Vol 16 No 5 - 31 July, 2012

Blacksburg VA to Massillon OH.

Monday, 2 July we loaded in Blacksburg, Virginia and delivered the next day in Massillon, Ohio.

Reloaded in Wadsworth, Ohio and were at the house in Daytona Beach Wednesday evening - almost six  weeks since we were there last.

Delivered rolled roofing material to a roofing company replacing the roof of an apartment building in Indian Harbor, Florida on Friday morning and back to the house for the weekend.  Jimmy was in town for the weekend too, so we spent time with him.  It was hot and humid, we didn't get out and about much.  Jim worked on the truck and motorbikes, I had six weeks of mail to get through.

I went up to the apartment early Sunday morning, thinking I just had some carpet tiles to lay in a small room.  The builder still had not finished up there!  We could not believe it.  The base boards had not been put on around the new floor in the kitchen, so we still could not put the fridge back where it was supposed to be until that was done.  The refrigerator was in the room where I was to lay the carpet tiles.  The refrigerator was as it was left by the previous tenant plus months of mold.  The builder's quote included appliance cleaning, and we paid him six weeks prior.

I started cleaning the refrigerator and Jim started installing a window air conditioner that the builder was paid to do.  Jim planned to go to the hardware store to get liquid nails to do the base boards.  Then the Property Manager showed up with prospective tenants.  She said that the builder knew he still had to finish the job and she would get on to him.  That didn't help me to lay the carpet tiles, so I cleaned the fridge and the builder will lay the carpet tiles.

Jacksonville FL to Moss Point, MS.

Mid July we received notice from the Property Manager that the people she showed the apartment to that day, would be moving in 27 July.  (Just one young man would be living there, his parents and siblings were apartment hunting with him.)   He has a full time job and studying as well.  That was 5 months the apartment was empty and it took almost that long for the builder to complete the work.

On 11 July, we loaded in Jacksonville, Florida - steel trusses and delivered them the next morning in Moss Point, Mississippi.  A new school was being built.  A large part of the town of Moss Point was destroyed by the strong eastern winds of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 - they are still rebuilding seven years later.
We deadheaded to Selma, Alabama and loaded in the afternoon at Bush Hog.  They make grass cutting equipment.
Website:   Bush Hog, Inc. is the leading North American manufacturer of rotary cutters, finishing mowers, landscape tools, and tractor-mounted implements used in the agricultural market. Located in Selma, Alabama for 60 years.  The "Bush Hog" brand is synonymous with rotary cutters and the act of cutting itself, having invented the brush mower over a half-century ago, and is often used as a generic term to describe a rotary cutter or the cutting of a field.

There were five deliveries to make across southern Ontario.  We crossed the Canadian border early Saturday morning and delivered three shipments.  The last two could not be delivered until Monday, so Saturday afternoon we unloaded the motor bike and had a look around Belleville on the Bay of Quinte and south to Bloomfield in Prince Edward County.  The area is known as "The Great Waterway" in south eastern Ontario.

Sunday we started out early - it was hot and humid but overcast and we experienced a few light showers of rain in the middle of the day.

Headed east from Belleville to Kingston, then west along Lake Ontario on Loyalists Parkway, crossed via ferry to Prince Edward County again and rode east to west across the island and circled back to Belleville.

Kingston has a lot of history, the French fought the British, and captured the fort there in 1758 during the Seven Years' War.

United Empire Loyalists formed a significant part of Kingston's population at the end of the 18th century when British fled there during the American Revolution.  During the War of 1812, Kingston was the base for the Great Lakes British Naval Fleet which engaged in a vigorous arms race with the American fleet for control of Lake Ontario.
The city of Kingston is located where the Saint Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario.
Trivia: Canadian singer-songwriter, Bryan Adams was born in Kingston, Ontario.

Village of Bath.

Loyalists:  Following the American Revolution of 1776, individuals who had supported Britain or had wished to remain neutral on religious and ethical grounds were persecuted, deprived of property and often their lives. Survivors fled to areas of British protection around the globe. Those who had fought with the British joined the exodus. The first legal British settlement in Canada other than military establishments took place in western Quebec and what is now eastern Ontario. The settlers were made up of soldiers from volunteer regiments, European mercenaries and civilians. Many were from lower New York State and the Mohawk Valley and included many Mohawk Indians. They suffered terribly from cold, starvation and disease but persevered to become major participants in the formation of Ontario and ultimately Canada. The Loyalist Parkway is a commemoration of their loyalty and determination.

We followed Loyalist Parkway west from Kingston along the northern shore of Lake Ontario.  Stopped at a market in the Village of Bath where the weekend before they had a re-enactment of the War of 1812 (bicentenary).

There was almost an hour wait for the ferry to Glenora, Prince Edward County.  (It is technically an island, with several bridges connecting to the mainland and a ferry.)

Waiting for the Ferry to Glenora, Prince Edward County.

The county's relatively mild climate due to the influence of Lake Ontario has led to the establishment of about 50 vineyards and close to 30 wineries; as a result Prince Edward County is one of Ontario's newest designated viticultural areas. The lake effect from Lake Ontario results in heavier snowfall than in neighbouring counties.

Pulled Pork Poutine - yum.

We stopped for wine tasting at Black Prince Winery, that was interesting and wines were delicious.
We stopped at Dave's Roadhouse for lunch and tried the locally brewed beers from Barley Days Brewery just down the road.  I ordered a local dish 'Pulled Pork Poutine'; chips (thick fries) in a large bowl covered in cheese curds and topped with pulled (shredded) pork and lots of gravy.  Oh, so good and a gooey mess!  Then a 'Loyalists Lager'.

Back to the truck and loaded the bike Sunday evening.  Delivered the last two Bush Hog shipments on Monday, then headed to Buffalo for a few days.  The truck needed a few things done - it had an exhaust leak under the cab, and  would not pass an inspection, had to replace a 'Y' pipe.  Jim caught up with a few people.

Webster, NY to Fort Worth, TX.

Loaded Thursday afternoon in Webster, New York and left Joe and Michele's before lunch on Friday, headed towards Fort Worth, Texas.  The load was concrete forms for the circular storage tanks for water treatment plants - a new one was be constructed in Webster.  We took the forms back to Southland Construction's yard in Fort Worth.

Loaded angle steel in Jewett, Texas (south of Fort Worth) at NUCOR Steel and delivered it the next morning in Hope, Arkansas.  Were set up to load the next morning in Russellville, Arkansas, so took a short cut through Hot Springs (boyhood home of ex-President Bill Clinton).  Hot Springs was an interesting town - a big tourist area.

Russellville, AR to Tunkhannock, PA.

Loaded at Desoto Drilling in Russellville and took two large compressors to a drilling project in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania.  We had our next weeks loads set up, but after delivering we found out the first load had been postponed a week.  Spent a couple of hours to find a load that went to the same area, so we didn't have to call and opt out on the two loads we had lined up.  Headed up to Buffalo for the weekend and Sunday afternoon crossed into Ontario ready to load on Monday.

Loaded at Heidleberg Metals in Heidleberg - steel auger blades.  These are welded onto a metal post and mix and aerate grain.

Crossing Mackinaw Bridge prior to a storm and high winds - advisory speed for loaded trucks was very slow.

We returned to the USA via Port Huron in Michigan and headed north over the Mackinaw Bridge into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, around the north side of Lake Michigan to Pound, Wisconsin.  First time over Mackinaw Bridge in the truck!  We had been over a couple of times in a rental car while exploring in 2005 when we did a couple of tours and couldn't have the motorbike with us.

The Mackinac Bridge is currently the third longest suspension bridge in the world.  Began construction May 7, 1954, opened to traffic November 1, 1957.
All suspension bridges are designed to move to accommodate wind, change in temperature, and weight. It is possible that the deck at center span could move as much as 35 feet (east or west) due to high winds. This would only happen under severe wind conditions. The deck would not swing or 'sway' but rather move slowly in one direction based on the force and direction of the wind. After the wind subsides, the weight of the vehicles crossing would slowly move it back into centre position.

Delivered to PATZ on Tuesday morning, 31 July.
PATZ Corporation:  Designer, Manufacturer and Worldwide Marketer of Material Handling Equipment for the Agricultural, Industrial and Commercial Markets since 1948.

Reloaded in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in the afternoon at Oshkosh Trucks, they specialize is severe duty trucks - mostly military from light tactical to heavy tactical defense vehicles.  We loaded a military fuel tanker truck.