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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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Called and got trip to CA. Leaving Tuesday The work board is down to 9 by this AM, not sure how it dropped three units by on Sunday. At some point this AM there were two for Gilroy ... SFO bay area this AM. But by the time we discussed it and understood what the other one wanted, they were gone. Not much else was added on Monday, but for some reason the two Gilroy ended back on the board in the afternoon and we got them. We will pick them up on Tuesday and delivery on Monday. Six days to do four days work so we have plenty of time. We will likely do a re-start on Sunday so IF I get a bus I won't be limited on hours. Board is back up to 10 ... last year it was over 100. But we only need 2. 190402 - IA-CA 2 - Van RV's to Gilroy CA No need to get going early, so we didn't. Picked up our 3rd car from the shop, didn't want to leave it there the whole time we were gone, and we needed to pay them for all three. This one gets to have more work done when we get back, as does the van. Stopped at the Flying J in Northfield for car fuel. Got to Forest City a little after 11 AM. In most places the water has gone down. We did notice that in southern MN and down here it snowed yesterday or overnight. This late in the season it is melting off fast. With only 10 RV's on the board, our main lot is just about empty and the 2nd lot just has the rental RV's in it. They have a specific day/days they are supposed to ship. Seems both companies I work for got dinged by the DOT recently. One, because their signs/placards didn't say 'operated by,' and the other because they didn't have the 'LLC,' which is part of their full name on the signs ... and both have been running this way for years. Small RV's so we are in and out in under an hour, full sized ones still take an hour. Checked GasBuddy and Garner fuel is cheaper, but their prices were last updated online two days ago. So we go through Garner just in case and gas is still cheaper. We save $.03 a gallon on 30 gallons ... WOW. 15 minutes later we stop at The Other Place in forest city. Always good food. Today BB gets the soup and salad, I go for the soup and chili. AND then I have throat issues, 1st time in three months. First of the year I started a log to keep track of this issue. Two hours down the road we stop at the rest area in Ankeny. Cop sitting next to one truck when we pull in, hope the guy keeps the cop busy until we are gone. Before we walk back out of the rest area, I have eye issues. I've had random issues with my eyes since I was in high school. Always seem to clear up in a few minutes and the Dr's have never found anything. What happened this time was different but it still cleared in a few minutes. Plan was to stop for fuel in Council Bluffs two hours down the road. OPPS ... the road has changed and I didn't see the signs. They have been working on this section for the last two years and now they seem to be almost done. IF you follow the signs for Omaha you can't get off in Council Bluffs. We needed to exit on to I-29 for local exits. So our next stop was the motel. We had checked this AM to make sure the motels were not still full from the flooding, they aren't. We made our reservation from the parking lot, checked in, and then walked next door to the Mexican place. Good food. We've learned to order small portions here. Still stuffed. Did check this AM when I was in the office, my last RV to VA still is in the shop so I still don't get paid. Dispatcher mumbled something about it now going to FL instead ... ? Board is up to 13 so lucky we grabbed when we did. 6 of the 13 are going to WA so that wouldn't be a bad run. About the same distance to the buses as from San Diego. Short days, cheap motels this trip. 190403 - IA-CA Guess I need to re-write this one. Not sure what happened, I remember some of what I wrote yesterday so I know I did it but tonight it was good. "One the road again ..." Willie radio ... XM. :) I'm getting old, I can't listen to anything soft or loud until about noon. But it is nice to have. Breakfast. I noticed that the warmer was only on under the sausage, but not the eggs. I told the front desk and their reply was that the eggs will turn green if they are kept warm ... ??? I should have nuked mine. Our first stop was 10 miles down the road for fuel. Yesterday our first three stops were 10 minutes apart, today it is only the first two. Opps ... price is now $.06 more than Council Bluffs, last night it had only been $.03 more. Rivers are down, but still lots of debris. Not much of anything for fieldwork yet. Next stop was a rest area in Grand Island, thought that was going to take a while. When we walked in there was a line of women waiting for the co-ed bathroom as the women's was being cleaned. But they were done cleaning in a few minutes so we were still in and out in 15. Somewhere past Grand Island we see sand cranes. Kearney says they are the crane capital of the world. That is about the only bird we see in this area and there are lots of them. At first I thought my eyes were still bad as I couldn't see any birds beyond the first 1/8 of a mile of the freeway. I finally did see them further away but it seemed like 90% of them were right near the freeway. Corn field, bean field, hay field, didn't seem to make a difference. Did see a couple of them doing a dance :) Lunch was at the Barn in Gothenburg. The Nebraska BARN and Grill. Right across from the Comfort Inn. We ate here last trip also, walking over from the motel in the rain. Good food. ALMOST two hours to Big Springs to the Flying J for fuel. Usually stop in Ogallala, but fuel was not cheaper there today. Discount fuel card already doesn't work. In the past it worked another day past here. ??? Sidney. Comfort Inn. 2:30 ??? As we were walking out to go to get food a boom type truck was just leaving. I thought for sure he was going to him the building with his front overhang. He didn't. We had seen him earlier on the side of the road with his triangles out, then again later today while we were eating. We walk a half mile or so to the Mexican place. BB is not a fan of the IHOP that is across the street from the motel. We eat there when we need a huge place to park. 190404 - IA-CA Weird dreams last night ... but that is normal for me :) When we went down for breakfast in the AM, it was so foggy that we could not see the buildings across the street. The meat patties this AM were more like chopped ham than sausage. Front desk person was also the kitchen person ... I went and told them that they were just about out of meat ... and later that the OJ looked like OJ but tasted like water. Got going by 7 AM local, dew on the windshield, still fog for the first hour or so down the road. We got to the POE and the restrooms are closed ??? Seems that someone had, twice in the last two weeks, smeared feces all over the bathroom and the cleaning company refused to clean it up the second time. So after we got our permits we had to stop at the next exit at the Sapps Bros truckstop for the restrooms. These were clean. Another hour down the road we stop at the 'Lincoln' rest area. Still snow here, lots of it where there were drifts and it looks like it had snowed again in the last few days. Rawlins is to far to make from the POE without a stop but it makes for two short drives. Should have had my camera out. Just before the truckstop there is an old scale and there was a 'house' sitting there. It looked wider than two lanes wide and had one truck as a pusher and two trucks pulling. The first truck was weighted down so the tires would have traction. Just as I am pulling up to the fuel pump in Rawlins, dispatch is calling. They have an RV in Sacramento needing to go to Davis. 19 miles. I won't commit. We are pacing ourselves so we miss the snow coming in. Looks like it could be a couple of feet in the pass. Good thing I didn't commit, last time we delivered to Davis we didn't get out of there until after noon and if that was the case this time we'd miss our Gilroy delivery. When I checked at the next stop it was gone, some one else took it. New discount card doesn't work ... until I register it. Not going to make much money on fuel on this trip, we usually don't. But this trip, this time, we both are getting an extra $150 because we can't tow. Nice bonus when you can get it. We also aren't going to make any money when we are bucking a head wind. NE has been a tail wind the last two trips but then a head wind the next AM. After we fuel we eat at Denny's. Not real speedy, but food was good. BB had fish and I had a Philly and soup. Somewhere today we saw four RV's wrapped like our company does, heading east. Also saw one bus ... heading to MLW. That would be a nice fit for us. And still ... didn't have the camera out when we went past the big digger east of Rock Springs. Missed one other photo opp but don't remember what it was. Next stop was Terribles in Rock Springs. They have added a A&W since we've started stopping here. Now they have repainted the building and the roof. WOW that is a bright orange. We stop and fuel in Evanston before going to the motel. This time I use BB's card to get my $.60 discount :) It all adds up. This was at a Flying J two doors down from the motel. Quality Inn ... the price is right so we over look the little things. I ask if TC's across the street is still open. The person at the desk says it is ... but by looking in the window the place is empty. Small sign says it's going to be OTB. That had been attached to this motel, then it moved down the street and now moving again?? We walk a half dozen blocks down to the Best Western and the Legal Tender for food. Really good food but I was full before I was half done. Either I had too much for lunch or this was too rich, but I got full quick. Two fire trucks in transport out of WI in the motel when we came back. Lots of small deer again in the fields and laying along the highway. They are still a little shaggy. Board is back down under 10. Is one good one in WI going back to CA, but it won't be there by the end of tomorrow let alone a week from now. 190405 - IA-CA Up before the alarm as we are on most days. Especially when we are in the western time zones. Bacon was thin, but full of flavor. Eggs were real, juice machine was broken so it was in pictures instead. Waited until 7:30 local so we could call for permits before leaving the motel. Did not have my ducks in a row this AM, thought I was all ready before dialing but Opps. Got it corrected before the call was over but more work for them. Know this route well, know which corners to slow for, which not to. Looks like they had lots of new snow maybe two days ago. 1st stop is past SLC at Tooele at the Flying J. Two other Winnie's sitting there when we pulled in. Someone sitting in one when we came out so I talked to them. They had our 2nd choice of RV's. They get to deliver AT 10 AM on Sunday morning to a Winnie Rep at a racetrack. ??? I'm thinking we got the better deal. Water across the flats is down a little. Still takes just as long to get across. Stopped at the Pilot in West Wendover and my discount card doesn't work again. I talked to someone inside that said I now had to have the app on my phone for it to work ... and the clerks were all wearing new T-shirts that said as much. :( ... I don't plan on putting that or any other app on my phone. It was meal time so we ate at the adjacent Arby's. Three cheese sandwich. After we ate, I called the drop. Lucky I was ready as they asked for VIN's and appointment times. We are set for 10:30 and 11:30. We'll have to remember that, at that rate they only do 8 a day. Good to know. After setting that up I called the CA dispatcher and said I'd be in town on Monday, he just said to give him a call after delivery. Our permit was for 11 AM, we crossed the time zone at 11:30 so pretty close. Really, not much for excitement today. Mostly clear, not much for traffic, no other transporters other than at Tooele. Stopped at the new Sinclair / Golden Gate Truckstop in Elko for break. Fueled again when we got to Winnemucca at Flying J. Here my discount worked again. A few blocks down the road we are at the Quality Inn. Using rewards for tonight's stay. Price is double what we usually pay. Guy ahead of us was using the CLC had paid about 1/2 the listed. So maybe it would be still good to have. I got rid of mine a few years ago. Looks like the place is going to be full tonight, sounds like a bus load of people coming in later. Clerks had the paperwork all ready for them. BB looked and later this week prices will be triple what we usually pay. We may be finding a new town to stay in. We picked here for tonight because there are storms coming in to the NV passes and they are already checking trucks for chains in Donners Pass. We did about 450 miles today and the final 450 tomorrow, then Sunday off. Walked across the street to the Pig. I had a Cuban and BB had a grilled chicken. Good as always. Ahhh ... yesterday I had three pictures I wished I had taken while driving, but I could not remember the 3rd. The train. There was a train with 50-100 cars all hauling windmill blades. Two blades to each three cars ... for miles. Already have the next two days planned out if we don't get held up by weather. ... the trip continues HERE |
