2 RV's to FL, 1 to Ocala, 1 to Fort Myers

... spending the night at Chattanooga TN

For BB, yesterday there was coffee in our room, but no cups. Today there was cups but no decaf coffee. When we went down for breakfast there were pastries. That's it.

I start my RV and realize I do not have any marker or tail lights. I have BB double check. Everything was working last night ...

... until I disconnected the buzzing. Yep. I connected it back up but I didn't want to have that going off my whole trip. Played with it and found that it only buzzed with the lights on. So, off go the lights and I am legal and safe.

We got going a little after sun up. Sun was up enough so that our sun visors worked. Traffic was very light on a Sunday AM. I guess I got a better look at downtown St Louis than I have for a while. It looks like they have put an aquarium in the old Union train station. And now the Greyhound station is about two blocks from the train station. A few years ago where ever the Greyhound station was, I was advised to stay in the station when I got off the bus and a taxi driver would come in and get me when they got there. NOT a good part of town.

20 miles or so down the road we are coming up to a weigh scale, I can't remember how much I weigh so I go to look at my phone and see there are messages from home. Scale is closed but I stop at the next rest area to read and respond to my messages. If we had gotten a good first run this month, we would have been home by now and off the road the rest of the month. But instead we have done three trips instead of one. Not sure how the money is going to compare.

1st (real) stop is at the Hucks/Flying J in Mount Vernon for the restroom. That first leg of the trip was our only one today over 100 miles.

After seeing the Road Rangers again this month, I was wondering if they were going to expand or just stick with their original purchase. Expand. There is a new station just south of Marion that should open soon. (just looked it up and they will be opening the station yet this year and just opened one in AR)

2nd stop was the Pilot in Paducha for fuel at Pilot and then across the side street to the Charley's for a Cheese Steak. Pilot was not a big lot, but I had looked online and we should have been able to get in and out and we did. Did have someone pull in with a long trailer and kind of block me in, but I was putting in 30 gallons so they were gone before I got done.

At the Pilot I noticed a sticker on the pump for One9 credit cards. I had seen the billboard before for it and had looked it up but saw it was mostly Speedway stations plus some Mom-n-Pop places. Now looking it up again I see that it was started by Flying J. Still not sure how it all works.

Traffic wasn't bad today so we were able to drive across the street to Charley's without issue. Good sandwich. We ate outside, it didn't seem too cold at first but then the wind picked up. We were there 11:30 to noon and did not see anyone else come for a sandwich. Not sure how long these places can stay in business.

Somewhere this AM someone passes us with an RV from our company. I didn't think it was the same driver that we talked to at the lot but we found out later it was.

3rd stop was in Clarksburg at the rest area.

Nashville wasn't too bad. First I saw the big screen and then the fans in the stands at the football game. Slow traffic but we know what lanes to be in and traffic doesn't come to complete stop.

4th stop is in Christiana for a rest break. Here we see the same RV again and talk to the drive for a minute. Just past where we turn into the truck stop there is a sign that says "Your GPS is WRONG. This is not a truck route."

Earlier today we saw a sign that said 'Do not detour, road is open.' That was likely in response to BB's mapping software that said this road was closed and routed us way out of the way until I looked on my computer and saw the road was open.

Christiana has a Cheesestake place that is good but we just ate.

As we go to leave there is an oversized load at the bottom of the ramp, plus tire parts all over the ramp so we have to jump right into traffic with no merge lane. We did.

BB had seen online that there would be slow traffic before Chattanooga and there was. It likely took us an extra half to an extra hour to make the last 89 miles. 1st the other RV driver passed us. Then in the stop and go we passed them and go at least a quarter of a mile ahead before they caught up and past us.

WOW new Fords. Coming down the 'mountain' my RV held my speed right at 55 mph and my rpms right at 2,000. 1st time ever for a Ford. I like it.

5th and final stop is at Chattanooga at the Quality Inn. It may have been this way last time also but the back half of this hotel has been converted to another hotel. We had driven through that part of the parking lot last time and it looked like long term low income housing. We parked right next to one of the mixers that came out of Dodge Center, but with a different company.

The sun had set by the time we got to the motel. We looked at walking to a new cafe but it would have taken longer than walking to Wendy's. We did Wendy's. I got a new name there 'Gym.' BB got a single and I got chili, a potato and small chicken sandwich. Way more than I needed. I would have gotten a cookie too but they were out.

Fuel mileage has gone from 7 to almost 10 mpg for me and over 10 for BB without the wind. I'll need to put a little more fuel in tomorrow. This time I am not filling ahead but waiting until almost 'E' to put in enough to get me to the drop. I should leave less fuel in it that way.

Doing the math, we aren't going to have much extra time on Tuesday between drops so we may end up getting a local car for me in Ocala, BB will head to her drop and I will go pick her up, get the one way rental and then drop the 1st one. It will cost a little more but will save valuable time and also extra miles on her RV.

It is Sunday, not change on the load board.