As everyone in the Pacific Northwest as done over the last week, we complained about the heat wave, and watched as the temperature gauge gave us the readings as the morning turned to afternoon and it read...100....103....105....still climbing upwards with no signs of stopping, until it finally reached 110 degrees. We tried to keep our minds off the heat while trying out yet another new recipe.
After venturing out early Saturday morning to the local Farmer's Market downtown in Walla Walla, WA, we left with 6 pints of handpicked juicy blackberries. I had stored in my file of "things I want to bake one day", a recipe for Blackberry Coconut Squares, which were just screaming to be made with the berries we just purchased. I have to apologize for the quality of the pictures, as I couldn't muster up much excitement for leaving the main house to walk the 30 yards to the guest cottage to get my good camera in the sweltering heat. 
I could have made the presentation a bit better, but honestly, these really speak for themselves. The tartness of the berries are great for those who don't like an overly sweet dessert, and the yummy coconut topping is just right for those of us who prefer things on the sweet side. Cori's husband had to have a second helping, because after all, who could have resisted? Craig was happy to know that a care package of these yummy treats had been prepared for him. 
With yet another successful recipe under our belts, I had asked Cori to make the infamous S'more cookies which had been the talk of the week, as Cori had shipped these little devils to family back in California. If you are a fan of S'mores, I guarantee you will absolutely love these chewy, gooey treats. The only thing missing is the campfire and the sticks for roasting them on. As with the squares, we made another care package for Craig and after being informed of the treats that awaited him upon his arrival in Spokane, I know it will make the last leg of his trip well worth the effort.Speaking of which, Craig made it into the drop yard in Pacific, WA yesterday for his 5am delivery of the bananas this morning. As I type this, he is still in the dock waiting to get unloaded. He does have a preplan for his next dispatch which will have him picking up the load tomorrow and delivery tomorrow night. We are looking forward to being reunited after a very long 3 weeks apart, and almost 9 weeks out on the road for Craig. No doubt all of those goodies will help to ease the weariness of having been out on the road for so long!
Craig sent me a picture of the yard in Bloomington, CA while he was there waiting to deliver on Thursday. We have never seen the yard so empty before, and Craig was the only TWT driver there! Things must have really picked up on the flat bed side this week, as Craig was just about the only customer when the Taco Truck showed up at lunch time. 
After his delivery early Thursday morning, he was told to go back to the yard and drop his trailer and await a loaded trailer which would be brought to him by one of the local drivers. We had guessed correctly that it would be bananas from San Diego, and by noon, Craig was headed for Puyallup, WA and the well deserved home time. His delivery is for Sunday morning, and most likely he will get a load from the Fred Meyer DC into Spokane for either Sunday night, or Monday morning. 
Life goes on here in Walla Walla, WA while I am visiting my friend, awaiting Craig's return to Spokane for home time. We tried a new chicken recipe called "Spiced Sticky Boneless Chicken Thighs", that was literally devoured by the five of us for dinner. Even the kids were fighting over the last little bits of chicken left clinging to the yummy glaze on the serving platter. This will no doubt be a meal I will fix for Craig while we are home. 
Cori and I spent some time out in her flower garden cutting flowers, before the day got too terribly hot. She then got busy trimming them and placing them into bouquets, which she brought to a neighbor, along with some of the maple oatmeal scones. That is some lucky neighbor in my opinion. We'll do battle again with the heat, and live to tell about it tomorrow, when it is predicted to be 105 degrees. I think it's time for another glass of ice tea.....and hurry home Craig, before I melt from the heat! 
Suffice it to say, I don't cook much, what with the majority of my time being on the truck and the limitations that brings with it, and how that our kitchen at home is just about as limiting as the truck. So when presented with being in the kitchen of my friend Cori, and her love of cooking, I found myself in a wannabe cook/baker heaven, much like a kid in a candy store. 
We have tried several new things since my arrival on Monday. There was the potato fresh from the garden, Gruyere cheese, onion, fennel bake, the sun dried tomato, cream cheese dip with other assorted spices and ingredients, which will be calling my name again later this afternoon, and then there were the oatmeal maple scones we baked this morning. 
I love a good scone, and I have got to say, these were pretty darn good and easy to make, at least from my spectator chair with only the responsibility of reading off the ingredients. I, myself, think that was probably the most important job, because one mess up there, and you have potential disaster on your hands right? Come on people, I want to feel like I truly did participate in the process. 
So working hand in hand, the ingredients were assembled, mixed, rolled out, and then cut and placed on the cooking sheet to bake. A mere 15 minutes later, were hot, nicely browned scones just begging for a hearty dose of glaze and a sprinkling of oats for their proper introduction to our stomachs. I got to say, they didn't disappoint. Now pass the plate around, I think I'll have another one.
Cori hand made these tile coasters and had transferred four photos which I had taken during our first year out on the truck. As I stared open mouth at this wonderful, touching gift, I was transported back in time to each place I had taken the pictures, rattling off States and Cities, and falling in love with the coasters, our love of traveling in the big rig, and at a loss for words in which to thank Cori for such a gift. 
But all too soon, it was time to check out the garden and the bounty in which Cori and her family were going to gather for our evening meal. For this city girl to go out and watch for the first time potatoes being dug out of the ground, and then onions, carrots, lettuce, and finally fennel, well it was just a great joy to know that I would soon be enjoying this bounty, fresh from the garden, in just a few short hours. 
The evening meal was a true success of eating off the land. This is the first year for them to try their hand at growing their own vegetables, and no doubt they will cultivate what they have learned this year and make next years garden even better. If we had a little bit more space at our place, I wouldn't mind trying my hand at it when we finally settle down in the future, but no doubt Craig would gleefully remind me again about that lack of space. I know Cori will not mind a visit from the two of us to get our fresh veggie fix.
After an evening spent watching Mike and Cori's two children, Jackson and Allison, practice flag football with their teams at the local High School, it was time to call it a day. After the last couple of weeks of being by myself, this flurry of activity today tired me out a bit, but not so much that I couldn't quickly snatch my camera and take a photograph to remind me of what a great day it had been with friends and enjoying the bountiful harvest of goodness they had so graciously and warmly served me!
While paperwork was getting sorted out, a recheck of the temperature showed that the trailer was not chilling down to -10 degrees, but remained steady at 7 degrees. Gauges were checked and tapped on, because after all, it never hurts to hit on the item you want to work correctly, right? But no matter how hard he wished it would chill down, it never did, and the Shipper refused to load the trailer with the ice cream. Now add into the mix, that the Shipper does not work on weekends, and I think you are now getting the big picture.
After staging in Aurora for his 1pm delivery in Clackamas, and then after a successful unload at Fred Meyers DC, he headed back to Aurora where he received his next assignment. Wouldn't you know it......it's ice cream!! but much to my relief, it wasn't in Tillamook. (I'm still holding out to go there when I'm back on the truck). No, this time it is a return visit to Eugene, OR and the Oregon Ice Cream Company. 
Knowing that there was a independent truck stop just 20 so miles away from the Shippers location, Craig decided to head to Halsey, OR for the night, even though he didn't have an appointment to pick up the ice cream until 2pm on Friday. We have stayed at this truck stop before, while on the Marine Division delivering boats, and had to pay $75 for a mandatory weekly truck and trailer wash. You can see the tiny little shack, and the one man operation in the picture above. That was by far the most we have ever had to spend for a wash, then or since. 
When he arrived at the truck stop, and was settled in, even finding to his surprise good TV reception, he gave me a phone call to update me on his status. Several times during the conversation, he mentioned that he was starving and was having trouble getting excited about what he had in the truck to eat. With just a tad bit encouragement from me, he decided to treat himself to a dinner at the restaurant on the premises. From the looks of the photograph he sent me, I doubt he walked away hungry from that meal!
After a quick stop at the Company yard in French Camp to drop off a trip packet, Craig continued his journey north and is now sitting sequestered away inside his truck at the Casino in Corning, CA with the AC blasting, as the temperature reads 113 outside. While he is there he is finishing up the day with one last washing......his dirty clothes. Tomorrow looks to be a nice clean start to the day!
No worries, as we checked in and were told the trailer was in the dock waiting to be loaded. Craig parked directly across from it in the parking lot so that I could keep an eagle eye for any movement that it was in fact being loaded. I gleefully shouted out to him in the back of the truck every time I saw a jello jiggle of the trailer and was shocked when the red light turned green after only 30 minutes. We were loaded and scaled by 2:15 and on the road to Spokane knowing that we would be able to take at least an 8 hour break before making the deliveries in the morning. 
Both Interstate 84 which runs along the Columbia River, and Interstate 90 through Snoqualmie Pass, rank among my favorite routes to take. I am a lover of pine trees, water, and mountains, and this route pleases me on all levels. With a quick stop in Ellensburg for a Subway sandwich, which by the way, I hope they never stop that $5 foot long deal anytime soon, we were in the Company yard in Spokane by 8pm and crawling into bed for some rest before the anticipated 4am wake up call.
The four deliveries when flawlessly, and we were back in the yard by 11am. Knowing that we haven't seen Spokane in over 5 weeks, with all those dropping and swapping of loads, and that fact that I did want to be dropped off here before Craig takes some home time in August, We decided that I would leave the truck during this stop. With that in mind, we hit the Wal Mart for food supplies to last Craig the next three weeks, and of course a mandatory stop at Starbucks.
I plan to stay with Craig until he leaves for his next assignment. So far he has not been dispatched on anything, but that is okay with us. That gives us plenty of time for truck clean up, laundry, showers, and a while longer to enjoy each other's company before we part ways. I'm looking forward to getting back home for a couple of weeks and then taking the last week before Craig comes home to visit my best friend Cori in Walla Walla, WA. Then I'll be more than excited to drive back to the yard to pick up Craig so we can enjoy a few days of rest at home!
After getting another 34 hour restart on Craig's hours Sunday, we started the first of three deliveries Monday morning at the Safeway in Clackamas. we actually had two drops at the same location, one at their meat warehouse, and the other at their frozen warehouse. Had we looked at the invoices a little better, they might have been missing some Sara Lee cheesecakes that we had chilling in our trailer.
With our drop yard in Pacific, just 8 miles from the delivery location, and only 250 miles away, we informed dispatch that we would be there by 4pm today and that if we could drop the trailer and receive another load for Wednesday it would make us very happy. As soon as we arrived, we were told to drop the trailer and await a new dispatch in the morning.
Like I mentioned previously, these runs are short, but everything dispatched under 300 miles is a $125 payout. Not too shabby as we have had quite a few of those and sometimes two in one day! So what seemed like a pattern of consistently staying in Oregon and swapping and dropping trailers, we are happy to have finally made it into Washington. The weather is great, a cool 55 degrees, and I know a great little coffee shack right around the corner for in the morning. You'll hear no complaints from us!
Within seconds we were told to bobtail to Aurora and pick up a team load out of the Fred Meyer DC in Clackamas first thing Saturday morning. We had showers on our mind, so we stopped off at the Pilot in Brooks, OR for a little clean up and then walked across the parking lot to a coffee shack for a little caffeine. Then it was off to the TA truck stop in Aurora where we got the perfect spot for people watching up close by the fuel island and store. That's one of the great things about bob tailing, you can literally park just about anywhere. 
I was able to get laundry done and we enjoyed our left over Mexican food we had enjoyed previously the night before in Weed at the Dos Amigos Restaurant. If you are ever in the area, you really should stop by there. The service was excellent, the portions huge, and the food was fantastic, and on top of that, we even had seats with the million dollar views of Mount Shasta through the window. Take exit 745 and it's right on the main street between the McDonald's and the truck stop. You won't be sorry.
This is about the third or fourth time was have had the pleasure of traveling this highway, and I have got to say, as long as you don't have a very heavy load, (ours was only 22,000 pounds), it is a nice way to spend a few hours. You can't beat the scenery as you take in covered bridges, lakes and streams, mountains and pine trees to your heart's content.
Today will find us relaxing and maybe taking a walk down the street. I saw a sign for a berry farm and a BBQ place that just might be calling our name later today. Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!
After sleeping in a little this morning, we hit the restaurant next door to the truck stop for breakfast. We figured we would need the nourishment on our two mile walk into the town. It was a pleasant walk, with the morning air still cool and a nice breeze and by 9am we had hit the main drag and were the first customers of the day at the Weed Store. I was amazed at how many people came and went during the short time we were there, but we had other sights to see and we left to go explore them.
The next item of interest was the Weed Arch which is located at the entrance to Main Street. The original arch built in 1922 was built of concrete, and after it started getting surface cracks, and the city engineers could find no blueprints of it's construction, they tore it down for safety reasons. The new one was erected in 1989 and we were even able to find a USDA survey benchmark on one of the columns of the arch.
Traveling further down Main Street, we came upon City Hall and an unique sculpture of the city founder Abner Weed. Mr. Weed thought the area was perfect for his lumber mill, due to the wind currents and their ability to help the drying of green lumber. In 1897 and for the price of $400, Abner was able to purchase 280 acres of land where Weed now sits.
Completing our circle down Main Street, we ended up at the intersection of where Highway 97, historic Highwy 99, and Interstate 5 meet. In the parking lot of a grocery store sits a rather large totem pole. Originally it was built to mark the start of the Alcan or Alaskan Highway. When Safeway opened a grocery store at that location, they put a large spinning "S" on top of the totem pole. The "S" was removed when Safeway closed their store and Ray's Supermarket took over the building.
By now the sun was out in full force and both Craig and I were feeling the heat. We purchased some water and Gatorade for our two mile trek back to the truck and tried to smile and wave as I had to stop and rest in the shade and a group of preschool children, tethered to a walking cord, walked happily by us. It seemed the walk back took so much longer than the walk there, but we were both happy to climb inside the truck and enjoy the cool air conditioning! 
The down time here in Weed has been nice, and we did enjoy the sightseeing on our walk, but both of us are ready to hit the road again. When we arrived in Weed yesterday, another driver was waiting to take our load and we inherited a transformer load, exactly like the one Craig had last week. We will take off around 3am and deliver the trailer to Salem, OR Friday morning. From there it's anyone's guess what we will get for the Fourth of July weekend.
We made the delivery in Walla Walla, WA Tuesday morning. We were hoping to meet up with my friend Cori and her husband for breakfast after we were done, but we had already been sent a pre plan for another load as soon as we were empty. This load required pallets, so off we went to Pasco to first pick up pallets, and then to the truck stop to get a light weight before heading into the shipper in Richland, WA.
This morning, once again we were up and on the road by 2am. We have 460 miles to cover of which almost 300 of them are already behind us. We should arrive in Weed before noon, and we are still waiting to hear about swapping loads. No matter what we get, we won't be able to start driving again until around midnight Thursday night/Friday morning. Until then, we'll be exploring Weed and maybe checking out the Mexican Restaurant next to the truck stop.
