Shortly after we left yesterday, my driver got a call from the site where we just unloaded. He forgot to give them the keys to the unit they just set in place, and they forgot to ask. Now they have it sitting on the slab, but can not get inside to secure it and finish the process. So we had to find the nearest place to park after just 52 miles, which was a truck parking area. The front car went to get a hotel, and I took the driver back to the site in my van. We handed the security guard the keys, and went back to the truck. Of course, by that time the sunset curfew was in place. So I took him to a hotel, as it was going to stay under zero for the night.
At the hotel, I made a casserole in the microwave of pulled pork, onions, and diced tomatoes with cheese on top.
Thursday, February 18, 2021
We left at sunrise, and drove just as far as Walcott to the Iowa 80 Truck Stop. I have been there many times now, and it still impresses me with it’s size. It is the largest truck stop in the world, and holds 900 trucks. After we parked, my driver unhooked and drove off to get the part for the pony motor, while I went to have my van washed.
In my opinion, it was long overdue, but the picture I took doesn’t look so bad.
I got a very good price, and they did a good job, as always. I had asked them to flip the signs up in back, but the guy said he couldn’t figure out how to do that. I got out and showed him, and before I could step away, someone turned the water on, and I got soaked! So when I paid, they guy told me he had them wax it at no charge, and charged me for a pickup instead of a van. So my total price was just $17! That’s a very good price!
Because I had to wait in line, my driver was just getting back at the trailer when I got there. My van shielded us from the wind as we repaired the pony motor. It was a very windy 8°.
We were finished by about 3:45 and both went across the street to check in at the hotel. We had supper together at the restaurant within walking distance, but it was getting cold while on our way back!
Friday, February 19, 2021
My driver wanted to get moving as soon as the sun came up, because he knew I wanted to drive home that evening. So we left at 6:45 AM, and enjoyed the frosty trees along the way through Illinois and Indiana as the temperature was rising. . .
. . .and by the time we got into Ohio, we were experiening a real heat wave! The temps were in the mid 20s ABOVE zero! And after 466 miles, we arrived at the staging lot, and it was 33°. First time I remember it being above freezing since I left home almost 7 weeks ago! And the first time I remember it being above zero in weeks! We parked it at about 3:30, and I was heading south by 4!
Annalou got home from work at about 9, and I arrived at abut 11. It was almost exactly 400 miles. Not bad, but not a commute I’d like to make every day after work! LOL She had to work all day Saturday, so I went and did laundry, did some errands, and did some maintenance on my van that I’d been putting off because it has been so cold. But a sunny 43° felt like summer to me!
Annalou has been working on getting her Elder Care business going in this area since she retired from Pilot Car last summer. It was hit and miss last fall, but has really picked up in the last few months.
In fact, she now works three jobs going – two where they like her enough to adjust their hours to accommodate her schedule. She works at one all day, and the other all night. She has 30 minutes off between jobs so she can drive across town to get there. Like the Doula jobs, she is able to sleep when the client sleeps. But there are often several days a week that she never makes it home. Fortunately, this weekend she was able to be off Friday night, Saturday night, and got a replacement for Sunday so we could go to church together.
Sunday, February 23, 2021
After church, I began packing the van, when Lara and Jeremy stopped by.
We had a short visit because Jeremy had a soccer game to referee that evening.
Annalou and I cooked supper together, and then I had to leave, and she had to go to work. It was a very short visit this time, but we always make the most of our time together, and look forward to the next chapter of our lives when we can build our tiny house, and live in it together happily ever after!
I got delayed a bit by a car fire that stopped all lanes of traffic and I had to take the small roads around it, along with many others. It was in the 40s during the night, so I found a lit parking lot and spent the rest of the night there in my van.
Monday, February 22, 2021
After a little over 3 hours of sleep, I made steak and eggs for breakfast, and met my driver at the truck just before 7:30. He had stretched the trailer out by himself Sunday so I could leave right after we arrived Friday. But the is one last step that has to be done by 2 people, so we did that, and drove over to the load site by 8. I steered him back under the crane with 4-5″ of space on each side. I didn’t have time to take pictures, because it went just like clockwork from there – Bing, Bang, Boom – and we were loaded!
I steered him out of the site, and we drove back to the staging area to put the tarps on. . .
It was about 1 PM when he unhooked and drove off to the hotel, and I left to go get some groceries.
I checked in to the hotel where he is staying, as well as the HP. It is rainy, windy, and raw, even though it is a warm 37° here. We all plan to have supper together at a restaurant nearby, and I want to go to bed early! But have homework to do, because I haven’t put the route into either of my GPS systems yet!
The plan is to leave as soon as the curfew lifts at 9 AM and our 3rd car for KY will meet us at the line at about 9:30. I wonder what the future holds for us, as we are on our way to somewhere in Texas!
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