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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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2024 09 25 CA-OH 1 bus to Columbus OH (delivered) 1 bus to Blackwell NJ (Friday) spending the night at North Liberty IA rental car pickup, drop bus, back to the hotel, lunch at Steak-n-Shake, RA at Farmers City, local dispatch calls ... NJ is the only option, Morton Culvers, Loves Davenport, Trader Joes/Walmart, Chicken Chick, Jersey Mikes, local dispatch tomorrow?, Sleep Inn, BB's back. --- 4:30 AM home time, five time zones away from where we were five days ago. We had decided to leave our things in the hotel and just eat and run this AM. Traffic was not bad, but we didn't have the GPS on and I turned too quick a block before the rental car place. Found a casino that has plenty of room to turn around int. 1st stop was the rental car place. Small strip mall so I parked on the side street until BB text me that she had a car. She was the first one there and it still took a half hour to get the car. They had to wash and vac it, plus all the other things to get the office open for the day. And all at one speed. From there I was about 10 minutes from my drop. I didn't take any of the suggested routes, instead I stayed on all four lane roads. Still only five turns. 2nd stop was the drop. I called when I got there, no answer. As I am taking pictures of the dash someone walks up. It is my contact. They have me move the bus and then they do their walk around and through and then sign off on my paperwork. Then I look at my phone and BB won't be here to pick me up for another 10 mintues. 3rd stop is back at the hotel to pick up our things. We are still out of our room almost an hour before we need to be. We are making good time. Driving through the city streets in Indy, there is a panhandler on one end of the median. Someone across the street waves some money out the window. The guy hit it right for the traffic lights and was able to get across for the money. Other people behind the giver might not have liked to have waited for the extra light ... The old man was using a cane and he didn't seem to be able to move any faster at the sight of money. 4th stop was the Steak n Shake in Brownsburg. BB had ordered on line so I just got a burger. Good burger. Their season malt was apple and cinnamon. But that had not shown online and we did not wait at the store and order again. At some point local dispatch called. There are no IN buses and the only two LA buses are taken. So I am going to NJ. 5th stop is the rest area in Farmer City. Bought some chips. 6th stop is the Culver's in Morton. This town much like it's ice cream. It has a Basin Robbins, a Culver's, a Steak n Shake and now is getting a DQ. All within about three blocks of the freeway. Where they are putting the DQ, it used to be a Ruby Tuesdays but has been empty as look as BB and I have been coming this way. 7th stop is for fuel at Loves in Davenport. I say hi to the guy at the next pump ... he is moving from WA to FL. He can't handle the 180 days of rain now that he is retired. But because of the storm coming in, they are staying a few days here in IA. 8th plus stops are near Iowa City. The first of those stops was the Walmart in Coralville. The plan had been for me to go in and get something off the shelf to speed things up. But before we got to Coralville, BB sees there is a Chicken Sandwich Chick a couple of blocks away. ... and I looked it up while BB shopped. ... and we get there and it is not open yet. Now I need to find other food. 9th stop is also in Coralville, but a couple of miles away. Jersey Mike's. Chicken Philly. 10th stop is the Sleep Inn in North Liberty. Luckily nothing interesting on the interstate today. A couple of days ago in OKC there was a semi that dropped it's trailer in the travel lane. They had three of five lanes closed. Earlier that day I was coming around a bend in the passing lane before I saw a cop car up against the cables. I was able to get slowed and into the other lane. There were about five cop cars before we saw the opps. Someone had hooked the cables and made a mess of their car. Load board US - 152 IA - 3/0 MN - 1 WI - 2 2024 09 26 CA-OH 1 bus to Columbus OH (delivered) 1 bus to Blackwell NJ (Friday) spending the night at home No rush to get going this AM so we didn't get an early start. 1st stop is the Loves in Floyd for fuel and restroom. We didn't need fuel but it'll save us a couple of dollars because of how much cheaper it is. 2nd stop is the shipper to pick up our car. Their one lot that has had van shells in it for the last two years is finally empty. Once we are at the lot, we switch out our stuff from the rental to our personal car, BB goes in to use the restroom and I go in to drop off paperwork ... and to see if there is anything new interesting on the walls. Boss is walking my direction when I walk in, he thinks we have a trip. No, we don't. We are just getting back. He has time so we talk, he used to be a driver and he seems to like to reminisce about his driving days. Including when he used to drive buses for the same dispatcher that is still dispatching the buses today. BB has switched the drop location from the airport to Burnsville. It's easier and then she can eat while I stop at the lab. She leaves out first from the shipper and when I get to Burnsville, I do not see her at the gas station so I head directly to the rental car place. She's not there either so I go to Honey Baked to get my lunch. By the time I get back to the rental car place and parked, she is just walking out. She had gone to a different gas station this time. As we are leaving Burnsville, local dispatcher calls. Just confirming that I am leaving tomorrow and that I will run on my own I-Pass. I had thought about asking who the other drivers are but didn't. After my lab we make one more stop, at Walmart. They've changed things. 1) they have put up posts so people can no longer park on the sidewalk. 2) they have moved the order pickup area and increased it from 6 to 40 spots. My lawn is still shorter than everyone else's. I assume it hasn't rained in the three weeks we were gone. Load board US - 192 IA - 3/0 MN - 3 WI - 0 Tomorrow, BB will drop me about 7:30 at the office where the bus will be. It is almost 600 miles to Holiday City OH. The Quality there has a huge lot if I can make it. The 2nd night will be somewhere in eastern PA. We have not stayed in that area so we are guessing and looking at maps. Saturday I will the the bus washed, then Sunday there is a Cat scale about 10 miles from the drop. We must scale within the state of delivery on these buses. From the drop it is less than 10 miles to the airport. Cars should be <> $100 a day. Two days home. I had tried to call about NY buses but never got an answer. May or may not call on Friday. There are two RV's in IN going back to Forest City but I'm leaning toward not committing to anything until this bus is delivered. |
