Sometimes you have to lose yourself 'fore you can find anything.

Okay...so the title is a line from "Deliverance". Remember that movie? Of course if you were born after 1970 you may not (although mind you I was born in '68). It was a creepy movie set in the American back country. I'm sure you're wondering why I'm bringing that up.

This morning I was STILL in Kentucky. Dropped off my pipe nice and early. Then got sent about 120 miles away to pick up some lumber. First...I got a little lost. Pulled into a gas station because the bladder was complaining loudly. Everyone had stopped to stare...of course that's probably because this was NOT a truck stop...it was a BP gas station in the middle of nowhere. Relieved myself and then went to call the shipper. I had to hold the phone way above my head to get one bar of reception, but I did get through to him. Lucky me...I was only about a 1/2 mile away from him back the way I came. Get to his location and oh lovely...it's a steep uphill climb on nothing but mud. But I made the trek up. Got directed to the back to get loaded...more mud. Mud everywhere! Oh well there WAS some rock there too..but you could hardly see it through all the mud.


So guy driving one of their pieces of heavy equipment comes on the cb saying "come on bud...follow me". Another guy in another one sees me as I go by and tells him "Dude...that ain't no guy. That a girl." Get loaded...strapping the hell out of that bitch and the old man from the control area drives by in his pick-up truck and tells me I'm doing it all wrong. Wasn't sure what the hell he meant but then he tells me they got another lady driver who's been there for like 17 years and she has her man with her to handle all the "work". Well lucky here eh? I don't have that privilege. But that's okay...I'm not too prissy to get my hands (and boots) dirty. Anyway...get that all done...grab the paperwork...and start the trek back down the mud hill. Oh I took that thing SLOW! Steep and slippery. And at the bottom I turn out in the direction I had come from. Pulled over real quick and plugged in the info on where to go.



Now this is where Deliverance comes in. My beautiful, wonderful, stupid GPS sends me on a two lane road. Okay...no biggie. Of course that road gets very "hilly" and then narrow. But there is no where to even think about getting turned around so I keep plugging along. Pretty deserted back there...some backwoods kinda houses. Dueling Banjos from Deliverance pops into my head.  Next the dumb bitch (GPS) tells me to turn on to this other road. And of course it had a hellacious turn to it. So if you live out there in those backwoods and a semi came through and relocated your mailbox...I'm really sorry. I'm pretty sure it was still standing...just maybe not as straight as it was before I went by it. Anyway...this road was even worse! Narrow...snow fog coming down through the trees. And I followed the path the bitch took me on for probably a good 20 minutes. And wouldn't you know it...I came out right across the street from the BP I had stopped at....which was 1/2 mile away from the place I picked up at. I was pissed! Any other time...she'd just say "do a u-turn" if I'm going in the wrong direction. This time I guess she decided to punish me for threatening to replace her with a newer model.

Finally get on the way FOR REAL...and I'm in and out of snow the whole way. Look one direction and you saw snow and grey clouds...look the other and you saw a gorgeous blue sky. I came close to pulling over at one point...the snow was just coming down too thick and you could hardly see. But I held in there and about 10 minutes later came out of it to hardly anything at all falling.

And wouldn't you know it...I ended in more backwoods roads in Ohio. Was too late to deliver tonight and the security guard for the receiver told me I could go back to the town I had just come through and park at a Tractor Supply where a lot of trucks go to park or I could go about 20 minutes down the road and there was a Wal-mart. I opted for the Wal-mart mainly because there I have access to a bathroom. Also when possible I stick to parking where there is decent lighting. 

So now I'm sitting in the far corner of the parking lot of the Wal-mart in East Liverpool, OH next to a Wal-mart truck. I'm tired...exhausted is probably a better word for it. So sweet dreams and safe travels my friends. Till next time...