Greg, if you're down this way, you know where we are.

quote Originally posted by CowsPatoot: Unemployment insurance is payed by employers, not employees. I am essentially collecting money from my previous employer's insurance policy. When too many people collect too much from one company, their rates go up. It doesn't cost you a dime for me to collect. But regardless, I understand your point...and I AM looking for a job. But...I moved to Wilkesboro for the job that I had knowing that if things went bad, I would be forced to move again to find another job. I can search nationwide for jobs as easily from the netbook while on the road as I can from my own home computer. I refuse to live in misery just because I am unemployed, and am thankful for this opportunity that I didn't have for all the years that I was paying taxes.

That makes sense to me. Fortunately, I've never collected unemployment. However, with the economy the way it is,...

quote Originally posted by Fierfly: Creative shot. good zoom to a mirror I assume. Tell Ray he has bug guts on his side mirror.

Yes...the convex mirror countered the extreme zoom from the camera. I meant to reverse the image before posting so it would look like we mounted the camera up there, but I forgot that step.

quote Originally posted by williegoat: KW T-2000

Correct...this one was taken at tonight's stop

quote Originally posted by carnut122: So, what kinds of things are you hauling?

30k lbs of pickles from Green Bay, WI to Sav-a-lot DC in Winchester, KY....now 42k lbs of Corn Oil from Cincinnati to a Walmart DC in Grandview, WA. From there, it will be whatever someone want's to pay us to deliver.


The rain clouds blew in just east of Bismarck...


...and completely hid the sunset tonight. Best color I could get was actually facing southeast.


G'nite....we are off to Bozeman in the morning...

Please keep the pictures going My dream state is Montana Id Love to live there one day. I was going to be a
OTR driver when I was younger. I wanted to see all of the states But, life happens..

Thanks for sharing,

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Shannon
88 Fiero "Valhalla"

Ray had to take a pic of Froggy at the Montana border:


Remember that (with a few exceptions) these pics are taken from the truck at about 60 mph and are un-edited. I will start cropping and cleaning up when I get home. Weak signals here in Montana...will update when we get to Bozeman.

Looking forward to meeting you on Thursday. I have spoke with a few of the guys, and there seems to be interest. I will call you tonight, and see where you are at in your trip. It was nice talking with ya, and we are loking forward to Thursday. Weather may not be nice, so a Fiero sighting is improbable.

Tony

Isn't America a beautiful country? I am glad that you are taking the opportunity to experience this trip instead of wasting the days watching television. You have the ability to apply for jobs and call potential employers from anywhere. So why miss this lifetime experience to see America and meet people from all over. I don't believe anyone has regretted in their old age experiencing too many things.

If you make it to Salinas or nearby, I would gladly meet you for a meal. I would enjoy hearing some stories from the road.

To clear things up a bit regarding Unemployment Insuarnce benefits....

CowsPatoot stated he lost his job a couple of months ago, which means he has been drawing benefits about 8 weeks. Most states allow you to draw 20-26 weeks of benefit thru the initial claim----that initial period is fully funded by his former employer('s) insurance via his state's comptroller or equivilent entity, but the money actually came from his former employer.
After the initial claim period, there are 4 "Tiers" of benefits available. Teirs 1, 2, 3, 4, which can (but not always) extend benefits for up to 99 weeks. AFAIK, the Teir 5 funding (beyond 99 weeks) didn't go thru congress successfully, but anything OVER the initial claim period of 26-28 weeks, is fully funded by the US Congress/US Treasury/US TAXPAYER. However (comma) some states also have their own extensions, which are funded by that state's general State fund--IOW, that state's taxpayers.

Years ago, what Cow'sPatoot is doing would very much be frowned upon by his state's unemplyment commission. You have to there in your state, AVAILABLE for work and actively searching for a job--and be able to prove you are. Now tho, with unemployment so high, many states are actually encouraging their unemployed to go out of state in search of employment--but --whether the initial claim or on one of the extensions--they DO still insist that the person drawing the benefits actually be actively searching for a job.

IOW, Cow'sPatoot is not currently costing the rest of us anything, since he's only been unemployed about 8 weeks. Once he draws all his initial claim (whatever that may be) and assuming he applies for and is granted Tier1, he will then be riding ----- (EUC-the Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation)--------the US Govt Mule.

Here's a better explanation:

http://www.thequarterroll.c...mployment-tiers-work

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 06-08-2011).]

quote Originally posted by maryjane: .

And he is spending that money in states other than his own. I call that good for the economy. Now, off to my bridge.

Tony

If anyone is still concerned about him spending money...

No hotel costs...the truck has a second bunk.
No fuel costs... the driver would be using 99.99% as much fuel without the passenger.
All he has to spend money on is food and laundry.
For that matter, he is probably saving money, as he isnt running his A/C in the hot weather at home.

I took cross country trip back in 1999, and I would do it again if i had the money. Believe me, this is an opportunity he would be a fool to pass up.

There seemes to be some flooding even up here at 3000 feet elevation.


And here comes the rain...


Arrived in Bozeman...yup, that's snow on those mountains.

Wyoming looks just like Montana except brown instead of green, and the lack of trees. Here's a photo taken 5 miles out of town

[This message has been edited by iced_theater (edited 06-09-2011).]

When I lived in CA and was on unemployment a few years back, there was a card I had to send into the State every week, detailing my search. If that card didn't get sent in, they assume you'd found a job, and the benefits stopped. Do the various States no longer do that anymore? It's probably all done online now, I'd assume.

quote Originally posted by KraigG: When I lived in CA and was on unemployment a few years back, there was a card I had to send into the State every week, detailing my search. If that card didn't get sent in, they assume you'd found a job, and the benefits stopped. Do the various States no longer do that anymore? It's probably all done online now, I'd assume.

Online now ....there are other options, but I do it online. I am supposed to keep records of the jobs I have applied for. They haven't asked to see the records yet...but I'm sure they would if I needed an extension.

Great photos. Funny thing is I remember taking some of those same photos when I"ve been out there.

Here's one of them:
Yours:


Mine:

[This message has been edited by Rainman (edited 06-09-2011).]

When/If you make it back through Indiana for a rest or reset, hit me up.

quote Originally posted by theBDub: Yeah, I know. I didn't think everything through when I wrote that first post.

Keep thinking it through. Just because it's not paid by taxpayers, doesn't mean it doesn't cost everyone else something. Just like any insurance plan, if people start taking out of it more than rightfully should, then there is less available to those who may truly need it. And then the state funds dry up, and guess who comes to the rescue, the federal government (taxpayer).
If there is no problem with what cow'spatoot is doing according to the rules I dare him to inform the unemployment department he is drawing from and tell them how he's been spending his days.
Unemployment IS insurance, Yes you pay for it. No, it is not your money anymore than a car insurance premium is your money and you are not entitled to it.

I'm not judging Cowspatoot either. I collected unemployment for almost the full six months about a year ago. I lost it when I decided to go back to school.
I didn't bust my ass looking for a job like I should have. Especially at the beginning. It's just the nature of the beast.

So technically BDub you were right the first time. You are working to support cowspatoots vacation, and a guy I know who has been unemployed for almost a year and has turned down numerous jobs because his unemployment covers his bills, and his parents give him spending money.

But I don't know Cowspatoot, maybe he's been busting his ass for decades to support others and is finally taking a little for himself.
It's not easy to be virtuous in a corrupt system.

Currently doing a 10+ hour reset in Prosser, Washington:






Didn't see much else of interest here in Washington...but should get better tonight. We leave this evening to head up to Auburn and will be going through Snoqualmie Pass. We then head down to Portland, OR...but will be driving that at night for an early morning delivery. We will then do a 34 hour reset in Portland.

From Portland, we pick up on Monday morning and head to Evansville, IN. We drop the load there, then head to Neelys Landing, MO where we pick up a load on the 16th. Then we drop that load in Sanger, TX on the 18th.

The route:
I 84 down to SLC, UT...then I80 through Wyoming and Nebraska...then I29 through the corner of Iowa (which will leave only SD left for me to see in the continental US) to Kansas City....then 40 across to St Louis...then 64 down to Evansville.

Then for the next load, we will take the back roads through southern Illinois to Neelys Landing, MO....then take 55 down to Memphis...I40 to Little Rock, AR...then I30 through TX until we hit the back roads to Sanger.

OK...as I sit here at the OC in Portland, I figured I should get the western Washington pics up. It was night time coming down from Auburn to Portland, so you only get the start of the trip from Grandview until the lights went out just short of Snoqualmie Pass.

You'll be passing right through my town on I-80, you will of be halfway past my town when you go through the tunnel. It's the only tunnel on I-80 in Wyoming.

Snoqual Pass is a great drive. Mae it many times going to Yakima when I was in the Nat Guard. Big Difference between eastern and western Wa. I miss the mountains and the fishing and the snow year round.

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****************************************

88 Formula CJB Arrived Finally. #689 of 1252
Time to start Working TONY!
There are Two kinds of Fiero's : Notchies and Donors!

no updates?

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88 Formula CJB Arrived Finally. #689 of 1252
Time to start Working TONY!
There are Two kinds of Fiero's : Notchies and Donors!

I will hopefully get an update in tonight...been driving through areas with limited cell reception....hard to post pics that way.

We did change our path considering the flooding in Iowa...we are now cutting across 70 rather than 80

Wow, I love the pics, thanks!

Grrrrr....McDonald's free wifi won't allow FTP transfers, which means you can't use PIP....anyway, here are the latest 5 states...





















































I took lots of pics in Kansas...





ok...you get the point...

If you didn't catch it already, we altered our path to avoid the floods. We are on a tight enough schedule that we are unable to stop anywhere except resets until we get to Sanger. We are currently just west of Kansas City. Our next stop will be somewhere between Evansville and Neely's Landing (we will go as far as we can in the 11 hours of driving tomorrow), then we have to make Sanger on the 18th.

From there, our goal is back to NC. Right now there is a good possibility of running up to Muskogee, OK, then head east...but if we don't get that run, we will do another 34 hour reset at the Dallas Operating Center. Anyone in Dallas want to get together?

quote Originally posted by CowsPatoot: Anyone in Dallas want to get together?

Sure! What's the time/date window?

If we do the 34 hour reset in Dallas, then we will be there all day Sunday. I will contact you as soon as I have more details.

You still have my phone number?

This looks like a lot of fun .
If you end up heading threw Central Oregon we should get together for lunch or something.

Change of plans again....

We will make Sanger, TX tomorrow night...then we will be picking up our next load in Roanoke, TX...rush that down to New Caney, TX...then we will do our 34 hour reset at the Houston operations center. From there, we will be picking up on Katy, TX, and running out to Garysburg, NC....dropping me off at home on the way. I should be home on the 22nd.

So...anyone in Houston wanna get together on the 19th?

quote Originally posted by CowsPatoot: So...anyone in Houston wanna get together on the 19th?

Would Love too. Just tell me my fight information of the ticket you will be getting me.




See you when you get home next week.

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88 Formula CJB Arrived Finally. #689 of 1252
Time to start Working TONY!
There are Two kinds of Fiero's : Notchies and Donors!

quote Originally posted by CowsPatoot: I thought about you as we went through the tunnel, iced_theater....but it was in the middle of our drive so we weren't able to try to get together with you.

Figured as much, perhaps next time you come through this way.

The river in Kansas City. Sad that I don't know what river this is. I thought we were crossing the Mississippi until I realized we were on the wrong side of Missouri.


Random shot in Missouri


Had to get this one:


Missouri River:




The Mighty Mississippi:


After the drop in Evansville, we had to head back across the Mississippi to Neely's Landing, MO. This is the goat trail that the GPS put us on to get to the bridge...I was waiting for it to diminish to a two-track....Ray was waiting for a nice fancy stone bridge with an 8 foot clearance. We made it through, but only because there was no oncoming traffic in certain areas:


Then we saw the flooding:






This is not a lake:


First time I have seen a farmhouse on an island:






Back to Missouri:




And then to Arkansas:


Anyone know what they are growing here?




And the day closes, still in Arkansas:


It was dark when we got to Texas. There will be no pics in Texas because I hate this state (no offense intended to those who disagree with me). I will check back when we hit Louisiana.

quote Originally posted by CowsPatoot: Anyone know what they are growing here?

Rice. Arkansas Rice Facts

quote Arkansas ranks first among the six major rice-producing states, accounting for approximately 48 percent of the U.S. rice production. Rice production is concentrated in the eastern half of the state, stretching from the Louisiana to the Missouri borders. Arkansas rice is known for its versatility and can be used in a wide variety of cuisines. It is enjoyed in the United States and throughout the world.

[This message has been edited by spark1 (edited 06-19-2011).]