2 RV's to Greer SC (delivered)

... spending the night at Knoxville TN

We are back to eating three meals a day. That starts with breakfast before we hit the road so we have been up since 5:30 eastern. Early, for us. It is the first time we have seen a sunrise in a while.

1st stop is back across the street at the Loves for fuel. Neither of us have enough (current) range to make it to the drop. So we decide to put in five gallons each.

2nd stop was the Dandridge rest area. Sometimes we park with the trucks, other times the cars. Today I decided the trucks, not realizing that there was also truck parking next to the car parking because the rest area sign didn't list that.

As we are pulling in, there is a car trying to come out the truck entrance. Hopefully to get to the car area and not the freeway because they'd be going the wrong way. This lot was full, we had to wait for a truck to pull out so we could park. Luckily someone was walking to their truck and moved right away as we were blocking the path between the two rows of trucks.

3rd stop is the rest area/welcome center in SC. Landrum.

Not sure I've seen this before. First I noticed that highway crew trucks were parked in both on-coming lanes. Then I realized that there was no traffic coming. A few miles down the road we see two cop cars pacing the traffic at about one mile per hour. And traffic was backed up for miles so they had been doing it for a while. Not sure why.

4th stop was final fuel at the Spinx in Greer. I arrive with a range of 117 miles. I likely would not have need to add any fuel, for sure not the five gallons. We need to find a station near Dandridge instead of the rest area. So that was $20+ we didn't need to spend.

BB parks her RV and I bring her to the airport and go to the drop. It is lunch time so we have to wait. BB is there before they are ready to start inspecting. Today BB wants to sit inside, I don't think we have done that here before in all the times we've been here. It is raining a little as I walk back to the Spinx.

I do get slightingly winded doing the walk. I'm on a mission so I am likely walking faster and there is a short 12 (?) incline up to the roadway. It takes me about 15 minutes to walk it and then another five to drive back to the RV's.

They are done inspecting mine when I get back and done with BB's a few minutes later.

5th stop is at the Schlotzsky's in Greer, wrong direction from home be we aren't in a hurry, yet. Good food, sandwiches, soup and cookies :) There was someone curled up sleeping on the chairs outdoors but not right outside our window ... six feet or so from our window. Not sure the why, they never moved in the half hour we were there, other than breathing.

Work. The best trip from here is NC to MI. It would likely add two days to our trip home and not that much money. We come to this area because of the work but it doesn't pan out very often.

We are also looking at trips out of IN but with those shorter trips, they add enough time that the first $200 of the trip needs to go to an extra day rental car and hotel. By then we are almost doing the trip for free.

There are also two trucks from Bagley MN to the cities that would work once we get home ... if they are still there and IF the weather is good.

But for now we head in the direction of home. AFTER we pass a truckstop, BB asks where we are because she wants to use the restroom before we get to the traffic backup. Coming down this AM we barely slowed down. Heading back we will likely hit an hour or so backup.

6th stop is the Pilot in Waynesville. We are already into the backup before we get to the exit.

After we are past the slowdown, traffic is still supposed to be 50 mph for trucks and 55 mph for cars. No trucks in the passing lane. It has been that way for years. I go the speed limit. Some truck comes right up on me and starts flashing his bright's at me. I'm not going to break the law so he can break the law more than he already is so I just leave my cruse set. I don't speed up or slow down.

He does this a few dozen times. Finally another semi passes me, the one behind me hits the high beams one more time and goes around me. No other issue. Doesn't blow his horn, doesn't cut me off.

I do move out of a trucks way some times if we are going under the speed limit and it is easier for them to pass us on the right. That is different, here he was already speeding and so was I.

7th and final stop is a Comfort Inn east of Knoxville. Food is from the Mexican place in the parking lot. Tonight they give us cheese dip instead of the bean dip we ordered. Not a big deal, just wrong.

As we were checking in tonight there was someone else checking in at the same time with the other desk clerk. The guest had a dog so BB was far away. She was afraid the person would want to get on the elevator with us but the clerks were asking questions about the dog and that slowed them down enough. I had felt the dog sniffing up and down my legs the whole time I was checking in. I didn't say anything or even look at the do and the owner never called it off.

Load board

US - 260

IA - 16/14

MN - 5

WI - 8

Tomorrow we drive. And watch the load board and the weather and do the math.