"Biscuitville"

It's Tuesday night, and for the third night in a row I am sleeping in the parking lot of the place that I should be delivering to the next morning. This is a strategy that I have found to be very helpful in enabling me to get more done in my day. Remember, truck driving is performance based pay. The top performers have their own little secrets as to how they accomplish more than the next guy, but as far as I'm concerned, arriving into the area you want to deliver to during the night before your appointment has many benefits. Of course it also has downsides; like no restroom facilities, maybe no place to eat, and sometimes little or no security.

I started out on this trip with almost 35,000 pounds of aluminum extrusions on my truck. I have now delivered to five of the seven stops on this load and I'm traveling fairly light now. I have just about 11,000 pounds left to be delivered to my last two stops. First thing in the morning I will get unloaded here in Powder Springs, Georgia, then I will steer this gentle giant across the state line and make my way to Northport, Alabama for my final stop. Here's a look at how this load is looking now. You can also see in this photo how the “Connestoga” trailer's sides roll open like an accordion so that a fork lift can reach over from the side to get my freight unloaded.

I've been covering the Carolina's on this trip, and if you remember I have mentioned in this blog before how I like this area. It reminds me of East Texas, the people are mostly good hard working honest stock, and they are friendly and considerate for the most part. There are also a lot of pine trees, and there is just something about the whole area that just feels right to me. I traveled through so many of the towns that folks in a generation past heard mentioned by Barney Fife, and Andy Griffith on their popular T.V. Show - towns like Charlotte, Raleigh, or Durham.

These people definitely have their own way of talking – they have what I like to call the “Billy Graham” accent, and as you get over close to the coastal parts there is a distinctive “Island dialect”. But I'll tell you one thing they are really keen on around these parts and that is the “biscuit”. These folks love their biscuits! I mean, there is even a chain of restaurants called “Biscuitville” over in these parts. Many of the restaurants sell breakfast biscuits all day. And in most towns of any decent population you will find the popular restaurant in these parts call “Bojangles” (Famous Chicken and Biscuits)

In all our states we have trades like electricians or plumbers where you must be licensed to ply those trades. There are usually differing levels of the license that you can obtain, going right on up to the master's license. Over here in the Carolinas they have competitions to see who can be honored with the title of “Master Biscuit Baker” - that's right, they have Biscuit Baking Contests, and it is a BIG deal to win one of those things. I'm quite sure that biscuits had a very lowly beginning, probably some poor hardworking farmer's wife came up with the idea as an economical way to keep her children's bellies full. But over in this part of the country they have raised the biscuit to an art level. They are serious about their biscuits!

I had a very good day today, making the four stops that I had planned, and arriving here to sleep at this receivers lot for the night. It's always good when your plans come together out here on the road. It's also good when you finish up the last leg of your day's driving witnessing God's goodnight kiss on the day, as it were, with a beautiful and vibrant sunset.