Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

I may try that if I don't get anywhere asking at Abilene.

 

Used to be a driver that parked there for home time a couple years ago, but that was before they started all their renovations. I'd call their big cheese and get it in writing.

 

I saw one of our trucks in their bobtail area but no way of knowing if it was there for hours or days.

 

@Redtwin

I guess you don't live in Ft Lauderdale anymore huh? Lol

 

I dunno, man. I hear Wernschneidilene is a great company for new drivers.

 

I live in Richmond, VA. Actually, I live in Mechanicsville, VA, which is a suburb of Richmond. I've lived in Virginia for 21 years.

I've lived other places. I lived in Fort Worth, TX for 12 years. I grew from a boy to a man in Fort Worth. Moved there when I was 9. Left when I was 21.

I even lived in Fort Smith, AR for a year.

But if you ask me where home is, it's Louisiana. I was born in Louisiana. I spent the first 10 years of my life there. I lived there again for another 7 years as a teenager and as an adult. And even when I wasn't living there, all my mom's family -- aunts and uncles and cousins that might as well have been my sisters and brothers -- lived in Louisiana. And we drove to see them a few times a year. I have a lot of good memories wrapped up in Louisiana.

I'm from north Louisiana. North Louisiana isn't like southern Louisiana. They might as well be different states. When people think of Louisiana, they think of southern Louisiana. Swamps and alligators and Cajuns and so on. Northern Louisiana ain't like that. It's more like East Texas. Rednecks and pine trees.

Nonetheless, I have very fond memories of southern Louisiana. My grandparents lived in a little podunk town called Boutte (pronounced "boo-TEE") which lies nestled in the southern Louisiana swamps about 15 miles west of New Orleans, down Louisiana State Highway 90.

We'd visit 'em twice a year. Once in the summer, once for Christmas. They didn't have I-49 back then, so the primary way to get from Shreveport to Boutte was via LA-1, a two-lane undivided highway that snakes down from northwest Louisiana down to the Crescent City. I loved that trip. Once you got into the southern half of the state, you'd routinely see "alligator farms", little tourist trap places with one or sometimes two live alligators in a pen, along with other similar exhibits. I recall scaring the bejeezus out of my grandmother once with a real water moccasin skeleton.

I like Richmond. Richmond is a great little city. It has a lot going for it. But there are a lot of places in the US that are just like Richmond.

There ain't noplace in the US like southern Louisiana. It's a unique little part of the country. I'm glad to be from the same state.

Today, for the first time as a trucker, and for the first time in two years, I am back in my home state. Not only that, but I am in southern Louisiana. Currently parked at the TA truckstop in Slidell. And I'm pretty much beside myself with glee.

I've got a load going to Houston, TX. It's not due until Monday morning. The appointment location is only six hours away. So I've got some time on the load. Time I will spend tomorrow seeing my brother and his family when I pass through Crowley. I am gonna eat boudain and boudain balls and crawfish pies and fried alligator and freshly made pork cracklins and any other local food I can get my hands on. And what I can't eat, I'm gonna stick in my fridge. Already made a headstart on that tonight with a shrimp and roast beef po-boy.

My only regret is that I couldn't drive across the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway. I tried to get Walter to route me a path across the lake but he refused. A little digging around on the web uncovered why: 65' length restriction on combination vehicles across the causeway. Oh well, next time I'm down here in a four-wheeler...

 

And that's what it's all about. Getting to have some fun along the way sometimes. All work and no play makes for very angry folks. Got a buddy who does nothing but work and fuss if he doesn't get 6500 miles a pay period. Took his vacation money just to pay bills. Fusses, cusses and blows his horn at everyone on the road that he sees texting or driving too slow. And he's 62. I don't want to be in that position. Once my mother gets better, my plan is to be able to stop and smell those roses some.

 

Still live there, just wanted to visit some friends in Tennessee for a few days and the USX yard was the closest secure parking. The Wytheville yard adds another 100miles so it's a distant 2nd option.

 

I won't lie, I occasionally get tempted to lay on the air horn when I see people texting (or reading on a kindle!), but knowing my luck they would get startled and swerve into me.

 

Anyone know who we get the best pass from on weekends?