1 trucks from NC to IL ... delivered and made it home.

Breakfast, better than yesterday. Help was engaged.

Last night we had done the math on how much fuel I would need to make delivery. This AM I decided to fuel next door to the motel to save a stop. As I'm fueling, I realize that last night I didn't do all the math. I forgot to subtract out the fuel that was already in my tank. I stopped fueling, I was within a couple of gallons of what it would take to get me to delivery. I hoped the mileage would keep getting better so I shorted myself two gallons.

BB also fueled the rental car at the same place. I didn't think about it until we were leaving that it was still dark. But BB said she did OK.

Pretty un-eventful today. BB went her own way, I went mine.

My 1st stop after leaving Richmond was the rest area near Lebanon. I texted BB, she was a couple of miles behind me at McDonald's. A while later I was watching the traffic in my rear view and saw four cars coming. The 4th one didn't have a front plate (FL's don't) and there was a I-Pass in the front window. I was pretty sure it was her before I saw her. It was.

My 2nd stop was delivery was seven hours after leaving the motel. Actually I stopped for fuel a couple of blocks before the drop and put in 2-1/2 gallons. My mileage got better, but my range didn't change. Mpg got up over 17 before I dropped it. As I was fueling, BB pulled in along side of me. So we likely weren't more than a few minutes apart for the whole day.

Drop was quick, no issues.

As soon as I dropped we stopped and I got a 'Little' John at Jimmy John's. It's about the right size, first one this size I have had.

Shortly after we are on the freeway again, I am in the right (slow) lane going over the posted and someone comes up behind me flashing their lights at me ... didn't make me move any faster ... or slower. One of the days. Spent a lot of time thinking they may as well take down the speed limit signs. No one obey's them, no one enforces them. Right through construction zones, trucks are sailing past the cops at 10-15 over. I'm just trying not to get run off the road.

Today again, BB's routing software changed mid trip when heading to my drop. This time she followed it and took a different route than I did. I just looked at the map once and went that way. Not the way I would have chose if the computer hadn't mapped it. But it got me there.

Last night I had commented to BB that if we delivered by 3 PM we could be home by midnight. I ended up dropping by 2 PM and the computer said we could be home before 8. Being in Chicago, I wasn't going to commit to that until we were a couple of hours down the road, out of Chicago traffic.

Things went well so once again our plans changed. Unless we hit weather or traffic we were going to be home tonight. It would mean driving a couple of hours after dark but it would save us $150+.

Nope, don't really like driving in the dark ... even missed a couple of big towns. Missed as in I didn't realize when I was passing them, my eyes must have been too locked on the road. Mauston and Osseo. Wasn't sleeping just focused on something else.

Stopped in DeForest at Arbey's to get food and use the rest room, they weren't the fastest.

Then stopped again in Tomah at the Kwik Trip for fuel. Pump didn't give a receipt so I went in and used the restroom, bought some cookies ... and forgot to get a receipt so I had to go in again. During all that time there was a guy at one of the registers trying to cash a ComData check. I may have had to use one of those early on for a breakdown or something, but never again. Big time and money suck.

Because those two stops took longer than expected, we didn't get home until after 8 PM. But we are home. And the trip ended up paying 10x our original estimate. :) Not much that could have gone better.

Thursday we'll need to get the rental car back by 7:30.

Used to spend a lot of time on I90-I94 from home to Chicago the first year when BB was riding with me. Now we haven't headed out that way at all and only come back that way if we aren't picking up our car in IA. Lots of changes.

... Including some that aren't really there :) BB wanted to stop at the next rest area in a town I didn't remember but she had a mile marker. No rest area ... then BB realized that she was looking at the WY info not the WI info.

IA board is up to 20 tonight so things are looking up. We can't grab until Friday morning but we will be watching it today.

Brrr ... it was 80 in FL, tomorrow AM it will be -8 when we head to the airport. NO plans next year to be in MN in January. Other than maybe to return a rental car and head out again. Hope to still be doing this next year. I need to do my DOT physical next month. Plan / hope is to get a trip to CA then one back. After that do my DOT so we'd be in town for a few days.