2 RV's to Tampa FL
... spending the night at Cedar Falls IA
We are up and watching the load board at 8 AM. And we watch them drop, one at a time. Until finally they are all gone.
Sometime about 9 AM the RV dispatcher calls us. At our last safety meeting they had forgotten to get company t-shirts for us so we had all written our names down. Dispatch had come across the list and couldn't remember if they had ever sent them.
... and while talking, I ask if they have a full lot of RV's waiting to be put on the load board. 'No, but we MAY have some going to a show.' They were supposed to have already shipped but were not ready when they should have been.
BB and I had been talking about just renting a car and heading south if there was no work. And we had looked at taking one of the trips and then getting a car from there to head south. If we don't get out of town today, it could be another week before the weather is good enough that we want to leave.
So after more talk, we decide to take our car and head in the direction of the RV's ... if they put out anything in the next four hours we will still be closer than we are now.
As we are just about ready to go, BB asks why I look so confused ... 'because I feel like I'm forgetting something.'
We pull out about 10 AM, fuel and the closest station and head out.
... about 20 miles later, I glance down at the center console in the car ... I forgot my phone. So we head back home ...
So at about 11 AM we are heading out ... again. Just before we got back to my phone, someone had called. So I call them back. Local dispatch, they have work for me today. Sorry, we have <> committed to something else already. (I need to change the name on that phone number to 'Various.' They are going through dispatchers more often than I am driving for them)
About noon we get a call from dispatch. 'Do you still want to work? How soon can you be here?' ... we are already on our way. BB's RV is already at the lot, mine should be within the hour.
First stop is in Albert Lea for food at Wendy's.
Before we get to the shipper, BB gets notice of her paperwork and her advance on the trip.
2nd stop is the shipper. BB's gets her actual paperwork but 'mine has an issue.' We both inspect BB's ... and then she realizes the RV has died ... or she shut it off, which she usually does not do. So she restarts ... it runs, and then dies. Sometimes it runs for seconds, other times it runs for 10 minutes. Finally after about a half dozen times, it won't start. Time to let dispatch know.
We need to take all of our stuff out of the RV, it is going back to the shop.
About an hour and a half after we first got there, dispatch says they have two RV's for us. So we get the keys and go out to inspect. Hmmm ...
BB's RV was sitting there when we got here. It was one of only two in that part of the lot. Mine was also sitting there, right next to BB's first RV ... it was the same one. It had the show sticker mostly ripped off the window.
By the time we are done inspecting, our paperwork is ready to go. By that time, two other drivers have come and gone with their RV's.
As we were sitting in the office earlier waiting for paperwork, BB could hear the dispatchers calling drivers for still more RV's going to this show. So they did really need drivers, it wasn't JUST that dispatch happened to call us for something else.
We did ask when they wanted these delivered ... Friday (!?!?) That's 750 miles a day depending on what time we were going to get out of here today ... or Saturday and they will blame it on the weather. But once we heard that there were going to be more drivers leaving 'sometime tomorrow' I was less worried about not making it on Friday. We think / thought we could be there by noon on Saturday. And now we lost an hour plus at the shipper (plus the hour we lost going back to get my phone)
At 3:30 we finally pull out. Last light is before 5:30 so we have less than two hours drive time today. That doesn't put much of a dent in the miles.
For the last few years, since BB's eye surgery, it has been mostly me that hasn't wanted to drive at night. My reasons are because of the people I know that have killed someone or had major crashes driving at night. And maybe a little of the claustrophobic thing. I like to be able to see a mile in every direction when I drive.
But just recently again, BB seems to be really spooked about driving at night again. So we will be driving even less after dark than before.
Today we both have almost a full tank of fuel so no fuel stop needed today. And more money in our pockets.
It is dark before we get to the hotel and we have never been to this hotel before ... and I never looked it up to see the exit number or street name. Last light is about 10 minutes before we get off the freeway. I guess ... and guess right. No hotel sign before the exit but the hotel is right at the bottom of the ramp but we couldn't see it before the exit.
Country Inn in Cedar Falls. $20 less than the Comfort Inn tonight.
Food is left overs from last night. Lien Chin's. Temps have been below freezing all day and we kept the food either in the trunk or in the lower storage on the RV.
Load board
US - 99
IA - 1/0
MN - 1
WI - 3
We have tomorrow all mapped out. This time of the year it is hard to get more than 500 miles during daylight hours. But we should be in KY tomorrow night and in GA on Friday night. That would leave about 300 miles for Saturday. Not sure if it will be before noon.
BB is looking at the weather and it is supposed to be below -0- in KY on Sunday. It looks like it will be in the 60's-low 70's in FL WHILE we are there. This Friday before we get there it should be almost 80 degrees.