Park Falls, WI

It's been awhile since I last sent out an email. Last Thur I was sent to Sioux Falls, SD to pick up a load. My cousin Jeff lives there and just recently, his parents, Norman and Jan also moved there. I didn't have time to let Jeff know I was coming, but was planning on calling him when I got there. Well, it just so happened that as I was backing into the dock in Sioux Falls I received an email from him. I don't know if he had ever emailed before. I quickly called him and we were able to have lunch at a local truck stop.

By the way, Norman's 81st birthday is this coming Sunday, April 27th. Also on the birthday front, my brother-in-law, Jim, also known as Dr. Hall of Fame will turn 60 tomorrow. He's getting quite old.

Since my last email I have gone from WI to Huron, SD to Sioux Falls to Red Wing to Hoyt Lakes, MN to Cloquet, MN to Eau Claire, WI to Grand Forks, ND to Moorhead, MN to Duluth. Today I go back to Cloquet and then east to Park Falls, WI.

It is beautiful up here. In places there is still snow on the ground and many of the lakes are still parially ice covered. Spring is coming. Slowly.

I've been driving about 2200 miles a week the last 3 weeks. Mostly, I've transported paper products (scrap, pulp, rolls of paper). Last week I picked up a load of sugar at a warehouse in Mpls. A huge warehouse stacked high with bags and bags of sugar. And I thought to myself that this could be the birthplace of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).

Tristan has started baseball. He practices Tue, Thur and Sat each week. I hope he continues to enjoy the experience. I'll go with him as much as possible.

I hope you are all doing well. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Confrontation, MN

I had a confrontation today and I lost. Let me explain. The word 'confront' comes from the Latin words 'cum' or with and 'frons' or face. To confront is to do something 'with face'. Well today I literally confronted the side of my trailer and lost. I was trying to loosen a bolt and the wrench slipped and I went face first into the side of the trailer. My nose made contact first, then my mouth. I was bloodied a bit, but I survived. Don't try this at home. My nose is sore and my profile is a bit flatter.

This morning at 4:00 am I started out from Red Wing and took a trailer up to Baxter, MN (180 miles) and had it unloaded there. I then drove 4 miles to Brainerd and picked up a loaded trailer and took that back down to Red Wing. From there I picked up an empty trailer and drove to Minneapolis and picked up a load of scrap paper and will take that to Duluth and arrive tomorrow morning. I was able to get as far as Rush City, MN which is on I-35 about 40 miles north of Mpls-St Paul.

There was over a foot of snow on the ground in Brainerd. Pretty depressing. They had a storm this past weekend. I hope your weather has been better. Well, have a good week. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Detroit Lakes, MN

I started out from Red Wing last night at 9:00 pm. I had to take an empty trailer to Eau Claire (Menard's Distribution Center) drop it and pick up a loaded trailer by 11:00 pm. From there I was to take it to Detroit Lakes, MN for a 5:00 am delivery (290 miles).

Everything went smoothly until halfway through the drive to Detroit Lakes. First, I got really tired, so I stopped at a truck stop near Alexandria, MN. I heard there that I was driving into a snow storm. And sure enough I did. I also discovered that the interstate I was on (I-94) was closed north of Alexandria due to the snow and 3 semi's that had gone into a ditch. I had to pull off onto a exit ramp and wait 2 hours for the highway to reopen. I slept most of the time. When I got back on the road, it was snow packed and I could only drive 45 mph. I did that for about 100 miles. When I arrived at the Menards in Detroit Lakes their lot was full of snow so I had to wait over an hour for them to clear it out enough for me to back up to their dock.

When they are done unloading I'll need to take a 10 hour break, since I was on the road all night. I'll try to sleep for a few hours. I'll be able to start again at 6:00 pm this evening.

Fortunately, I didn't slip or slide at all while driving. I'm glad spring is starting to emerge up here in the 'Frozen Tundra'. I'm looking forward to driy roads and warmer temps.

I hope you all had a good weekend. Root for the Cubs! It's been 100 years since they've won anything. I think it is about time. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

St Peter, MN

I thought some of you would be interested in knowing that I drove through St Peter, MN yesterday afternoon. I honked as I drove by Gustavus. I also called grandma and grandpa to let them know and they were pleased.

For most of the week I've been driving around MN and WI, but yesterday I picked up a load of peanuts (44,000 lbs) north of St Peter. I drove it down to Decatur, IL and am now waiting to be unloaded. I imagine I'll get home sometime tomorrow.

I forgot to give you the results of the Trucker Quiz from last week. It was a trick question. There is both a Menomonie, WI and a Menominee, MI. 3 of you got it right. Tristan's dad and step-mom replied first. Kari was the second one to get it right, and my uncle Jim and aunt Carole were the third ones to respond correctly. They all will get Snickers bars.

If Memphis beats UCLA on Sat I think I will win the west coast Barth NCAA pool. So, root for Memphis. If UCLA wins, Neil will win the pool.

I hope you have had a good couple of weeks and that you will have a great weekend. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )