1 dump truck to Topeka KS

... spending the night in Lawrence KS

Breakfast here is so-so. It is not the reason we stay here.

Pulling out of the hotel before has always been with the car, and we can't take a left onto the street so I go up and make a big u-turn by cutting through the Fleet Farm parking lot. Didn't want to do that this AM so BB looked and there is a round-about one street down, so that is what I did this AM.

Last night when we were leaving the hotel, I hadn't hugged the stop sign close enough I guess. Someone started to come up on my right side ... even though right is the only way we can go.

I have enough fuel to get to Albert Lea for sure and if I still feel safe, I will keep going to Clear Lake.

Clear Lake it is. Low fuel light comes on as I am pulling up to the pump. We had debated how much to put in ... 30 gallons was our high number and then I decided to put in 35. At 10 mpg, this plus the 10 gallons last night should get us close to the drop.

It didn't.

While I am in Clear Lake, I call my drop. 4 PM is close time, no later.

Before I get to Eagleville MO, I am down below the 1/4 mark on the gauge so I pull in to fuel at Loves. All islands are full. I finally pick one where I can at least see the guy is fueling, and putting DEF in and washing his windows (? and his truck)

The trucks on either side of me are not fueling at any time I am there, once I am done fueling, I notice the driver to the right of me is in his cab ... eating his sandwich ... with a line of trucks behind him. Never did see anyone in the truck to the left of me.

I put in another 30 gallons. It seems I am getting closer to 7.5 mpg. And I am almost on 'E' for DEF. While I am there I grab a roller-bite to eat before I get going again. BB texts me that she has left. She saw me parked in the lot when she got here and thought I was in getting food. No, I was waiting for an opening to fuel.

So BB pulls off at one of the next exits to let me get ahead of her again.

No traffic issues. The ride is not too rough, I have more head room and the seat is a better ride.

I get to the wash without directions. I know it is near the Flying J but I can not see it from the freeway ... or the side street, only when I get on the second side street do I see it. It was the only direction I couldn't see from the freeway.

There are six trucks ahead of me with two bays open.

BB pulls in seconds behind me.

They spend plenty of time doing the wash, I just want the receipt.

If there had been no-one at the wash, we might have made delivery today. It took an hour at the wash and likely at least a half hour out of route to and from the wash. We get to the hotel at 4 PM, the drop is another half hour down the road.

The GPS and maps had a lot of ways to get out of the truck wash. They didn't make sense so we did our own. The wash is just off Front St so we just stayed on that a few miles until we got to the freeway. Easy.

A few blocks down the street and BB is honking at me and waving for me to pull over. One of the chains to hold the dump gate open (or closed) is swinging. She didn't realize it, but I have re-anchored them at every stop. But now we are where traffic is closer together so it could hit something now. I re-anchor it again.

Leaving KC, I notice some branches on the freeway. Someone else who was jumping from one lane to the other did not see them and hit one of the larger ones so that it flung at BB's car. When we got to the hotel, BB looked the car over good but can not find any damage.

Toll roads are a pain now that there are not people to take the cash anymore. I can't reach the machine from the car or truck so I have to half get out of my unit to pay.

Loves ... the truck stop ... is taking over the oasis on both the KS and OK turnpikes. Interesting.

After we are in the hotel, we find three deli's. This is a college town so lots of fast food places. We end up at Jason's. Chicken salad and chicken pot pie.

Load board

US - 113

IA - 1

MN - 4

WI - 3

All the great trips from last night are gone. CO-MN, IL-CA. We are not sure what we will do yet. There is a KC to STL that would work but it doesn't get us closer to home and there is no work at home.

BB did see two trips out of IA on one of her stops.

We are 500+ miles from home.