And now it is Wednesday. Driving back to Ottawa this morning was crazy. Weather was good. Road conditions were good. But Hal was so tired. He still hadn’t had a chance for any real sleep. Halfway to Ottawa I made him pull over for a power nap and then we stopped at the next truck stop for coffee.
Now that Hal knew the best way to dock trailers at the little Ottawa yard he had no problems. We unhooked, found a parking spot, had a quick breakfast and tucked Hal into the bunk for a nice long overdue sleep. I tucked myself in with some knitting and a pillow in the cab and had some lovely quiet time. Well as quiet as you can get when you are in an idling transport truck in a busy industrial area with trains running on the nearby tracks. The truck was idling so that we didn’t kill the battery running the heat and refrigerator. I had a couple of lovely cat naps in the cab and finished the body of my pretty silver grey sweater. Now I just have to crochet the hood and assemble it. I also finished a great book called A Dream of Canada: An Incredible Story of Struggle and Overcoming by Kaanayo Nwachukwu.
When Hal finally woke up late in the afternoon we had a lovely lunch of chicken sandwiches and potato salad. (Special note to Cameron: Grandpa doesn’t always eat his crusts either.) Hal threw the crusts from his sandwich out the window figuring a squirrel or bird would eat it. The crusts were attacked by a horde (which is much more than a flock) of seagulls. One second no birds, next second a horde. Once the horde flew away, we went into the ladies room so Hal could help me wash my hair in the tiny sink. It is very “interesting” trying to keep clean when you are on the road but I’m managing so far. We found out our load wouldn’t be ready until 4 pm so I made Hal go back in the bunk for another cat nap. Remember in a previous post I mentioned the banged up fences around the yard? While Hal was having his nap I watched them use a truck and strap to try and pull the fence to the gate back into position. It didn’t work. More on this little segue later.
When our load was ready we hit the road again. I spent my time taking photos of everything and anything that interested me while Hal drove.
Just before we arrived in Toronto tonight we started noticing cars with snow on them and then we started seeing teams of snow plows. The further in we got the worse the roads were. The scariest part was when a car pulled in front of us off one of the collector roads so Hal had to slow down very quickly on the slippery roads. And then the driver of that car must have panicked because he hit the brakes. Hal had to swerve into another lane to avoid crushing him. Some people just have no business on the roads. And yes, I am referring to the panicked driver, not Hal.
We made it to the Mississauga yard and dropped our trailer early. We are just waiting for them to finish loading our next trailer and we will be back on the road again. I hope the snow plows are through clearing the highways by then. It was so weird seeing the slippery snow-covered roads. When we left Ottawa it was sunshiney and clear skies. We had the truck windows open, for goodness sake. And then to travel south and find snow! According to Toronto dispatch when the snow started it created near zero visibility. I guess that explains all the accidents and tow trucks we passed.
Now that Hal knew the best way to dock trailers at the little Ottawa yard he had no problems. We unhooked, found a parking spot, had a quick breakfast and tucked Hal into the bunk for a nice long overdue sleep. I tucked myself in with some knitting and a pillow in the cab and had some lovely quiet time. Well as quiet as you can get when you are in an idling transport truck in a busy industrial area with trains running on the nearby tracks. The truck was idling so that we didn’t kill the battery running the heat and refrigerator. I had a couple of lovely cat naps in the cab and finished the body of my pretty silver grey sweater. Now I just have to crochet the hood and assemble it. I also finished a great book called A Dream of Canada: An Incredible Story of Struggle and Overcoming by Kaanayo Nwachukwu.
When Hal finally woke up late in the afternoon we had a lovely lunch of chicken sandwiches and potato salad. (Special note to Cameron: Grandpa doesn’t always eat his crusts either.) Hal threw the crusts from his sandwich out the window figuring a squirrel or bird would eat it. The crusts were attacked by a horde (which is much more than a flock) of seagulls. One second no birds, next second a horde. Once the horde flew away, we went into the ladies room so Hal could help me wash my hair in the tiny sink. It is very “interesting” trying to keep clean when you are on the road but I’m managing so far. We found out our load wouldn’t be ready until 4 pm so I made Hal go back in the bunk for another cat nap. Remember in a previous post I mentioned the banged up fences around the yard? While Hal was having his nap I watched them use a truck and strap to try and pull the fence to the gate back into position. It didn’t work. More on this little segue later.
When our load was ready we hit the road again. I spent my time taking photos of everything and anything that interested me while Hal drove.
We made it to the Mississauga yard and dropped our trailer early. We are just waiting for them to finish loading our next trailer and we will be back on the road again. I hope the snow plows are through clearing the highways by then. It was so weird seeing the slippery snow-covered roads. When we left Ottawa it was sunshiney and clear skies. We had the truck windows open, for goodness sake. And then to travel south and find snow! According to Toronto dispatch when the snow started it created near zero visibility. I guess that explains all the accidents and tow trucks we passed.
I really enjoyed reading about your adventures on the big truck. We see trucks every day but most of us never experience being a passenger in one. Thanks Pam.
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