1 bus to Salem OR

... spending the night at Woodland CA

Close to midnight ... more later

... and now it is four days later.

Breakfast, great breakfast from the in-house breakfast. Two eggs, how you like them. Choice of meat, choice of toast, choice of juice. All included in the price of the hotel.

We have plenty of time to get to Livermore today so we don't pull out at the crack of dawn. but it was still early. The frost hadn't started melting off our windshield yet and the sun was fulling shining on it.

1st stop was just down the street at the Flying J for fuel.

2nd stop was the Walmart in Fernley for a few odds and ends. BB had suggested doing the shopping before we left Winnemucca this AM but I thought getting out of the car for an extended time would be good.

Opps, I missed a stop sign on the way into Walmart. Usually traffic coming from the street has the right of way. At this intersection they/we did not. One of the other four did, and the person there blew their horn at me. Not sure if they saw I had a FL plate or if they cared.

Lots of new snow but BB isn't much for taking pictures and I try not to when I drive unless I have my camera (not my phone) ready to go before I start. The scenic view area east of Donners Pass is still closed, from there we would have gotten some great pictures. And Donners Pass was still closed.

3rd stop was a scenic view area near Emigrant Gap. Just as I was pulling off, the Amtrak was going under the freeway. A couple of minutes earlier and it would have been an even better picture. I took a few pictures, BB did not get out of the car.

4th stop was a few miles later at Gold Run at the rest area.

5th stop was the In-n-Out in Auburn for food. Drive-thru.

6th stop was the Flying J in Lodi for fuel.

I don't remember where we were when we called dispatch. He needs me to run a bus to Oregon. Usually I would have outright declined but he sounded like he was on his death bed and also had non-health issues going on.

BB is always looking at the weather so she knows the weather in OR is not good but looks closer. BB didn't quite say she would stay in CA while I went to OR but she did not like the idea of going to OR one bit.

I finally pull over to the side of the road at an exit and call dispatch back to get out of the trip. After a long back and forth I finally agree to go as far as I can. Today is Wednesday, and as of now, it looks like we may have a break in the weather to get through with a bus on Friday and then a second break to get back through with the rental car on Monday. So this is not going to be a money making trip.

BB wanted to just get a hotel and see what happens to the weather by the AM. I prefer to always go as far as I can before shutting down. BB 'just can't see a scenario where we can deliver before that.' (She was still saying that Thursday AM when we were half way to the drop)

7th stop - We are to the shipper before 5 PM and get my bus inspected. One other driver is there, also heading up to Oregon. Said he has done it many times ... yet knows nothing about chains and permits ???

Not having chains IF required is my big issue. 15+ years ago I had been running back to back trips when the chain law kicked in. Even back then, I refused to go without chains. All five drivers that did go that week got fined $1,000+ for not having chains. On the next trip I /we had to stop and buy chains before we got to where they were required.

Here the law is different, but I don't know how they handle it.

Instead of being early, the dispatcher is an hour late. An hour we could have used, at this point we don't know if that hour will come back to bite us, yet.

8th and final stop is the Best Western in Woodland. Nice big parking lot. The food in the parking lot closes at 2:30 PM daily so we walk to the gas station. Their hot shelf food looks like it has been sitting there since noon and it is now 8 PM local. Their other shelf food doesn't look much better.

We end up going back to the hotel and buying one of their frozen meals. Boston Market, meat loaf.

Long day, and we will leave in the AM when our 10 hours is up.

Load board

US - 247

IA - 8/7