2 RV's heading to Montpelier, VT

... spending the night at Walcott IA

Breakfast was ... a leftover half sandwich from last night.

Good news. My weight free fall has stopped. Losing weight isn't bad but I had no idea why. I was loosing about two pounds a month for the last four months. When I get back home we will see if it really stopped or if I just ate too much last night.

We headed out at 9 AM which was our goal ... then I realized I hadn't seen my I-pass. So I re-looked through a couple of bags before I found it. That took a few extra minutes so we were running a little late.

1st stop was the Fleet Farm for fuel. Today fuel isn't that much cheaper but it is a known, and a quick on and off.

We don't see the little calves that I saw yesterday. The pen is small so either they have been moved already or the ALL were hiding in an open field.

2nd stop is the shipper in Forest City. There are a few people there, coming or going. We go in and get our paperwork. The person who gives it to us thanks me for my comments on FaceBook. I kind of hide my face and then have to admit that I am no longer on the group.

As we are heading to get our RV's we see someone bringing in two more. At the time I was thinking they were lost, they should have been dropping them at the shipper. Now I am not sure, I did not look that close at them. When we were inspecting our RV's we were parked next to a truck that was bringing in two RV's. Not sure for where or why.

Today both RV's pass inspection. We spend more time looking at the insides today than the outsides. The temps are about 10 above with a stiff breeze.

Our range says we do not have enough fuel to get to our planned first fuel stop but our gauge says we do. After we drive about 10 miles I stop and call BB to make sure she has enough fuel to make it. She thinks so, and it is a gas unit so we continue.

Her low fuel light does come on before we get to the station, I still have a quarter tank.

3rd stop is the Love's in Floyd for fuel and food. We still have gift cards for the BP across the street but this makes it just one stop.

We fill and split a GodFather's personal pan pizza from the shelf.

Before we head out I call the NY bus dispatcher. They will not know anything until 3 PM. Currently most buses are going to NYC, Portland OR or CGO. Some drivers like the short trips, some like the long. The CGO buses go to those who do not care.

They do have drivers in hotels so it will depend on what buses are released. My guess is the drivers who are in the hotel are their regular drivers who want to go to NYC or PTL. I may be in luck. Dispatch does want me to call them back so I take that as a good sign I will get work.

As soon as I hang up I realize something she has said, the shipper wants the buses picked up the same day or early morning the next day. We will not be delivering until mid-day Monday. So I call back, that doesn't change anything on her end ... I'm guessing she is short of drivers.

4th stop is the Casey's in Central Point. Plan had been to stop in Cedar Rapids but dispatch wanted a call back at 4:30 and it is already 4:45 when I call. Dispatch still doesn't know anything, no word from the shipper yet. No problem, I will call on Monday after we deliver.

BB and I had gone back and forth of where to stop, we had settled on Cedar Rapids ... until we needed to stop at 4:30.

We did quick math to see where to stop for the night. We are short daylight to make it past Davenport. Another half hour would have made the difference but we were not thinking about that this AM at home. The hotel in Walcott is a lot cheaper than Davenport and only a half hour difference so we stop there. Also the food is better.

Oh yeah. I made one guys day today. I was trying to pass a truck when the truck sped up. As soon as the truck in the right lane sped up the truck behind me got over behind him before I had a chance to get back over. So that truck went past me and a car that had already been there.

So I put on my signal in plenty of time to get over, but there was one pickup who was way back when I turned my signal on, but he must have sped up when he saw my signal and came up on me fast. I tried to still get over but he wouldn't let me so I pulled back into the left lane. When he could get past he blew his horn and flew his bird for as long as I could see him.

5th and final stop was the Comfort Inn in Walcott. The only thing in the parking lot is a semi tractor in a car spot, no cars. So our usual spot is open. We do notice that there are a lot of travel trailers in the truck parking area. When we get out of our RV's we feel why, we have had a stiff tailwind today.

BB tries to order food online from Grandma's next door. She can't do my chicken sandwich so I order my Philly instead. Then she can't do her sandwich so she goes with a chicken sandwich instead.

When we go to get our food we are freezing before we are halfway there and coming back we will be walking into the wind. Our food is ready so it is a quick in and out. As soon as we are out of the building BB says the bag feels light, like it is empty.

When we get back to the room, the containers are not empty, but they do not include any of our sides. And BB's guacamole and chicken sandwich is missing the guacamole. My Philly is good but way too much seasoning. Next time we will be checking our bag before we leave.

Load board

US - 536

IA - 332/326

Yesterday there had been an RV in IN that would have worked with the CGO bus trip. Get a local rental car in CGO, go back to IN and pick up the RV and drop the rental. But that is gone.

Now there is a tanker truck in MA coming back to MN or a 'tractor' in OH coming back. We will see what Monday brings.

We have tomorrow planned. We know where the cheap fuel is and where our last fuel stop should be. Once we get to CGO before noon we will be on toll roads until late Sunday. We have added more money to our toll pass account.

LOG

9:15 - St Paul MN - leave

10:15 - Owattona MN - Fleet Farm - fuel

11:45 - Forest City IA - PU RV's

12:30 - Forest City IA - leave

1:30 - Floyd IA - Loves/Godfather's - fuel and food

3:45 - Center Point IA - Casey's - break

5:30 - Walcott IA - Comfort Inn

6:30 - Walcott IA - Grandma's 

OUCH - I just realized that either I did not do a safety meeting or the computer did not accept it. Either way I am out $200-$300.