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USED INTERNATIONAL WITH REFER TO DENVER x 5
USED INTERNATIONAL WITH REFER TO NE
Sunday - 3/13/11
This trip started two weeks ago when dispatch wanted to book my
flights after a five minute conversation. I guess 'if the math works' doesn't
mean the same to everyone. Next time it will be 'walk me through it, step by
step' or give me 24 hours and I will call you back. I thought I was moving
three trucks in one week, when they called back to add a sixth truck I found
out that it was originally five, not three. Sort of changes the hours it will
take.
Dispatch had booked me on a flight arriving in Salt Lake City at
4 PM because that was the latest / cheapest one. Now after doing the math I'm
going to have to take advantage of that and leave with my first truck at 2 AM
as soon as my 10 hours is up.
Turns out my flight is full, over booked
by 11 people. They are offering $500 to anyone who will give up their seat, two
people do and I get the last seat. The offer was good but this trip has too
many flights to mess with. One person who gave up their seat would just be
sitting in MSP instead of PHX and still be on their same second leg, so that
was an easy one. The second one, the guy who's seat I got, wanted to change his
finally destination if he gave up his seat. The first person wouldn't do it for
him, but a while later someone else did … or I'd be $500 richer.
By the time I was seated and buckled in, the plane was moving.
Same
thing in PHX where I had less than an hour layover. By the time I got to the
gate they were already boarding but someone got off the plane after I got on
after the general offer of $300 for anyone willing to give up their seat.
The pilot have a rare 'look out the window' as we went over the Grand
Canyon but I was in the middle so I didn't get any photo shots. Once in SLC, I
call the motel I have picked out for their free shuttle ride, they didn't tell
me it was going to be a taxi-van, the guy had to come walking through the crowd
looking for me.
1st room key wouldn't work, 2nd room was being worked,
there was a latter in the bathtub. The 3rd room worked, but had two beds and
wasn't as nice as the 2nd room, but it was clean and usable.
I had
asked about food, burgers next door was the suggestion.
>>>>>>>> TRIP ADVISOR - Quality Inn, Salt Lake City, UT
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
"Location, price
including free shuttle"
3 of 5 stars Date of review: Mar 22, 2011 - New
Price - Location - Free airport shuttle, all reasons I picked this
location. The first night I called from the airport phone to confirm price and
have them pick me up. I then made reservations of each of the next four nights.
The plan was to fly back into town every night and go back to the same motel.
Night 1 The 1st key they gave me didn't' work. Once I got in the 2nd
room, I found it was being worked on, 3rd times a charm. This room had two beds
(sorry not pictures)
Night 2 The 1st key they gave me didn't work, the
2nd one did, so it's getting better .
Night 3 1st key worked, Yea! Bad
part about tonight was that instead of the direct route of the free shuttle,
first we had to wait for the other people in the van to find their luggage,
then drop them off at a different motel, then we had to go pick someone up
downtown before getting me to the motel about an hour after my flight had
landed. You get what you pay for, the ride was free. Another comment about the
shuttle, it is not in a Quality Inn marked van, so the first night the driver
had to come looking for me. Not sure why it's not marked but both motels we
dropped at had vans with logos in their parking lots.
No complaints on
any of the rooms, warm, clean rooms, heat works. But all of the stairs need
major work / replacement. The cement is falling apart. And the room from the
2nd night, when I went to leave in the AM the door would not lock again, no
issue while I was in it.
The 3rd morning I woke up to a strange sound
and thought it was from the business next door … I had been getting to the
motel between 12-1 AM every morning so I was sleeping in each day. As I was
checking out I realized that strange noise was coming from the cart the
cleaning man was pushing. I made a comment to the desk clerk, who called
someone to relay my message as soon as I was out of sight. (so they are trying
to do a good job)
There are about a dozen eat places within walking
distance, including Denny's and ….. Apollo Burgers next door (see separate
review)
* Reviewer ratings for this hotel:
o 4 of 5 stars
Value
o 3 of 5 stars Rooms
o 3 of 5 stars Location
o 3 of 5 stars
Cleanliness
o 3 of 5 stars Service
o 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
* Date of stay: March 2011
* Visit was for: Business
* Solo
Traveler
* Member since: November 28, 2010
* Recommended by this
reviewer? Yes
>>>>>>>> NO REVIEW - Apollo
Burgers, Salt Lake City UT <<<<<<<<<<<<<
I asked for recommendations for a sit down place to eat and this was
recommended. Turns out it is an order at the counter type place, but in an
older restaurant with the padded booths. Variety of food including burgers,
gyros and sandwiches, I went for the French Dip. This is the first time I
remember having one not to my liking. Meat was good, it was the 'aus jus' that
was different. Wasn't bad, just not for my taste buds, I had planned on coming
back every night for a week, but due to mechanical issues this was my only time
here.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Monday - 3/14/11
1:45 AM my alarm goes off … I do
not function well from either end of the day between the hours of midnight and
6 AM. I did go to bed early last night so I got in my eight hours. I have the
front desk call a taxi for me, they only do shuttles to/from the airport and
downtown and only between the hours of 5 A and 1 A so I'm out on both counts.
Taxi was $22 for the five or so miles. Addresses are easy in this town, maybe
the whole state. All addresses are something like 1000 East, 2000 South, it's
all on a grid.
Truck is sitting out, no question which one it is and
I'm rolling. I have enough fuel to get to the first truckstop in Evanston, WY.
Another perk of running early Monday morning, the WY POE is closed. I've never
seen them closed before, so that saves me about fifteen minutes.
I
thought I knew where I was going when I left but really hadn't looked at a map,
I just jumped on the first cross street that headed to the freeway. To it, but
no access, so now I'm in a residential area looking for a cross street that
runs parallel to the freeway, then guessing which one the exit really is at. I
get it right, but more time lost.
Beautiful morning/night, cloudy
overhead but the full moon is shining bright against the fresh snow on the
mountain tops. Once I get further up the grade the clouds have moved/I have
moved enough that it's a moonlit night. Only about 20 miles up the hill a squad
is on the side of the road with their lights on, moose/horse/something big is
laying on the shoulder of the road.
Fuel at the Flying J in Evanston,
I've never come in from the west before. Didn't realise how far it was from the
freeway unless you are coming from the East. Next time I'll be stopping at the
Pilot a few exits down.
I've finally reached my 500 gallon 'test,' so
now I am supposed be able to start the pump without having to go and wait in
line (twice). It works, saving me a few minutes. This place is packed, trucks
are parked anywhere there is room.
Another driver I know is stayed in
Green River last light, but this is as close as we'll get. I look for his truck
at the motel when I go past on the freeway, can't see it. No time to spare on
this trip, and it was about 5 AM.
I've prepared for this trip in
putting a bunch of info on the back of a business card for easy access. Things
like flight times, phone numbers and exits with fuel. I'm coming up on Rawlins
and am debating if I should stop for fuel. I had 3/8's when I started this AM,
ran it down to 1/8. Now I'm back to 3/8s and …
It doesn't make a
difference, the truck dies going down a hill. I quickly put it in neutral and
try to re-start it. It coughs a couple of times but never fires. I finally
coast to the side of the road. I've been looking but haven't seen a mile post,
should have seen one by now as I likely coasted over a mile.
I call
dispatch … I've had my phone off quite a bit of this route as my cell is
always 'searching for service.' But here I have enough signal. They are going
to get roadside service, I am going to try to find out where I am.
I
decide to try start it a few more times, it's <> 40 degrees so that
should rule out fuel freeze up. I try priming it and it fires sometimes,
doesn't fire other times. I'm still hopping in and out priming it when the
first highway patrol comes up, he can hear it fire twice and then nothing. He
suggests I get my triangles set out "so that if someone hits me, it's not my
fault." I try it once more and then set out the triangles.
Finding
where I am doesn't take that long. As I'm walking back from setting up the
triangles I see mile marker 199 laying in the ditch.
It's somewhere
about two hours for roadside to get there, first he tries to replace the fuel
filter. We start the truck, it runs. He does his paperwork, I pickup my
triangles and we say goodbye and … the truck dies. That was it, we never
got it started again. He also disconnected the battery just in case it was a
computer issue. Nope.
Now it's another five hour wait for a tow. First
they want to tow the truck to Casper, but that is 100 miles in the wrong
direction. Dispatch gets it changed to Denver. My choices now are Greyhound
from Rawlins 10 miles away or ride to Denver with the tow truck. I decided to
make the phone calls myself to Greyhound and talk to Gracy??
No one
answers in Rawlins so I call Cheyenne, which is where the bus would be coming
from (I thought). Nope, Greyhound goes crosscountry from Denver to Larami?? So
I call Salt Lake City and get an honest person with some time. Yes the bus
stops in Rawlins, sometimes. But you can't buy a ticket there and you have to
flag the driver down IF he pulls off. Doesn't always do that if he doesn't have
someone to drop off. And the bus is running late.
It really doesn't
make a difference when the tow gets to me, if I can't get to Rawlins by 4, I
won't be to Denver by 8. I decide to go to Denver, at least if I miss the plane
I know there is another one at 6 AM tomorrow.
It's not a bad day to be
broken down, it is sunny and for the first six hours it is nice and toasty in
the cab, I spread out on the seat and try to doze, later I'm leaning against
the window when someone knocks, it's another highway patrol. I tell them who
the tow company is and they are 'on their way.'
The last hour I zip up
my jacket but don't put my gloves on, it has gotten cloudy and the temp dropped
a few degrees. Not bad in the cab but a bit chilly standing outside when the
tow truck shows up. Nice and windy too, but that keeps the buzzards from
circling.
We get rolling, the drive thinks we'll be to the shop in
Denver by 6:30, I need to be to the airport by 8:30 for my 9:30 flight. We roll
along pretty good, faster than my truck would go. Stop twice to check on the
truck. Clear the scale with no issues, just a few hundred pounds under the max
weight.
This driver does not like Denver, but it's 'his turn.' We
spend the 4-5 hours talking, where each of us was doing about ½ of the
talking. He has a stories of all the tows he's done along this stretch of
highway.
Traffic isn't all that bad at 6 PM in Denver but he misses
his turn, I suggest he go to the next exit, no big deal. But he decides to go
through the median at a 'no U-turn' place. As soon as he does, he realize that
the exit it wants is just below us … if he had listened to me … :
Now we need to back track five miles before we know a place that he
can make a U-turn for sure. It's the exit where I've dropped my trucks so I
know it, he's not so sure but goes for it.
About two hours out I had
called the taxi driver that I'd used on my trip last week. He's still on duty
and wants a ½ notice when I'm closer. I wait until we were at the
(wrong) exit to call, thinking I'd have plenty of time. We wasted that ½
hour so now he's waiting when we pull in, I sign off on the tow before he's
unhooked and check with the shop, they know nothing about it. Different shift.
I had thought we'd be at a different shop, but I think I've been to this one
before … don't remember what got towed here before.
It's not as
close to the airport as I thought. Still costs me $35. This airport is great
for taxi's, out in the middle of nowhere. I get there by 7:30, plenty of time.
I find my gate and then some food. Luckily I had bought two cookies at
the Flying J this AM, that was my lunch. Time to eat. Other than Mc D's not
much for fast food at this terminal (there are three terminals here) and I'm
not motivated enough to leave. There is also a bunch of food outside security
but I wanted to get through. I got the bypass tonight, it looks like when the
line gets backed up too far they bypass a few. The rest get a naked picture
taken.
>>>>>>>> TRIP ADVISOR - Timberline,
Denver Airport CO <<<<<<<<<<<<<
"I came back, and back, and back" 3 of 5 stars Date of review: Mar 27, 2011
I ended up at this place three out of four nights in a row. The first
night I had a flight from this concourse and had plenty of time to sit and eat.
I ordered a French Dip and French Onion soup plus Garlic potatoes. Service was
fast and polite, food was GREAT.
The next night I didn't have time to sit
and eat so needed to get something to go, at the door they told me to go to the
bar and order, seeing there was no room at the bar they told be to go the
register and order. I went, I waited. Someone said "... she would get my
order," but she never came and everyone else going to and from the register was
too busy arguing to pay any attention to me, I finally left and got 'to go'
elsewhere.
BUT, as I said the food was GREAT, so two days later I was back
in the same airport but on a different concourse, nothing looked as good as the
food here had been so I was back. 3rd time I was seated right next to the
register, no arguing today in the hour I sat there.
Again food was GREAT,
(same thing) service was good ... this time I asked for butter with my garlic
potatoes ... Mmmm. A little more than the $8-9 I usually spend, but well worth
it.
I'll be back again next time I'm in the airport, unless it's 'to go'
…, maybe they are just not set up for it.
* Reviewer ratings for
this restaurant:
o 3 of 5 stars Value
o 3 of 5 stars Service
* Date of visit: March 2011
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
When I checked in at the ticket counter, the screen said 'check
status.' Turns out my flight is 45 minutes late coming in from Boston. Gives me
time to talk to the ticket agent. I find out how they handle ticket changes, as
I'm expecting to have to make a few … and this delay is not helping.
The Southwest gates are the only ones I have been at in Denver but
they have areas with benches/stools with outlets, and the WiFi is free and
works. I check in with this weeks motel and let them know I will be running
late. I made reservations for the whole week at the same motel in Salt Lake
City.
Boarding goes well, and tonight's flight is a full priced fair
so I'm in the 'B' group and get an isle seat. Oh, tonight they are again asking
for people to take a bump for $300, on slow weeks I should just fly and earn
bumps :
The male attendant seemed formal enough when in the cabin
area, but I think he was the one on the PA saying things like …
"You are getting sleepy, sleepy. You are not thirsty, You are not hungry
…"
And when we landed … "Whoa Betsy … Clipity, Clop
… Clipity, clop … " and slowing with the slowing of the plane.
Not much viewing fun coming into SLC, both flights have circled in
from the north, so when I'm usually trying to pick out landmarks we are over
the Great Salt Lake.
Off the plane, I wait to call the motel until I'm
near the door, taxi will arrive in about 15 minutes. This time I know which van
and driver to look for.
At the motel …
( see prior
review )
Tuesday - 3/15/11
Last night I had all but
given up on making the trip in one day with the late start I'd be getting. I
woke up a few times during the night but managed to get right back to sleep.
Finally at 9 AM I'm wide awake, I start re-doing the math in my head. I SHOULD
be able to make it based on how long I drove and how long I got towed. Now wide
awake, it is go, go, go.
We didn't hit the ground last night until
11:45 local, so I can't start driving for 10 hours. I have the motel call a
taxi for 9:45 AM. Today it's the guys that double as the motel shuttle. I've
checked and I can't get a free ride, only to/from the airport and bus depot.
Driver says a taxi would have been $35 but they'll only charge $15. I tell them
they charged $20 yesterday and give him a $20.
This truck isn't
sitting out so I need to find my contacts. I start at the front door. High
security … They won't buzz me in until they know who I am and why I'm
here. And even once my contact meets me, they have to ask the person at the
front desk for the 'OK' for me to be with them in the building.
It
takes them a few minutes to find all the keys for today's truck, we go outside
and he goes his way, I go mine. When I turn on the key I notice the volt meter
does not move, not a a good sign. It's not. The truck won't start. I find my
contact again and he doesn't even try to start it, instead they find the keys
for my 3rd truck. But that is still loaded with freight and the cab hasn't been
cleaned. All this takes me an extra 45 minutes more than my quick pickup on
Monday. 45 minutes now, 45 minutes last night the odds are against me.
This 3rd truck has almost a ½ a tank of fuel so that may buy me one less
fuel stop, lets roll.
The trip is a little more enjoyable in the
daylight, I'd rather it was 7 AM than 11 AM. Clear sailing until I get to the
WY POE / Port of Entry. Shortly before, I hear a beeping but am not sure what
it is, until I stop. It's my back up alarm going off. Not wanting to attract
any attention, I do a rare shut off of my truck.
Lots of trucks
outside but inside no one ahead of me, I wait for someone to motion for me to
come up. The guy asks for my registration and DOT #. Then he asks how many. I'm
not sure who he's talking to, then he looks up and asks me again "How many?"
"Oh, sorry. We don't do 'stacks' so it didn't register what you were
asking. Just one truck." I reply. Whew … I'm out of there.
Still
plenty of fuel so no reason to stop in Evanston today. On to Rock Springs, pump
start works here today. Flying J restaurant is closed, Thores, or something
like that. Then there is the town of Sinclair, home of Sinclair gas, and a
Phillips 66 truckstop ???
Rolling on, I pass mile marker 199 and keep
going. It's a good day.
I fuel again in Cheyenne at the Flying J, pump
start does not work here. It's supposed to, they say. Place is empty, I come in
the wrong way and just drive through the pumps backwards and make a U-turn.
Only one truck fueling out of about 10 pumps.
I get the OK at the CO
scale, it was the guy ahead of me that got flagged. They seem to always need to
have someone sitting there. No slowdowns in traffic today. I try to see my
Loveland location but not sure if I did or not. It's close to the Embassy
Suites, walking distance. A shuttle bus runs from the Embassy to the Denver
airport every hour on the hour.
And one exit past my Loveland drop is
a truck stop so now I know everything I need to know … I think.
I
thought about taking the E-470 tollway which would save me a few minutes going
to the airport but I may still be able to fuel and deliver. Debate, debate. I
finally decide there are just too many things that could go wrong. From a line
at the pump, or the fuel desk, to just about anything else. Missing the flight
tonight would still add too many hours to make my final delivery.
I
need to park at the airport, I've looked online at arial photos so I think I
know where it is. But when I get to my turn it's a one way/do not enter. So
… SHOCK … SHOCK … I pull ahead and ))) call and ask directions
(((
I'm only a block from my turn, right lot, wrong way in. They have
a 'large vehicle' parking only area, but it isn't enforced. Only one spot open
and that's all I need. Only one other RV in the area, all others are cars of
people who can't read. I follow one bus through the lot and another one goes
past while I'm packing up. They don't seem to stay 10 minutes apart.
When I came in it took a minute to find the 'ticket' button, the credit card
info is all easy to see but I know better. What are the odds that I'll be the
one to pick it up in a couple of days? Same when I park, I do keep one key but
stash another one in case it is someone else, and I leave the paperwork.
This time of the night I'm the only one heading to the airport, lots
of people on looking for their cars. One gal helps a family with little kids
get off and almost gets left. I wasn't watching, lucky someone else was. By the
time I'm in the airport I'm about 15 minutes early, not enough time to have
fueled and gotten a taxi to the airport. Right decision.
Self service
check in again, again doesn't want to take my points so I have to do that at
the gate.. Not enough time for a sit down meal, I try to get 'to go' at the
same place as last night but that didn't work so I went to La Casita. Mc C's
had a line and neither it nor anything else sounded good.
AFTER the
sign changes to 'boarding' they announce that the flight will be 45 minutes
late … again. This time we are waiting for a flight attendant to come in,
one of ours called in (a little late?)
No bumps tonight, looks like a
full flight. I'm in the 'C' group so it's a middle seat by the time I get on so
for me it's a matter of where there is a place to put my bag.
This
time I call the motel just about as soon as I'm off the plane. Still have to
wait just about as long and then … there are other people tonight, and
they have luggage … somewhere. And they are at a different motel …
and then the driver gets a call to pick up someone else. I'm tired, I close my
eyes for a few minutes, then realize we just passed my motel … one block
off of the freeway. I know what the issue is, the driver is up against his 1 PM
shift end. We are going down town to the bus depot, we pick up a driver.
Greyhound bus driver. She dead headed from Seattle to Billings, then
somewhere else to pick up a extra bus, drove that to SLC, next she'll go get
another one, move that, then deadhead somewhere else before getting passengers
and heading back to Seattle. Sounds like driveaway, except they are always
getting paid.
1 hour plus from touchdown, I'm at the motel, Not only
did I get a free ride, I got a one hour tour of SLC. Not sure if the driver
picked up on it or not, but I had been a real motor mouth the last two nights
... until he took the second detour, Oh well, you get what you pay for.
Tonight is a little better, the first room key doesn't work, but the
second one does. Then across the street to the Loves (looks like a Pilot with a
Loves sign, could have something to do with the Pilo/Flyin J merger), and pick
up my two bottles of juice for the night, Not quite as many trucks in motel lot
but still about a dozen.
Wednesday - 3/16/11
Happy
Birthday to me :
One of the first things I hear in the AM is either
metal squeaking,or a little dog yapping ... hmm.
As I'm checking out,
I hear the sound again, It is coming from the cart of the guy picking up trash
in the lot, "So that's what woke me up this AM" I tell the desk clerk,
Same wakeup call as yesterday, same call for a taxi, same driver, same price.
Same security at pickup, same truck that won't start. Yes, someone was
out yesterday and wokred on it, I could tell the volt meter was showing more
than yesterday … but I waited until my contact was over by the truck
before trying to start it. After three tries I said 'no thanks' and he went and
found the keys for the next truck. Somehow this took just about as much time as
yesterday. But this time I knew where I was going, yesterday I took a wrong
turn and ended up doing a U-turn in a hospital parking lot. Today I go out one
exit in the next out the next so I could get across the median.
Yesterday I had asked the taxi driver the best way out because mine wasn't.
Fastest way was to back track two blocks and down. That worked.
I'm
running within a few minutes of yesterday, and again today I see a man feeding
his dogs. Both days they are next to their bob-sled, all ready to go.
Today at the WY POE I get someone else, after a few questions they tell me I
need a permit. I buy one, but we'll see how this plays out, in the eight years
I've been doing this no one I know has had to buy a WY permit if we've had the
WY plate, including yesterday.
I noticed a few miles back that I heard
a 'beeping,' when I stopped I realized it is from my truck so I shut it off as
not to attract any additional attention. When I re-start the truck it is still
beeping, when I put it in reverse and then forward, it's still beeping, when I
start moving forward again it stops … Whew. But starting the truck wasn't
that easy, I had to stand on the clutch with both feet to get the clutch to
release so the key would allow the engine to start. But I'm moving so I don't
give the mechanical details to dispatch, only the permit issue.
I
don't have as much fuel as yesterday so I decide to stop in Evanston because I
know the mileage works from there, don't need the fuel yet. This time I go to
the Pilot, it's a quicker on and off then the Flying J. More issues, now even
with both feet on the clutch I have to 'roll the gears' to slow them down
enough to shift into gear … and I've got a few more stops before delivery.
Still holding close on time, might not know again until I get to Denver if I'm
going to have time to fuel and deliver. For sure won't have enough time to fuel
the other truck.
Wait … I call dispatch back. When I left SLC,
neither truck was ready, why should I rush back? I may as well get these two
delivered and stay in Denver until I know the next truck is ready. Dispatch
says we'll talk later this afternoon.
Not much for cell service out
here and I want to wait until as close to close time as I can so I decide to
call from Rawlins, that will make it just about close time.
But I
never make it, at mile marker 159, fourty short of Monday, an alarm comes on. I
look down and see I have no oil pressure, I shift to neutral, turn off the key
and coast to the side of the road. I do a quick look for leaks and all I see is
that the coolant is boiling over, but no oil.
I call dispatch, they
don't even ask what happened just where I am. Maybe they could tell by my voice
that I was down again. I did have to walk most of a mile to find out where I
was, the mile marker was gone again. Dispatch didn't want me walking along the
highway ??? My biggest danger out here was stepping in one of the coyote dens
along the shoulder of the road.
For whatever reason this truck is not
under a maintenance contract, so dispatch will have to do the legwork on this
one. Two hours later the tow is there, good thing. It's not as nice of day as
Monday.
Not used to driving this road from the west, now that we are
heading back to the west I see the big dragline. The one that looks like a
house on track, something out of Star Wars. It's down in it is hole, so I don't
get as good as look at it as I have in the past. Tow driver says the company
wants to move it to the other side of the freeway but the DOT won't let them.
It would be a two week project. First they would have to build up a route over
the first lanes of traffic up through the median. Once it is in the median,
that lane of highway would have to be cleared, both lanes of traffic switched,
then the route would have to be built over the remaining lanes of highway.
We drop the truck at the shop, after hours, then drop me at the motel.
I've had my wife check and there are no cheap motels in town. Even my corp
discount only gets them down to $70. I opt for the Econo Lodge, I've stayed
here before years ago and it wasn't cheap, but the tow driver says that
Halliburton had moved all their workers to two hotels so now the price has come
down on the other ones.
Dispatch is pulling me off the job, not sure
what will happen to the other trucks or even the one at the airport. I would
have thought that I would have gone back to Denver to at least move that one,
but that would cut into my 34-36 hour re-start.
36 hour restart
because I am going to Canada ))) yea (((
When I come out of the
restaurant, it's snowing … am I going to get snowed in?
>>>>> NO REVIEW - Santa Fe Southwest Grill, Rock Springs WY
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Didn't do a
review, not sure why. Food and service were good.
>>>>>>>> TRIP ADVISOR - Econo Lodge, Rock Springs WY
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
"Price and
familiarity had me back" 3 of 5 stars Date of review: Mar 22, 2011
Price and familiarity are the two reasons I stayed here. My vehicle had broken
down so I didn't have much choice as in which town to stay. I had someone check
the internet and found that the Econo Lodge and nearby Days Inn were the
cheapest places in town to stay, my corp pricing wasn't even close in this
town.
Room was nothing special for the price, but this is the going
rate for this town. (It was also a little closer to the airport so my taxi
would be less in the AM)
Restaurant is in the same building, Santa Fe
Southwest Grille see that review.
Even though I had plenty of time, I
still didn't go for their breakfast. That is one thing that has not changed in
the 3-4 years since I've been here. I remember last time the 'crew' filling
their plates before heading out to the job. They have one thing you don't see
often, bacon. Plus eggs, and the other usual items for a motel.
Took
pictures to keep the write-up shorter.
Front desk was pleasant both in
the PM and in the AM.
* Reviewer ratings for this hotel:
o 3 of 5
stars Value
o 3 of 5 stars Rooms
o 3 of 5 stars Location
o 3 of 5
stars Cleanliness
o 3 of 5 stars Service
o 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
* Date of stay: March 2011
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Thursday - 3/17/11
My flight is at noon, no earlier
flight listed so I don't bother to go to the airport early. I actually get to
sleep in, nine hours. It's going to take a few more days for me to catch up on
my sleep from that 'all nighter.'
I call the taxi that has their cards
at the motel desk, yep, like the tow driver said. When the economy went south,
everyone became a taxi. The van has a paint job, and a co-pilot. A dog.
The Rock Springs airport is about 10 miles out of town on top of a
hill, didn't know it was there. And not much here. Two counters, two rental
cars, one café and one gate. Security is closed until 30 minutes before
flight time, but it does have free WiFi so I have something to do. I've only
gotten here an hour early as this was about what I was expecting.
Sign
my ticket counter says to arrive 'an hour and a half before your flight.' Why?
I doubt any of the planes hold over 20 people, five flights a day total, one
gate ???
Power goes out twice but that doesn't effect the airline,
just had to re-logon to the WiFi.
Plane comes in, three people get
off, eight of us will get on. Two pilots, one does the inspection. One looks
like a Canadian bush pilot, the other looks like Mr Putin. One of the agents
asks if I want to check my bag, I ask if I have a choice. I do, but they would
like as much weight in the back as possible. I give them my bag, less my
laptop.
Smallest plane I've been on. 17 seats, one on each side of the
isle and an extra one in the middle in the back. No bathroom, no stewardess, no
door to the cockpit. All eight of us are assigned near the front, they suggest
we move back, I start to and see no one is following me so I go all the way to
the back and sit in the middle. From here I'll be able to take pictures out of
both windows.
I take pictures, as many as I can. The inside looks like
a cargo plane with seats. Every time I turn the camera off and back on it
re-sets its self to 'auto' flash so I have to keep turning it off. I try to
take pictures of the cockpit but there is too much light compared to where I
am.
In addition to telling us where the emergency exit is, the pilot
also shows the passengers in the front how to open the main door, in case they
get to it before the pilot does. One of the guys comments that 'he WILL be
there before the pilot,' and the pilot says "Don't bet on it."
I'm
hoping that we fly over the big dragline but no such luck.
http://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/351258-001/Riser?Language=en-US
The
above image doesn't do justice because there is nothing in the image to compare
to.
The first part of the flight was OK, then the pilot said "Fasten
your seat belts TIGHT." I did, and was glad I did. My first thought was 35
years ago, going to the Valley Fair amusement park and riding on the roller
coaster. By the time I got to the top of the first hill I was repeating …
'never again, never again' and I never have.
By this time I knew we
only had 15 minutes left of this flight … or less.
Not sure if
I'll tell dispatch no more 'prop' planes or not, so far I haven't. Not sure if
the creases I left in the two seats ahead of me have recovered or not. I was
hanging on awful tight with both hands.
It was interesting coming into
the airport, first I was able to pick out the Love's on I-76 so I knew how we
were coming in, and by sitting in the middle of the plane I could see the
runway as we were coming down … we were going to land … on the
runway. Whew.
A couple of hours wait until my next flight, I check out
my terminal but no food that looks better than my French Dip so back I go to
Terminal C. Someone had gottne sick on one of the shuttle trains, I hopped out
as soon as I saw it. I was surprised no one else did.
As long as I'm
here, I may as well cancel tonight's flight. Too late, dispatch has already
gotten a refund? Didn't know you could still get those. My reason for checking
was that I was hoping to get a bump and some bucks, no such luck. Still three
seats avail, four including mine.
Leg two home is full, but no bumps.
Two people near me miss the flight and as soon as I can I get the stewardess's
attention and move from my center seat to an isle seat. We are delayed a little
before take off, pilot comes on and says that in his 'pre-trip' he found wires
sticking out of the tires so we need to have it changed. We are still in the
air on time and on the ground again ahead of time.
It's still daylight
so my wife picks me up, I have one hour tonight to do my paperwork before I go
to bed and head out on my next trip … tomorrow. |
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