2 RV's, 1 heading to Ocala, 1 heading to Nokomis

... spending the night at Hannibal MO

We were not in any rush to get going this AM as it was cold. We hadn't stayed in a ground room for a while and the floor was really cold in our room also.

No 'hot' breakfast this AM so I just had yogurt and juice. They also had sandwiches to nuke but we passed. BB hasn't been eating breakfast for a while, trying a different way to cut back.

We got going after 8 AM but we were still to early at the first post office we stopped at, they didn't open until 9 AM. So we kept going to Forest City and stopped at the post office there. When we stopped, BB thought that was a good time for me to put last nights food in the truck for the last two miles before we got to the shipper ???

1st stop - Post Office in Forest City. As I was moving food someone pulled up behind us and got ahead of me to the counter. What could have been a few seconds became five minutes as the patron and the counter help caught up on their latest medical issues.

Still in Forest City we get to the lot. The computer showed 88 last night. My guess is there is closer to 200. We don't see any other drivers when we get there but in the hour it takes us to inspect our RV's we see another four drivers. We only talked to one, he was heading to Spokane, later I notice that the driver has Idaho plates on his tow car. So he is heading in the home direction.

Dispatch gave us some paperwork for the new year but none of the stickers to go with it so I went back in to ask. Then we got started talking a bit. Both of the people in the office used to drive so they know the road and the stories.

We both have enough fuel so we decide not to stop at the closer, cheaper fuel but drive until closer to noon and eliminate one stop today. That choice likely cost us $5 in the cost of fuel.

2nd stop was for fuel and food at Loves in Floyd. I pull into an island where a pickup is facing me. No one fueling that truck, no one around. As I'm standing there fueling I realize that they just parked there. Their fuel door is on the side NOT facing the pump. Then they come back to their truck and wait for ME to back out so they do not have to. I guess for some people, life is all about them.

My pump was a pain, it would stop after a few gallons, then act like it was full until I re-started it a few times and then it would do the same thing over again. I knew about how much I needed so I kept at it. Then it didn't give me a receipt but I wanted to move my RV first.

Then we went in and picked a pizza off the shelf at Godfathers. We split one personal pan pizza.

It had started misting this AM at 22 degree's and BB fell way behind so I slowed down and kept my speed down until we got to the truckstop. After fueling and eating it was still misting so I was still driving slow until BB passed me. She does that sometimes :)

She led until we got down almost to Waterloo. Then someone passed us that looked like they were dragging their bike on the back of their travel trailer. So I passed BB and tried to catch up but they were going a bit faster than us already. But we had to do a cloverleaf to stay on the highway and as soon as I was sure the cloverleaf wasn't icy I kicked it down.

I had been flashing my lights at them and then when I got closer I started blowing my horn. I was along side of him blowing my horn and he is just looking at his phone. Finally I was enough ahead of him and waving my arm and he finally saw me. But he still did not slow down until I backed off and pulled to the shoulder behind him. Then he pulled over, but he still didn't get out of his pickup until I was past his travel trailer and almost up to his door.

I told him he was dragging his bike ... he followed me back to the rear, saw it and I said goodbye. ))) my good deed for the day (((

3rd stop was the rest area just south of Cedar Rapids. While we are there I get a call from the office. I don't pick up, instead I call them back. Seems I gave them some extra paperwork this AM when I turned in my logs. Opps. I told them they could throw it away, it is just extra forms that I would cross out old info if I needed that form.

Weather is much better than heading south last week, but it is still raining and the temp is still under 32 degrees.

We are almost to the next stop before the temp gets to 33 degrees and I set the cruise again. It is still misting.

4th stop is Wayland MO for fuel at the Flying J. We are still at a half a tank, but neither of us have internet to check fuel prices ahead so we fuel. We also can not make a hotel reservation so we will need to make an extra stop.

5th stop - Taylor at a Phillips 66 truck stop. We do not get out of the vehicle, BB just makes the reservation and we head out again.

6th and final stop is the Quality Inn in Hannibal MO. There is a Sleep Inn a block away for another $30 but we have always stayed at the Quality Inn. It has a conference area so it has lots of truck parking. It also had a in-house bar before Covid. Not sure when/if that will re-open. Our room is likely twice the size of last night hotel for about the same price.

This place shares their parking lot with Fiddlestiks. Good food. But tonight we eat our leftovers from last night. Temps have been below freezing most of the day so the food should have stayed cold enough. We also have a cookie. SOME hotels are back to having evening cookies when we check in, but not many.

Load board

US - 272

IA - 61/60

MN - 3

WI - 8

Nothing new from the auction dispatcher for anywhere in the country. Nothing new out of IA ??? Very little new anywhere for the country until Monday/Tuesday now.

Tomorrow we are planning on getting to TN. Because it is New Years Eve we have already made a reservation. It should be in the 70's when we get there. BB is in no hurry to get to FL, it is supposed to be in the 80's on Sunday and then cooler on Monday. 

I like to head up to NC when we are down in the SE but it is 700 miles deadheading from my drop. I'd be fine if we hung out in the southeast here from a while. Temps are supposed to get UP to 5 degrees in IA one of the next few days. We're gone. :)

LOG

8:30 - Leave hotel in Mason City IA

9:15 - Pretrip at Forest City IA at shipper

11:30 - Fuel at Loves in Floyd IA, and eat at Godfathers

2:00 - Break at rest area near Cedar Rapids IA

4:00 - Fuel at Flying J in Wayland MO

5:00 - Post trip at Quality Inn in Hannibal MO