Christmas home time came and went much too quickly.  Soon, I found myself transferring my Load of Christmas gifts received, and groceries from my car into Bruce.  Memories of being with my family still running through my mind made this a very tough transition to make. It was one of those times when the true costs of this job, of being away from loved ones for extended periods, rubs raw.

I'd been assigned  a load of pet food going from Denver, CO to Boise, ID.   This was  a 'drop and pick' meaning that I would drop off an empty and pick up a trailer already pre-loaded, and it turned out to be very loaded--45,000 pounds, our heaviest load so far.  The brakes creaked and groaned under the strain of slowing and stopping almost 40 tons of cargo and vehicle.  Bruce lumbered up the interstate ramp more slowly than normal, straining to get the heavy load up to highway speed.

We spent the first night parked at a parking area just outside of Cheyenne, WY.  When I awoke the next morning, I discovered that we were in a snowstorm.  We creeped along the snowy highway over the highlands and dropped down into Laramie, WY where the storm changed to clouds and winds, very strong winds.  Overhead highway signs indicated that the interstate was closed to all empty or light-weight high profile vehicles due to winds gusting at over 60 mph.  Just a week earlier, I had come along this same route with a load of furniture that barely weighed 20,000 pounds.  If I had been pulling that load today, I would be parked along the interstate waiting out the storm, but for once, a heavy load proved to be a blessing. It would help to keep my wheels securely on the highway.

After the load was delivered, I went to our Idaho terminal to await the next dispatch which soon followed:  A load of frozen food being delivered near San Francisco, CA.  Thick freezing fog settled in the valley and everything was wet and cold, freezing cold.  The cold temperatures prove to be nice in a way, since company policy is that the truck is to remain idling at temperatures below 10 degrees. When I shut down for the night, the temperature was 8 degrees, which meant the cab heater could operate all night!  I always seemed to sleep better falling asleep to the gentle rhythm of Bruce's large diesel engine idling, and knowing that when I woke up in the morning, I would be greeted by a cabin warm and pleasant.

The next day I headed across the Idaho border to Oregon and spent nearly seven hours being loaded with our frozen food. The route to California was a new one for me, so I didn't want to head out at night without knowing the parking situation better, so I decided since it was so late to spend a 2nd night at the Idaho terminal and then cover most of the miles the next day.

Early the next morning, the on board thermometer registered a cold zero degrees. We headed southbound, Bruce punching a hole 13 feet six inches high and 72 feet long into the cold morning fog.  The fog was thick and at its thickest, enveloped the highway so that vision was difficult. Progress slowed as the fog wrapped itself around the way ahead and refused to relent.

Finally, as we climbed up mountains to higher elevations we began to get an occasional break from the fog (see photo below) and for about 10 minutes enjoyed clear, dry roads, snowy mountains glowing at daybreak, and a flawless blue sky, but then just as it seemed this view would continue, we were plunged back into the maddening grip of the fog.

The fog was a problem for more reasons than the very limited visibility and dangerous driving conditions that it created.  I needed to cover a lot of miles today in order to make parking work.

Our route would take us south down a two-lane highway through western Oregon and then into northern Nevada.  The route then followed I-80 along its crossing of Nevada, through Reno, and up over Donner Pass of the Sierra Nevada mountains before dropping down into the fertile valleys of Sacramento and coastal California. My weather app on my phone showed that a major storm was due to hit Donner Pass Sunday morning, while all day Saturday the skies would be sunny and the highway dry and clear.  I had made up my mind that come what may, I was going to cross this mountain in favorable conditions.  That meant that we absolutely had to make it over the mountain pass and at least into Sacramento in about 10 hours.  A driver can legally drive only 11 hours per day. I never like to drive more than 10, leaving the last hour as a cushion for unexpected delays enroute. The math showed that this scramble over the mountain would be workable IF we could maintain a relatively decent rate of speed.  The fog was slowing progress for way too long.

Finally, we hit I-80 and swung west towards Reno.  I stopped at a truck stop just outside Winnemucca, NV to double-check the remaining trip.  If there was no delay of any kind, then it still appeared possible to clear the mountain and find parking at the only major truck stop that I could find in Sacramento.  We had to park early also, for since it appeared that there was only one truck stop providing parking, it would no doubt fill up early in the day.

We began the long climb up the eastward slope of Donner Pass. Bruce handled the long climb very well, and was able to maintain a respectable speed given the weight of our load and the elevation gain.  At the top of the pass I pulled into a rest stop to double-check my figures.  As soon as the truck came to a stop, I stopped the driving clock. We had two hours and nine minutes before I was out of driving time today.  If I was still driving in two hours and 10 minutes, I would be in violation and subject to a ticket, fine, and penalty. This was it. The plan simply had to work because I simply had no Plan B---not even a remote one---available to me.

I exited the rest area, and pushed back into the flow of traffic of I-80 and began our descent, more of a plunge really down the west side of the mountain range. The speed limit for truck traffic in California is generally 55 mph, not the 60 we had been making through Nevada.  The second challenge was the rapid descent of the highway down the mountain slope.  We had to carefully pick our way down the mountainside due to sharp curves, and frequent reduced speed zones for trucks due to the degree of the downhill grade.

I kept one eye on the on board computer as it counted down the available driving time:  1 hour 36 minutes remaining. Eagerly, I scanned the upcoming highway signs for an idea of the mileage left. Finally, there it was Sacramento: 72 miles.  The clock continued its methodical countdown with no regard for my tenuous situation. 1 hour 28 minutes remaining...where is that mileage sign...48 miles to go....Is this going to work?  Finally, the mountain slope became foothills, and the freeway added a couple more lanes and the freeway became thick with metro traffic.

"Please" I whispered under my breath, "No one have any accidents, no rush-hour traffic is allowed today!"  My prayers were answered and traffic continued to move at freeway speeds. 22 miles to go, 58 minutes remaining.  Finally, with just 40 minutes left of the clock, the sign for the truck stop became visible up ahead, and I took the exit and pulled into the truck stop. Now the next challenge was to find a parking place, and suddenly I realized that everyone else was parking for the same reason that I was. Tomorrow was New Year's Day and very few businesses would be open on the holiday to accept their shipments. So what do truckers do when they can't deliver?  They go to the nearest truck stop and wait. In this case, the nearest truck stop was also the only truck stop around for miles and miles.  Fortunately, at the very back of the truck stop there were a handful of empty spots and I backed into one and shut the truck down with about 30 minutes on the drive clock.  My earnest prayers had once again provided me with blessings, and I felt very thankful.

8 Degrees at shutdown, morning would bring zero.

A break from the fog at weigh station Idaho/Oregon border.

High deserts of Nevada along I-80

I looked around at the green grass, the occasional palm tree, and noted the temperature: 52 degrees. The zero degrees that the journey had started with seemed now to be a world away.