1 Tanker to Bismarck ND

... spending the night at Alexandria MN

We are up at our usual time, that is why I told the shipper we would be there around 8 AM. We were planning on eating closer to noon today so we did eat breakfast before we left the hotel. Eggs and bacon.

We finally threw my spiced apples that we had been carrying around for the last week. We had gotten them at the Cracker Barrel. Always good, but was never hungry enough to eat them.

We get to the shipper and call in. They pick up and meet us at the gate within a couple of minutes. This person turns on the battery for me :) Now that I know where it is. I asked, they said they usually are shipping one truck a week. This one has been on the load board for a week so the next one should be just about ready. I had called to take this truck last week coming back from Greer and they wouldn't give it to me because I wouldn't also take the Portland.

By the time BB and I talked about it and decided we could do the Portland, that leg was gone and this one was still there.

Today the low fuel light is one when I pick up the truck. That kind of threw us off as I didn't want to start the truck until we were ready to pull out. We did all the inspection, paperwork and phone calls we could before starting the truck. Out of routine so I forgot to take pictures before we left the lot.

The closest, easiest station to get my truck into was back by the hotel. It was bigger, but that meant all the other trucks thought so to. I was able to get past the other trucks and get to a pump and then someone else wanted that same pump so they blocked the entrance until I was done fueling. I just put enough fuel in to get down the road into WI where fuel will be cheaper.

BB had asked me how I was going to get out of the station so I thought I could only go one way on the highway. So ... I tried to go out the back and ended up in a hotel parking lot. There was no issue getting out the way I came in, I just didn't think that was an option.

BB had planned on stopping at the oasis to get me a new I-pass but they don't open until 10 AM and she didn't want to wait an hour. I'm using hers so that is not an urgent issue.

Passing Beloit again today I was able to get a better look at what was laying on it's side. Coming from IL we could see the name on the side of the building and the unit is laying on its side. What we thought was the open side of the building was actually the bottom.

Not sure what happened. Just slide of the frame? And the driver kept going to their drop?

I got the bypass at the first WI scale today and then their 2nd one was closed.

Janesville is my WI stop for fuel. They are working on the truckstop so there is less room to pull out from the pumps and different doors to go in and out so BB didn't find me. We did talk and that may be part of the reason I forgot my receipt. So I called BB and she went back and got it for me :) This fuel gauge only shows 7/8 when the pumps stop. No idea yet what my mpg will be. On the last truck it was about 7 but this truck had 1,000+ miles on it when I picked it up. That is when they usually start getting better mileage.

Two hours would put us at lunch time and near Mauston. Log Cabin Deli. That had been our plan but then we decided that the Double Nickels Deli has better truck parking so we switched plans.

Today's special was lasagna ... with soup and chips. I was full from the soup so I only ate about 1/4th of the lasagna. Very good. If we had a way to keep it cool I would have gotten more to go. As it was we were not sure that we could keep one piece cool.

Temps toped out at 85 degrees today ... and some of the lakes are still frozen over and there is snow in the shaded areas. Saw a picture online of someone sunning themselves in a little patch of grass surrounded by snow.

Fuel is cheaper in WI so I stop again in Hudson. I do the math and try to come up short so I don't leave too much at delivery. We haven't decided how far we will go tonight so we will stop again at a rest area in an hour and a half.

Rush hour, MN style. (I prefer the open road)

If we make it to Alex, we will have our 500 miles in today. Our main brand of hotel has one location in Alex that gets 2 out of 5 stars. I've never head anything good about it. It is going to be after 6 PM when we would get there. We talk about going further but that makes for a short night. And shutting down here near St Cloud makes for a long day tomorrow.

BB is hungry so she is going to stop near St Cloud for food, I will eat leftovers later. BB sits in line for a while but it seems to be taking about five minutes per car so she decides she is not that hungry.

We had made reservations at the Best Western in Alex before leaving the rest area. I got there first, but it is later in the day and the lot is mostly full. I wasn't sure I could get between the cars to where I had planned on parking so I parked against the trees instead. So far I haven't hit them.

BB calls me before I am out of the truck, she thought I was already in the room and instead I had just gotten here.

As soon as we check in, we walk to Jimmy John's to get her a sandwich and a cookie for us to split. No microwave in our room so I have to use the one in the breakfast area to warm my lasagna. Still good ... hope I don't get sick from having it in the car all day (in a cooler)

I had called the drop from the truckstop earlier today and left a voicemail. No one got back to me so I don't know what time they are open until.

Local dispatch called but didn't leave a message. I'm not in town so I didn't call back.

1st stop - at the shipper in Elgin

2nd - at a Thornton's convenience store for fuel

3rd - TA in Janesville for more fuel

4th - Double Nickels Deli in Camp Douglas for food

5th - TA in Hudson for fuel

6th - rest area near Clearwater

7th - Best Western and Jimmy Johns in Alexandria for food and the night

Load board

US - 183

IA - 9/7

MN - 11

WI - 5

The two MN rental trips that were on their spreedsheet were gone first thing this AM. Still nothing out of IA that works for us.

BB has decided that 800 mile trips are too far for her to chase me :) We still won't be over 500 miles from home, just in opposite directions.

Tomorrow we should deliver about 2 PM and start heading home. Unless we find more work.