I've gotten so used to the Tuesday Mt. Juliet pickups that this week has completely thrown my equilibrium completely off--and please not too many comments about how I'm a little off anyway, LOL.........
This week saw me back at my not-so-beloved-anymore Pulaski pickup on Monday. I used to adore coming to Pulaski, it has a great place to run first thing in the morning and the people used to be so relaxed and fun-loving. Not anymore though, the automotive slowdown and change in management has altered the entire mood of the place. Now, most everybody except Terry is ill-tempered and they have even installed an electronic lock on to the shipping door where you have to push the buzzer to be let in. So no more easy access to the restrooms and break room.
An additional pickup in Gadsden, AL has also been added to the route, it's nice to see a different road once in a while but this has causes it's own set of stresses because you're now routed through Louisiana and Houston, TX.
I hate, hate, hate driving a truck on I-10 in Louisiana!!!!!!!!!! The truck stops are over-crowded, there are way too many panhandlers and crazy people, and the DOT are notorious for their over-zealous inspections. Now don't get me wrong, I pretty much run legal, the truck isn't overweight, and the equipment is in decent shape BUT if you get pulled into a scale for any kind of check through here they WILL find something. Gotta keep that revenue stream going. Now, don't get me wrong there are parts of the state that I would love to be a tourist in, but not necessarily New Orleans, that's the only city I've been to that I felt the urge to carry a firearm in. I just don't want to drive a truck in the state......
Back to the over-crowded truck stops--I thought I had it timed out that I would be able to find a parking spot before the sun went down but some evening construction back-ups took up what little time I had to spare. Got to Hammond just as the sun went down and from there to Port Allen I was pulling into truckstop after truckstop only to watch the last 1 to 2 parking spaces being filled, grrr.
Managed to find an out of the way fuel stop with a handful of spots open just after the 14 hour clock on my log elapsed and I fully expected to be woke up by panhandlers and lot lizards all night. Thankfully and surprisingly, I wasn't disturbed by anybody at least until the next morning.
That morning though I had some guy come up after I'd gone inside to get my morning coffee and grab my truck door as I'd climbed up in the cab. He was handing out some very well-worn Christian pamphlets and kept asking could he pray for me. I told him thanks that he could if he wanted but to let go of my truck door first, during this whole time Elsie is going crazy, barking and growling with her hackles up. Normally she's trying like the dickens to get everybody to play with her so I knew if she didn't like him there was something not right. Finally get him away from the truck and got the door closed only to have him return a few moments later standing on the step and wanting to know where I was from. So asked him again politely to step off of my truck (only had the window cracked to speak to him), took 3 requests each one less polite and was just getting prepared to pepper spray him before it soaked into whatever he'd fried his brains with that I was starting to get pissed off. Gee, do you think it was the "Get off of my step NOW" that convinced him?
Oh, I did get to see an old friend from Atlas at Breaux Bridge, LA after I finished up my run! Surprised the heck out of me when Paul pulled up to me as I was stretching after my run and asked where my husband was at. Too bad he was headed east I would have loved to have gotten to speak to him for a while longer.
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