds for maintenance.  Our property taxes are so high - higher now than they were for five-acres in WA...  I do have to wonder where all those dollars go...

Where the picnic covers used to be~

Since that last visit, two of the covers had been demolished, with debris left everywhere.  A couple of large piles, but lots of mess from one end of the area to the other.  Like the work had been started, then just left as was.

Picnic area, now in ruin~

I'm hopeful at least the larger pieces of lumber could be salvaged.  The central area between the pathway's had been burned.  Probably to destroy invasive weeds.  Several portions of the park have been planted over the years, in native prairie species.

End of the trail~

Leaving the picnic area, we turned onto the paved trail going east & took it all the way to the end.  I hadn't worn my Garmin, but someone had painted mileage markers on the paving.  They showed the distance as just over a mile out from the parking area.

The way back~

I sat on the bench for a short rest before starting back.  With the sun setting & shadows lengthening, the early evening still felt very warm!  By the time we were back at the Explorer, the sun had disappeared behind the hills.  A really enjoyable walk for the first weekend of February~