My day as a trucker

You just never know what adventure can be found out there.

My plan was to visit the cranberry bog in West Barnstable because I knew they would be rounding up those cranberries I saw floating around the bog last night. Then I thought I'd visit a friend who lives on a bog that was also harvesting today. All that changed when Becky, the trucker hauling the berries, asked if I would like to take a ride , I jumped at the chance.

They finished filling the truck and with my camera bag in tow I climbed aboard the 1989 Mack truck and we headed for Ocean Spray in Wareham. Wow ! it was so cool being in that BIG truck.

It was a beautiful ride down Tihonet Road and Farm to Market Road as we approached the Ocean Spray processing plant. The plant was tucked in behind the many bogs of A.D. Makepiece. First stop was at the scale. Once Becky signed in they took at vacuum type thing and sucked up a sample of the load we were carrying. In 15 minutes this sample checks for the percentage of leaves and debris, rotten berries and moisture content in the load. This figure determines how many barrels you get paid for.

From the scale we drove to a holding area and waited for our turn to off load the berries.

Our turn came and Becky backed into spot #1 for the dump. It was amazing to watch the hydraulics lift the trucks towards the sky. The cranberries come rushing out of the trucks into large bins.

A series of conveyor belts takes the berries through a rinse area and then carry the berries up to another series of bins that lead to the building.

We don't know what happens once these berries get to that big blue building. Hope to get inside there on another field trip.

Back at the scale and a receipt for our deposit,,, 390 barrels ! Becky tells me that was a good haul.

Thanks for a fun day Becky.