Moose Parts...

It's been a long trip. I just spent about a month in Canada over the course of 4 days. Not something I hope to do again any time soon. MY GAWD it's expensive to go there and even more expensive to come back!

I pretty much shelled out about 80 smackers just in tolls and fees crossing in and out of Canada. Not to mention the highway robbery I was a victim of when I needed to fax my E-Manifest paperwork in before coming back to America. $31.50 just to fax some dang paper work! Insanity! But I'll get it all back eventually from my company so I can't complain tooooo much.

I'm just glad to be back. Although it's not much warmer down here than it was up there. The daytime temps so far have been the same give or take a couple degrees. The nights, just about the same as well.

My trip to Canada started in Green Bay, WI where I acquired my inbound load. I had the pleasure of hanging out at Green Bay with my load before heading into the great white north. Primarily because my truck and it's Webasto bunk heater can't get along. Up to that point, I'd had it in the shop 4 times this fall alone. During one of those visits it was replaced with a "new" unit.

I'd not had a need to have the Webasto on in a few nights and felt the urge for it that night as the temperature dropped into the upper 30's. I turned it on, got the truck toasty warm and fell asleep. I woke up a couple hours later sweating, so I turned it off. Big mistake. When I awoke again a few hours later freezing, I turned the unit back on. Only it wouldn't work.... at all. So I turned on the truck and idled until it was warm enough for me to fall asleep again. When I started sweating, I turned off the truck and went back into a light slumber.

I kept waking up every hour or so, cold. And finally around 5 am I'd had enough. I cranked up the truck and drove it over to the shop. I ended up still having to park it for about another two hours to wait for a mechanic to come on shift. When he got there, he got me fixed up with another NEW unit. It took him a couple hours and finally all was well again.

After he fixed me up I was able to head out to pick up my load there in town and then come back to the compay terminal for the night. I used the heater that night and it was wonderfully warm in my truck all night long. Yay!

So the next day I woke up and headed towards Canada. I was really excited to go into parts of the states of WI and MI I'd never been in before. And I was anxious to cross into part of Ontario I'd never been in before also. I absolutely fell in love with the coastal areas of Lake Michigan. Especially in Michigan along highway 35. Beautiful!!! And I was thrilled with the ease of crossing into Canada at Sault Ste. Marie. (pronounced SOO Saint Marie I learned quickly)

I loved getting the chance to traverse the upper regions of Ontario along highway 17. I tell you what, if I could deal with the cold and the boat loads of snow they get up there, I'd love to live there. It is just breath taking, really.

While I was in Canada this go around I also finally got to see my first moose. Something I've dreamed about for years! Only... I hadn't dreamed it'd be hacked up into about 5 pieces in the bed of a rusted out pick-up truck. *bah* I guess it was moose hunting season. Poor moose. *sniffle*

I wish I had some really compelling or entertaining stories to tell. But honestly, life has been pretty much just same ol' same 'ol the past few weeks. I had an enjoyable few days off then went out to Wisconsin, then Canada, and now I'm in Virginia headed only heavens knows where after I deliver my load in the morning.

I've only been back out since my time off for just over a week, but it feels like a month. I guess it's the changing of the seasons and the shortening of the days. I'm a little off kilter and I'm still fighting this cold/allergy/whatever it is. Oh and two nights ago, I was all snuggly warm in my truck with my Webasto on while I read a book. I finally succumbed to the yawns and closed the book and shut off the light and drifted off to dreamland. Only to wake up at 3:30 am to a freezing truck and a Webasto that quick working in the middle of the night. I'd not turned it off, ,but just turned it down to low before I went to sleep. Apparently... Webasto heaters hate me.

I tried to get it checked out at our Indy terminal last night but they were crammed and couldn't get me in before I needed to 1) go to sleep and 2) leave to head east to get this load delivered. It was gonna be a two day wait. So maybe I'll get a load taking me towards another company terminal where I might have better luck.

I'm starting to think this is gonna be a LONG COLD winter.

I am, on the up side, looking forward to Halloween. The ol' man and I throw a bash every year where many of our out of town/state friends make the journey following the light of the silvery moon to our door step for a weekend of spooktacular fun. And with Halloween falling on a Friday this year, it's gonna be all the more fun.

We've always hosted our party on the weekend prior to or just after Halloween. So this year is special! And I've got almost everything I need for my costume and am just really looking forward to a weekend of fun times with great friends.

I'll post a picture or two of yours truly incognito when the time comes.

Ooh, crap that also reminds me I've got some pictures from the Canada trip I need to transfer to my computer from my camera and get some of them posted. Yikes... much to do!

Toodles!