Beeville-Pasadena: Texas.

Another Weeks Work.

____ A fretful start to the trip as I take ice-covered Highway 12 out of Steinbach to Vassar for a load of peat-moss. I am booked in for an 8 o'clock appointment and loaded by nine-thirty. A big Winter -storm is on it's way to south-east Manitoba with a foot of snow forecast; I'm anxious to get on my way before it's afternoon arrival. But it is stock-taking day at the dirt -packing plant and orders dictate that no paperwork can be printed before mid-day. A dozen un-happy drivers are left champing at the bit. Then there is a two hour delay while I wait for customs clearance and can finally head south of the border in an attempt to outrun the snow-flakes.

Cabover Bullrack

____ The going gets tricky around about Hillsboro, between Grand Forks and Fargo, but I'm just ahead of things and south enough to get bare and dry roads by the time I reach South Dakota. After a night at Watertown, the Arctic-blast follows me down Highway 81 and Interstate 35. The destination is the small Texan town of Beeville and the Bonnie Plant Farm. Unloaded and across to Pasadena; for the same re-load as last week, plastic granules back to Winnipeg.

While I was away!

____ The Dub'ya 900 takes it all in it's stride. Two heavy loads but the truck cruises along at 65 mph although the North-South route doesn't have any big climbs. My biggest concern is the quality of the diesel. Texas and Oklahoma have cheap Summer diesel that gels-up in the filters; temperatures are down to minus 25 degrees C in Manitoba and even South Dakota is down to a troublesome minus teens. I need good Number One Diesel from as far south as possible; Stone's Truckstop at Watertown fills the tanks and gets me home without problems. A six-day trip with some bad weather but as reports come through of drivers stranded for days in their cabs, I was lucky I didn't get held-up.