1 Tree truck to Romeoville, IL ... Made it to Dayton, OH tonight.

We were not up at 6 AM local today. 6 AM central, yes. Breakfast was eggs, sausage and yogurt again. Nothing outdated here. It has been really slow at the motels this week. Half dozen cars max, at 80-100 room motels.

Should have asked more questions yesterday about paperwork. Got to the company just before 8 AM when everyone was getting to work. Everything was fenced in, passes needed to get into the parking lots. So we kept driving down the street and finally got to where trucks were lined up on both sides. ?? The third truck we looked at the number of was mine. It was open, keys in side ... and their paperwork said to leave a copy in the box. I thought I would have to talk to someone. It seems they pull the trucks out to this area when the 1st employees get here and then it is self serve.

So we were in and out in about a half hour. A nice big Ford with the kind of box they blow wood chips into. Club cab so lots of room for luggage. No issues so we sign the paperwork and go. I was wondering why I hadn't seen this place from the road. It is tucked behind the airport and to get there by road is about three miles. The way the crow flies, about a block off the highway.

Truck came with a quarter of a tank of fuel. That would have been good ... but we were going to go 'a few' miles out of route to return the rental car before heading out. As I'm driving the opposite direction from my drop there is a van following me and I'm thinking that it is the shipper wondering where I am going :) They finally exit the freeway two exits before I do.

I had looked at the map this AM and noticed the software wasn't routing us 'my way.' I ended up taking my way and found out why ... the bridge over the railroad tracks is gone. So we had to follow the detour. Both BB and I had fueled before we got on the freeway, but the rental car dropped below F so BB stopped again before the airport and topped it off. So I got there before she did. Not a busy airport so I was able to park a big truck a few feet from the door and wait for her.

Once BB was in the truck we headed back, though the detour. Oh, on the side street before we got to the airport there was a guy walking down the (almost) center of our lane yelling at someone, somewhere. When we came back about 10 minutes later he had walked about another block and now was just standing in the street. Not doing anything other than just standing there.

Fuel gauge hadn't moved in the 1st 30 miles so that was good. But I did need to stop and make a couple of calls so we stopped at the 1st rest area past my pickup point :)

1st stop was fuel in Mount Airy at an Exxon

2nd <> stop was the airport to return the car.

3rd stop was in Fancy Gap, VA at the rest area. BB used the rest room and I called the drop and got the OK for a Saturday delivery and then called dispatch and left a message that I was on the road.

We had to cross a few scales today, but no issues.

Lots of fog and rain all day. I think the only time all day when I didn't have the wipers on was when I wasn't in the truck ...

4th stop was less than an hour later at the TA in Wytheville. Computer said that fuel was going to be $.10 cheaper than the other truckstops ... it wasn't. I guess the computer hadn't been updated, didn't ask. As long as we were stopped we ate at the Taco Bell. This TA had a Subway, Popeyes, Taco Bell and a Country Pride (sit down restaurant.) We were there about 11 AM local and the Country Pride did not have a single customer the whole time. ???

Lots of up and down for the next couple of hours. Tunnels, rain, fog, mountains.

5th stop was at a rest area in WV, Kimberly. An oasis on the toll way. I-pass is working, but I still go through the lanes that have a human just in case.

Charleston, WV. We saw a sign that said left lane closed ahead so we got in the right lane ... as traffic continued to fly by in the left lane. Finally we get to where the accident was and it was cleared, all lanes opened. BB had been watching the route and knew there was more slow down ahead. Again, left lane closed so I get in the right lane as people keep flying by. Finally I get in the middle and then the right lane. It is hard to do when you have a truck, and are stopped, and the other traffic is flying by.

We did make much better time in the left lane until we got to the accident. Not sure what happened but a semi was jack-knifed on the freeway and was missing his rear tractor tires. All three lanes were closed and traffic was going past single file on the shoulder.

Now I know, when the signs say '___ lane closed ahead' ... get in that lane until you can't go any further in that lane. Second time today, third time this trip.

This time it cost us over an hour to go less than 10 miles. BUT ... we were able to keep driving, we weren't hauled away.

Too foggy to see how far the work is getting on US-35 in WV.

6th stop ... We had planned on stopping at the 2nd rest area in OH, but after our delays we stopped at the 1st one near Rio Grande.

We weren't sure how far we were going to go, before or after our delay. We had talked about getting past Dayton so even with the delay I kept driving and made it ... long after dark again.

7th and final stop is the Comfort Inn in Englewood, just NW of Dayton. And we ate next door at the Waffle House.

As we were getting out of the truck, BB saw a man walking over to us. After a little chit-chat, he hit us up for money. Nope.

After we were in our room we looked out the window to see if we could see him, we couldn't so not sure where he was hiding out. Later I did notice what looked like a homeless cart hiding behind the Waffle House.

Food at the Waffle House was good. It had been over seven hours since we ate last so anything not bad would taste good. We each had a burger. Other than us there were two other guys in a booth and they had their three grade school kids sitting at the counter.

BB was watching the board today. All the trucks going to IL got taken and nothing else got put on the board until the very end of the day and none of that going to the midwest. But for a few minutes there was a truck from FL to River Falls, WI and then a truck from WI to FL. Those were quickly gone, and then there was a truck from Hudson to CA. Later there was another truck from WI to FL and one from FL to WI, but all were gone very quickly. But it gives us something to think/talk about, the what if's. There was also an RV to CA for a while, and ones to FL and the Carolina's ... and one from OR to NC, a nice cross country trip.

But by the end of the day there were five RV's out of IA, no two going to the same place.

So for now we will drop on Saturday and make it part way to Forest City. Then do the rest of the trip home on Sunday and be watching the board on Monday. Weather is if'y heading west so we will most likely try to get something back down the SE. But it all depends on what is available.

Insurance has gotten the estimate on the glass breakage in CA so now they want to talk to us/me. We still haven't decided if we'll file a claim on the other issues yet. So two agents called me today, I talked to my local agent but was driving when the other one called so that is now on the list for Monday.