2 RV's heading to Montpelier, VT (delivered)

1 RV heading to Elkhart IN (Tuesday)

... spending the night at Latham NY

More later (again)

I was waiting for a CGO bus out of NY today but all they got were 4 NYC buses. I had also called on a tanker from MA to MN but after talking to the shipper I found out it was a cabover. My plan was to take the tanker if no buses showed up by 4 PM but someone else took the tanker around noon today. I'm not really sad as I do not like driving cabovers more than 500 miles because of the ride and this one because BB would have had to follow me as there would not be enough room for our luggage (unless we bungeed them to the top of the cab.) The pay would have been good on a 1,000 trip going right past our house.

(the rest is mostly written three days later)

Breakfast - I do not remember.

We pull out at 6:30 AM. BB will head solo to Burlington to pick up the rental car. I head a block down the road to the only gas station the right direction that I have seen. I put in a little more than I think I need so I do not need to stop again.

Then after I am getting closer to the edge of town, there is cheaper fuel. But I only put in two gallons so not a big deal.

There is only three highway numbers to remember today and they are all well marked. The roads are typical back roads in the northeast. A lot of the way I am driving ten miles under the speed limit and most of route was a no passing zone. I did have one car who followed me most of the way and often it was going slower than I was but it would catch up again.

When I get off the freeway I have one more turn and I head east instead of west. As soon as my compass kicks in I realize I have gone the wrong direction, but nowhere to turn around for a mile plus.

And then when I come back I do not see a highway heading where I want to go. I guess and when I look in my rear view I see the highway sign that makes it look like I am on the right road ... but a mile down the road I see a dead end ahead sign.

I guess again and end up on a road that only goes to the freeway and no place to turn around. I'm good. I know the next exit should be US 2 and that is the same street my drop is on.

Interesting town. I am on a US highway a couple of blocks from the state capital and the road like an abandoned road full of chuck holes.

I keep heading in the correct direction. I know the gas station is just past a round-about. But it is now a Mobil not an Exxon, but it is the only station close.

2nd stop - Mobil for final fuel.

3rd stop - the drop. The directions say to stop at a remote location so I did. But they say I need to go to the actual address. It is just another mile down the road. I pull in the 'wrong' driveway and wind my way around the RV's. The area has been kind of plowed but still lots of snow.

It took a few minutes for the correct person to come out and look at my RV and the only thing they seemed interested in was how I was going to get out of this place.

Once I asked if I was needed by the RV I went inside and waited. No cell service up here but their WiFi code is printed on the wall. BB had text me once she had gotten the car so I had an idea about what time she would get there. When my paperwork was signed I waited. Not enough time to dig out my computer and work.

As soon as BB gets there we head back to Burlington. It is about 45 minutes back via freeway.

I had emailed MN dispatch about the truck in MA going back to MN. I didn't have any cell service while I was waiting for BB. They had replied with the pay and the phone number of the shipper so I could call and ask any more questions.

4th stop - the Burlington airport - So as I waited for BB in Burlington I called the shipper. The rattled off a whole lot of things about the truck. All I wanted to know was what year and what style it was. The year was either a 2020 or 2021, not an issue. But the style was a cabover. Those have enough room for a non-large person to sit on each side of the center console. Other than that, this truck had one four foot tool box. And we have two suite cases and four bags. BB would have to follow. (And my limit on cab overs is 500 miles, this trip is 1,400 miles) ... but the pay is good.

Then I call the NY bus dispatcher. They want me to stay and will pay. We talk but I do not commit.

We head back to the drop and BB now knows where everything is.

5th stop is the same fuel place I stopped at.

6th stop is the drop, again. This time it took a lot less time to look at hers so we were in and out, as soon as he got back from lunch.

7th stop was a deli in Montpelier. We ordered from the car, picked up our food and ate in the car. I had told the bus dispatcher that I would wait until 5 PM today. But I called back at 3 PM and all they had seen today was four NYC buses. They still want me to stay but I say that I am leaving, but that they can call me the rest of today. We will be heading SW and not really getting any further from the shipper for the next couple of hours.

While we have been waiting, the MA to MN trip was taken. We are deadheading home after things looked so good. An OH to MN trip is also now gone.

We head back the same route that I had taken this AM. The road seems much better traveling in a car instead of an RV, even if it was a smaller RV.

8th stop is a gas station in Bethel for the rest room. And I want a cookie :) I had seen the 'deli' sign when I went through this AM so I am looking to see what they have. Which also means I am looking beyond the shelves. And I see a pan of cookies cooling. Then when I go to the counter I see they have one (old) cookie left, so I get it.

Now that there are two of us we remember where things are in this town. BB's aunt lives here and we have stayed at a BB and eaten various places in town.

8th stop was in Killington on the side of the road. There is now an RV in NY going to IN. Not many miles but it is right on the way, so I call and grab it tonight so I can print the paperwork tonight from the hotel.

9th stop is back in Rutland for fuel at a Shell. If we had looked another two blocks down the street we would have seen it was another 10 cents cheaper.

Right across the street from the hotel we stayed at last night was the VT state fair grounds. Not much bigger than some of our county fair grounds.

10th and final stop was the Ascend hotel in Latham. A lot of Ascend  hotels are resort style, this was is just quaint ... and old. Part of the reason BB picked it was because it had food onsite. But when we get there we find out it is closed on Mondays ... today.

We sent too much time again deciding which food we wanted. We had talked about it a couple of times before the hotel but decided nothing. Now we talk about it more, finally we decide to get Italian. I'll have the meal, BB will have the salad. It ends up being way more food than we wanted or needed.

Tired hotel but one thing interesting, the shower has the controls on the other end from the shower head, I like that.

When I tried to print my paperwork, first I have issues logging in to my 'ghost' account. Once I do log in and print my pages out I can not get the computer to forget my info. It wants to keep me logged in like it has done for others.

Load board

US - 550

IA - 342/337

Plan is to pick up this last RV tomorrow around noon and drop it Wednesday AM. As of right now, there is a truck nine miles from the drop going to Rhinelander WI that may pay.

LOG

6:30 - Rutland VT - Comfort Inn - leave hotel

6:45 - Rutland VT - Mobil - fuel

8:15 - E Montpelier VT - Mobil - fuel

8:30 - E Montpelier VT - drop

10:30 - Burlington VT - Airport - pick up stashed RV

12:15 - E Montpelier VT - drop 2nd RV

12:30 - E Montpelier VT - Wayside Restaurant

2:30 - Bethel VT - Irving

3:00 - Killington VT - phone calls

3:30 - Rutland VT - Shell - fuel

5:30 - Latham NY - Accend hotel

6: 00 - Cohoes NY - NY Style Pizza