1 Bus to Colorado Springs CO

... spending the night at Wendover UT

Pushed and got 630 miles instead of our usual 500. Now the forecast is for high winds on Sunday instead of Monday in WY.

(written one day later)

Here breakfast comes in a brown bag, we need to check items off when we check in the night before and they will have the bags ready for us.

I need a NV permit so I try calling a number I just recently found on FaceBook. I get someone on a Saturday AM and they can get my permit. That saves me both time and money.

As I am waiting for my receipt, the person asks me how my room was, then how my breakfast was. So I said as long as you are asking how things were ... you three parking spots for large vehicles at this hotel, that is one of the reasons we stay here. There is now a travel trailer parked in one (with water and electricity running to it) and a storage trailer parked in another spot. So they are taking up 2 of the 3 reasons we stay here. :(

We head out at 6:30 just as sky is getting light.

BB has to fuel the rental car before we leave town, pumps don't work, even the cashier can't get her a receipt so she ends up behind me instead of ahead of me at the drop. I know where I am going but turn a street too soon. Not an issue, it is early Saturday AM and very few people up and around. Usually I pick up BB at the bus stop on the street but today I just drove into the strip mall parking lot. Lots of room ... today.

This was about 10 miles the wrong direction so we wasted about a half hour of daylight getting the car dropped.

No traffic issues this Saturday AM even going through Sacramento.

1st stop is the rest area in Gold Run.

A few miles down the road my bus dispatcher calls. He wants to know if I will come directly back after dropping in CO. He will have either a MN or an IA bus for me.

2nd stop is the rest area at Donners Pass to call the dispatcher. No cell service. That is surprising as we are right next to a large ski area. Today that lot was completely full.

(written two days later)

3rd stop is the Pilot in Fernley. Fuel is cheaper at Loves but when you include rewards points, Pilot wins. And Pilot wins over Flying J because they have a Wendy's instead of a Denny's.

No wait, but the pump screen is slow responding. I tap it once that I want fuel, it doesn't respond so I tap it again and get authorized for both fuel and DEF. After I fuel I go to get my receipt but it was not ready at the kiosk so I go to the register. No receipt there either. I still need to eat so I go back in after I eat and the receipt is ready.

Later I remember I had been authorized to pump DEF but did not pump it or clear the pump. My guess is the pump was still on until the next person used it and cleared my info.

4th stop was the Pilot in Winnemucca. I don't need fuel yet but it will get me on the right pattern. After I pump $10 it stops and says see cashier. So I go in and get my receipt and tell the cashier what happened. They insist that I hung up the pump ... even as I was walking away they yelled after me 'Don't hang up the pump this time.' So I watched closer the next time. This time it pumped $20 before saying 'see cashier' and stopping. I was not even on the same side of the bus/truck to shut it off when this happened. And when the pump is hung up, the screen welcomes the next customer, it does not say 'see cashier.' Also I had now gotten 7 gallons in about 20 minutes. I went in and got another receipt from a different clerk and mentioned the problem again. 'Yah, the pumps are slow.' No concern. I left without filling.

The Golden Gate truck stop is now open in Battle Mountain. It has a Port O Subs, I wonder if they have closed the one by the Maverik?

5th stop is in Elko at the Golden Gate / Sinclair for Port O Subs for later.

I do not like running this late but we want to beat the winds coming later to WY.

6th and final stop is in Wendover at the Quality Inn. But first we stop at the Pilot for fuel.

As we are waiting to check in, someone walks in and asks if they can cut the line to see if the location has rooms left. We let them, and no, the place is sold out. Good thing we did not wait until we were in the parking lot to reserve a room.

When we came through town it looked like all the casinos were full. Things are almost back to normal.

Load board

US - 561

IA - 305