14 hour day, now heading to KS with a bus

At this hotel the breakfast is at the attached restaurant so we could eat as soon as it opened. It opened at 5 AM, we were down there at 5:30. We've eaten here a few times ... just last night :) , but also for breakfast. We've always gotten the free breakfast but you can put the credit for something else. One of the free ones is eggs and meat. The meat can be bacon, 4 thick strips. Juice is not watered down. More than enough ... bacon is really good.

Got going by 6:15 local, first stop is two hours later at the Flying J in Fernly. We both ended up at the same place this time. Not sure how we got separated before, but once one ended up at the Pilot and the other at Flying J. This place does have some auto parking, we have parked with the big rigs in the past. Quick stop, in and out.

We past the hot springs earlier, smelled like onions today ??? Lots of tag on the mountains, up, down. Also a stretch of road construction where it was just one lane. You have to follow the slowest truck. It was backed up right out of the produce inspection station. Over all made good time, no long slow downs in either Reno or the mountains.

Next stop was supposed to be the rest area at Gold Run, but it was closed. Right where the closed sign was there was an exit with a small gas station but BB was in the passing lane so I didn't want to cut off and leave her out there. Did pull off at next exit but she said she was good for another hour, all the way to the wash.

No major slow downs in Sacramento either, got to the wash just before noon. Only one wash bay open so it took us 2-1/2 hours there. Just waiting, haven't eaten yet, and it's hot. We switched off which RV we sat it so we didn't have them idling for more than a half hour at a time. The person who checks us in said don't come the 19th thru 22nd (?) The NASCAR trucks will be pulling in and that is all they have time to wash most of those days. Good to know, but we won't be back that soon.

Once we are done we have to wait for the fuel pumps, then wait inside to get our receipt. Some guy ahead of me looked like he was getting about $700 in $5 bills.

Finally we are done, two miles down the road and we are at the drop a little after 2 pm, and the drop closes at 3. Not a lot of time to spare. This is a locked area so I have to walk into the office to let them know we are here, before I get back they are waiting for us. Too hot to wait outside so we waited in the front area. Called the bus dispatcher. This time he wasn't happy that I hadn't told him I was coming. Usually it is "call me back when you are here." This time he is so buried with buses he's been stressing out and would have liked to have known I was on my way. His first offer was a bus to CO, it's been sitting since yesterday. I said no on that one as it would be two days driving and then two days waiting over the weekend to deliver on Monday. He called me back in a couple of minutes and had a CNG bus to Kansas City.

Rental car place picked us up within about 20 minutes of when we called them. Gave us the same car they picked us up in. Didn't look close enough, they gave us a smaller car (again) than what we paid for. This one has no cruise, but by the looks of traffic right now we won't get a chance to use.

Traffic wasn't really all that bad. First we stopped at Carl Jr/Hardees. Our first food since breakfast and it is now almost 4 PM. As we were waiting for our food we saw a typical homeless man pushing his cart through the parking lot. Baggy, India style pants, full head and face of unwashed hair. Full cart of plastic bags.

Got to Livermore while the dispatcher was still doing paperwork. The two questions I had for him today was which route and where is our last fuel stop. I try not to ask too many questions ...

My route is even longer than I thought. The shortest route is get on I-80 and go through Reno to Lincoln and then south. But there is no CNG across NV so that route is out, I thought we'd go through Las Vegas and Denver, but instead they have us getting down on I-40 all the way across to Oklahoma City. Not the shortest but their choice and we get paid by the mile.

IF we hadn't had to wait so long at the wash we could have been here earlier, paperwork was likely done about 45 minutes ago. But as is we only got to Santa Nella and our 14 hours were up. We stayed at a Quality Inn. Very tight corners around the building, no large unit parking. Luckily everyone was parked properly and I was able to get around, didn't have to back out.

It was after dark on the West Coast when we finally walked across the street to Taco Del. It was the closest food. Andersons split pea soup would have been good if it had not been so late. But earlier than last night, it's only 11 PM central when we go to bed.