Trip 10 (cont) and Trip 11 - Albany to Buffalo

11/8/05 - Tuesday

I was able to get the big, and I mean BIG, well drilling rig on to Deposit, NY the next day. Went past several more scales in PA and I think NY, but all were closed. I noticed an odd combination of scales and welcome centers in PA. Still not quite sure how that works, but luckily the scales were closed. Once in Deposit, my home office, and the first time I'd been there, I got to meet the dispatchers and sort of see how they run things. Was an interesting experience.

My dispatcher then put me in a company chase car to Albany, NY, where I picked up the best cherry of a truck I've yet driven. I don't really know what it was, but will explain by simply saying it was one of those electric utility trucks that is used to carry and lay cable. I say it was a cherry because, after driving the well drilling rig, which was all I could handle, this thing was a new Freightliner with tandem axles, automatic, radio, the works, and felt and drove like a Cadillac. Took it to Buffalo, where I delivered thru the rain this morning. Then got a flight to Baltimore and rental car home.

11/9/05 - Wednesday

Really lucked out with the weather. It started raining heavily shortly after leaving Weedsport, NY (now that's a name), where I had stayed for the night, and rained heavily all the way to Buffalo. As soon as I reached Buffalo, there was a break in the clouds long enough to get the truck delivered along with the post-trip stuff, then it started heavy downpours with lightning. The guy at the delivery point was nice enough to take me to the airport quickly so I could catch an earlier Southwest flight than dispatch had booked. I really like Southwest, but they were a half hour late this time because they had to fly a holding pattern over the airport until the lightning cleared.

I seem to be meeting interesting people on my Southwest flights. Usually, on airplanes, I don't attempt to talk to anyone and they usually don't attempt to talk to me - too big of a chance of getting stuck with a doozy. Anyway, on this flight I was seated between a fairly young yoga instructor and an elderly retired psychiatrist. All the stuff they covered over me will be a good story for a later post if I get the inclination.

Upon arriving at Baltimore, got a rental car about 2:00 pm and started the 300 mile trip back to Roanoke. Unfortunately, this included the trip around Washington, DC, which is full of the rudest drivers and mega traffic as anywhere you can ever go. Don't know how people put up with it.

One of the better benefits of this trip is it provided me a great excuse to miss the miserable elections in Virginia this year. I guess the Gubernatorial and Attorney General races were close enough that my vote might have made the difference, but I was glad I didn't have to go in, hold my nose, and pull the lever (or, with the new technology, punch the button). Was too late to get an absentee ballot, so being in NY was all I needed.

All in all, was a good trip except for all the hassles in the VA weight stations. Was glad to find out I could drive the well drilling rig if I had to, but would rather not. The electric truck was fun to drive and I enjoyed seeing NY State, which I had not seen before. Much more beautiful than I expected.

I think 3-day trips are a bit more to my liking.


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