1 Bus to Salt Lake City UT

... spending the night at Elko NV

Breakfast - Was a bag lunch. We had to fill out a check off list last night and then pick up our pre-made bags in the AM.

I was wondering how easy it was going to be to get out of the lot as we didn't park in our usual place. Not a problem, there was a 2nd driveway I didn't know about. I thought I had plenty of room but I still hit the curb ... but this was not a test so I didn't fail.

At 6 AM, before we ate, I called the MN dispatcher. I think I woke them up, sure sounded like it. They said they would call back when they got to the office.

And I also called for my NV permit before I left the hotel.

Traffic was light this AM. Traffic slowed to the speed limit in downtown Sacramento for a few minutes but that was it. Must not be many people that 'go to the office' on Friday's anymore.

Dispatch called back while I was driving, once, but I was driving so I didn't pick up.

1st stop was in Gold Run at a rest area. By now the trip I wanted was gone from the load board and I get voice mail.

After I leave dispatch calls back and we let it go to voicemail. They also send a text, the trip is gone.

The trip was from SLC to Omaha. It would have been right on the way. But I only wanted it if I could pick it up Saturday. When dispatch texts back they say the trip won't be ready until Monday. So that one didn't work for us.

If we had waited until Monday to pick up the truck we would get caught in the text storm going through WY. And we want to be home before next month.

2nd stop was for food and fuel at the Pilot in Fernley. We usually stop at the Flying J but all they have is a Denny's so rather than stop twice we stop here once. I pick the wrong line, four trucks that came in behind me are fueling before I finally switch islands and fuel. Last time I put in 30 gallons here and 5 in Tooele. Today I put in all 35 here. We'll see how it looks at Tooele.

While I am fueling, BB goes in and orders at Wendy's. She is done with her food by the time I am done fueling. We are in and out in a half hour.

BB is watching all the weather to decide which way to go back to MN. That will be decided later.

From here I get a hold of my drop. I can drop on Saturday ... whew. Dispatch was right.

3rd stop is at Winnemucca for a rest break at the Pilot. This place is empty, as is the Flying J at the next exit. I guess everyone is still stuck in WY.

One of the on going debates all day has been how far to get tonight. When we are in Elko we usually stay at the Comfort Inn. But I do not dare try to get in there with a 40 foot bus. The Best Western is supposed to have truck parking but we don't know where, and to get to their main lot you have to go under an 8 foot overhang and my bus in 10-9.

So Rodeway would be the best parking but that is a low end hotel. But we kept talking and remembered all the newer hotels on the other side of the freeway. Holiday Inn and others. Much later BB found that we do have a discount through our Farm Bureau membership. It gets it close to the price of the Choice hotel. But we will wait until we are parked in the lot to reserve a room. The areal photos show the hotel still being built.

Near a town called Emigrant, there was a tow truck that decided not to go to the next cross over and did a u-turn in the median. And there it sat, both the front and the back touching the ground and no traction.

As we are going past the last town before Elko, BB reminds me that it will get down to 11 degrees here tonight. I need to add anti-gel to the fuel. One truck stop left and luckily they have a good supply.

4th and final stop is the Holiday Inn in Elko. I do fit, the bus takes up five spots. The 1st drive is entrance only and up a steep slope so I opt for the 2nd drive. Not a lot of room but enough.

Once in, we call for food at Wingers. It is across the street and the only place for quite a few blocks. Good food. I had the chicken alfredo.

Load board

US - 261

IA - 103

MN - 1

WI - 9

We don't know where we are heading tomorrow after we drop. Maybe nowhere. I-80 is still closed in WY and may be until Sunday so we don't want to go east. If we head north, there is snow coming in Saturday night that we want to beat so we'd have to drive into the night. If we go south, they are warning of avalanches on I-70 in CO. And it would add 100's of miles if we went all the way to I-40 in NM.

By the end of the day all of my auction trucks are gone from MT and ND. Just as well, now we just want to get home. No, actually we don't. If there was work heading south I think we would take it :)