Didn't call my contact ahead of time this morning so we had to wait for him. I originally said we would be at pickup by 10, then later changed it to 9 AM. He finally got there after I called him at about 10:30.

Mostly talked shop for an hour about the three divisions of this company. After he was done with us he was picking up two other drivers, one also going to OKC and the other going to Seattle. I guess I never counted but it looked like they had about 10 buses ready to ship with the paperwork in them. There also had been one listed on the 'board' going from Winnepeg to Seattle but the guy didn't ask me about any future work.

It was almost noon by the time we got going so we drove about two miles to a Shoney's.

We stopped somewhere about two hours down the road at a rest area. At that point BB headed out ahead to get to Memphis before dark and find a motel.

Not a good day. First I hit a road gator (tire rubber) and later parking at the motel I rub the bus against some brush trying to park. What was I thinking ... either time.

I-22 is the freeway from Birmingham to Memphis and is good most of the way, seems fairly new. Then a few miles from Memphis it ends into a city street with stop lights. That was about the only slowdown of the day.

I-55 has a nice ... old ... bridge across the Mississippi.

CNG at West Memphis is in the car lanes so I had to wait for an opening. Didn't have to wait long. But a very busy place, just a brief opening at the right time. BB's not happy, the WiFi isn't working, she's not finding a motel and it's getting dark. We settle on one about two miles away and she follows me.

I pass the first turn, it's gravel, planning on taking the main driveway. Nope, that has a post in the center of it making it impossible even for me to make the turns. So I turn into a vacant lot and that is where I get up against the brush trying to avoid the holes. I end up having to take a five mile tour because our motel is on a one way street and I wanted the first driveway.

No problem, just time consuming. I get parked and we go for supper about about 8 pm again. Cracker Barrell ... Again we have to go five miles out of our way because we are on a one way street. Quality Inn was our stay, only a mile from the Clarion but away from the residential area that gives the other place the bad name.

Not a good first day.