1 bus heading to Spartanburg SC

... spending the night at Edgewood NM

I had woke up at 3 AM and thought it was time to get up, until I looked at the clock.

BB went down to the breakfast area for coffee because they do not have coffee makers in these rooms. No decaf. Just a few pastries.

But pull out a little after 6:30 local.

The low fuel light is coming on and off for the last forty miles. But the fuel gauge is still showing 1/4 and we had stuck the tank.

1st stop is Williams at Loves for fuel and DEF. All pumps are full so I have to back in. The driver is just about done pumping so no long wait. Not sure yet what I did, but could not pay at the pump. By the time I got back to the pump the yard was full and someone had pulled in 'behind' me, so that I now would have to keep backing to get out.

I put in 107 gallons in a 120 gallon tank ... in the mountains. I think that is only the second time I have taken over 100 gallons to fill a bus. Then I fill DEF. I put them both on the same card this time. Otherwise I would have had to go back to the fuel desk between fills. It works.

Plenty of road construction today. Stop and then slow and go. One of those places was just before our exit to go eat. So I stayed in the right lane until I could see that the exit was closed.

2nd stop was Hopi at the Burger King. It is now a 'One 9' fuel stop. It is a chain of stations that are tied to, but not part of the Pilot / Flying J group. Once upon a time, this used to be a 1st class truck stop. Two food places, shops, barber shop. Then a manger ran it into the ground and half the stores left and the place is in poor repair. Maybe now they will bring up the standard again. The barbershop walls are gone, two of the stores have moved to a re-done area.

We sat out at the bus to eat.

I tired to call the glass company but no answer.

3rd stop was in Jamestown for the restroom and calls. I finally got through to their place in ABQ to get some questions answered. But I want to get further down the road before tearing off the protective plastic. When I am done talking to ABQ, I call the AR location. This time they answer. Very hard to understand, they sound like they are on speaker phone.

New issue. They can't fix it if is too hot. It is supposed to be in the 90's on Friday. Didn't put two and two together. We could have had it fixed in ABQ first thing in the AM. Too late now. Plan is to get as close to AR as we can without driving 600 miles. We could have done another hour and a half tonight ...

Before we got to Jamestown a group of motorcycles past us. Then I saw some of the drivers in the restroom, then more at the fuel pumps. Then we had to wait for cars that were running with the group when we wanted to leave the gas station.

Then a few miles down the road there was more road construction. And as we were stopping, emergency vehicles came up behind us. Right where the final cones are to force one lane, there was one of the cars and one of the motorcycles. And a dozen cop cars.

At the end of construction were the rest of the motorcycles and one cop car. Based on that ratio, it must not have been a rough motor cycle gang. I tried to look them up but I did not remember their complete name.

4th and final stop was the Comfort Inn in Edgewood. Someplace we were 'never coming back to.' They have ceiling heater/AC's and BB does not like them. We have passed over them other times but.

Other times we have stayed at the Quality Inn in Moriarty 10 miles down the road. Tonight the price was more and the parking is always harder. If we aren't in a rush, we also stay in ABQ.

A large couple slowly walked in ahead of us to the hotel. No rooms left. So we got one of the last an hour ago.

Once checked in we try to call next door to the China Chef but it goes to voicemail. We walk over and wait in line. They still are following Covid procedures. Floor to ceiling plastic with little holes in it. We and others we were waiting in an orderly line. Just as it was our turn, someone comes in the door and says they have an order ready ... so we get bumped while they wait on this last person to walk in. Everyone else who had an order ready had waiting in line for their turn.

20 minutes wait so we have time to walk back to the hotel and bring the rest of our stuff up to the room.

Food. Good, and too much. We each ate half and MAY have the other half for breakfast. Breakfast here is slowly returning to normal. They said slowly. When the state gave them the OK to re-open pools, it was a two day open. Then they were told, Opps, no. Close the pool. I guess they don't want to stock up on food until they know they are open to stay.

Load board

US - 302

IA - 119

MN - 6

WI - 8

NC - 11

The NC trips to WI we wanted are gone. I was going to call in the AM about them. Nothing new was added that is an interest to us. We will keep watching.