So it's an Iraqi burial of Saddam. That might not be a bad idea, watch the site carefully, those who visit the
site and do not defecate upon it might be insurgents-or would that be profiling?
Think of Jeff Foxworthy and how he so cleverly brought us to an understanding of redneck profiles.

If you have several vehicles that barely run and lots of plastique explosive-you might be an insurgent.
If your vest goes tick tick tick, you might be an insurgent.
If you visit Saddam's grave and weep-you might be an insurgent.
If you want flight lessons but not landing lessons-you might be a terrorist.
If you want to drive trucks but not how to back up-you might be a terrorist.
If the only endorsement you want on your CDL is hazmat-you might be a terrorist.
If you board a plane and keep repeating Alla Akbar-you might be a terrorist(or an imam)

The past couple weeks leading up to and through and after Christmas found me in my favorite areas
of the country. Just after I left Leah in Stillwater I delivered a load to Palestine TX. That set me up for
a run to Alabama. The next run from Alabama to Houston. Following my delivery in Houston I found
time to drive to the Texas Gulf coast and the other hamlet by the sea-Surfside Village, TX. Spike and I
played on the beach. A run from Texas took me to Kansas. My run from Kansas to California is covered
in my comments on my last blog. Needless to say that California run was my Christmas run. I visited
Kurt Hawk while laying over in Williams, AZ. My Christmas traditions were carried out with a steak dinner
at Beto Jct, KS on Christmas eve. I splurged for a motel that evening so Santa would have a chance of catching
up with me. Dispite several losses of deer due to roadkill, I think Santa was still able to complete his
run. I have it on good authority that Santa drives an eighteen wheeler.
Interstate updates will continue after the New Year. Happy Holidays everyone.

Iditiroad
Eisenhower, as a young officer was given the duty to consider how to go from coast to coast with a military convoy at a time when roads were mostly unimproved. It proved an adventure but it planted seeds of thought in the mind of Ike. World War II gave Ike a chance to evaluate the autobahn and to copy it's design to his vision. How did the 101st airborne arrive for the Battle of the Bulge-By truck.

The U.S. highway however must be given it's due as it served the nation before the Interstate system. The likes of highway 50 going pretty much coast to coast and passing through Montrose, CO, Washington D.C.. Don't forget 30 linking the NW to the eastern seaboard. 101 that they prefer trucks stay off of but giving views of the Pacific ocean unequalled.
And who can forget 66 linking So Cal to Chicago. Get your kicks on 66
captured the wanderlust of the nation. Clinton is attributed to making it a historical icon. Don't forget the devils highway-666 which has been renamed because of it's negative connotations. These highways were mostly two lane, passed through the towns versus the bypasses. But keep in mind, they are still a kick to drive and interstates are for sissies.
In future blogs I'll take you along with me on some of these.

Iditiroad

Iditiroad
Made it through the great Midwest storm. Kept having to stop for road closures. My mere 2000 pounds didn't help in the high velocity winds of Indiana and Illinois. I70 was closed at St. Louis forcing a layover on Cherry Street. The next day dawned bright sunny and cold so Spike and I headed down I44 to Oklahoma stopping for more snow removal just shy of Joplin. A mechanical delay at Big Cabin, OK ate hours and I rolled into Stillwater, OK at night. 7 miles before Stillwater, Bliztzen decided to ram my sleeper as I cruised the hammer lane swerving for snow drifts and frozen armadillos. With minimal damage and no sign of Santa's wheel deer I visited that night with Leah and then onward through sunshine through Amarillo, TX to TX/NM state line. Next day to Flagstaff, AZ. Next to Chiriacco Summit, CA and finally into Redlands, CA. Loaded now with 40, 000 of batteries. It seems that personal pleasuring devices in Mass are running low on juice and my load must go through in time for the great Orgasm for Peace day. I blog from Beaver, UT once again.

Iditiroad
As I have said, Eisenhower, gave us the modern Interstate system. To appreciate what we have you have to go back to the time when our country had no road systems at all. Washington, thats George, saw the need for a national road and being a surveyor himself set things in motion to transform Indian trails into roadways linking our states for the purpose of common defense and commerce These roadways were first travelled by wagon and on horseback. The most famous of wagons and a version of the modern truck-trailer was the Conestoga. The conestoga drivers were our first truck drivers and they smoked cigars hence the name-Stogey
The wagons gave birth to the bycycle. The bycycle industry gave rise and technology to the automobile.

Our nation was well underway to what we almost take for granted but we had a long way to travel.

Poised tonight in Omaha, NE to dash over to Indiana at daylight . Bloggin to you later

As a new feature on this blog I am going to attempt to challenge those who visit this site.
In keeping with the name I shall offer trivia of geographical interest and pose some homework
type questions that may require you to find a good road atlas. As well, I will keep you posted on
my travels and trevails . I will try to avoid any editorial comments. But before I do I have one
last comment regarding the electoral outcome we are now facing. The voters have done it,
we made our wishes known. Unfortunately I think we have voted for two years of political and legislative
gridlock. Hopefully the new majority will not waste time and dollars trying to impeach the
President . Hopefully we will complete what we started in Iraq otherwise I would predict that
we will be back there 20 years from now. I hope the next reminder that the war on terror wages
onward is not as costly as on September 11, 'but make no mistake those who wish us harm
have not called off the jihad against us. Having San Fran Nan third in line for the Presidency really
scares me more than Carter did. More than Clinton ever did. Let us hope Bush continues to have his
and Cheney's food tasted before consumption. President Pelosi is not a headline I ever want to
wake up to.

I make my living driving the Interstate highway system. There are 42,795 miles of Interstate highways.
These are spread amongst 62 super-highways. 27 are numbered with even numbers. 35 with odd.
In addition to these there are 261 beltways. What we truckers like about the interstate is the consistency
in design. At least two lanes going in each direction, each 12 feet wide. Wide shoulders and breakdown
lanes. Minimum clearances sufficient to allow standard rigs passage without low clearance concerns.
Designs to allow faster speed and routing to avoid transitting towns and cities. All this gets the good
to market faster, safer. Ground for this engineering marvel was broken in 1956. We have a republican
to thank for it. Eisenhower was the one credited with the Interstate Highway system.

Q-what was the original purpose of this highway system?
Q-what direction do even numbered interstate highways run?
Q-what direction do odd numbered interstate highways run?
Q-Only three run from coast to coast-which ones?
Q-Only three run from our Southern to our Northern border-name them.

I have been blessed to miss storm systems and to remain out West. I've been through Montrose
and visited with Dorothy. Final bonus Q-this current run picked up in El Paso, TX and delivers to
1)Vista, CA-which interstates did I drive to get there?

Iditiroad

Been doing a bit of rangering. Like has been rumored I ended up on the National fleet and in my trip to PA from Atlanta I blew an engine near Lexington, KY. I have never been mechanical but I now know where the piston is located, between Mile marker 201 and 202 on VA I-81 thats where.

A rental car trip to Allentown was the ticket to a newer tractor. Since the mishap-I have worked myself back West via Wisconson , Nebraska and Wyoming. Mailed out some suprise packages to my Alaskan kin along with peace offerings to others. Piece offerings to others.

Last I heard on XM nation is that the elephants were sighted on the Mexican border in the company of an activist and mariachi band. Oh well I am happy to have lent them to the cause down on our Southern border. Think I'll stick to camels in the future. Maybe I'll bring camels North instead of horses. One hump or two? Humpies! Big hairy humpies.

Spike and I are headed down to So. Cal. with soap. I've hauled soup, Ive hauled soap, and have yet to haul salvation. I have hopes of running into Jen in sunny California-it's my one big dream. Anyway, till next time
you can be sure I am criss crossing our great Nation-Vote on election day-as my brother once said-Vote and vote often.

Lets see, I see my story of the pacyderms was embellished a bit. What a hole in the trailer
did those guys make. On the way down here to Atlanta I stopped to visit Matthew and Amber.
We went out for dinner. On the way to Chili's we passed a bull elephant of pinkish hue. Life size.
A block or two later I saw some storage sheds built to look like boats. Pirate ships or Noah's little arks,
I know not which. If I had a lift gate on my truck, the elephant would have been relocated to the shed
and a photo op would not have been passed by. Rain all the way from Denver, Kansas, Missouri, a lay over
on Cherry street, Illinois, the Bluegrass state, the Volunteer state, and at last into Georgia.1400 miles.
In my wake, snow in Chicago. Was a big truck wreck just south of Nashville, had traffic backed up
and Interstate 24 closed for most of the day while haz mat crews cleaned up fuel.

All for now, stay tuned for the further adventures of Ranger Bill

Did You Know

I have taken some down time recently between loads to catch up on some reading and
research. "The Pirate Coast" by Richard Zacks was one such book.
Our current involvement and conflict with Islamic nations of the Middle Eastern
area goes very far back indeed. Once upon a time when our nation was new and
Thomas Jefferson was President, our country went to war against Tunis and Algiers.
We called it piracy then but we may as well have called it terrorism. The North African
nations in the Med had long been taking Christian slaves from ships at sea and from
European ports and villages. It was done in the name of Islam. Tunis added insult
to injury by extorting tribute and protection funds from nations it encountered.
America drew a line in the sand and refused to perpetuate this way of making do in
the Med. Tunis brought down the wrath of America by capturing the frigate,
Philladelphia. With it's crew enslaved the likes of Commodore Porter and Decatur
came to rescue along with some U.S.Marines. (hence the shores of Tripoli)

Again under President Madison we had to dispatch Commodore Decatur to subdue the
Islamic authority in Algiers. The head thug in Algiers insisted that Decatur pay
them off in gunpowder-Decator responded by saying only with the "balls that go
with it". The birth of the 6th fleet dates back to President Madison when he
wisely decided we must maintain a visible presence there and thus protect our
economic interests and claim to our fair share of International waters.

Next time you hear that our presence has inspired Islamic terrorists to rise up
against us- debunk it with the facts that we have long been involved there and only
in response to Islamic agressions.

Think about it.

My load has been delivered to Southern California. Whether it was required for the Great
Spinich cleanup or not is open to speculation. It was a hot load as we call it and
I had only two days to get it here. It may not relieve the symptoms of Spinich poisoning
but it will make the cleanup a whole lot more comfy. I saw a name brand on the packages
on my trailer that would lead me to believe absorbency was a critical factor and not
mere softness. Out of the way Charman, make way for Brawny.

Spike and I saw an "all you can eat" spinich special at one of the California truck
stops. We decided to stick to bottled water and and greens from the ATM machine only.

In the future as I learn how to manipulate this blog stuff-look for enchancements to
my contributions to the information super highway.

Ranger Bill and his trusty truck dog- Spike.