What a Difference a Day Can Make

Yesterday morning we picked up a load in Pennsylvania to be taken to Ohio

Hmmm...what a choice...Pittsburgh...or California?
I think I'd choose California in December

Another tough choice...

I guess California will have to wait!

Who thinks up these names anyhow?

To get to Ohio, we drove across a tiny sliver of West Virginia. It took all of about five minutes, and here's what it looked like

OK, technically THIS was in Ohio, but it looks like it
should be in West Virginia

And I thought Pennsylvania had mountains...

This was also technically in Ohio

Anyway, take note of the extreme lack of anything resembling snow and ice...

Apparently, Zanesville, Ohio, is the Pottery Capital of someplace...

There were more pottery places advertised. I only got pictures of two

After dropping our load in Columbus, OH, we picked up another load near there, which is going to Georgia. Around this time I decided to climb in the bunk and take a little nappy. When I woke up, it was snowing to beat the band. We headed south towards Virginia, hoping to outrun the storm. This necessitated driving back through West Virginia, only a (much) bigger slice of it this time. In fact, it seemed to go on forever, considering the icy roads and the falling snow. Eventually Mr. Trucker got into the middle of a convoy of southern accented truck drivers who were talking on the CB's to keep themselves safe in the storm. It's funny to listen to truckers on CB's. Sometime since CB's were big back in the 80's, they've shortened "ten four" to "ten..." Anyway, all of these drivers had hoped to make it to Virginia to a TA truck stop for the night, but the lead dog suggested that due to the delays of the icy roads and the restrictions of the driver's clocks, it would be better to stop at a Service Plaza in Beckley, WV, about 60 miles short of the original destination. So that's what we did. 

Once we got inside the Service Plaza, Mr. Trucker was able to locate the three drivers he had been communicating with, and they sat there swapping trucking stories while my eyes glazed over. Thank goodness I had brought my IPod Touch in with me, I could read my book while they talked. I'm still slogging through Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit. 

It was pretty cozy inside the truck all night, considering the temperature outside was 20 degrees this morning (I thought West Virginia was south!) and here's what we saw as we drove away...

The Beckley Service Plaza

Parking lot where our truck sat all night

Looks like a Christmas Card, eh?

I wasn't able to post on my blog yesterday afternoon or this morning, because I needed all my faculties to help Mr. Trucker navigate on the icy roads. I figured that if I kept both eyes glued to the road, and both hands gripping the arms of my seat, I could (through force of will) keep the truck from sliding into a ditch. 

We had snow through the remainder of southern W. Virginia, all of Virginia (the part we passed through anyway) and for probably a good 40 miles into North Carolina. 

Speaking of North Carolina, they apparently have some pretty clever State Troopers there...

Do they swoop down in helicopters with big hooks to attach
to your bumper to slow you down?

More North Carolina shots...

Hey look! It's the Beverly Hillbillies!

These folks also showed up at the same Rest Area we stopped at and Mr. Trucker was embarrassed by my taking pictures of them, so he told me to pretend I was taking a picture of HIM walking up to the building

Yeah, that's right, Mr. Trucker. Smile pretty!

Speaking of rest areas, we stopped at one in W. Virginia that took the cake. I headed for the end stall, which is generally the handicapped stall. I like to use that one when no one is looking, because the door opens OUT, and I can't stand trying to maneuver myself, wearing a bulky winter coat, into those tiny little stalls where the door opens IN, while trying to avoid making contact with the toilet...Anyway, at this rest stop in W. Va, the end stall was NOT the handicapped stall. It was (I am NOT making this up), the Toddler Accessible Toilet stall. In the far back corner of this HUGE stall (with a door that opened out), was a tiny little toilet, about six inches off the floor. I could not believe the state of W. Va would misuse taxpayer dollars in this way. You're not at your home, for crying out loud! Why can't you just hold onto your toddler on the regular toilet in a public facility? Is this to keep them from being traumatized at a crucial stage in their development, toilet training?

From North Carolina, we continued on down through South Carolina. I am sorry to report that I didn't see much worth taking pictures of in South Carolina. Mr. Trucker lived there for several years back in the 80's when he was in the Navy, and he said it is much prettier in the summertime. I didn't care much for the vegetation, but the sun shone and the temperature climbed into the mid 40's. I always thought Georgia was famous for peaches, but apparently I was wrong...

Watertower in Gaffney, SC

Mr. Trucker's Father had told me that there are places in South Carolina where they serve "All the Buttermilk You Can Drink", but I didn't see that advertised anywhere...

This guy here (another Beverly Hillbilly) musta had a death wish

Look how close to our front bumper he is pulling back in
after passing us!

Mr. Trucker likes pulling the air horn when people do stupid things like this. He gets a big kick out of it. 

A couple of silly names in S. Carolina

Cowpens, South Carolina. Seriously?

Mr. Trucker figures Fair Play, SC is probably across the
state line from Foul Play, GA.

Late in the afternoon we made it to Georgia. 

How do they celebrate Christmas without snow?

This is what I expect to see in the south

Mr. Trucker was so bummed about the lack of truck parking here.
He wanted him some Boiled Peanuts, which he grew to love when
living down here

Georgia Country Road

We're delivering at a WalMart Distribution Center in Monroe, GA, and here's something new...

They gave us a pager so they could buzz us when our truck
was unloaded. That way we could uncouple from the trailer
and bobtail over to the Waffle House to get some dinner.

It has a been a very long day with lots of new territory to see.

Today's Silly Sounding Place Name: Chillicothe, OH