1 Bus to Colorado Springs CO (delivered)
... spending the night at Limon CO
Breakfast - Two yogurts and a Pop Tart to go.
At 7 AM I call the dispatcher who has the Gothenburg trucks. The truck will be OK, not sure until we get there if both of us and our luggage will fit.
We leave out at 7:30 (6:30 local.) The temp is 19 degrees. The road ahead of us is open, the road behind us is closed to high profile vehicles ... and is still closed as I write this 12+ hours later. Good thing we pushed and made it through.
As we are leaving our hotel we see a bus at the next hotel. That one is heading to our home town. :(
:(
We would have made $700 more on that trip than this one and worked 8 hours less.
I-80 was not bad this AM, not sure why it had been shut down last night. Only a couple of places where it was hard packed and they were only for a few feet. The wind was not bad with a dry road.
I-25 is where the wind was a cross wind so I could feel it more but no advisories here either.
1st stop was the Petro in Johnson Corner. It was supposed to be a few exits sooner at a rest area but there was not a blue arrow for the exit so both BB and I missed it. I saw the 'rest area 3 miles' sign and then I saw the rest area to the right after I missed the exit. BB had told me the rest area was AT the exit last night but it wasn't clicking this AM. This was in road constructions so all the signs are not where they should be.
From here I call the drop and let them know I could be to the drop around noon, depending on the wait at the truck wash.
When I came down the ramp at the exit to the Petro I noticed there was not an entrance ramp. So we both looked to see how to get out of there. At first BB said to go past the 'no freeway access' sign but I decided to follow the highway signs. Back one mile and get on the freeway at the prior entrance.
2nd stop was the Blue Beacon at the TA in Commerce City. I come in what I think is the correct way but I see a traffic jam so I go down the first row of parking to get to the truck wash in the far corner. There is a line at the wash, but before I can pull up to the last truck BB says that is not the end of the line. Nope, there are another dozen trucks blocking parking spots waiting to turn in from the other direction. When I get to the end of the line I make a quick u-turn and park in line. Later I do straighten it out as people are having trouble getting past me.
As we wait I do see one truck that tried what I wanted to. He came from the other direction and just pulled into (the middle of the) line. The person who was next got out of his truck and walked over to him, pointed to the other trucks that have been waiting for hours. He moved.
Once we were close to the front of the line I did talk to another driver a bit. When he saw the line this AM he thought it would be a quick day (???) I guess the line is some days longer than this. But it sounds like it is taking a lot longer for each truck today than usual. After I had talked to him a bit I asked if he was local. He was. Then I asked about the chain laws. Those laws just changed the first of this year. That explains why I hadn't heard about them before BB read them to me.
I started getting light headed so I had a Pop Tart that had been in my bag a few months. Pretty small pieces.
The bus dispatcher called while we were in line looking for the paperwork that I am to leave with the shipper. I had left it, not sure what happened to it. So as long as we were talking I said no thanks to heading right back to CA for here.
My local dispatcher emailed me to see how soon I am available. At this point I am still saying mid-March. Not sure yet what we will do the first two weeks of March.
Before I get in the wash I call the drop back, it will be closer to 3 PM when we get there, not the 12 PM I had told him earlier. Today's wait and wash takes 3-1/2 hours. A one hour wait and wash is about normal.
3rd stop - A little over an hour and we are in Colorado Springs.
First I drop BB off at the airport to pick up the rental car
Second I put in fuel and DEF at a Maverik about three miles from the drop. It is still before 3 PM so we move the luggage to the rental before heading to the drop.
Third stop is the drop. Two people come out and look at the bus. I am number five of six for this order. I forget to take pictures on the bus before I leave.
Forth stop is a SmashBurger a few miles away. I order the 'Sin City Burger,' the person knows what it is but they no longer carry it. Then she tells me the 'Classic' is close ... when she hits her little screen it shows up as 'Sin City.' :) That gal spent half the time we were there waiting for our food trying to figure out HOW the computer rang it up that way. She could not duplicate it.
As we are waiting for our food we look at the ways out of town. On my phone, the only way out of town was on a toll road. So I was looking at how to avoid toll roads and when I found it and set it. The routing was now cross country completely avoiding Denver. So that is what we took.
But I didn't do the math right, it was no longer 3 PM and this route would not get us back on the freeway until after 7 PM. Well into the dark hours. So BB decided we would be stopping in Limon on I-70 for the night.
4th stop - Comfort Inn in Limon
From I-70 to I-25 is about 75 miles of nothing. BB couldn't even find a town big enough to have a gas station. Not where I want to be after dark.
Load board
US - 543
IA - 296
Tomorrow - Not sure. There are still two trash trucks in Gothenburg heading to Dodge Center. I may call in the AM.
IF we had wanted to head back to CA, there is a truck in Denver heading back to Sacramento. That would almost be complete paid trip back to get the next bus.
IF we both fit in the trash truck, we still need to keep the rental car for two days. We can not drop anywhere in NE. There are lots of rental car places but none that will even give us a price for a one way. Des Moines is the soonest we can drop it and that is two days totaling $350+. But if we can drop in DSM, then we can pick up our car and not have to double back after dropping the trash truck.
IF we do not fit, then we will have a 3rd day on the rental car plus another 3-4 hours in time doubling back to get our car.
LOG
7:30 - Laramie WY - Comfort Inn - leave
9:15 - Campion CO - Petro - rest break
10:30 - Commerce City CO - Blue Beacon
2:00 - Commerce City CO - leave
3:30 - Colorado Springs CO - Airport - PU rental
3:45 - Colorado Springs CO - Maverik - fuel
4:00 - Colorado Springs CO - drop
4:30 - Colorado Springs CO - SmashBurger
6:00 - Limon CO - Comfort Inn