We can't get the rental car until 1 PM so we don't leave the hotel until 7:30. Not much for traffic, first stop is in Cuba two hours down the road.

We get to the Blue Beacon truck wash, there is four ahead of me so it looks like it will be close to the one hour wait that I had guessed. When we were next in line, BB said something that it looked like we would be out in under an hour ... unless they guys truck wouldn't start. AND it didn't. I had to back up to give the guy room in case ... ??? they just had me back up. He did get it started without a tow, could here it running pretty rough before I started mine. My wash takes as long as it takes to do the bill and we are rolling again.

When they washed the bus they got a lot of water under one of the plastic sections that they put on the windshield to protect the glass. I watched as it tore loose little by little. Finally when about six inches of the four feet were loose I decided to pull off at an exit and remove it. As soon as I get on the exit ramp it comes loose and is gone. Too late to get back on the freeway so down the exit and then back on.

:) back when we were coming into TX from NM ... there is a cross-over for the highway trucks, cops, etc and signs that should say wrong way so they make sure they make U-turns. Well someone had turned one of the signs so it said 'Wrong Way' as we entered TX. We entered anyway.

From Cuba to St Louis it is less than two hours. Got BB dropped at the car rental with no issues. Then I took the next left, it should have been the 2nd left, so I went through the collage instead of around it. Didn't realize it until I was looking at the roof of the bus garage and new I'd made a mistake. By that time I was in the wrong lane and had to go a couple of extra miles to turn around. Luckily there was no one around but it was a mostly abandon area. Then when I was heading back I hit the curb, I had to take a right from one arm of a Y to the next one and did swing wide enough. But coming from this direction made it much easier to turn on to the correct street than from the original direction.

BB was no there with the rental car so I stopped close to a parking lot and got ever thing in order for when she did get there. Two trips of stuff and the bus was empty.

Found the correct door, but there was a bus in the way so I called my contact. He came out to where I was parked. By this time there was a UPS truck blocking me in so the bus guy did the inspection right there. Fuel was done to 1/2, I think it is supposed to be over 3/8 so we should be good. DEF light was no on. No issues. Once the UPS guy moved I pulled the bus into the shop, tore the plastic off and I was done. This guy did say there were two more buses from this batch and then should start getting the next batch in October.

Didn't wait for BB to find directions, she hadn't found them before I got to the car either. So we headed west which was not the shortest way. More interesting sections of town. Finally got to the freeway and then to a Jimmy John's in O'Fallon 30 miles away. When we came out of Jimmy Johns, there were a few old people coming out of the Egg and I next door ... with there walkers and canes, they were not moving 'freaky fast.' ;)

Next stop in the rental car was at a rest area in Hannibal, then the rest area in Ely, IA.

Coming through Cedar Rapids we just came up on a cop in the median when he put his break lights on and put his car in gear. We were right along side of him when he kicked it down and put on the siren. The guy he was after put his break lights on almost as soon as the siren went on, he knew he was had.

We stopped a Penara Bread for soup before we went to our motel in Waterloo. Comfort Inn. We have four plus hours to go still to get the car back to Burnsville in under 24 hours.

We had not planned on going anywhere but home, but the board is now up to 216 and we have found ONE place that may work. If they will still take delivery on Saturday. Four years ago they would, we will have to call before we say OK. If we get that run, we will drop the car, go home, grab the mail, go to the bank and be back in Forest City for the night.

If we do go home, it may be for 12 days ... that is another reason to head right back out.

Because I have to be back on Tuesday for my DOT appointment we have a narrow window. We don't make any money on runs under 1,000 miles and we don't have time to do trips any longer than 1,000 miles. The customer has to be open on Saturday and there has to be a rental car place open on Saturday. Cars are up to $400 a day from some area's we looked at, instead of the <> $100 a day we are used to. There is snow in the forecast for Chicago so the northeast is out. There are wind advisories in the southwest.

We've done the math and know what works.