Sunday, June 29, 2014

Superior Surfing E. Wilke from youtube

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING...Superior

SILVER BAY HARBOR TO TWO HARBORS MN-TWO HARBORS TO DULUTH MN-
DULUTH MN TO PORT WING WI-PORT WING TO SAND ISLAND WI-
926 PM CDT SUN JUN 29 2014

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING...

.OVERNIGHT...SW WIND 5 TO 10 KT INCREASING TO 10 TO 15 KT. PARTLY
CLOUDY. WAVES 1 TO 3 FT.
.MONDAY...SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT IN THE
LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. GUSTS TO 30 KT. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. WAVES 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING TO 3 TO
5 FT.
.MONDAY NIGHT...SW WIND 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS TO 30 KT BECOMING
W 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS TO 30 KT IN THE LATE EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. WAVES 3 TO
5 FT SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE LATE EVENING.
.TUESDAY...W WIND 10 TO 15 KT INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT EARLY IN
THE AFTERNOON...THEN DECREASING TO 10 TO 15 KT LATE IN THE
AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.

$$

Small farm funding resources/University of Minnesota small farm links

University of Minnesota Small Farm Extension youtube channel

Link to U of M small-farms site
more info. after the jump:

Blank Tapes Sunday-Don't Ever Get Old

Blank tapes-Don't Ever Get Old

As I near middle age, this song seems to be more fun every time I listen to it.

They seem to have a style reminiscent of the hippies from the 60's and I would love to go to one of their shows.

Check out this interview with the band.

berlinbeat-interview-with-the-blank-tapes

Ernie Rittari's story: East Gull Lake, Squaw Point, Ernie's on Gull

Here is an article on a historical landmark near our present place, just north of Brainerd, Minnesota. I found this story to be interesting and entertaining.
Link to source: The Baakonen Family Story

Reino Baakonen Family History

Growing up in East Gull Lake on the Baakkonen Farm

By Diane Baakkonen Eksten

I was born in 1946 (a Baby Boomer) after World War II and raised on the Family Farm.

My grandparents came from Finland, I am guessing around 1900. My grandparents’ names were Joseph and Elena Maria (Ritari) Baakkonen. They had 6 children: Reino, Helen, Arthur, Ann, Felix and Hazel. They started building the farm, I am guessing, around 1914. My uncle Felix was good with blasting powder and they cleared out the woods to build the farm. My grandfather worked at the Railroad shops while my father, Reino, and his mother ran the farm. It wasn't that easy to travel back and forth to Brainerd, so my grandfather was not able to come home every night. My grandparents were gone before I was born, so I don't remember much about them. I believe they left Finland to get away from the oppression of the Russians.

I remember my Uncle Ernie sure didn't like the Russians. Ernie Ritari was my grandmother’s brother. He was the Ernie that built Squaw Point Bar, now known as Ernie's on Gull Lake. (By the way, as I was told, Squaw Point was a name given by the Indians in honor of the Squaw of the Chief who was buried there.)

Uncle Ernie was a cement finisher by trade and a real character who loved to have a good time. Squaw Point Bar was the place to go and visit with the neighbors. I remember the great pig roasts and feeds he would have at the end of the summer. But just don't order Vodka in his bar! He would throw you out of the place. Some people thought it was funny, but not Ernie. Vodka represented the Russian's to Uncle Ernie and he would not have it in his bar. I have no idea what had happened before he left Finland but he would have nothing to do with anything that represented Russia.

Another person who would have nothing to do with Russia or Communism was Emil. Any of the old residents of East Gull Lake area would remember Emil. Emil lived in a little white cottage past the cabins at Ernie’s, or the Squaw Point Resort. Emil had a white wooden glider swing by his house. He loved kids and always gave out rolls of “Life Savers” to children. As years went by, this changed to peppermint candy pieces- probably due to the higher cost of living.

Emil helped out everyone in the neighborhood, sometimes whether his help was wanted or not. I remember one time he pruned my Uncle Felix's plum trees after Uncle Felix had already pruned them. Emil would also re-do dad's garden – Emil's way. But you didn't argue with Emil! I think most Finns are that way, including myself.

My dad told me the reason we had a white barn and farm instead of the usual red color was because of Emil. Emil had swum across a river to get away from the Russians who wanted to force him to be one of their soldiers. Red to Emil was the sign of blood and Russian Communism so Emil would have nothing to do with it.

Emil drove a scooter and did lawn care and odd jobs for area residents. Mrs. Baher was so pleased with Emil's work that she bought him a RED scooter. Emil promptly quit and would not speak to Mrs. Baher. My dad had to do a lot of talking and explaining to get Emil and Mrs. Baher working together again.

The women in theneighborhood would bake extra for Emil, especially at Christmas. Emil was sure to visit all the women in the neighborhood during the holidays. I remember one year both my mom and my aunt made pies for him. Emil told my aunt that my mother made a better pie than she did. Needless to say my aunt didn't make him a pie the following year. She gave him a box of chocolate covered cherries instead. We know this because he gave that box of chocolate covered cherries to my mom and it still had the card on the box saying to Emil from my aunt.

Emil had a good heart. After my dad died, Emil would come over and ask if we needed anything. He would help in the garden and tell me what I should be doing with it. In the winter he would shovel out all the mail boxes in the neighborhood. Emil was one of a kind, a very gentle man who was known by all in the Squaw Point area.

Life on the Baakkonen Farm was a great place to grow up. It was however, a lot of work for my parents. We had chickens, pigs, and milk cows. We didn't have goats. Oh, they did have goats once. My Uncles Art and Felix won a pair of goats at the County Fair one year. Grandfather had just purchased a Model T Ford and the goats ate the top off it. My grandfather was not impressed and that was the end any more goats on the Baakkonen Farm.

The cows had to be milked twice a day, then the milk separated from the cream and then bottled. In those days there weren’t convenience stores on every corner, so our farm became a sort of convenient store for the neighbors. We sold milk and eggs. Summers, dad also sold blocks of ice to the seasonal residents. Every winter dad would go out on Gull Lake and harvest ice blocks. He would store the ice blocks in a building we called the ice house. He covered the ice blocks with sawdust and the ice blocks would last through July. Most of the summer cottages in the area did not have electricity and used ice boxes in place of refrigerators. In the earlier years we had one of the only telephones in the area – so the summer residents would give our phone number to anyone who had to contact them. I remember riding my bike many times to one of the summer cottages to give them a message. (Edited note: In the seventies, most of the telephones still consisted of 8 party lines, with two parties sharing “one long” or “two short” rings.)

Our farm was pretty self-sufficient, like most farms of that era. Dad raised hay for the animals. In the early days, the hay wasn't put in hay bales, but hauled loose on the hay wagons. It was great fun to ride on the top of the hay wagons. The hay was raised from the wagon by a series of ropes to the hay loft in the barn.

One of my other great memories was of the Threshing Crew coming to thresh the wheat with their threshing machine. It was an exciting time, seeing neighbors come together helping with the chore. I’m sure it was a lot of work, especially for my mom who cooked for all of them – but to me it was just fun to watch.

Boy River, Minnesota

My family and I were up in Boy River today. I remember the area from when I used to teach in Cass Lake, and my students did a Rusty Crayfish study for the MN DNR. It was a great place, and I had forgotten the long gravel road leading to town, and the interesting town it is, especially with only 47 full time residents.

Boy River is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 47 at the 2010 census.^[6] It is part of the Brainerd Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Jerry's bar is the place. I won a meat raffle here once, and it is a great place to people watch. Boy River contains a friendly, laid back crowd, with little pretense. I almost purchased a blaze orange hat with Jerry's Bar insignia, as I dabble in furthering my collection, however, I felt it was more important to spend the money on beef jerky, and my favorite bar food of all time, pickled eggs. It was great to spend time here again with Jay Columbus, my cousin Betty, and our other family and friends. Thank you to Jay and Betty for introducing me to Boy River. Gotta love summer in Boy River, Minnesota.

Jerry's Bar. Car and truck owners not available for comments, but they sure had some cool hunting stories.

Made a stop at the Mule Lake store on the way to do some trading.

Here is what the stores looked like in the 1930's. I like the small, family owned country stores.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Surfing Lake Superior article in Boarder's Magazine

Will Wall surfing at Stoney Point, Lake Superior. Photo by Burton Hathaway

Check out the link to the full article here: Freshwater-surfers-take-on-year-end-swells-at-stoney-point from boardermag.com

Article Excerpt:
Right before the end of the 2013 winter storms swept the Midwest creating great conditions for freshwater waves on Lake Superior. Burton Hathaway and around ten other fresh water shredders saw this as a great opportunity. Stoney Point, Minnesota, according to Hathaway is “the Mecca of Great Lakes surfing” Because Lake Superior (the deepest of the Great Lakes) holds its heat the longest, the water temperature was a pleasant "36 to 38 degrees," even as the windchill was -51 degrees.

Photo of Burton Hathaway:

Container Homes - 10 Innovative Examples of Shipping Container Architecture - Bob Vila

Container Homes - 10 Innovative Examples of Shipping Container Architecture - Bob Vila

Containers are cheap around here. I have found them on craigslist for cheap. I think it would be good to partially bury one on some land, and let the open part face the south, for passive solar gain, and maybe add a brick wall to it for a heat sink.

The underground one is sounding like a bunker...maybe I better stay above ground : )

Kinda like this one^

Hobbit Houses to Make You Consider Moving Underground - Bob Vila

Hobbit Houses to Make You Consider Moving Underground - Bob Vila

I think this concept would make sense in Minnesota, home of the 8 month winter: )

Tiny House Designs - 10 Tiny Lake Houses - Bob Vila

Fleeting Farms blog and photos of Minnesota Saunas

Link to http://fleetingfarms.wordpress.com/ a blog about small farms, and the towns they supported has some great pictures, and many of the posts remind me of my life, growing up in a small farming town, and how things have changed considering giant agribusiness. I really enjoy the content and pictures on this blog, and have been searching for photos of small dwellings and saunas in Minnesota. Here are a few of my favorite Minnesota Sauna pictures:

:"A Finnish immigrant family in front of their first shelter in which they lived and bathed while the house was being built. Later it was a sauna." Photograph and caption from the papers of University of Minnesota Duluth geographer Matti Kaups, who studied Finnish immigration in North America. The photograph depicts the Aho family of Karvenkylä, north of Chisholm, Minnesota, around 1905. Courtesy of the Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota.
Text excerpts and photographs taken from The Opposite of Cold: The Northwoods Finnish Sauna Tradition by Michael Nordskog, photography by Aaron W. Hautala. Published by the University of Minnesota Press, 2010. Copyright 2010 by Michael Nordskog. Photographs copyright 2010 by Aaron W. Hautala.

The Cokato savusauna, built in 1868, was moved from its original roadside location because non-Finnish neighbors complained about public nudity and demanded its removal. It is now a proud monument to Finnish pioneers at a well-traveled rural corner.

More pictures after the jump:

'The Opposite of Cold: The Northwoods Finnish Sauna Tradition'

Finns Culturology

MN Finnish Sauna

Douglas McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y

Theory X and Theory Y

Douglas McGregor (1906 - 1964) is one of the forefathers of management theory and one of the top business thinkers of all time. He was a social psychologist who became the President of Antioch College. He later became a professor of management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (he was succeeded by Warren Bennis). His book The Human Side of Enterprise (1960) had a profound influence on the management field, largely due to his Theory X and Theory Y.
McGregor developed a philosophical view of humankind with his Theory X and Theory Y in 1960. His work is based upon Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, in that he grouped the hierarchy into lower-order needs (Theory X) and higher-order needs (Theory Y). He suggested that management could use either set of needs to motivate employees, but better results would be gained by the use of Theory Y, rather than Theory X. These two opposing perceptions theorized how people view human behavior at work and organizational life:

Theory X

With Theory X assumptions, management's role is to coerce and control employees.

People have an inherent dislike for work and will avoid it whenever possible.
People must be coerced, controlled, directed, or threatened with punishment in order to get them to achieve the organizational objectives.
People prefer to be directed, do not want responsibility, and have little or no ambition.
People seek security above all else.

Theory Y

With Theory Y assumptions, management's role is to develop the potential in employees and help them to release that potential towards common goals.

Work is as natural as play and rest.
People will exercise self-direction if they are committed to the objectives (they are NOT lazy).
Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement.
People learn to accept and seek responsibility.
Creativity, ingenuity, and imagination are widely distributed among the population. People are capable of using these abilities to solve an organizational problem.
People have potential.

Intellectual creativity cannot be 'programmed' and directed the way we program and direct an assembly line or an accounting department. This kind of intellectual contribution to the enterprise cannot be obtained by giving orders, by traditional supervisory practices, or by close systems of control. Even conventional notions of productivity are meaningless with reference to the creative intellectual effort. Management has not yet considered in any depth what is involved in managing an organization heavily populated with people whose prime contribution consists of creative intellectual effort. — from Douglas McGregor's essay, New Concepts of Management.

Foggy in Duluth this morning!/Link to streaming Duluth Harbor webcam

Link to streaming Duluth Harbor webcam

Fun things to do in the Brainerd Lakes area: Whipple Beach Park with pics.

Things to Do

The Brainerd Lakes Area – Explore It. Live It. Whether you are looking for a Minnesota adventure or for relaxation, you will discover endless options year-round in the Brainerd lakes country. World-class golfing, fishing and boating, biking, snowmobiling, shopping – even bird watching or kayaking – are just some of the reasons people choose to visit the Brainerd Lakes Area. This central Minnesota region, a short two-hour drive north of the Twin Cities, is an outdoor paradise, boasting more than 500 lakes and rivers as well as beautiful parks and forests. Throughout the seasons, you will find reasons – such as the festivals, the outdoor experiences, the breathtaking environment — to love it here.
Check out pictures and links after the jump:

Tiny House article in today's Brainerd Dispatch/Lloyd Kahn's post on Brainerd tiny houses/Pictures of MN tiny houses

The tiny house movement continues to gain momentum in the Midwest. I read an article on Lloyd Kahn's blog about Brainerd tiny houses, and the article below was in the weekend edition of the Brainerd Dispatch.

River Falls man's tiny house offers big potential

By Niki Hovatter
Forum News Service

Posted: 06/23/2014 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated: 06/23/2014 03:59:37 PM CDT

Paul Haskins' tiny house in River Falls, Wis. (River Falls Journal: Niki Hovatter)

RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- Paul Haskins' home is smaller than many single rooms, but the 160 square feet contain a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and art studio.
Haskins lives in what is known as a "tiny house."
He just moved into his home on wheels, located on his aunt's property a few miles west of River Falls.
"There's not as much to worry about in a tiny house," Haskins said. "In a large house, worries can build up quickly."
More after the jump:

The Peripatic Coffin: Ethan Rutherford sample from Harper Collins

Yale History Major finds niche in farming/pics. of our garden and yardbird coop

Guess who wants to be a farmer?

One of the world's oldest professions is gaining popularity among America's younger generations, thanks to demand for organic and locally sourced food and a desire to get back to basics.

Great article I found on Lloyd Kahn's blog, which is a daily read due to his interesting posts and photos. His books are also great. I have a weather-worn copy of Homework...a must buy for anyone interested in interesting homes, and self discovery. When I read Mr. Kahn's story about leaving insurance to become a carpenter, I was inspired. The gentlemen in the picture looks happy to be farming. Sounds like investment banking was a major bummer. I can only imagine. Investment banker's should be in prison after all the money they have stolen from the public. I might have to go into farming after reading this post.

Here is a shot of our garden and yardbird coop. We have three little bantam hens, but they are always out foraging in the woods.

concrete block raised bed idea discovered on Lloyd Kahn's blog

truck topper yardbird coop

peas, tomatoes, onions, strawberries, and pumpkins

Lake Superior wave forecast

LSZ144-145-271500-
TWO HARBORS TO DULUTH MN-DULUTH MN TO PORT WING WI-
341 AM CDT FRI JUN 27 2014

...SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION...

.TODAY...NE WIND 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS TO 20 KT. A CHANCE OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WAVES 1 TO 3 FT BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT.
.TONIGHT...E WIND 10 TO 15 KT. AREAS OF FOG. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS. WAVES 1 TO 3 FT.
.SATURDAY...E WIND 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS TO 20 KT. AREAS OF FOG.
A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WAVES 1 TO 3 FT.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...S WIND 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING SW 5 TO 10 KT AFTER
MIDNIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY. WAVES 2 FT OR LESS.

http://www.lsmma.com/webcam/webcam_st.html

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Next summer read: Russka

http://www.edwardrutherfurd.com/biography

Here is a description of my next summer read:

Russka

RUSSKA is a mighty novel that spans 1,800 years of Russia's history, people, politics and culture from the ancient wandering tribes on the great Eurasian plain to the present day. The story follows the fortunes of five intertwined families: the noble Bobrovs, serf Romanovs, Cossack Karpenkos; the Suvorins - Old Believers, capitalists and patrons of the arts; and lastly the Popovs, parish priests and revolutionaries.

Members of these families seek their destinies through the old Russian period of golden Kiev, with its famous Orthodox cathedrals and monasteries, the terrible invasions of the Mongol descendants of Genghis Khan, the rise of Moscow and the boyars, and the dark days of Ivan the Terrible and his secret police. Modern times begin with the wild, romantic story of the Cossacks, the conflict between the indomitable westernizer, Peter the Great, and the religious Old Believers who burn themselves alive rather than enter the europeanised world of St Petersburg. From this time the story follows Russia's on-and-off flirtation with freedom, from the extraordinary reign of Catherine the Great, and the idealist democrats in the days of WAR AND PEACE, to the opportunist Bolsheviks of the Russian Revolution, and the tyrants of the twentieth century.

Warriors and hermits, boyars and serfs, romantic heroines and rich old ladies, fortune-builders and exiles - the characters in RUSSKA inhabit the rich, astonishing, evocative and contradictory world of forest and steppe, icon and axe, Orthodox faith and Jewish persecution, of gorgeous churches, magnificent palaces, and squalid villages; of Russian folk art and sumptuous opera, of Tolstoy and Lenin, Tchaikovsky and Rasputin.

art takes great pics.more cabover pics. from art 387/ trick my truck link

.more cabover pics. from art 387 on

.more cabover pics. from art 387

These were pretty common in 1980's

.more cabover pics. from art 387

Episodes of trick my truck

Truckers bringing motorcycles OTR/ cabover pics.

some snub noses:

Nice cabover

Link to http://www.tenfourmagazine.com/seeing-double/

Big Rig Books:Driver delivers books to underprivileged kids/and rookie driver article

I like the way this driver delivers books to kids, and want to promote his site. Check it out at:

http://bigrigbooks.org

http://roadking.com/truckers/the-rookie/

check out my trucking blog

http://truckerconnection.blogspot.com/

studying for the CDL permit test in MN

Free CDL general knowledge practice test from Truckers Report

I have been using the practice test listed above, along with the Minnesota CDL booklet to practice for my CDL and airbrakes test, which I am going to take this morning. I hope to attain my CDL permit, and will post my results.
General knowledge questions,I missed on the practice test:

half hour before sunset and sunrise - vehicle lights must be on. I thought new trucks had daytime running lights just like regular vehicles.
Blood alcohol content of .02, placed out of service for 24 hrs.
Checking air seat is not part of the pre-trip
hold hands on opposite side of the wheel. I was thinking ten and two towards the top.
look 12-15 seconds ahead

air brake test questions I missed on the online practice test:

when going down a long steep grade, you should release the brake when you are 5MPH below your safe speed
the brake drums must not have any cracks longer than half the width of the friction area.
the safety valve in the air compressor tank is set to open at 150 psi
to check the governor on the air compressor tank cut in and cut out do all of the following: run the engine at a fast idle, step on and off the pedal, and monitor the pressure gauge
dual air brake system has two air brake systems and one set of controls
the air compressor is connected to the engine through gears and a v belt
the braking power of the spring brakes depends on the adjustment of the service brakes
air compressor one way check valve keeps air in the tank if a leak develops
S cam brakes are the most common on commercial vehicles

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Retail Startup information from Entrenpreneur.com: Motorcycle shop example

Link to http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/
"We asked a motorcycle dealer to explain how he would use this model.
1. Divide your inventory into broad classifications, such as $30,000 for motorcycle hard parts.
2. Divide each broad classification into sub-classifications--for example, engine parts, wheel parts, frame parts, transmission parts, dress-up parts, drive-line parts, and tune-up parts.
3. Allocate a certain percentage of your capital to each sub-classification-for example, 20 percent engine parts, 5 percent wheel parts, 5 percent frame parts, 5 percent transmission parts, 30 percent dress-up parts, 10 percent drive-line parts, and 25 percent tune-up parts.
4. Locate resources that will sell you the products you want to stock. Read Hot Bikes magazine, the Motorcycle Dealer News Annual Buyers Guide, Thunder Press newspaper, and Easy Rider magazine. Get catalogs from Custom Chrome, Parts Unlimited, Drag Specialties and Nimco.
5. Make sure each item purchased gives you the best possible markup and that the retail prices will fit the price lines you have set for your operation. The store's target markup is 50 percent on services, 40 percent on accessories and clothing, and 35 percent on hard parts.
You only have so much money allocated for merchandise. The challenge you face is to achieve maximum sales from what you buy. By first determining how much of what you are going to buy, you discipline yourself to be discriminating and to keep your buys in balance with your overall inventory needs. Faced with an enthusiastic salesperson, an attractive deal and a hunger to buy, you need all the will you can muster to remember your priorities. Overstocking in one area at the expense of other areas is a dangerous proposition. Take your buying plan with you and stick to it.

Your Pricing Philosophy

Decide on your basic pricing philosophy: Will your prices be above the market, competitive or below the market? You may have already answered this question when you decided what kind of business and image you wanted and formulated your business plan.
Pricing for profit is vital to your business. But pricing should not be driven by profit motives at the expense of fair, ethical tactics and competition. Profits should be the result of smart business, not a means to an end. With good business relationships and products priced correctly, you will generate sufficient sales to provide the capital you need to stay in business and enjoy some profits.
In making your pricing decisions, you need to answer these questions:

Narrowing the decision-making process even further, give careful consideration to your specific pricing objectives:

Sometimes feelings of guilt are involved in pricing. Some price specialists claim that most consumers with limited discretionary income often have guilt feelings about buying certain items, especially non-necessities. However, if the retailer can appease these guilt feelings, the customer is more apt to buy. Therefore, consider giving incentives to buy expensive items or give a shirt or tie away with a three-piece suit.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Lake Region Writers Network and other helpful writing and publishing links

I am a fan of this writing site. It is very helpful for emerging writers, and anyone interested in publishing their work. I would recommend finding local writing groups and organizations for anyone interested in publishing their work.

Here are some great links to Minnesota publishing information:

http://lakeregionwriters.net/

http://lakeregionwriters.net/literary-opportunities/

http://www.jackpinewriters.com/

http://www.jackpinewriters.com/links/

Check out three of the Jackpine Writers' Bloc Writers Tips:

DIY Trucking: items for OTR truck drivers and trucking students to make life easier on the road

OTR supplies:

Shaving kit, toothbrush/toothpaste.
Flip-flops for showers
Small laundry bag for dirty clothes
small bag to carry clean clothes and shaving kit into truckstop,
personal medications-allergy and cold, tylenol
solar sun shower:
baby wipes
waterless soap and shampoo (developed for astronauts)
Dr. Bronner's soap
camping quick dry towel
Good trucker atlas
truck stop directory
All your paperwork from school, SSN card, Birth cert, CDL, Med card, work history, reference addresses and TX #'s
cell phone use alarm and buy extra battery powered alarms
Money to survive on (try to stay away from advancements)
Bank account info, for direct deposit?
skateboard or folding bike