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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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.. the trip continues from HERE 230425 IA-CA 2 RV's to 1,000 Oaks CA (delivered) ... spending the night at Buellton CA (no work yet, just running late) The Quality Inn in Barstow is another hotel that has a full made to order breakfast in the AM. Less bacon than the Model T in Tucumcari but still good. Breakfast doesn't start until 6:30, by that time all the construction crews are gone. It takes us a little longer to get and eat our breakfast so we are not quite ready to leave at 7 AM. (local) When we do go down to our RV's I notice some black pieces by BB's RV that look like a crushed plastic spoon. Kind of shiny. I mention it to BB and then we do our inspection. By the time I have dropped off our room keys, BB has called dispatch. The people we needed to talk to were busy so we had to wait a while and while we were waiting, we kept trying to figure out where the shiny stuff was going from. We did find out the where, but never the why. We finally did talk to the office and they contacted the shipper who gives us the OK to run as is. Somehow BB and I seen to get the issues that have to be dealt with by the shipper ??? All this took an hour plus. 15 miles and we are fueling at the Loves still in Barstow. We took our current range, added the extra miles needed to get to the drop and added 40 miles. Safe, but the low fuel light will be on. Early in the AM there was over an hour difference between the north and south route, now there is only a few minutes so we opt to stay on the freeway. Easier for me as we have traveled it enough I know all the highway numbers and where the turns are ... sort of. I do second guess myself a couple of times but pick the correct route. Seems to take a lot longer than the GPS had said. It should be just over the two hour mark so BB decides we can make it without more stops ... now that we are running late. BB's GPS maps were wrong, but I knew the logic of how to get there so we got on the correct street. Fueled and then back tracked to the dealer. This place is packed. Completely. there is room for three RV's in the driveway and we fill two of those spots. They tell us they will be washing them before inspecting them and where we can grab a bite to eat. Instead we both walk down to the rental car place to get our car while we wait. We just stack our stuff in the waiting area and leave it. Even with getting there over the lunch hour and them washing them, we were still in and out in about an hour. And they found one of our placards that we both had forgotten about. Not a big deal but it means we don't have to make new ones yet. The first thing I do when we get in our car after delivery is call the bus dispatcher. He was expecting me tomorrow. I mention that I can be there in the AM tomorrow instead of the evening when the next days buses are released. This dispatcher has also had tree chippers on the loadboard lately but doesn't offer me one of those so I'm guessing there is a good chance I'm getting a bus ... going somewhere. The inspector here had some suggestions on where we could eat. But we are on the west coast so when we have delivered ... we go to In-n-Out. After eating, we decide to head up the '101' instead of taking the shorter way up I-5. After an hour we stop for a restroom. The rest area is closed so we pull into town. The gas stations don't look very inviting so we go to the grocery store and buy something after we use the restroom. Expensive vs Walmart, but this town didn't have a Walmart. We've gone less than two of our five hours to the bus shipper but BB is ready to stop. I don't want to get a room until after 5 PM local in case we do get a bus for early tomorrow. So I look for a park. We find one a few blocks away and walk for most of a mile. ... then we make reservations at the Quality Inn. This one is about half the price of the hotels in the next few towns. This town is inland and away from the beaches. Food. We wanted Anderson's Split Pea soup, but they are closed Tues and Weds. The places the RV inspector suggested are $20+ a plate. And we ate In-n-Out late so we aren't hungry. Finally at close to 9 PM home time, we go to Panda and get mostly rice and noodles with a few pieces of meat thrown on top. Still, too much food too late. Load board US - 192 IA - 39/36 MN - 5 WI - 17 Plan for tomorrow is to get the last three hours up to the shipper before rush hour starts. Then depending on the weather, we will either walk at another park, walk at the outlet mall or just sit in our car and wait. 230426 CA-IA 1 city bus to Des Moines IA ... spending the night at Rocklin CA (long day, it is now after 11 PM) ... it is now 4/28 ... I had started the following and then lost everything when I shut off the WiFi. Opps. Breakfast was ... Our first stop was the Shell station a few blocks away. Cheaper fuel here than anywhere else before we drop this car. Both in this town and Santa Nella there is an Andersons Split Pea Soup and we have eaten at both of them. But we have not stayed at either of them. The hotel here is not part of any chain but does seem to be full up anyways. The hotel in Santa Nella is now a Best Western and their lot also seems to be always full. An hour down the road was our next stop. I had just looked at a map and saw that the highway got close to the ocean. Then I saw a green spot, a park. It was a nice walk, we walked most of a mile. Lots of flowers in bloom. Lots of fog. We can see most of a mile or so. We try to walk some and travel some. Get some exercise and some AC. Our next stop was a cemetery in King City. Someone was in their office when we got there and one of the yard people asked if they could help. 5,000 graves and he wanted to know the last name, not the location I had written down. He walked us right over to it. I told him he was taking away our fun of having to look for it. :) Then we talked to him for a few minutes before he had to get back to work. Interesting conversation. Another interesting thing we found as we still walked around was that every tree had a label on it. And very few trees were the same variety. And nowhere other than these little signs were there anywhere that listed the name of the cemetery. By now it was lunch and there was a place a block or so away. Mexican. Castro's Surf n Turf. Real food, not packaged and warmed. Now reality hits. We didn't get going early enough. We had wanted to head out to Monterey from here but we are running short on time. We still could get there but then we'd be pushed for time. We like to be near the buses by 3 PM so we don't get stuck in traffic. So instead we just head to Gilroy and stop at 'our' garlic store. Strawberries are in :) We got some. We just sat in the car and ate them before we pulled out. We also go some garlic not in olives this time. Plus four bags of chocolate covered fruit, plus dried garlic chips and cashews. Not cheap. From here it should be an hour but it is usually two even before 3 PM. We drive past the shipper and they are still over loaded with buses. Then we head to the outlet mall so we can use their restroom and parking lot. I call dispatch a few times as he is running late and doesn't have answers yet. Finally he says he will call me. ... and we are going to Des Moines. Tonight. He had asked if I wanted to run to Portland first but I wanted to get home. By leaving today, we should stay behind the snow forecast for WY and get to Des Moines early enough to go up and get our car on Sunday ... and be ready to work in the fields on Tuesday. We head over to the buses as soon as we know where we are going. The dispatcher is already there today which rarely happens. He is showing someone else how to do part of his job today. ... dispatch had told me that I was getting a CNG, which changes my travel route. It's not a CNG but I was thinking about the CNG so I asked if the buses can make it from Barstow to Williams (some of the trash trucks can not) So far they can. Then a few minutes later I am looking closer at my paperwork and he does have my paperwork listed as a CNG so I let him know it is not ... After dispatch leaves I found out that security has changed their phone number so I need to call dispatch again. This all takes time so I let BB know I will be late picking her up from dropping the rental. Oh, this is a short bus so they are easier to park and take less fuel. I pick up BB and we are stuck in traffic. Lathrop CA. Has a lot that was last used as a used car lot against the freeway. It now has 30 food trucks and the place seems to be packed every time we pass it. Now called the Lathrop Food Plaza. We get to Rocklin before dark. We walk next door to Arby's. Then have my chicken salad sandwich again so I'm good for a food choice every time this month. BB and I split one of those and one of their monthly special sliders. That was enough food. Load board US - 244 IA - 66/62 MN - 5 WI - 13 We can't deliver until Monday so we have time. Then home for days, weeks. 230427 CA-IA 1 city bus to Des Moines IA ... spending the night at Elko NV ... another interesting day ... It started when I almost poured my left over drink in the garbage ... and assumed I was then going to throw the plastic cup in the sink ... Two kinds of eggs, two kinds of sausage plus they also had two kinds of yogurt that neither of us had today. It was a very late night for us last night so we didn't get going until 7:30 local / 9:30 home time. But before we got going, my phone froze up again and then my laptop that I am using right now ... a half dozen keys and ENTER quick working. Makes it hard to type anything. I have finally found that I am able to type the alphabet and use the 10 key ENTER and just keep doing that until I see that all keys are working again. I had to do that again tonight before I could start typing this. Not sure how long it is going to last before I loose those letters/keys again. This AM I had to call for our NV permit. Got right in and they had the permit to me in a few minutes. As we are leaving the hotel I see someone sleeping in their lawn chair against our building. He is the same person who was sitting outside the Best Western next door last night. Homeless but sleeps in a chair instead of a tent. Less than an hour down the road and my first warning light comes on. This one often does and it has always been a 'just run with it' so I didn't stop. Then ... a few minutes later I got a couple of more warning lights and an alarm. We were planning on making it to the rest area but ended up pulling into a 'no-semi's' business. Gas station, restaurant and a snow park ... they were just putting out the 'OPEN' sign when we pulled in but we didn't see anyone arrive while we were there. I called the bus tech's and after a while we were able to get the second two warnings cleared. I usually am pretty good about following what they are talking about but this time they had to send me a picture. The piece I was looking for was cable tied to the back of a larger wiring harness. Five miles down the road and the warning lights are back on again. Just as we pull into the Donners Pass rest area. Unlike the last place we stopped, there is no cell service here. But there is a pay phone inside the rest area. So support is not going to be able to walk me though anything this time. Nope, the pay phone is out of order. Luckily for me, one of the staff saw me trying to use the phone and told me that there was another pay phone in the next town, 10 miles away. When I said I'd be able to use my cell phone once we were in town, they told me where to stand in the parking lot to use my cell phone. That worked, as long as I didn't turn my head. Took a few calls as people were not at their desks. Finally I got the OK to drive to the closest dealer. Snow at Donners is still way over the top of the bus. Interesting, one place there was water shooting out of the snow bank. We both tried to take video's of it but it doesn't really show how strange it was. On the way to town we pass a weigh scale. The first sign said closed, the next one said open and they were. One of the four cops was doing an inspection, the other three were just sitting watching for their next victim. We were not it today. We get to the dealer and the first person says we have to either have an appointment or drop. Then a senior person comes over and says ... no, just fill out this paperwork ... so I do. Then they say they will call the person I listed on the paperwork when it is done. ??? No, I say ... I'm going to be waiting here until it's done. That's when they say ... 'no, we will not be working on your bus for 2-3 weeks.' ??? Sorry ... I need to call some people. I did and got the OK to run with the warning lights on. They had been going on and off before this but after that call they have pretty much stayed on. Now they have me worried for another reason, mechanical. We are now running two hours behind so our next stop will be for food as well as fuel. WOW ... OPPS. I put in about twice as much fuel as I was expecting to. These buses do not have fuel gauges and we just assume they are full at pick up. Either this one was not or I am using twice as much fuel as usual, which means we'll not be making much money on this trip. Then when I go into get my receipt, their self service receipt machines are not working and the new guy helping me does not know how to look up receipts when drivers like me don't remember which pump we were on. Manger had to come and walk them through it. It's easy, just re-swipe the card used at the pump. Lunch was Wendy's. Off again and the warning lights are back on. After that stop in Fernley our next stop was Winnemucca. Highway department is working on the overpass so traffic is limited to one lane with the temp stop lights set up. My sign says to wait at the stop sign for the light to change. There was also a sign for where the main road traffic was to stop. But there was a car that though he'd just pull up to the light ... then when a semi came over the bridge he realized he had to back up. The car backed up until he was blocking the entrance to the freeway, which is where the truck wanted to go. Once the truck got up to the car, the car backed down the entrance ramp .. when the truck followed the car the car quickly made a u-turn and headed back from where they came. Interesting ... Quick rest room break. Before we get to Battle Mountain I notice three cop cars driving slowly across the desert parallel to the freeway with their lights on. Pointed it out to BB but we couldn't figure out why. Then less than a mile later we notice there are two oversized loads coming down what must have been a dirt road. The freeway was one lane each way right there so no room for an oversized so it was a one lane dirt road for them today. Fuel was a lot cheaper another hour down the road so we went with cheaper fuel over limited stops. Fuel at the Shell was the cheapest but it is a hole in the wall and with the issues I've had already today I don't want to chance anymore. Instead we stop at the Maverick. Good news. I am getting 8 mpg instead of 5 mpg. That is closer to normal. We are still trying to figure out our other warning lights and decide it would be a good idea to add some DEF even though the gauge still says 3/4. Good thing we stopped then, when we came back out to the bus, the warming light was now blinking. Which is what it does right before it disables the engine. ??? That is an ongoing issue that we will deal with in the AM. We did add a bottle of DEF and the gauge moved but not as much as it should have for 2-1/2 gallons. Another two exits and we are at the Holiday Inn. They like us :) The Choice hotel in this town will not allow us to use more than one spot per room. The time they made the biggest issue of it there were a total of three other cars in the whole parking lot in the AM. This one is a little pricier but very nice. We find out they only have an even meal on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Today is Thursday. I rarely park on the street but I wanted to be set to get towed. I do not have a good feeling about this bus even though I have the OK to keep driving it. 1st stop - Soda Springs near the Shell gas station for bus issues 2nd - Donners pass for rest room and more issues 3rd - Sparks at Cummins because of bus issues 4th - Pilot for fuel and Wendy's for food in Fernley 5th - Pilot for restrooms in Winnemuca 6th - Maverick in Battle Creek for fuel 7th - Golden Gate for DEF and Port O Subs for food in Elko 8th - Holiday Inn in Elko for the night Load board US - 276 IA - 71/67 MN - 10 WI - 6 IF the bus runs ... we will try to get to Rawlins. They were either going to have snow today or tomorrow. Inches this time of year, not feet. If we hadn't had issues, we would have made it to Wendover to a hotel half the price tonight and they Laramie tomorrow. 230428 CA-IA 1 city bus to Des Moines IA ... spending the night at Wendover UT Not a good start to the day. It is only 7 AM local and I have started my bus to find a STOP engine light on. So now we are waiting until the dealer opens at 7:30. Luckily they are two blocks down this same road. Bad news is ... this shipper usually wants the same driver to stay with the bus until delivery. And if they do let us go, the only one way rental car I found last night was $900 heading back to Reno. Or ... we get a local, drive the 300 miles back to Reno and get a one way from Reno. Sat at the dealer from 7:30 to 10:30. During that time I did do a test drive but the bus didn't throw any error codes so that didn't help any. BB had stayed at the hotel and finally walked down to the dealer when we were about done. They could read the codes but could not find where they had come from or why. After getting an OK from the shipper and the dealer we were cleared to go. So now I need to get a new permit. This is the only state where the permits are only good for 24 hours. That time was up at 9 AM today. The first thing we did was backtrack to the truckstop to put in more DEF. I put in a cup full or so and it was full. So the gauge was correct. The bus had used a quarter tank of DEF before the issues started and not used any since. Plan had been to keep the DEF tank 90% full in case that was where the issue was coming from. While at the truckstop we got another sub sandwich. Port O Subs. Good food. I left the bus running the whole time but no issues. We are barely back on the road and the MIL light comes on, not an issue but maybe it should have been. 30 miles down the road the DEF light comes back on. We are in the middle of no-where so we keep going to Wells. BB wants to buy something at the truckstop so she goes in while I call the shipper. Store is closed. No power. We find out later that there has been no power since 7 AM and likely won't be until 3 PM. The Flying J was the only station we saw that had not blocked off there pumps and store so there was a constant line of traffic coming in only to find out everything was closed. Loves and Golden Gate both used yellow tape from their store and around the pumps. Saves people time. Before the shipper had said to keep running until the bus shuts me down. Now ... when it is real, they decide I should head back the 50 miles instead of ahead 150 miles. Less miles to have to tow me if I do break down. 20 miles down the road and the warning lights start flashing. From there I was reading off every mile marker so that I could tell a tow truck where to find me. THEN ... a half hour ago, the scales in both directions had been closed. Now mine is open so I have to exit. I'm afraid that if I get below 20-30 mph that the bus is going to de-rate and I will be slowed to 2.5 mph. I do not get flagged over and I am able to speed up again. A couple of miles down the road there is a cop with someone I'm guessing thought they could blow past the scale and get away with it. Might have saved me from getting inspected today but I would have at least asked if I could get out of it if they had stopped me. We make it back to the shop and they start looking at it right away. The tech said he hoped to have us out of here today but I was thinking that was a long shot. Somehow he seemed to know what he was going to be looking for before he even got in the bus the second time. (Maybe he had time to do some research?) I had thought about dropping BB and the luggage off at the hotel so we wouldn't have to carry it so far. Two hours later, right at 4:30 we are pulling out. The tech gave me his cell number, he wanted me to message him that we had made it to the next town. Then as we are standing outside waiting for him to pull the bus around, the manger comes out to talk to us. That doesn't happen often. Pins and needles the rest of the day but no issues. I did pull off in Wells and texted the tech. It is Friday night in a NV town on the UT border. Even our lower end Quality Inn is almost out of rooms. 1 king room left, smoking. So we get two beds tonight. Food is from the food truck in the lot. BB has decided she likes the one down the street better. And there is also one a block south of the hotel that we have not tried yet. 1st stop - Shop 2nd - Sinclear for DEF and Port O Subs for food 3rd - Wells Flying J to make phone call 4th - Shop 5th - Wells to text 6th - Quality Inn in Wendover and food truck in lot Load board US - 280 IA - 73/69 MN - 14 WI - 6 Tomorrow we will try to make it a full 500 miles. Maybe Cheyenne. Fuel is not cheap but we don't want to be stopping in odd places just to save a couple of cents either. .. the trip continues from HERE |
