1 tree truck to Romeoville IL

... spending the night at Lafayette IN

Yesterday before we decided to take the trip to IL, there were two non-CDL pickups going to FL. Because there were two, the pay would be good but it would leave us 700 miles south in FL and we'd have to get back here. And we have pretty much decided we are heading back to IA and the RV's.

Today there is a truck IN FL about an hour from where the two pickups were going, heading back to WI. Who knew? :(

Today there is also a truck coming back to St Paul, so no dead heading on the delivery end ... but we are already committed and 200 miles down the road.

We also see trips come and go from IA, we can not call until tomorrow for Friday work. Now there is so much stuff on the IA load board that it is moving slowly. So now we are not eager to grab anything, we'll keep watching for something better.

BREAKFAST - Ham slices and eggs, and juice. Good juice we do not find most places.

As we walk out of the hotel, I see another transporter about ready to leave so I ask where he is going. 'Council Bluffs, IA' I saw I have heard of it :)

Then we talk for a bit.

We pull out a little after 7:30 local.

1st stop is 15 miles down the road. Loves in Bastain. As we pull up we meet the driver we were talking to this AM in the parking lot. I 'should' have had enough fuel to get to Nitro where the cheap fuel is but with less than a 40 mile range, before going over the mountains. The difference in price is not worth it, we fuel here.

2nd stop is the rest area near Kimberly.

3rd stop is the Loves/Hardees in Rio Grande. Here we move our luggage to higher ground. The weather map says we could get rain. We do. about six drops on the windshield that I saw. But BB is watching the radar and just to the south of us they are getting dumped on.

Oh, this truck is all locked up in the back with the customers stuff. (I busted one key trying to open the locks so we ditched that idea) So our choice was pile all the luggage in the front with us, to do that BB has to sit in the middle next to me. Or we throw our luggage in the back of the truck and move it to the locked cab overnight every night. That is what we did do.

4th stop is in Jeffersonville for fuel at the Loves. Short wait for me, it did take a half hour. But someone pulled up behind me, I pulled ahead and did other things and he was still blocking that pump without pulling ahead when we left. Other pumps had lines waiting.

Just before we get to Indy traffic comes to a stop. Road construction signs. But that was not the issue, a semi had gone over the guard cable, into on-coming traffic, back over the guard cable and then to avoid the start of a concrete median he had driven into the creek/river. The stretcher was still sitting next to his truck so it likely had just happened. By the time we got past it the on coming traffic was backed up for miles.

Then within the hour, just north of Indy, going through road construction (again) we could see a cop with it's lights on blocking one lane of on-coming traffic. That traffic was backed up for 10 miles. That could have set us back an hour or two those backups had been in our direction.

5th stop was Centerville for a rest stop.

6th and final stop is the Comfort Inn in Lafayette. Bad job of snow plowing. Trucks are parking where they land. Very different hotel layout, not sure what it might have been before a Comfort Inn.

We decide to walk past five places to eat to get to a Steak and Shake. At first it looks like drive thru only but they are allowing take out. Good thing as it was about a mile walk, on the street because of the snow. And it was cold.

Load board

US - 474

IA - 182

We have not decided what we are going to do for our next trip. We are getting a car from near my drop, then we will get our car in IA. By that time it will likely be dark so we will get a hotel and drop the rental at the airport in the AM. And be ready to head out by after noon on Friday.

LOG

6:30 - Wytheville VA - leave Comfort Inn

7:00 - Bastain VA - Loves - fuel

8:45 - Kimberly WV - rest area

10:15 - Rio Grande OH - Loves/Hardees

12:15 - Jeffersonville OH - Loves - fuel

2:15 - Centerville IN - rest area

4:30 - Lafayette IN - Comfort Inn

5:30 - Lafayette IN - Steak and Shake