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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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.. the trip continues from HERE 230520 IA-CA 2 RV to CA - Davis and Vacaville ... spending the night at Rocklin CA To bed early, up early but we need to wait for breakfast and for our permits to be good. I had thought I was hungry last night so I had gotten a quesadilla plus a taco. Taco was still good this AM. It was not like anything we get at the fast food places. Once breakfast was open we went down there also, not much. Only yogurt was peach which I don't eat. So I ended up with some eggs, they were good. No one at the counter when I went back to check in, walked right past the help who was standing in the lobby. Once I was told who he was, then I remembered him. He's been here for years and so have we. First stop is the Maverick for fuel for both. It's in town here but across the state line. Going through Wells today I finally see the SureStay/Best Western. BB had said it was there but I couldn't place it. It had been a ma-pa place for the last 20 years. Now Re-done. Inspection area is closed today, as will the next two be. First rest break is at our usual in Elko. We are getting lazy and we park next to the building instead of out with the trucks like usual. Not sure when it happened but sometime today BB pulled a mussel and it is painful getting in and out of the RV. So we aren't pushing it on doing any extra walking. Then within the hour it is time for my last 'fuel fill.' Fuel is cheaper here at Maverick than at the large truckstops with their discount. It is actually cheaper at a Shell down the road but BB doesn't want to stop there because 'their restrooms aren't as nice.' This place has a few fuel islands with the trucks for RV's so they have both the truck sized nozzles and auto sized nozzles, and gas, at the same islands. I fueled at those puts just because it was what was stuck in my mind. When I was done, I went and parked at a pump in the auto islands because they were mostly empty and no real other parking for oversized. A few minutes later there was a line waiting for mine and other pumps. Pickups with trailers blocking others ... and the other RV/truck islands were empty. It would have been much easier for them to get in and out there ??? A few miles down the road in the next town, diesel is $2.02 more than what I paid. Not sure who buys it. Also in Lovelock there was also a station in the same town, same exit there diesel was $1.00 more at one station than the other. Today BB settles for truckstop food instead of making an extra stop. Regrets it. Besides not wanting Carls Jr/Hardees, a large work crew is in line ahead of us so we go for self food. I get a chicken salad sandwich and BB has a wrap. Here's is bad enough that she doesn't eat it all. Mines OK, but not what I'd want for an everyday meal. BB also did her 'final fuel fill' here. Then to Fernley. For some reason the bob-tail tractors have taken over the car parking so we need to park with the big rigs. I was short about 50 miles short of my drop when I first filled. Now two hours later I am about 10 miles short so I'm gaining. By the time we get to the hotel tonight I will have an excess range of 5 miles. :) Before Fernley we had seen one city bus in transit. Deep blue. No logo's. In the 40 miles between Fernley and Reno we see another four buses. Two were heading to Denver (and were following w-a-y close. The other two were short and white with no markings. The first one had their bus marquee sign on. Usually we don't have that on. The next one didn't have their sign on, but we could see their placards and their plate. It was one of ours. We usually stop at the Gold Run rest area because they have cell service so we can make a hotel reservation. But BB has already done that last night. So we stop at Donners Pass instead. It is closer to half way and more interesting. Not as much snow on the west bound lanes. It is more open to direct sun. But lots of white snow and lots of dirty snow too. We get to the hotel at 4 PM local. My low fuel light came on about 30 miles back. I have enough fuel to get to the drop, but not safely. So I will add some fuel Monday AM before we pull out. The place is going to be full tonight so we try to fit inside the white lines. No where works. So we end up parking in our usual spots but pay more attention to taking up less space. Once checked in, we walk to our food. Sourdough and Co. We are early enough this trip. They close at 6 PM on weekends. Looks like the boss was working tonight, and one other person. Food was good. BB had sandwich and soup again but nothing I liked. Tomorrow is an off day. 6 AM local - Wendover UT - Quality Inn - leave hotel 6:15 - West Wendover NV - Maverick - fuel 8 AM - Elko NV - Sinclair - break 9 AM - Battle Mountain NV - Maverick - fuel 11 AM - Winnemuccia NV - Loves/Carls Jr - food 1 PM - Fernley NV - Flying J - break 3 PM - Donner Pass CA - break 4 PM - Rocklin CA - Comfort Inn 4:30 - Rocklin CA Loadboard US - 158 IA - 5/4 MN - 13 WI - 5 230521 IA-CA 2 RV to CA - Davis and Vacaville ... spending the night at Rocklin CA No alarm this AM. Down for breakfast as soon as they open. We are still <> on central time so we've been up for a while. Eggs and sausage when we were down. When we go down just before breakfast ends, they had bacon. So I grabbed some and brought it back up to the room. We had been on our way out to head on our walk. When we only have work vehicles, we have to walk from the hotel. We were going to walk about a mile. We ended up walking past an Adventure Quarry. Not something we would do, but interesting. That added a few more steps and some more time. Nice day for a walk. There also was a large city park, but it was one mile just to get to the park. Too much walking. BB's leg is better but still trying not to push it. A couple of hours later we walk across the parking lot to to Early Toast. Early Toast was a Denny's that had closed, lack of business I presume. Early Toast was full, additional out door seating was full. Lots of people waiting, we didn't bother to ask how long the wait was. Instead we walked a few blocks down to the Biergarten. That had been our plan for this evening. They weren't open yet so we walked down the strip mall. One of the restaurants that used to have a line out the door is now being re-modeled and has a new owner (we heard) We sit at the Biergarten and they start serving us as soon as they open. The place never did fill up today. We have been there when it has been full. Not today. Great day to be sitting outside. I had a reuben and some soup. And a desert to go. By the time we walked back, I was so full that I hurt for most of the afternoon. Most times I get full and it fades with time. This time there was about an hour delay. Not sure if I mentioned it again. Last time we were here there was an older man sitting near the hotel in a law chair with a couple of suitcases nearby. He is here this weekend also. It looks like he might sleep behind the hotel sign. We saw his luggage when we went to walk but didn't really see him. 230522 IA-CA 2 RV to CA - Davis and Vacaville (delivered) ... spending the night at Livermore CA Monday AM - Breakfast is back to eggs and sausage. Glad I grabbed some bacon yesterday, it was still really good today. Yesterday AM we didn't see the lawn chair man yesterday AM. Today we did see him. He had moved his chair so he was sitting in the shade of a different tree. BB had driven kind of close to him because she hadn't seen him right away. They guy waved at her … she thought it was his way of saying … 'I'm right here.' But he had also waved at me and I wasn't anywhere close. I ended up putting in 2.2 gallons at the closest station. Fuel was $.40 a few blocks away but this was between the hotel and the freeway. No issues on the freeway this AM. It took 10+ miles before my range started to drop. It was almost down to 40 miles when I got to the final fuel station. Traffic only slowed down where the two freeways come back together. Slowed down, no stopped traffic. There is a little gas station just a few block from the drop, no one there when I got there. Used to be packed before the station on the corner became a 7-11. BB heads down to find a place to park, we've had issues when we drive a new RV onto the dealers property that isn't theirs. Two people are next to a golf cart right were I need to park. Before I was done signing my paperwork one of them was at the door asking for it. Then they told me where to wait which was not where we used to wait but it's been a year and a half since we have been here. So BB and I walk to where we think we are supposed to wait. There are three chairs next to the parts desk. We ask, and the person tells us we are supposed to wait … back where we used to. We're here, we wait, then someone else asks if they can help us. When we say we were told to wait here, they DID know about the change. We are in the right place. Not sure where all the drivers stand when there are a dozen of us waiting to get checked in. We are in and out in about a half hour. The old guys we dealt with for years are not here, didn't ask. I get to ride with BB for the next few miles. ? This rental car place is in a strip mall. I wait in the RV, BB goes in. There is a line. Today it took an hour and fifteen to get our car. One of those that came in later actually left in a taxi and went to the airport instead of waiting here in line. Not sure if they came out ahead or not. Drop is across the freeway. First time so we had to ask a couple of people where to drop and then the person who did the inspection was gone to lunch so we weren't sure we were in the right place. But once they started the inspection until we were done was maybe a half hour. Then we didn't know how to get out of the building because we had came in the back and were leaving out the front. We went out the doors facing the road but those were into the RV show area. Someone followed us out and said we were not allowed in that area without a sales person ... we didn't want to be here. The person did then walk us out. This place looks new. There were still setting up computers for more sales desks. BIG CHANGE … we did not have In-n-Out. We had BeachHut Deli food. We've eaten at a couple of them before including this one. Good food. I called the bus dispatcher before we ate. They seemed to think I was looking for a trip already. No, I just like to let them know I am delivered. Things in my life change, I don't assume what was true yesterday will still be today. From there it is about an hour down to the shipper. When we get near we stop at a Target and call the dispatcher again. Sorry. No work today, maybe tomorrow. Once we are done at Target we drive past the shipper and look at all of the buses. Then park on the street and wait. I'm always the optomist. Some driver could cancel, they could add another bus at the last minute, it has happened before. Some of the buses that are done/close to done are about 70 Oakland buses. And they are still building them even though the drop won't take them. But I suppose that is what they have parts coming in for. There are buses for Denver, Monterey Salinas (That is one places we go when we are waiting for buses,) Anaheim, Nevada County and 'County Connect' which is here in the SF Oakland area. No buses for Des Moines or La Crosse or ANYWHERE east. Finally at just about 5 PM we decide to look at buses one more time and then head to the closest hotel. We had talked about driving out of town a ways but we want to switch rental cars and get a local for half the price. Opps. Last night we stopped for gas and I pulled the cover off the fuel area. I haven't tried to put it back on yet. It came off way to easy for me to be the first person who broke it. I'll wait and put it back on when we are ready to drop it tomorrow. On the way to the hotel we got soup from Panara, it's only been a couple of hours since we ate but we aren't likely to want to go back out again. We ordered soup and bread and got soup and chips. Not going back tonight. There are few other places we like to eat but they are all too much food. It's still early be with it being about 90 degrees again today we don't go for a walk. No plans for tomorrow. 8 AM (local) - Rocklin CA - Comfort Inn - leave hotel 8:30 - Davis CA - Velaro - fuel 8:45 - Davis CA - at my drop 10 AM - Vacaville CA - PU rental car 10:15 - Vacaville CA - at BBs drop 11 AM - Vacaville CA - Beach Hut Deli 2 PM - Livermore CA - Outlet Center 4 PM - Livermore CA - Quality Inn Loadboard IA - 4 (late numbers) US -171 IA - 4/3 MN - 21 WI - 2 230523 CA-CA 2 buses to Grass Valley CA (canceled) 1 bus to Santa Ana CA (Wednesday) ... spending the night at Livermore CA I had agreed to take two buses 150 miles tomorrow and the boss would pay for the hotel for tonight and we'd leave in the AM. Dispatch calls back a half hour later while I was driving and said the two buses were electric and I couldn't take them. But I can go to Santa Anna. We don't do the math, we just agree. We could have left tonight but we already have a hotel so we head to the hotel. We shouldn't have gotten a hotel until after 5 PM, not sure when we will learn. Morning We eat breakfast and then later we head to exchange rental cars. When I walk into to the hotel office to check out, I take two steps in and stop and just look at the desk clerk. She looks at me and says ... "it's been a while." This clerk has been working at this hotel since we started staying in Livermore but she used to work the evening shift. We get to Avis and the lot is full. It is usually just a few cars. Interesting because later we are looking at how to get out of town if we need to and the web says they do not have any (one-way) cars. While sitting there, I try to put the fuel door of our other rental car back on. It doesn't stay. When we get to drop the other rental car, BB takes the fuel door in with her. Someone comes out to check the car out and just snaps it back in place with one hand. I'm thinking they have done that before. So no charge to us for breaking it. We then go for a walk at Sycamore Grove Park. Until the path was closed because of ?? Then we ate at Mario's. Same waiter as last year. Same great food. After eating we drove past the bus shipper. We didn't notice any buses missing or added since we drove past yesterday. So we drove back to Sycamore Grove Park but at a different entrance. After sitting there an hour we took another walk. We walked each end for a mile and a half. Before my 3 PM call, dispatch calls me. That doesn't happen often. Can I do two buses tomorrow. Dispatch will pay for tonight's hotel. So we make a hotel reservation and head to the hotel. As I am driving, the dispatcher calls back with a change of plans. Not sure how to put the flip phone on speaker so BB answers. First two buses are canceled because they are electric (?) but there is a trip going to Santa Ana. Without even knowing where that is, we agree. Now, doing the math, we have almost -0- chance of making delivery tomorrow. It is on the other side of LA. ... also mentioned at some point was a trip to Duluth. Sounds good. But now that we have already sat for two days this is not going to be a huge money maker. Loadboard US - 182 IA - 3 MN - 14 WI -0- .. the trip continues HERE |
