Pines in sweet South Caroline

I have been feeling so exhausted lately that I haven't kept up on things like I should and I am sorry for that. Not sure what is making me feel this way but I know Josh says he felt the same way all day yesterday. I know I am missing my pillow and I wake up sore and know I didn't sleep in a very comfortable position all night and that is probably part of the problem. I think trucking is a very draining job and it is one you just can't leave even when off duty.


We traveled to North Carolina and did a drop and hook which makes it nice and the people there were extremely nice too. It was a small place and very beautifully kept considering it was a animal food manufacturer. Then we headed to Florence, SC and our instructions say that it is a place called Smurfit Stone. I was wondering if we were going to see smurfs or not.. ha ha. Our only direction is that is on Papermill Road, no actual address. We are driving down this very skinny road and there is nothing for miles and we are really starting to get concerned, there is nothing but trees and a few houses. We see what looks to be a business that allows trucks and we go in there and of course the guy at the guard shack says "nope this isn't the place and I have no idea where you need to go, never heard of the place". Oh good gravy. So we head down the road again and find a place that Josh is sure where we need to be and there is a line of trucks ahead of us. Josh is just sitting there, not doing anything and the clock is ticking down as he only has 1 hour left on it. I hop on the CB and ask if we were in the right place, no one knew. I asked if they were waiting in line for pick up and they said yes, for a live load. We thought we were going to drop and hook again and they told us we needed the other entrance for that and here we are on a two lane road, no where to turn around and there is a truck behind us now. Josh again just sits there. I am getting a little hot under the collar as I know we have to get out of here or run out of time. I once again hop on the CB and ask if we pass everyone on the left side of the road is there a place to turn around up front and they said they think there is. We start passing these trucks and hoping we really don't run into another truck going the other way as the line was a least a mile long and the road is curvy and trees lining the road blocks your view of anything ahead. We get up to the front and there is a place to turn around and we go to the the other entrance and for drop and hook loads and the yard driver tells us that he doesn't "think" that we have that type of load, it will be a live load. We go back into town and find a place to park at a gas station and decide to come back in the morning and hoping the line won't be as long. We are back this morning and there is a line but not as long. Josh says he is going to be mad if this isn't the right place again and we waited for nothing. I told him to walk up to the guard shack and find out but he is refusing. I swear the way he does things sometimes drives me nuts! I asked him why he didn't get on the CB yesterday and ask questions and he said he didn't know but I know that he is so afraid of looking stupid he just doesn't do anything. I guess I don't mind looking stupid, all I want is some answers.

When we were coming into South Carolina we came in by two lane highways. I have to say first of all that I am amazed at all the pine trees that are down here. I guess I just always assumed that most pine trees were further north but they are everywhere down here, more so than other states that we have been to. This state is also seems to be like a place that time has forgotten. There are quite a few old homes that aren't necessarily in horrible condition but you can tell they are quite aged. It seems to be a poor area as there isn't a hardly any newer looking homes for many miles and even then the newer homes look to be built around the 80's. The places may look poor and old but they still seem to be well kept as in the yards are mowed and there isn't trash sitting everywhere, of course I did see a sign that littering fines are $1000 and jail time, that is one of the most severe penalties I have seen. It is flat here and no mountains but the dirt seems to be quite sandy here as some yards don't have much grass and a lot of them don't even have gravel for driveways because nothing grows there anyway and I guess with the sandy soil don't have to worry about mud either. It really seems to be a quiet place, things seem to be far and few inbetween and lots of wooded areas. I can say that the humidity here is quite high, I would say even more than at home.

We are just an hour away from Myrtle Beach and I tried my dangdest to get Josh to take me there but of course we couldn't.  I knew seeing things would be hard from the truck but I hate being so close to something and not being able to take a bit to check things out. 

A view of North Carolina