1 bus to Grand Rapids MI

... spending the night at Edwardsville IL ... 

Another 400 mile day for tomorrow.

Breakfast, 'punch' pouches, muffin, breakfast bar. And I bought a juice from their vending area. Last night when I asked they said it would be $1, today it was $2.

Bus is being noisy again today. And the tranny is checking fine, has to be something with the CNG when the tanks aren't full.

1st stop is at Joplin at the Petro for a restroom break. And to mail our paperwork from the last trip now that we may not be going past the office on our way home.

Break was un-eventful but when we were ready to head out I noticed the line was long to get back on the highway. I pulled up from the side and waited to get in line, and the truck line got longer. Finally I saw a cop pull up a little ways away from me. Not sure where he came from, there is only one in and out at this place.

After watching a couple of minutes, the cop pulled up next to the 1st truck in line and sat there. At this point our light had not changed in at least five minutes. When the light didn't change for him, he hit his lights and went across the highway and made a U-turn. Him being in the turn lane from that direction made our light turn green ... for one truck.

Luckily he must have had some idea what was going on because he was back sitting next to me in a couple of minutes. Again he pulled up into the turn lane, this time the light did turn green because of our side... for a couple of more trucks before turning red. But within a couple of minutes it turned green again and about 10 trucks made it through ... I was next and didn't.

So I am first in line and some guy taking a left turn doesn't swing wide enough and misses my mirror by about six inches. I never thought of backing up at the time. I was where I was supposed to be and didn't think he had cut the corner that far off until he was right there.

Finally back on the road.

We see a 'Woman for Trump' / 'Ready for Round 2' RV that is all decaled professionally. Lots of billboards, flags, etc for Trump. So far I have only seen a couple of bumper stickers for Biden.

2nd stop was the TA in Strafford for food. I had wanted to stop here for some Champs Chicken, but BB decided she wanted Subway instead and the chicken didn't look as good as it had sounded. Now I wish I had gotten it because it looks like another Subway day tomorrow. Subway and Denny's. It had rained fairly heavy this AM around Joplin before we got there. The outdoor tables were still a little wet but we wiped them off and ate outside at a table for once.

3rd stop was at a truck stop in Cuba. Mom and Pop place right next to the Blue Beacon truck wash we have used before.

Just as we were pulling in here I could hear the police siren's. Then I saw two police cars pulling in behind me ... luckily they were going elsewhere. I could see them parallel to me as they went between some trucks but they never came out the other side when I did. Didn't see them again.

We went in to use the rest room and when I came back out into the store I was looking at dozens of old toy trucks in show cases. But BB was motioning for me to hurry up. We aren't usually in a hurry, but OK. Once outside she said it was because we were the only ones in there with masks on (people not taking it as seriously here) ... I thought she was uncomfortable because we were the only ones in there with teeth :)

We have been using a new brand of tape for holding our placards on for the last couple of years. I've used it on the outside of trucks for days in the rain. I have used the same tape pulled off one truck and put on the next, and the next. Good stuff. But today it is so humid here that the tape isn't strong enough to hold a piece of paper onto the window inside the bus. I finally take my placard down and clip it over the pull cord further back in the bus. It works if the windows aren't too tinted, but this bus is too tinted. I try new tape later in the day when it seems less humid.

Six Flags St Louis is open, as was the place in OKC. Their parking lot here looked about as full as you would expect on a normal summer week day. So down a lot, but still lots of customers.

4th stop is Platoon Beach at the Flying J for CNG fuel. The pump is supposed to be all by itself in a huge no parking area. Which means it is an easy place to park for a whole bunch of trucks. Today most of them are CarVan trucks. I thought about using the outside pump which would have blocked a couple of them in for a half hour, but didn't. I used the inside pump so they could get out.

Same issue, main credit card didn't work but second one did. Normally I should get 3,600# pressure but today only 3,100#. That was all it pumped so that is all I can get. That's life using CNG. I'm OK, I only have to get another 200 miles to my final fuel stop. If I don't get a good fill there I will likely try again in Indy. Just to be nice to the customer. I will have more than enough fuel to get to the drop.

We had talked about going across the street to the Hen House, but we are here so we ordered here. Denny's again. To go.

5th and finally stop is at the Comfort Inn in Edwardsville. 3 miles from the Flying J and we are in for the night. I had also gotten a Klondike Oreo ice cream sandwich. It was pretty melted by the time I ate it. Doesn't last long in 90+ degree weather.

This AM I finally looked at a map and saw the route I need to take Sunday after I fuel. We will be going right through South Bend. A two day rental car out of South Bend is $100 cheaper than a one day out of Michigan. So now that is the plan.

The load out of IN to MI that I called on yesterday was taken today. So were 3 of the 5 CA runs out of IA. So not likely the last two will be there Tuesday. Load from IL to IA that I had looked at but didn't call on is also gone. Lots of stuff goes on Saturdays but nothing much gets added.

Monday will be a mostly non-freeway day. Didn't realize that before. But I looked and it does seem to be almost if not all four lane highway, just not freeway. One final fuel stop, then pickup the rental car. Monday I will do the wash, delivery and head home. And I need to call corp to see if I can run into Sept on my current DOT card.

Not sure what the issue was last night with FaceBook. I couldn't post. Now tonight I can. No idea.

Our daughter stopped a picked a couple of dozen ears of corn, plus picked tomatoes and peppers so it isn't all going to waste. I'm sure a lot of it is ... just as if we were there.

Down to two Amazon Prime vans today, one UPS truck on the ground and one being hauled. Noticed a couple of other vans that had the DOT numbers from the delivery covered up. I'll have to look if I remember on the Amazon and UPS trucks, I don't remember their numbers being covered up.

Loadboard

US - 154

IA - 43

MN - 1

WI - 4