AllAmericanPilotCarServices.com » Colorado Springs

Hopefully on the road tomorrow

MrBoyd — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:56:50 +0000

We have spent the weekend in Colorado Springs, Co. Our load is 27′ wide and therefore too wide to be allowed on the highways over the weekend.

Tomorrow, we have to drive about 50 miles back to where we left it, and then we take it up into the high mountains southwest of Denver. That area got some snow today, but according to the radar, it didn’t last long. Colorado will not let OD loads move if they impose the chain law for trucks. Hopefully it has not been imposed for the area where we are going. We should be able to drop tomorrow (Monday).

Incidentally, I hope to have my site repaired soon. Another family member also is highly talented in software and web hosting. I am hoping he will be able to resolve these issues so that you and I can have full use of this site.

The Tragic Death of a Colleague

MrBoyd — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:56:45 +0000

Tonight I learned of the death of a friend and colleague this week. Karen Aleman (or possibly Alleman) died Tuesday evening in a rollover accident while returning from escorting an oversize load to Colorado. I do not have any specific information about the funeral, other than it probably will be in Lafayette, LA.

Apparently, Karen was not wearing her seatbelt, and thus was fatally injured when her pickup truck went off the road, possibly near Colorado Springs, CO.

When I have more information I will post it here and on the various pilot car groups. I also plan to write a brief memorial about Karen.

Please offer up your prayers on Karen’s behalf and for her family and friends.

I am home today

MrBoyd — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:15:30 +0000

I made it in about 10 PM yesterday. It always feels good to get home and sleep in my own bed.

On the way down, I tried to visit with Alice Eisenhower of Alice’s Pilot Cars in Colorado Springs, but unfortunately she was busy. I DID stop in Raton and had lunch with John Owens of Owens’ Logistics. John has been in the pilot car business for about 8 years and has three other drivers working for him. We had a good visit.

Then, I drove from Raton, NM, to Clayton, NM. In all of my years of driving in NM, somehow I have never driven that route before. It was beautiful. I saw hundreds of antelope feeding within just a few hundred yards of the highway. Most of the road is four lane divided highway. There are some sections still under construction, but all in all, it is a good highway.

Today, I’ve got to clean out the truck first and get it ready for the next run. Then, I’ve got to do some repairs on my carport. 40-60 mile winds are ripping it apart and if I don’t do something, it will completely collapse around me. Then, I’ve got to finish repairing a light fixture for my dining room ceiling fan.

Tomorrow I’ve got to get a front end alignment and a new windshield for my truck.

One load dropped…another to pick up

MrBoyd — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:49:11 +0000

Today, I dropped the load I’ve been on since last Friday. There were two notable experiences related to that. The first was a 20 mile trip around a lake on narrow winding 2 lane roads with a 14 foot wide load. Actually it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. Traffic was lighter than usual. Typically on that section of highway, there is a lot of traffic each way and everyone is jockeying to get around and get ahead of the guy in front of them, including our oversize load. Today, people were cooperative for a change, and the load got through that dangerous section of highway without incident. Someone told me that there are about six fatalities per year along that section of highway. Fortunately, we didn’t have anything like that today.

The other significant incident was the 48 miles of rough dirt road, one way , that we had to take our load down. The road was alternately dusty, skinny, muddy, and rough as a cob. I thought my truck was going to shake apart. Once we got the load delivered, then we had to drive back over that same 48 miles of dirt road. What fun!!

Now I am in Wendover, UT. Tomorrow we have Utah State Police escorts to help us move an airplane from the west side of the state to the east side. We are en route to Colorado Springs, CO, with this plane. I can’t tell you what kind of plane it is, because I haven’t seen it yet. That will change in the morning.