:) :) :)

Both of us slept very lightly last night. Not sure if it was that we had rested all day or what.

Not as many people for breakfast, today they had hash instead of spicy eggs so no yogurt for me again today.

Got going just as the sun was coming up. Two people decided to part along the driveway ... on opposite sides of the street. Glad I wasn't driving anything bigger.

Once we got on the highway, the sun was right in our mirror's and right in our faces. Somewhere on the few miles of 2-lane someone driving into the sun drifted off the road, across there shoulder and into the gravel ... and kicked up a couple of rocks. I heard them hit but couldn't see where when I checked later.

Our 1st stop ... nope, our first stop had been at the Flying J in Barstow right next to the motel. BB had put in $10 of fuel. So our 2nd stop was in Tehachapi. BB again put in $10 so now I have came in under our fuel budget more than she did.

Pretty easy run this AM, I've done this road a few times but from the other direction lately. Which company 1 I've done it many times in the winter when they won't let us go over Donners pass.

Doing the cloverleaf from CA-58 to CA-99 I notice some homeless tarps, then the latter. There must be some sort of tunnel they are making use of.

Fueled at the Cheveron. I had pulled too far ahead so that BB could fuel, then I had to back up. Usually I start my pump first, this time she did and I was locked out. Pump wouldn't let me use either credit card. I had to put in an even $60 so I went in and paid cash. By now it was so foggy I could hardly read the street signs until I was under them.

While we were fueling I decided to call the drop to see where to go when we got there. They told me a location than our paperwork said. But because it was so foggy I couldn't see what they described so I called again. Still couldn't see in and drove around the block and then found it. It was so foggy I couldn't see the name on the building from the street.

A few minutes after we got there, two more RV's pulled in. The company put four inspectors on them and the other three were done before I, but even I was done in just over an hour. They found out where the rock had hit. It put a chip in the windshield.

Back when we were fueling BB called the rental car place and they would pick us up so that is one less thing to deal with. They got there in about 10 minutes from the time we called them.

Actually they use Lyft. Interesting, opinionated guy. Nice guy though.

Rental car place had the car ready, they just handed BB the paperwork and we were on our way.

First stop was food. Carl Jr's was the last fast food before farm land so that is where we ate, or got food to go.

In a few miles we were on I5. Three hours later we stop at a rest area near Firefaugh, then another hour to Livermore.

We get there a few minutes before three ... dispatcher had said to call at three. We wait and then call, he says call back in 15 (don't wait until 5 pm, like he often asks) BB calls the rental car place and they still do not take after hour drops but tell us a place that does. We have dropped there once before. Not sure why we did the reservation with no after hours, or why we didn't use the rental car place that is across the block from the RV place.

I call the dispatcher back and he says ... Brownsville, TX. Some place I have not been ... yet. When we looked at ways out of Brownsville we found out why ... because it is three days home for us it will not be the big gain we usually get from the 2nd leg.

We do our walk around the mall and then at 4:30 we go and see if he is there yet, he is not. We head back closer to five and he has just pulled in the gate. He backs up far enough to trip the gate so we can enter and then meets us where he does the paperwork.

Our bus will need the plastic wrap on the front. We do the pre-trip, then ask when we someone will do the wrap. All he knows is he called someone and they will come ... they finally do. They ask if this is the bus that is leaving. I say yes. They do the wrap and get back on their cart ... they never say they are done or goodbye. After they are driving away I yell 'Thanks.' Then they say 'drive safe.'

By now it is after dark, but we had decided that BB would follow me to the drop. We had fueled the car earlier and she was OK following the bus for six miles and we had done the route before. I turned too early but I could enter the mall a different route. BB got to the door just as they were locking up, so she had to fill out paperwork and drop the keys in the night box, they did not re-open the door.

Finally ... but we still have enough time to get to Santa Nella where the motels are cheaper. That was the big reason we didn't want to stay in town and drop the rental in the morning. The Quality Inn was $180, other motel was over $300. I think Santa Nella was about $80.

Traffic was slow and we lost about a half hour, but these tires are rated at 75 mph and the bus is governed at 70, per the paperwork. It is going to TX.

Once we got past the usual delays we had no issues. We got to Santa Nella with 15 minutes to spare. And my spot was still open. Took four times to back in this time. Last time in the rain I did it in one.

A driver we had met while picking up our bus was just walking to the motel too ...

And then we saw her at Carl Jrs ...

Carl Jrs twice today ... because that was what was closest, not because it was so good. But it was good tonight.

Plan to deliver on Friday, home Sunday night ... maybe.