1 dump truck to Topeka KS (delivered)

... spending the night at home

This didn't happen this AM but a couple of mornings ago ... I was unplugging my phone charger in the hotel room and dropped the charger on my phone ... prongs down. So now my smart phone has a shattered screen.

Today. Breakfast was out of eggs, but other than that it was OK.

We are ready to roll at 7:30. We have decided to do the toll route even though it is a pain at the toll booths. I have to open the door to get my ticket, but when we leave the toll road there is a REAL PERSON to take my ticket. $2.

Easy half hour route today with only a half dozen turns. I do turn once where I shouldn't have as I never looked at the drop location. But I corrected it at the next turn so we just went around the long side of the block instead of the short side.

The person who gets to sign is outside on his phone so no real waiting. He is ready by the time I get my things out and I only got a couple of pictures taken. Somehow ... the other truck got here last night. It was still at the shipper Tuesday night but somehow was '3 hours ahead of you' yesterday. The math doesn't work and we spent lots of time trying to figure it out.

I'm cleared and ready to go.

Of the two best trips on the load board this AM, one was a tractor so I didn't ask about it. The other said it was a box truck but I called and dispatch referred to it as a tractor. And it only paid half as much as we were willing to do it for. IF we decided we wanted to do it. So no.

So when there was nothing new on the load board, I called local dispatch that I did this truck for. They have one in Omaha ... but as we talk, they realize they do not have enough info on it, they are waiting on something and say it is a 'no' for today.

We chance it and go via Omaha just in case things change. It is 30 miles further and is a route we have only been on once or twice. Via the back roads of KS and NE.

We stop once at a Casey's to use the restroom as there are not rest area's.

Then we stop in Council Bluffs at McAllister's for food. Food was good, but the help? There was one 'boss' (?) that was wondering around with a clipboard while there was a line of people waiting to be served. Someone else was sitting in their office.

When our food came up, it was on plates and the server tried to find who it was for. They didn't hear me when I tried to get there attention. When the server told the person at the register that they couldn't find the table ... the register person said "It's not that hard" and grabbed out food and went around the tables again.

... FINALLY I got their attention. Took a few extra minutes.

Should have gotten fuel in NE where it was cheaper. When I realized we would not make Des Moines, BB looked at fuel prices and the cheapest was going to be the Loves at the next exit. So we stop again within a half hour.

The Avoca Flying J location now was flashing WENDY's on their screen. I looked on two websites and they have not been updated. It used to be Taco John and American Pie and sometimes a Maid Rite but that was never listed anywhere. Some days open, some days not. It is still listed as being open on the Maid Rite web site.

We stop again at the rest area on I-35 by Ankeny and then again by Owatonna.

We did see four RV's on the load board today at different times. Nothing short enough that it would work for us. There was a local rental truck move that would have worked if we were in town. And there had been two trash trucks going to IA that would have worked, but were gone before we jumped. Once it got to be later afternoon, BB just wanted to keep heading home. But that doesn't stop her from looking at the load board every few mintues.

When we go through road construction by Faribault, there is a car on the side of the road with it's left mirror missing and the side window broken. Either they sideswiped someone or it was road rage. If the mirror is what broke their window, then they did the hitting. Otherwise the mirror would have broken forward.

We stop before we get home at the grocery store for the basics and then at Zupas for food. And then home.

Load board

US - 92

IA - 1

MN - 1

WI - 5

We were out five days so we don't need to work tomorrow. If someone calls, or something really short shows up on the load board we might work. Otherwise we will try to leave out again on Sunday or Monday.

Next week is the week I commit to the local carrier, last week of every quarter. Then the following week we have two days before we head to Nashville. Originally we had hoped to get a pair of RV's heading that way. Not very likely with as slow as it has been now.