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BELFIELD, ND - TRAPPERS INN
'Capitalism at work.'
It is only supply and demand that put this motel out
of my range. (Without looking it up, I'm guessing I paid less than 1/2 this
cost less than 10 years ago) That said, I knew what the cost was before I
decided to stop so I'll move on to the review.
No problems at checkin, and
just leave the key in the room in the AM. It covered my basics of quiet, clean
and some hot water in the AM.
Interesting layout for a motel room, the
bedroom has an open closet for hanging clothes that is about ½ the
length of the room, then there is a hall to the bathroom and there is another
closet with a door and shelves in the hall. There is also cabinets under the
sink in the bathroom and another room the width of the bathroom that was
locked. ?
There is a restaurant next door, and you get a $3 off coupon for
breakfast, but it was closed by the time I get there. After 10 PM the only food
is off the shelf at the gas station across the highway.
HINT: Lots of
water pressure, do not turn the faucet full blast on the sink or you and
everything in the room will get a shower.
DEER LODGE, MT -
TRAVELODGE
Covers my needs.
It's been a while since I've been to
a Travelodge so I'm not sure if this place meets their standards or not. (On
one of the internet map sites it was listed as a Rodeway, didn't ask if they
knew why, it has been a Travelodge for as long as I can remember)
It does
meet my standards, clean, quiet and hot water. (Free) internet and big rig
parking are the plus … and great food next door at 4B's. Desk clerks both
AM and PM were pleasant.
Breakfast was just the basics, three kinds of
cold cereal, make your own waffles, etc. It looks like my work may be such that
I spend a few more nights here in the next couple of months.
DEER LODGE, MT - 4B'S
"This one is as good as the others."
Been
to the 4B's in Miles City and Missoula a few times, hope to get to the Butte
one soon … there other locations are not on my route to anywhere 9
Seat yourself so I did, menu was in hand shortly. In and out in 45 minutes.
Past on the special tonight (had that last week), went with the French Dip
instead. One measure for me of a good French Dip is how much au jus dip I use.
This one matched up just right. Just had a little left over, didn't need it
all. Doubt if I would have 'needed' any of it, bread was fresh, meat was moist.
And a large cup of their tomato soup, they only brought four packs of
crackers the first time so I had to ask for more, that was enough to cover it.
For their menu, go to
www.crossroadstravelcenter.com
and click on
'Restaurant Services' on the right side of the screen.
(I have been back
to this location within a week of the above visit. The 2nd time I was on a
½ hour break so I just ordered a bowl of tomato soup. Walked in,
ordered, ate, paid within 20 minutes … Now I know I'll be back)
NORTH BEND, WA - EDGEWICK INN
Big rig parking got me here.
… and I'm sure I'll be back. For years I had been staying east of the
pass, but by staying in North Bend it moves a few variables to the prior day. A
DOT scale, a mountain pass … and now road construction (spring 2013)
The motel is well maintained but no 'perks,' and I don't need any. Room was
quiet, clean and the water was hot. Three choices of food across the street.
Country Pride (truckstop/family), Popeye's and a BBQ place.
Internet is
not wireless, you need to ask for a cord and the plug in for it is not near the
table, so a little awkward but it works. It's like the rest of this place, no
frills but fills the need.
My pics tell the rest of the story.
NORTH BEND, WA - COUNTRY PRIDE
'Basic truckstop food'
I
was in the mood for a salad so this was my choice within walking distance of my
motel. At the time I was at the salad bar, they had let a couple of items run
out, later I noticed that everything was full again so (likely) just a timing
issue.
Potato salad was the only thing that was showing its age,
everything else seemed to be being turned over pretty quickly. No complaints on
the items I took.
Plus I had a patty melt without their 'special'
dressing, I went with ketchup instead. Should have asked for a smaller patty,
didn't need that much food.
Service was quick, food was fast and priced
right. No frills.
(This location only has a soup/salad bar, other
locations I've been have more of a 'buffet' selection.)
Monday - 4/15/13
Will we go or won't we go … I was betting on no.
So I didn't really get packing until the last minute. Checking the weather last
night, both I-29 and I-90 in North Dakota were closed … expecting up to 20
inches in Bismarck.
I did want to leave, can't afford another week
without work, but I was expecting to head up later in the day and spend the
night near the customer before heading out on Tuesday. But with no call from
dispatch canceling the trip, I headed in.
I usually like to be early
but I was expecting that call …
So I get there just about on time
and find out that we will be picking up two other drivers in route … as I
see the Beach slipping away. (Beach, ND … the further motel we can get to
on a good day.)
A couple of hours into our shuttle, I get a call from
my wife saying ND has opened part of the interstate, an hour later another
update that it is all open. Things are looking up.
Then … we get
to the customer and they are all in a meeting. Had we been on time, we'd have
been on the road before the meeting … and it's all someone else's fault.
So, almost two hours later than the best case scenario, we head out. The other
two drivers are going to the same state but different address and they can go
65 and I've got another one that is governed at 55. (Others were urging me to
switch paperwork before handing out it out to other drivers … I had all
the paperwork and they would never know. Turned out to be a good thing.)
One of the other drivers had an issue before leaving the lot, once
going he got about 100 miles before backtracking to a shop. Sat for a day and a
half before being pulled from the run … and this was to be his first trip
after three weeks of no work.
The other driver made it to Beach, with
a breakdown there, and 2nd breakdown 60 miles later in Glendive and a 3rd
… somewhere there was snow, that doesn't narrow it down much on this trip.
So … it was a good thing I didn't switch … no issues, just a slower
ride.
As soon as I hit I-94 I started doing the math as to how far I
would get. For hours I kept averaging 55 mph, no more, no less. I'd check it
every hour. I could make it to Belfield, I didn't call this time, just gambled
they'd have room. They did. For a price, no cheaper rooms tonight, or I was too
tired to ask.
On prior trips I had been fueling ½ across the
state, but this being my 3rd trip I was confident I could make it (and did)
In a rare text message from the afterhours dispatch, they asked if I
was broke down. That is when I found out the other two were down … so I
WAS the lucky one.
Tuesday - 4/16/13
Got in right at 11
PM last night so didn't get up and going very early, those 14 hour days are
taking their toll on me. I just crash and try to get going when my 10 hours are
up.
I came up 40 miles short last night so I need to make sure I don't
drop any further behind. The snow was not an issue last night, other than the
truck parking hadn't been plowed so I just parked it where it landed. Would
have been able to park in front of the room, no cars in the lot on my side of
the building.
Bumped into the driver who had made it to Beach last
night, he was just getting going. Not only had he broken down, he had run out
of fuel … ??? … OK, I'm not going to push it on the fuel stops. He is
supposed to pick up some 'safety' fluids from NAPA in town, but they are closed
so he comes back to the truckstop and I give him mine.
He passes me
about 20 miles down the road, and I find him another 20 miles down the road, on
the side of the road. Broke down again. He has me call dispatch, I do and they
arrange for roadside. I ask dispatch where the NAPA is in this town, they give
me an address and I take the next exit … It's called 'Circle drive' and
now I know why. I don't often loose orientation but I did this time. I thought
I was going East, took one right turn and ended up a mile West of where I got
off the freeway. With no place to take a U-turn I just left, I'll try again in
Miles City.
I had better luck in Miles City, found the NAPA right
away, right on the main drag, big lot but not what I'm looking for. I buy
something close and head out. For a while I think about finding another NAPA
and exchanging it but then forget about it. So about another ½ hour lost
today because of someone else's problems. All in a days work.
Another
hour or so down the road the other driver catches up to and passes me again,
that is the last I see of him until 10 minutes before we board at the Seattle.
WHAT ?? The Billings scale is closed … they 'never' close. So
'never' in fact that drivers have gotten fined for not stopping to purchase
their permits (even though it was closed). Wibaux was closed, as will Butte be.
I need to take a break sometime but I like to do them after a scale … just
in case I do get stopped and then that counts as my break.
Not much
changed since last week.
By stopping in Belfield instead of Beach I
won't be able to make it to Butte, but I can make it to Deer River, so I call
ahead to verify the exit number (I have a lot of them written down on a
cheat-sheet, but not this one, until now)
Ahhhh … it's nice to
get off the road before dark and before all the small town restaurants are
closed. Did have a little … ??? … something not so good happened
yesterday that shook me. No damage done but it got my attention enough so I
think I'll try not to push the 14 hours as much. I think the big issue there
was that I had caffeine the day before and I NEVER have caffeine, didn't
realize what I had grabbed until it was gone. So I didn't sleep good that night
and couldn't sleep en-route to the customer. Tonight I'll sleep.
Wednesday - 4/17/13
Happy 92nd to Pop's.
Running at 55 mph
and taking the required breaks plus fuel stops, plus … makes it hard to
gain on the clock. I like to run 12 and be off 10, gain two hours a day.
Especially when we can't get started until 9 AM and day one is usual a 14 hour
day.
If I get another one of the 65 mph rigs I'd like to stop and take
photos of some of the place's I've been eating and some of the scenic views.
I'm trying to find the ideal places to stop and fuel, 350 miles is as
far as I want to push it, I did 500 last week with no problem but then found
out yesterday that the driver ran up at about 420 … MMmmmmm.
Today's first fuel stop will be in Superior, a small Pilot. It is still one of
those that I have to 'Pre-pay.' No big deal (I think), I had to do the same
thing yesterday in Belgrade and it was painless. I have a rooky on the cash
register so it goes slower and then the person double checking him see's
something that doesn't look right on the receipt so they call corp … adds
another 15 minutes to my stop.
No stop at the scale on the MT/ID
border either. So I do a quick stop at the top of Lookout pass, just enough to
get my permits in place.
This other driver I've been talking about
just did this trip last week and the engine break wasn't working … so he
had to make real good use of the brakes. Did not sound like a fun ride, more
than I'm going to write here.
This rig is like the last one for me, it
pretty much holds right where I set it on the decline, in fact I need to hit
the gas now and then to keep it up to where I want it. Butte, Lookout pass, 4th
of July pass and later on Snoqualmie pass.
I'm starting to get a
complex, am I the only driver who is NOT getting stopped the scales? Or did the
other drivers pass with such flying colors that they aren't stopping any of us
anymore?
I get another pass at the WA/ID scale, the Tokio is closed
and a final pass later today at the Ellensburg scale. Ahh, it's nice to be able
to go 55 mph … unlike last trip where had to drive 45 and then 30 for
miles and miles. In Ritzville, near my old western stomping, the Perkins is now
the 'Ritz'and the La Quinta is now the Cedar's (I didn't realize the 'Cedar's'
was a chain, the only one I knew of was in Ellensburg, now I see there are a
lot of them in WA)
Whirl winds, lots of them, easy to spot in the
sand, not just tumbleweeds flying without the sand to give it an outline.
I called and got a price on a motel in North Bend, I just like the
idea of not having to worry about the scale in the AM. Price is the same as
Ellensburg so no loss there.
Quiet again at the Love's in Ellensburg
so I can come in backwards, it is the only way I can get bulk DEF. Last time it
only worked for ½ a fill, this time I got it right to the top …
Yea.
Then … not again …
'Your credit card has been
declined.' Grrrr
I use another one and get rolling, find out that it
is likely because of these 'pre-pay' stations. The pre-pay amount is not
dropping off and it is showing I'm am charging big $$$$ Guess I'm going to have
to re-route my trip … again. When I'm checking the Pilot website tonight
is when I find out that the owner of Pilot is in big trouble … for now.
Just to slow things down, let's add some road construction to
Snoqualmie Pass … just another reason to get past this area the night
before delivery.
Thursday - 4/18/13
I am directly across
the street from the wash so no reason to get up early. None at all, the guy is
late again … I call to see where he is, he is close. More delays.
If things go well I may be able to make the 11 AM flight, it would be worth the
$100, no taxi cost tonight and maybe some work tomorrow. And then I hit
traffic, but it's not … that … bad. It takes an hour to get about 30
miles.
This time I know the routine, I got a good fill on DEF so I
don't have to mess with that, I pay at the pump to save time AND remember to
get an extra receipt. I scale right way and only go inside once instead of
three times, it all saves time.
So much for saving time, I get to the
inspection site and have to wait … But once the guy arrives, the
inspection goes well. No issues.
Then off to the drop, this time
remembering to make sure there was enough room to get across the railroad
tracks at the stop light (last time there was not and I was stuck on the
tracks) It is much more relaxing when you know where you are going.. I should
have pulled in one more driveway down, but I was able to make the swing.
Another lesson learned.
And this time I know who to look for and where
to find them. Had a nice little chat with these guys, maybe things will go even
better from now on. But it doesn't help when we still have drivers having 'Duh'
moments.
… I had thought about calling the taxi as soon as I got
there and didn't. No problem, taxi got there in 10 minutes and in another 10 or
so I am at the airport. I get my ticket from an empty kiosk and get to an
almost empty security line.
I get to the gate in plenty of time to
make the earlier flight, but they are booked full. I ask again later if there
are any 'no shows' … they say no, but after the door is closed three more
people show up, they let them on and there is no room in the overheads so the
baggage ramp has to be put back in place. But no, I didn't get on. Two more
hours to wait.
I eat at the 'Alaska' again, had chicken this time,
$12. I think I'll stick with Oriental from now on. After I eat I sit back at
the earlier gate and work on the laptop. At some point I look at the time and
realize that it is almost time to board and no one is around. Different flight,
different gate … opps. "Honey, I missed my flight." No, but …
About 10 minutes before my flight. I see the other driver that did
make it to Seattle this week, we are on the same flight. When I get to PHX, I
have a text message from my wife that all flights are two hours late. No word
here that they are, guess it was just earlier today. If all goes as planned,
the other driver and I will share a taxi to my car and I will give him a ride
from there. This is one of the drivers we picked up en-route on Monday. A taxi
will likely save us an hour, maybe to over super shuttle and at midnight it is
worth it. And with two passengers it should be about $5 more each.
Off
for three days again due to family plans. |
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