1 bus to Denver CO

... spending the night at Barstow CA

We were both slept good and were awake before the alarm.

Never did get any warm water this AM, so washed my hair in cold water. Kind of like taking a cold shower. It'll wake you up.

We were down when breakfast opened but was not all set up yet. BB grabbed oatmeal and I had yogurt. This place doesn't have a juice machine and I only saw one personal sized container in the fridge.

Out the door at 6:30 local, before first light.

1st stop - the shipper. As expected, I had to move another bus to get at mine. Everything checks out good so I call for my permits. Yes, I can get both permits on the weekend. Todays call took a little longer, five minutes for two permits.

But now I have a warning light on the bus. I am supposed to call their afterhours number, but not until 9 AM on weekends. This place is actually working today. First time I have seen that in the six plus years I have been picking up here. And someone happened past so I asked which parts were open. The part I need is open so I head that way.

I don't think I have met an un-helpful person here. By the time I got to the person in charge, he asked is I was the one with the issue and named it. He had already been told I was on my way. Someone else sitting there grabbed their computer and came out to the bus.

Yup, it has an issue. Then the person looked on his phone. The last picture on his phone was of my bus ... because it had an issue and he was expecting it back :(

Another not nice thing was by the time I got back to my bus after talking to the man in charge, there were already people working on my bus ... doing things that had nothing to do with why I was there. It's like it had been dropped back in the production line. A few minutes later a 2nd person started working on something else, and then a 3rd person checking something different. ???

The person who checked my issue called the outside tech's to see if they were working today. They are not so the bus is going no where until Monday.

I let dispatch know and they say grab the next bus and change my paperwork. Which I did, but when I found security to let me go. He would not. This is another new person, not sure how long people stay with that company but usually only a couple of months if I get back that often.

I know the routine so I knew what he needed so we got by OK the first time. The second bus I found a different security person who was easy to understand ... but it was only his second day. Even he could not understand the first security person and finally walked away.

Finally I got the first security person to agree to go to the man in charge. We got there and he wanted nothing to do with either of us. Not his issue. BUT he did call the person in charge of paperwork. And that person sided with security. Nothing moves without an original copy.

... and I did not go through proper channels this AM. I should have called the breakdown line and still need to so there is a paper trail.

This bus is going no where so I park it where it was and call dispatch. Not happy. He'll make a call. Within a few minutes the first security person comes to my bus and says I am good to go. He just needs a copy with the new bus number on it and for him to take pictures of the bus I am taking.

Finally :)

... Three hours later.

I call the permit company again and get new paperwork sent. Only two digits different on the VIN but keep it legal.

BB heads off to drop the rental car ... again. She had been at the car place when I called to tell her my bus was not leaving and she had to come back.

While we were at the bus lot there was another driver I talked to that was road testing buses today and then at some point will take a bus to Las Vegas for a demo before dropping it in Norman OK. I didn't realize until later that the only buses in the lot going to Norman are electric. Not sure if we are driving those now instead of hauling them? I didn't ask. I did see the same driver later in the day on the freeway just driving around.

And just as I was pulling out, a couple came to get the two buses next to me going to Denver also. They are the same couple that we talked to last time we were here (before yesterday) Just said 'Hi' as I pulled away.

When I finally called the breakdown line, I was greeted by name. Not a good feeling when they know you by your phone number.

BB called as I was driving down the street so I had to find a place to pull over and call her back. No room to turn around in the lot today so she will walk to the strip mall and I will pick her up there. That worked fine.

2nd stop was the rest area near Westley. Less than an hour down the road but it has been a long time since we left the hotel this AM. I take the last semi spot. A few small RV's are each taking up one semi spot. They could either share or park in the car lot. Small RV's, no trailers behind them.

3rd stop was at a Baja Fresh in Coalinga at a Shell. Looks like a has been place but the food was good and way to much. Really no where to park a big unit but this place had 6-8 truck pumps and no customers. The door to the truck islands wasn't even un-locked, we had to walk around to the side. Food was good, we'd both eat there again. There was also a Subway. We were the only customer the whole half hour we were there. We were there about 1 PM on the weekend.

4th stop was Tehachapi at the Pilot for the restroom.

Bus is governed at 62 mph and does good on the hills ... until I get behind an even slower truck and then it won't get back up to speed. This is a short bus with a smaller fuel tank. Also the DEF tank is set up for 'fast fill' and I will likely need to add some before the drop. Most buses will go 2,000 miles before needing more DEF but this one is dropping fast.

Didn't see much of the homeless today in Bakersfield. The city seems to have cleaned up the places they used to hang out. Gotten rid of the brush they used to hide around or in.

Just past Bakersfield I see a Kansas City bus coming up behind me and then passes me. They must be governed at 65 mph. Then the driver pulled off at the next exit in the middle of farm country and I never saw them again. So they did have Kansas City buses and I didn't get one. That would have been more paid miles and less deadhead home ...

5th and final stop was Barstow. Not Kingman or Needles, that would have required the two plus hours we lost this AM.

First I fuel, before that I stick the tank. Almost empty. I would not have made it even half way to Kingman. That is usually my first fuel stop as fuel is cheaper in AZ. But this bus I assumed has a smaller tank. Assume because I do not have paperwork for this bus, I had to leave all the paperwork in the first bus and dispatch will send me paperwork before I get to the drop.

So I fill at the Flying J and bring it up to a half a tank. I have less than 200 miles to go to get to Kingman. I did 400 miles on this tank. (I think I will be sticking the tank again tomorrow)

Then we check into the Comfort Inn. Short bus, it only takes up four spots instead of six.

Once we are checked in, we walk across the street to Tommy's. Burgers and chili. I did get some chili. No beans in their chili, it looks more like gravy. Too spicy for me and I also had a quarter pound burger. BB would walk to In-n-Out next time. I was OK with this place, it's right across the street from the hotel. We have walked this whole section of town getting to food in the past. Just a few block area built around truckstops and an outlet mall. No houses.

Load board

US - 158

IA - 2/0

Rolling out early in the AM tomorrow. Make use of daylight.

On I-5 they have been checking for chains ever since just after we went through there on Thursday. By afternoon they were not allowing trucks northbound, with or without chains.

On I-80 over Donners Pass they were checking for chains since ... I don't remember. But by afternoon today both directions were closed.