Stevens Transport aviary

[quote="Ciek Onasis";2177998]Chillin in the cool breeze in Lodi California. Made our 2 drops in Sparks and Reno today. Heading out to Milpitas, Oakland and Livermore tomorrow in the wee hours. I love the Northern Cali then the southern Cali.
I did get my max gross weight coming down the Parley's Summit Mt in Utah with no Jake brakes. "Come on Stevens, grab a gear. Don't be chicken #####." Hahaha... But what sucks is that we shaved off 2500lbs of meat in Reno which was vital for my next task going down Donner Pass today on the jakes. Ain't that a "beep." Now we need to find a load to get me thru 3 more mountains.
There suppose to be a storm coming thru Donner Pass either tomorrow or Tuesday. Don't say I didn't warn you guys.
I hope we get a produce load in Cali going up to Cabbage "patch" hill.
Be back again when I can grab the free wi-fi.[/quote]
Got ur chains?

 

Finds a pile of rocks to load up.

 

Ran my student up thru central Idaho yesterday on our way to Spokane. He got to see two of the three (formerly) worst grades in the country. White Bird and Lewiston.
It was too dark to see the old Lewiston grade, but he saw the old White Bird.
He told me he thought I was telling old trucker stories about pulling triples up the hill, but now he sees it's all true.
I'm vindicated.
I looked at them as he drove and thought to myself, "Man...I must have been crazy!"
got our Three drops done in Spokane. Now off to Tacoma for the last two.
Good thing he doesn't need any mountains. It's a shame to waste Snoqualmie, but we only have about 3,000# left in the box.
Wednesday is his 35th day. 7 passes, almost 11,000 miles, 4 NE docks. I told him if he could figure out how to sell the extras, he could buy a new tee shirt and get rid of that ratty old one he keeps wearing!
Oh, yea...have my chains on board. Now I can go anywhere....right?

 

Man, you are in God's country. I was born in Spokane and spent my first 5 years of life there then on to Alaska. Later on we lived in Lewiston. Been on the Lewiston grade more times than I can remember. Did Whitebird a few times as well. Lots of hunting and fishing there. Used to go with my uncle on his logging truck. I got to sound the horns. The Army played hell trying to catch the Nez Perce when they were trying to out run them to get to Montana and Canada in the 1800's. Whitebird was named after one of their war chiefs.

Dude, you're making me homesick now.

 

Come to think of it, you should try the Greer grade further up twelve from Spaulding, now that is a hair raiser. My grandfather helped build that with a horse team drawn grader. I remember the first time my parents let me drive the Lewiston Grade, scared the hell out of them. I was just fine, knew what I was doing but they were doing a lot of hollering, they survived. Of course I was 14 at the time when I got my license. Man what a rush.

 

Since you remember the Lewiston grade, are you old enough to remember when we'd race 'the hill' side by side to see who could get down fastest?
Heaven help anyone coming up the hill because there were only two lanes.
Put a lot of dents in my 53 Chevy doing that stunt.
Wonder that I ever made it out of the teenage years!

 

We left Lewiston for Davenport, WA before I was really let loose. Watched the hill climb races a few times though.

We knuckleheads did spend time rumbling up and down Tammany Creek Rd up in the orchards. We raced our motorcycles, horses, wheat trucks, farm tractors. Just about anything we could get our hands on. Pretty tame compared. Our ranch was on Hemlock Dr and there was nothing behind us except for sloping land all the way down to the bottom of Tammany Creek Rd. Our horses sure got a workout there.

I can't wait to take the Lewiston Grade in few years with my Spyder. That should be a real blast. Greer Grade is even worse. I rode the Tail of the Dragon 5 years ago in Deals Gap. 318 curves in 11 miles. Every turn was a foot peg scraper.

 

I just saw a Stevens Truck past by my job in Astoria NY (3:38 a.m.) i work in a Hotel I was so exited to see him pass around here...... I would like to know who was the driver ( His Name ) that just pass by here, i would like to ask him some questions, so please if somebody knows him tell him that i would like to talk to him......... Phone # is 646-546-4825 Thanks........

 

Sorry i forgot to put the date that i saw the truck pass by 10/03/11

 

The student you are training is very, very, lucky to have a trucker with 38 years experience training him. If I could give him any advise it would be to soak in everything you do, and say. Be Safe