Going no where

Spending the night in Mason City IA

It's a new year and we can't really go anywhere until we have our new plate, IFTA, etc so we headed down to IA this AM after calling them to make sure they had enough that we could get ours without heading out on a trip. We could.

Once stop for fuel on the way down. Speedway because we could not make it to Albert Lea and had already passed Northfield where fuel was the cheapest.

The lot is just about empty. Two units of the kind we want where they had 100's last year.

Poor planning on someone's part. Someone wanted paperwork anchored to the back of the plate ... that was not the issue, my other company has been doing it that way for 20 years. Problem is they put it in a bag ... a big bag ... that we have to punch holes in to anchor our plate to our units ... so the paperwork bag will fill with water/rain. No reason they couldn't have used a bag 1/4 that size.

When we are done we go to Shooter's. Good food, been a while since we have been there. I couldn't eat all of mine so we took it to go and split the leftovers for our evening meal.

We want work so we are staying close.

So we drive to Osage to a cemetery. It is cold, about 32 degrees with a wind. We see an office and park next to it but it is closed. So we decide to walk the cemetery to see if by chance we find what we are looking for.

Three of the ones we are looking for, I can not find on line so that leaves only two. We walk for a while and give up and head to find restrooms. As we are driving out we see a kiosk. :) So we come back later. The names are in order and there is a map. They are both about 100 feet from the kiosk and our car.

... later at the hotel I am looking at the picture and I had taken one of the 'family stone' also. It is for 'Willson.' On the three I couldn't find, I had been looking for 'Wilson.' Now we know where to find them next time we are in town.

It's getting late(r) so we head in the direction of the hotel but stop at one more cemetery. This cemetery is about 1/10 of the size of the earlier one. We decide to do a quick walk. Then I see a map on the side of a small building. This one has all the names ... on the map, where the grave is. ??

The writing is so small that I take a video of it, row by row, so I can look at it later. When BB comes to find out what I am doing see sees the marker we are looking for. About 10 feet from where I am standing. We should have seen the family stone when we drove passed but did not.

We have been watching the load board all day, every 10 minutes or so. No pairs that work. Nothing short that works. So we head to the hotel.

1st time at the Country Inn in Mason City. Usually we are at the Quality Inn but today the rates are about the same.

Load board

US - 158

IA - 7/6

MN - 2

WI - 8

There are trips in MN and WI that would work, not great, but would work. But then we would be driving and not watching the load board. So we will likely sit at the hotel most of the AM if we don't see work. And then find more cemeteries in the PM once we need to be out.

Today was the 3rd. The last two years the shipper has dumped on the 5th and 6th ... <> 100. So we are hopeful.