1 pickup to Shakopee MN (delivered)
... spending the night at home
For breakfast, all of the cooler items had to be requested from the help. All other items were set out one high and individually packaged. The help told me I had a choice of blueberry or strawberry, then I watched her pull them out and I said 'Cherry.'
"... no, that is ..."
It was cherry, and the brand I like. She walked over with one of each and I thought I was supposed to pick but the way she handed them to me I got both of them. So one will be for tonight.
We got another late start today. 8:30 instead of 7:30. That was late enough that I called the shipper before we left. It went to voice mail and voice mail was full. That seems to mean the person no longer works there. That's OK, I know the routine.
1st stop - Backus - less than an hour from the hotel and we are at the shipper. Getting empty.
The 1st thing I do is turn on the key to check the fuel level. Nothing. So I check the dip sticks and then try to start it. Nothing. No click, no beeper saying the key is in and the door is open.
Before I can call dispatch someone with a pickup pulling their four wheeler comes past. They say they will be right back and head down the road. It is most of a half hour before they are back and then he goes in the office.
But he does come over with a charger pack. Nothing. He doesn't believe it. He has never had the pack fail before. This pickup has two batteries so he puts the pack on the other battery. Nothing. The lights do come on but the pickup does not turn over.
Then he calls someone else and they come with jumper cables. So now we have the jumper cables on one battery and the power pack on the other battery. Nothing. Then he tries to get a better connection with the power pack and I notice then when he disconnects the power pack, the lights on the truck go off. After 15 minutes of double jumping the actual pickup batteries are still completely dead.
But there is one other truck ... that I had planned on picking up tomorrow.
They give up and I start making phone calls.
After I get the OK, I start to put my plate on and decide to look under the tarp by opening the tailgate. There are two fuel cans and something that looks like corrosion leaking. I pull over to the office to let them deal with it.
It actually goes quickly today, in a few minutes I have the OK to take the other pickup that is sitting there and a few more minutes they have emailed me the paperwork. AND I have gotten the OK to scratch and write in anything that is different if needed instead of finding a printer.
But this location still has an office open so I am able to email the documents so they can be printed. Kind of. I don't know what happened but the guy wrote the complete email address on the white board and I copied it down. But when I sent it, there was a divide symbol in the middle of the name. That would take at least three extra key strokes to put it ... ???
Finally, we are ready to roll. And now I know that the second truck will not be ready tomorrow to pickup.
While I was in the office I saw a list of things to be reported daily. The two I remember were wildlife and protesters. Yes, protesters. I guess they have been having them all the way across the state.
I never did see how much fuel was in the other pickup. This one has less than one quarter tank.
2nd stop was the Kwik Trip in St Cloud for fuel and a sandwich. By the time I get there I have been flat on 'E' for the last 20 miles. But BB is right behind me :)
As long as I am stopped I grab a sandwich. This is not a new truck so I eat in it. Oh, I added four gallons, that should get me to the drop without the low fuel light on.
3rd stop is the drop. Everything goes well. I see another truck that likely had been on the load board in the auction yard.
The other short runs are gone so we head to eat. I ate, but BB hadn't because I had said earlier that I could wait (and then didn't)
Honey Baked Ham or Smash Burger. Today it is Honey Baked.
Load board
US - 278
IA - 65/58
MN - 7
WI - 16
BB is hurting enough that we are not going anywhere until she sees a Dr next week. Urgent care or wait to see her usual Dr. Either way we are not leaving town yet.
There are four trucks in IN coming back to MN and lots of ways to get there.
Also there are two RV's to CA that would work, we have done this mix match before and it works fine. And there are rental cars, we have checked. But ... Dr first.