Something New

It's not that often that we get to go down new roads. Not saying that we've traveled all the roads there are to travel. It's just that having been doing this for a number of years, and working with the same broker for most of that, we have lots of customers we haul for, but they tend to be the same ones, or in the same areas. So new roads are rare and a treat.

This past week we were north of Seattle delivering and we had to get over to Wenatchee, WA to pick up apples. We decided to take a shortcut on US 2 across Steven's Pass instead of sticking to the interstates. I was happy about this for 2 reasons: it's such a novelty to get to see new areas, and I'll do anything to avoid Seattle. I simply do not like driving around that city.

So turns out, US 2, or that segment of it, is breath takingly beautiful! It quickly earned it's way onto my top favorite drives list. For my local friends from Chattanooga, it's like the drive up through Ocoee, but about 100 times grander!

We spent the night in Wenatchee with the windows open. I love when the weather is the right temperatures that we can turn the truck off and sleep with the windows open. I didn't think, though, about the three hundred million blooming apple trees that fill the valley there. So I've been battling a bit of an allergy/sinus thing for a few days since. Essential oils to the rescue and I'm finally getting over it!

This was our view as we sat in construction traffic waiting to leave Wenatchee and head to Michigan with our apples.

We could have actually taken US 2 nearly all the way from Wenatchee to the delivery in Michigan. This is one of those loads where things got messed up and we have too much time to get it done. The extra time would have been idea for a 2 lane excursion, but it also provided the time to stop in Billings, MT and pick up some horse mineral I've been wanting to try, and so we decided to stay on the big roads.

I got my mineral and can't wait to get home with it...in 5 more weeks. (I'm dying with impatience to get home, but what's new.)

The weather has treated us quite nicely this trip across. Warm but not too warm, no rain, and the North Dakota wind even treated us decently.

We are down to our last 300 miles, so today we will get around Chicago, and then find a place later this afternoon for the girls to get out of the truck and run.

This next week has to be a faster paced week though. I know when we're busy I complain about being tired, but when we've got so much extra time and we're getting plenty of sleep, I have too  much time and too much brain space to dwell on things I can't do anything about. Right now, my mind is consumed with home and horses. I need to get busy so I won't have time to miss them so much.

Our boys, Sky and Duke! 

And I just realized that if your not one of my Facebook friends, you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Duke yet, so I'll introduce you to him in a later blog post.