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MI-LANSING - RED ROOF
I was
traveling with someone and they did the check in, check out so no comment on
that.
There is a Motel 6 next door but for the extra few dollars we
decided to get a 'nice' room. The motel is the typical Red Roof layout, the
rooms are nothing special, but the beds, bedding, etc would meet the standards
of the Holiday Inn (I think). Even for someone as cheap as me, it was well
worth the price of the room to have a nice bed and a good nights sleep.
No
pictures on this one, the other person had their stuff laying all over the room
by the time I got there.
No breakfast or pool, I like that. I am only
paying for what I am using.
Finley's American Grill FOOD
The place is laid out like it may have been a 'Friday's. It is
attached to the Ramada and right across the street from the Red Roof (where I
stayed) and Motel 6. My other two choices within walking distance were Berger
King and Denny's so it was an easy choice.
They told me their 'thing' was
ribs, but I opted for the meatloaf. (The only burger that interested me was
½ pound and I don't need that muc food.
The meatloaf comes with
mashed potatoes and a vegi, plus a small loaf of your choice of bread, I choose
white. My choice of vegi's were many but not being a vegi person I paid extra
for a coup of soup. That was a mistake.
MY MISTAKE
I was going to
bed in an hour and should have stuck with just soup. And I realized that as
soon as I started on my coup of soup, but too late to change then, I had their
cheddar, chicken, broccoli soup, but they had two other choices. A bowl of soup
would have really hit the spot, it was good to the last drop.
But then the
meatloaf came, I was already ½ full. Meatloaf was good, mashed potatoes
too. And they had some kind of fried onions on top, they did NOT taste like the
kind out get out of the can or at the average salad buffet. Mmmm they were
good.
Both the soup and the meal were really, really good but hopefully
next time I remember to order one or the other, not both (I am traveling and
have no way to store the food until the next meal)
Came in contact with
three different people, only good things to say about them.
The menu said
they have 5-6 (I don't remember) locations in Michigan.
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I had turned this trip down twice before but then 'a
little birdie told me the trip I was waiting for was not going to happen again
… ever), then they texted me and said someone had canceled so I said OK.
Reasons not to take the trip
1) The couldn't tell me the pay
2) I would be traveling with four other drivers
3) In the past these short
trips to Canada have not paid very well
4) And one more I remembered the
next two mornings
5) You have to get up waaaaay too early for me to catch a
flight home.
4/28/13 - Sunday AM
I can't leave until
5:15 this AM because of issues that happened yesterday … like having to
call and wake up a driver that didn't show at 7 AM.
I had almost told
dispatch that I would take the run only if they booked me on a later flight,
but then I did re-did the math and it looked like I should have a couple of
hours to spare, we'll see.
I get to the lot and only two of the four
other drivers have left. Oh yeah, by the time I get to the lot I have already
had to make another stop because I have to use the plate from the driver who
canceled and he didn't get it to the office by the time I left last night so
extra time ONE for the day. Then there is no paperwork in the rig so I go back
to the office and look in the guy's paperwork who moved it yesterday, nothing
in there either so I have to roll with a backup copy. Seems like there were a
couple of other things but I don't' remember any more. Tried to check to see
how much fuel was in it but couldn't tell so I have to make a stop a few miles
down the road. Un-needed stop one. The rig was only down a few gallons, but now
I know.
Extra stop two was to meet up with someone who I need to drop
something off with sometime and today I was going right past, stopped but
didn't stay long, but it's all minutes.
THEN I was tired, I don't ever
remember being that tired in the middle of the day … or beginning of the
day. This all adds up to an extra hour … Ouch. Hope I do not miss the
flight by an hour.
Finally, a planned stop, a fuel and ½ hour
break. Just enough time to inhale a Subway sandwich … if I hadn't had to
wait for the sandwich … I was fueled and ready to roll in five minutes
which is rare at this location, but timing can be everything.
Not a
good feeling about now … on less than 300 miles down and the day is half
over, the rest of the day has to go better.
And then I hit the IL road
construction, 40 miles ….
But for the first time I am carrying an
I-Pass, and I was told yesterday that dispatch said we do NOT need to check to
see if they are working at the first toll, this guy had and put a ding in his
rig.
It is nice to sail on past the toll booths AND not deal with the
change. One location everyone had to go through the booths and I go the OK
light so mine was working.
Nothing new in WI or IL I guess, did see
only one person planting, lots of other fields still under water.
I'm
still looking good when I hit MI, actually a few miles before MI I see another
one of the five rigs ahead of me so I follow him in to the rest area. I was
planning on taking my 2nd half our stop here and make some calls to motels for
the night. We take a quick look at the coupon book and decide on the Red Roof,
we both would have stayed somewhere cheaper on our own, but splitting a room
gives us a nicer room for less.
I've never run with this guy before
but have dropped him off at a few rig so our paths have crossed before. We had
just missed each other at pickup this AM, he left one of the times I was at the
office looking for stuff. He would have been gone long before that but no one
told him that these rigs did not have fuel gauges so he thought he was having
electronic issues (The DEF gauge and a couple of others are electronic ….
As is the fuel gauge, when there is one)
I had planned on fueling in
Lansing yet tonight and then going on to Flint, but he didn't think he had
enough hours so we fueled in Kalamazoo and stopped in Lansing.
NOT a
fun stop in Kalamazoo, The pump only wanted to give me 10 gallons before
kicking off. And I know there is no way that I went from 7 mpg last fill to 35
mpg this fill. So I spend the next half hour trying to squeeze in another 15
gallons before I give up. (The tank is under the rig, with a long pipe going to
it and it is a pain.) There are some stations I won't stop at because I can't
get a good fill. Not sure what a the issue is tonight.
Once at the
motel, the other driver only wants soup and heads to Denny's … he should
have come with me … good soup.
I almost didn't want to split a
room as I knew I was going to need a good nights sleep, but was feeling a
little better by /at the time I caught up to him. All I took time to do tonight
was to look up the wash and delivery address and make my 'cheat-sheet' for the
trip … Right on … Left on ….
4/29/13 - MONDAY
4:30 … the first thing after the alarm clock I hear is "Did you
re-set that thing for earlier?"
Nope, it is 4:30 already … 3:30
in my park of the country. Ugggg.
I'm dragging but do we both get
showered and almost out on time, Other driver is pulling out by the time I am
at my rig.
I still do not have a good feeling about the fuel so I stop
again even though it has only been 70 miles … same as yesterday PM, it
does not want to take any more, after squeezing more in I end up with 12 mpg
for both tanks … I'm not sure, but I know I won't run out.
Now
two hours to the border. Maybe next time I will knock off two hours the night
before, which will get me into Port Huron and not make me have to leave so
early … or just get a 7 PM flight.
At the border I am only asked
three questions.
Where do you live? Do you have any firearms? And do
you have any passengers." That's it … I'm free to go.
The driver
who couldn't find the fuel gauge also couldn't find the broker when we got to
the border … no one told him that we did not have to sop if there is not
an issue. I guess he always has issues so he has always had to stop. Been here
two plus years and moves mostly Canadian, he is one of the few who will do it
… for a prices.
So he is still fueling when I get there, In fact
I am fueled, and scaled and parked by the time he is done fueling . It takes a
while for the scale ticket because I am the first one of the group, two more
pull in as I'm walking into the building to get my ticket.
So I think
I am going to be the first one to the wash but he driver who was ahead of me is
back ahead of me so I asked if he had scaled before fueling … "Scaled???
… oh …. "
He had forgotten. So now he had to find another
scale closer, there was one … and he was at the drop shortly after me.
As I am leaving the wash the last two guys are just getting there, not
sure what kept them but they would have been waiting for me so not a big deal.
Tick … tock … tick …
The only driver I haven't
seen yet has been a half hour ahead of us and is all worried that we are not
going to catch our flights. I finally tell him that worrying is not going to
change anything so until we miss it ….
Turns out the last two
drivers had come in the wrong way so we didn't know they were there until they
were all checked in … now, we have just under an hour and a half to get to
the check in.
The last two miles were fun … first we miss a turn,
which turns out to be a good thing as we remember we need to fuel, but it also
means cutting across three lanes for traffic from the left turn lane. Then we
have four back seat drivers helping out the driver, we finally get dropped and
we are at the wrong terminal … it takes a bus ride … oh, and we get
on the wrong bus the first time … would have only cost us five minutes or
so but we are getting down where that could make a difference.
Finally
we are at the checkin … it has been long enough that I forgot we have to
have our 'declaration' filled out before we get in line, so back I go.
Oh, I didn't find out until a few minutes before we got to the airport if I was
on the same fight as the others … I am.
We are in the line
waiting at customs when someone comes through looking for passengers on a
flight leaving in a half hour … so now we know, if we are still here in a
half hour, we will get put to the front of the line … but we all make it.
We all walked in the front door at the same time, all got done at the
self-service check in about the same time, yet there were about 15 people
between each of us.
Security lanes were short as the customs line sort
of dictated the flow.
Finally I can have food …. I wanted to walk
next door at the customer but I was afraid I would delay something. And I had
forgotten to grab my Canadian change so all I had was a $10 bill. That was
then, this is now ... Tim Hortons is on the wrong side of the glass ... all I
find is a kiosk that serves beans and rice in a wrap ... so I grab a cup of
fruit and yogurt .. juice and a cookie … $13. But I finally get to use my
$10 bill someone sold me a few months ago. Should have gave the person exact
change for the rest of it, instead now I have more Canadian change that will
end up in a drawer.
We do all make the flight … which is where I
am now … getting to land at home.
Just can't please me. I don't
like the late flights, and don't like to have to catch the early ones …
but it will be nice to land at 4 PM instead of midnight. |
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