Breakfast was the usual 'choice' breakfast. We pulled out at 7:30 as planned.

30 miles later we were in line at Cuba at the Blue Beacon. We had about an hour wait there, they had a full crew so they were doing a truck about every 10 minutes.

While we were waiting a truck showed up on the board going from Rolla, where we just left, to North Carolina. By now BB was watching Hurricane Michael and was pretty sure we did not want to head in that direction.

From there, just over an hour to St Louis. We were behind rush hour, that was good. There was still road construction, that was not so good. If I go back I will do the extra miles and find a different route. Then once we were on the city streets they were painting the crosswalks so that traffic was down to one lane.

Avis is less than a mile from my drop. BB had guided me in today. I had looked at a map to see if there was a better way to get to my drop, there isn't. But I never refreshed my memory as to what streets to take after I dropped off BB .... but I did OK.

Just before my drop is a right turn that needs the oncoming traffic to obey the 'STOP HERE ON RED' sign. Last time they didn't and I skipped the turn and added about two miles so I make a left turn. This time no one was there so not problem. BB said traffic was not stopping when she came so it would have been a problem. Or ... I've gotten an attitude and I would have just blocked traffic until they moved.

When I got to the drop I parked inside the fence and waited for BB so we could unload our suitcases. She calls wondering where I am ... "I'm in a big bus, you should be able to see me from anywhere."

))) yes, she could see my bus ... along with 100 other buses, she just didn't know which one was me (((

I never did make contact with my contact so I just drove around to where I dropped the bus last time and walked inside. They found someone right away. We said a few words, tore off the plastic, signed my paperwork and I was on my way.

... this time we knew how to get out of there ... much easier if you look at a map. I'm not a big fan of the downtown's so we got 30 miles behind us before we stopped to eat.

Lunch was to go, from a Chik-fill-A. I hadn't been paying attention but BB had and didn't want the person at the counter we got. BB ordered a meal with a side and I ordered an entree with a shake and a lemonade. He rang it up as two meals, when we tried to explain, we realized it was easier to just re-order BB's drink which they hadn't given her ... but they did give both of us sides.

We made it over the 100 mile mark to Wayland to a Flying J for a restroom.

Before 5 o'clock we had pretty much decided that we were heading home. We could still change our minds if something showed up before we dropped the car tomorrow morning but that wasn't too likely. My plan was to send an email to my 2nd job telling them I could work Thursday and Friday. I planned on doing that when I stopped. But, but before we stopped, first my brother posted about an auction on Thursday and then I got an email about a funeral on Saturday. (2nd job did call me about Thursday even though I had said I was NA for another week yet.) Funeral is for an 102 year old cousin of my Dad's. I had gone to visit her a couple of times, once for her 100th birthday.

From Wayland we again made it over 100 miles, this time to Evansdale to an Arbeys. No issue with the order here ... instead I was able to drip food all over my shirt ;)

By now we were in the rain. Lots of rain. Driving slow in traffic rain.

When we got to the Quality Inn in Mason City, I first pulled under the small overhang and BB stepped out ... right into deep water. So I pulled around and let her out by the door, then pulled ahead so she could get stuff out of the trunk. From there I went to park and got soaked coming in. It was raining hard enough that the water was doing that swirling that it does around the bathtub drain ... but it was doing it around the manhole.

Got to our room and they had given us an upgrade. Interesting room. There was a window into the bathroom from the bedroom, with the shade on the bedroom side of the window ... ???

When we drove through Cedar Rapids we noticed that the former Clarion is now a Ramada. Looked that up after we stopped and it made the news. Choice/Clarion had pulled their name after the employees hadn't gotten paid, but it was a lot more than that. About that time the owners had done a $1.5 million dollar upgrade on the motel and the manager had not only taken the employees money he had also take some of that money. The owners sued and won a $2 million judgement against their former owner. But Choice still wouldn't take them back ... too bad. It was a nice place, too nice to be just a Ramada ... but some of the Ramada's are pretty nice.

Also looked up the mall in Waterloo. They lost both Sears and Younkers (Herbergers sister co) left this year leaving only Dillards. Amazon has been ruff on the smaller town malls.