2 RV to CA - Davis and Vacaville

... spending the night at Larmie WY

Breakfast - Last time we were here I think it was grab and go, paper bagged. Because they are re-doing this hotel. The breakfast area is done, but it is still just biscuits and gravy for hot food. So I had yogurt. When I was done, I realized that when they had cut the cartons apart they had cut open my container. 12 hours later and I'm still alive.

For a few minutes this AM I was confused. I don't have any numbers set up in my phone and no access to voicemails so I was looking at my call log to see if I had missed anything important. I see one number has called including after I thought we had gone to bed. After Googling the number and talking to BB I finally realized ... it's my new flip phone, I've been calling myself :)

A BUS. A La Crosse bus ! Is sitting in our parking lot this AM. It is #1 (1701) so likely the first one of this batch :)

... later in the day the only bus driver I keep in contact with posts a picture of that bus. We had been at the same hotel. We have never met but message often.

When I start my RV, the 'landing gear' has dropped. So I need to retract that. I've done it before so not an issue. Just a couple of minutes. But then I notice the 'release parking brake' light is on. For a moment I'm wondering if that is why my mileage is so bad. I run into get a hotel receipt and when I come back the light is off.

Before we got to our first stop, we meet a bus going to Augusta GA. Going I-80 adds over 200 miles to the trip. And, this is unusual. BB also so a bus at a rest area that I missed. Not often that happens. But she didn't notice any markings on it so not sure where that one was going.

I'd like to get a bus to La Crosse or Des Moines but we'd either have to hustle or sit. The earliest we'd pick up is Monday and then have less than four days to get 1,800-2,000 miles to get it delivered before the long holiday weekend.

We also saw a couple of RV's in transit running together. Then we saw one alone at the rest area, parked crossways in front of the building. Later we past the other one. Someone must have needed an urgent stop.

I stop for fuel and fuel at the truck islands, BB doesn't need fuel yet.

2nd stop is at a Runza for lunch. BB had thought she had found something she liked last time but it must have been from their limited run items. Me too. But she got a burger and I got a runza and both were good. It is almost in the parking lot of the shipper where I've picked up trash trucks. Only saw one out back, none where the done ones go.

Now it's BB turn to stop for fuel. This time in Ogallala at WalMart. Cheapest as usual. Last time we were here they must have been short staffed as the fuel building was not open. Today it was again.

While BB is fueling, I call the place I bought my used phone. Yes, they will take it back, not sure how much I will lose but one less thing to think about for now.

We saw the two RV transporters running together again. Actually stopped at Wendy's.

I'm not making the mileage that I thought I would. Every time I fill the tank I have a range of 285. It hasn't changed in the first almost 900 miles. Usually it increases a little each fill.

Then another stop for fuel for me. This time we stop at Maverick as fuel HAD been cheaper here. But it has gone up $.10 since this AM and is no longer cheaper, but not enough more that I want to drive across the freeway to save less than a dollar.

Out of (almost) no where, it starts to rain. And dump. I finally loose BB so I pull off at an exit. Just as I'm pulling off it sounds like a few pieces of hail. Or very large drops.

Once BB catches up, she looks at the radar and the storm is mostly past us. We head out. About two miles down the road I see snow on the shoulder but not really anywhere else. And lots of ponds.

When we pull into the scale/POE, the first thing BB says is "Did you see all the HAIL on the shoulder." That hadn't crossed my mind. It was about three inches deep. That would have done some damage to our RV's if we had been just a few more miles down the road.

We get our permits, but this area is remote so we can't make a hotel reservation.

We get to Laramie and park at the truckstop and walk across for Mexican. They ask if I want red or green sauce on my food. When we ask, they say neither is hot. My lips were burning the whole meal. Got the food down, hope I can sleep and it isn't too much for my stomach.

Then we take the city streets to the hotel. There is one that is blacktop, the rest are dirt. We take the blacktop one. When we check in, the clerk is on the phone telling someone how to get to the hotel. The bridge at this exit is gone. If we hadn't eaten first we would have had issues. It sounds like a few guest have gone past to the next exit ... 25 mile done the road. And back. 50 miles, one hour.

We will have to deal with it in the AM but it will only be a couple of extra miles for us. I've decided not to stop for fuel until our next stop. BB will stop before we leave town. Loves at that exit is $.25 less so it is worth it (or no one would stop)

Tonight looks much better than most of the day but we still can't see the hills because of the smoke so we don't take a walk. BB has an issue walking here anyways because of the elevation. That plus the smoke would not be good.

BB saw somewhere that visability was about a mile today. I took a few pictures while driving. Camera, not phone.

Loadboard

US - 182

IA - 12/11

MN - 13

WI - 6

Tomorrow is another day of shorter miles between stops because of fuel, fuel prices. We do plan on getting to Wendover. Not sure about after that. We had planned on Rocklin CA but being the weekend the price is almost $200 per night for Saturday.

Tomorrow we do need to call the drops, call for permits, call my bus dispatcher.