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CITY BUS TO FRESNO, CA
Friday …
last Friday.
I had told dispatch that I did not want to pick up my own
bus as it would put me very close to my hours, but later they called back and
said if I didn't go get it, I wouldn't have a run as they couldn't find anyone
else. By then I had decided I could make it with a couple of hours to spare as
I usually do not use all my 14 hours each day.
12/6/10 - Monday
6 AM dispatch
Three of us going up, plus the driver. We are
all at the lot on time and rolling. I crawl in the back of the van and try to
sleep. One little 'opps.' Dispatch had said they couldn't find any other
driver? But four of us showed up and one didn't have any paperwork so that
driver had gotten up at 5 AM for nothing.
Most of the way to our
pickup I get a call from dispatch wondering who is in the van with me …
"Everyone on the list." I said. "Who is that? I don't have a list." Was
Dispatch's reply. So even they didn't know who was supposed to have gone today.
A rather quick turn around at pickup, about a ½ hour wait. This
customer still does the party thing for Christmas. Everyone is to bring deserts
to work one day, then they have a 'family party' at a motel with Santa and
finally an adult party at a casino. Those types of party's seem to have gone
from a lot of companies.
One of the drivers has driven a while but not
on today's route so he wants to follow me. I lead but when we get to where the
signs say 'to freeway' he pulls over because I don't follow that route. The van
driver who is following him confirms my way is shorter and they're rolling.
Then dispatch calls and says that my co-driver for tomorrow has called in sick
and that they haven't found anyone for the 3rd bus so I'm running solo.
Ahhh, what was that about me having to get my own bus? When you don't
have the others covered?
I had gotten the pass card so that I could
fuel my bus yet tonight but I get back after 4:30 and am not sure there will be
anyone who can start the compressor (auto-start doesn't work) at the fuel
station and I don't want to waste my hours so I decide not to fuel. That and
I'll be running solo so I won't be fighting with other (of our) drivers for
fuel.
12/7/10 - Tuesday
Fuel doesn't open until 7 AM, so
I'm at the lot at 6:30 so I don't have to wait for the fuel gate to open. One
check engine light on but I had just checked everything so I restart the bus
and the light is off. Traffic isn't bad this AM and I'm at the pump, no line.
As expected, I have to find someone to start the compressor, but by the time I
get back to the pump there is a line on the other pump. Eight trucks fuel on
the other pump before the pressure gets up to where I bother to start mine
again. I've now been here over an hour. Last week the other driver left town
with 2,200# of pressure (settled) and I'm at 2,400# fresh filled when the pump
starts to stall. Usually we get closer to 3,000# but based on last week and an
OK from dispatch I'm rolling.
When you run the same highway every
week, there's not a lot that changes …. These buses run 5 mph more than
most and I make use of it, so it looks like I'll have extra hours to spare
…
… until I get four hours down the road and have to stop
for my ½ hour tire cooldown. WHAT??? I've used well over ½ my
fuel and I'm only half way there. PANIC! I call dispatch who just says 'take it
slow.' But won't say how low the buses can run on pressure … so far in the
last few years I've been able to keep it at above 1,000#. Finally they say that
there will be a 'low fuel light' that comes on somewhere between 300-500#s. OK,
that's a start, but you couldn't tell me that the buses will run with as little
as 300#? After an hour I do the math and find that at 50 mph I'll make it to
the next fuel stop in Kansas City with some fuel to spare. But now I'll be
running tight on hours … so that is how the next few hours went. Hours?
MPG? Fine line. If I run at 50 mph I won't make my delivery before I run out of
hours. My comment to dispatch when I called them the first time about fuel was
"So this is why I'm running alone? I'm your test pilot?" These are smaller
buses with either smaller fuel tanks or a faster burn rate.
In all my
panic I didn't move my KC map to where I can reach it, so I'll be finding the
place from memory. Didn't come to this fueling station last week because the
pump was not working. My one hour plus at the fuel stop in MSP, plus now
stopping every 50 miles to check my fuel, has put me in rush hour again in KC
… Arrgggggh.
Now another Arrggh, the fuel pump in KC is slow (but
at least it's working) another hour plus to fuel, that and the 50 mph is going
to bring me up short of Wichita. Ouch, without making Wichita, it's likely that
I will not make my delivery on Friday … I'll still have hours for Saturday
but all this is starting to add up. Once the pump slows to a complete crawl I
stop it. I could be here another hour and not get another 100# of fuel, at this
point I'm time ahead to drive slow vs putting on extra fuel.
No issues
with any scales today, and by now it's dark. While fueling I looked in the
coupon book for motels in El Dorado, KS … it is past Emporia, but not as
far as Wichita. But it's only a ½ hour from Wichita and it doesn't take
me too many miles down the road to realize the only way to make that is too
kick it down and burn too much fuel so Emporia it'll be. Guest House tonight,
Corp pricing. Because I want internet, which is NA at the Motel 6 where we
stayed last week.
I pull into the Guest House and it's missing all the
trucks that were here the last time I stayed here. There is a bunch of cars on
the end by the restaurant so maybe I'll have to try their food … next time
Tonight it is Bruffs, I park at the motel but before checking in I go to get
something to eat, don't want them closing on me. "What? You don't close until
10?" I didn't think I was that late last time. Tonight I have time, so I decide
to go check in before eating.
All the desk clerk wants to see is the
last four digits of my Corp card and they set me up, not sure why more
companies don't do that for repeat customers ??? I get the room without a door
number 'someone JUST tore it off.' (maybe) The room isn't as bad as I remember
it last time. The upholstery is split on the computer chair … and there
was something else but that was four motels ago. The room did have a microwave
and a fridge. Place was clean enough, bed comfortable. Oh yeah, the other thing
was the number gone from the door.
Bruffs, I can't remember why I
liked it so well. Or maybe the menu has changed, could be. I ended up with a
pattymelt and salad, both good, but I thought I was able to get a French Dip or
Philly, my two favorites. Salad was fresh, with 1,000 island on the side. The
place is a bar, large scream TV plus a dozen small ones. And loud, not a
'family place,' not that it was bad,, it's a real nice place, just didn't see
any kids/familys Bill was in the $10 range'
Trip Adviser - Guest House
Inn - Review
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Trip Adviser - Bruffs - Review
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
12/8/10 - Wednesday
(Now I remember why I quite doing
the write-ups before, it is now over a week later and I've been on other trips
so the mind starts to fade …
Fri, Mon, Tues, plus Fri, Sat were done
while on the trip or shortly after, but I'm writing up the Weds, Thurs a week
later and I still haven't done my TripAdvisor updates for this trip.)
Cold this AM so I do run the heat for a little bit until it gets up to 70 then
I shut it back off, at this point I'm still thinking that I need to conserve
fuel and every little bit helps. To start, I'll be checking my fuel every 50
miles. My first stop is on the toll way and there are no wide spots near the 50
mile point so I do a rare stop on the side of the road. Stopping on the freeway
is one of those things that irks me, people don't understand how dangerous it
is, how many people get killed every year while stopped. Yet we (including me
today) stop on the side of the road and talk on the cell, check maps, do
paperwork, clean out cars.
Fuel wise I'm doing good, next 50 miles
stop is at a oasis, again doing good. Pulling into OK and crossing the scale
the guy is motioning me to 'hurry up.' ?? Never seen that one before, never saw
what happened next before either. There was a guy right behind me at the scale,
he then pulls to the left so he doesn't cross the scale and then back to the
right and parks at the scale. Don't know if they flagged him in for what he did
or what. I think it was yesterday when I crossed the scale that I saw that I
was only 600# over weight so I'm not sure if I'll need to get a overweight
permit in AZ or not, we'll see.
Next exit I pull off again and fuel is
still holding so I decide I have enough to gun it, 65 mph for the next 100
miles and I'm at the OKC airport. Getting to know these stops, but still saw
something new, some of these pumps including this one have a max charge per
transaction. Usually about $50, so we need to restart the pumps a few times.
This time on the third re-start I get an 'Unknown command' response, so I try
again, same thing. So I try my debit card and it works … the first time
and then 'Unknown command' so I go back to my credit card. I do get the message
a couple more times but I just keep trying. 3,400# is my max today, I will wish
I could have the extra 200#, we sometimes get 3,600#.
I usually try to
run in the left lane in city traffic, it keeps me away from the cars/car
mirrors. Today I had either gone around someone or was still in the right lane
from stopping at the railroad crossing and someone at a bus stop noticed I
wasn't slowing down so they stuck their hand out to get my attention, when I
switched to the left lane I thought they were going to step into traffic, they
wanted me to stop. Guess it didn't matter that instead of their bus number it
said 'Out Of Service' and the bus was the wrong color and the driver wasn't
wearing a uniform, he wanted on the bus.
50 miles down the road I stop
… I've already burnt 800# but by now I've talked to another driver who has
told me the tanks are smaller, the buses get better mileage and yes, you can
run the pressure down to zero, he's done it. He was moving buses on this route
just about weekly for most of a year so he got to know them quite well. He also
told me that AZ has been citing people for not having their plates mounted on
the rear of the vehicle, and that I'd best stop at ACE and get some screws.
Today is the first time I will stop at Elk City for fuel, in the past
I've been able to make it to ABQ without this stop. I've heard it is a slow
pump and they are correct. I pump for about an hour and get 200# (PHX will do
3,000# in less than a ½ hour), but I do find out that a new pump will be
installed in two weeks, they are on-site working on it now. I give up for now
and go back to an ACE I passed on the way into town. I start looking in the
screw bins and finally ask someone, nope they are pre-packaged in the
automotive area and they work. I don't have a real fuzzy feeling about mounting
my plate with plastic screws but those are the holes, no place to use a nut and
bolts, those I already carry with me. Now I have even more hardware.
Back at the fuel stop the pressure has dropped (instead of increased) and the
pump won't even give me an ounce. The first thing dispatch tells us when we
have a slow pump is let it sit and build up pressure, doesn't work for this
one. Oh, I did call the 800 number on the pump and they said someone else had
already called so someone was on their way … in a couple of hours. Two
hours I don't have on this trip due to working Monday. I call dispatch and
after doing the math they give the OK to go. The other driver I talked too said
'no,' don't risk it, I go … I think I've got the speed/burn ratio down
now.
Back down the road I still hold the speed at 60 instead of
backing off to 50 or 55, No issues in TX, at NM I have to get a NM trip permit
then on to Santa Rosa. Even with my extra fuel stop I'm still doing OK on the
hours, but running any slower than 60 would put me in Tucmucarri for the night,
if I have to I'll run 50 tomorrow to the fill.
I've got the time and
get to Santa Rosa, yesterday I was worrying that I'd run out of hours, be
running late, not knowing where I'd have to stop for motels … now a day
later I'm back on schedule. Last time in Santa Rosa I got mad at the Motel 6
for not giving me a discount AND wanting to charge for wi-fi so I stayed at the
Budget Inn for $29. It's been a long cold day so I want something nicer. So I
park on the street and walk to motels … $59, $59, $79, $99 … blah,
back to the Motel 6.
But this guy says I don't need an AARP card, my
license shows I'm over 50 so I get the 10% off, but still have to pay for
internet. Place isn't all that bad, better bed than in Emporia and the room
seemed a little bigger. Tonight I'm back across the street at the Blue Moon, I
ask for their beef sandwich but they are out, so it's the blue corn chicken
enchiladas
Trip Adviser - Motel 6 - Review
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Trip Adviser - Blue Moon- Review
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12/9/10 - Thursday
Up … Rolling … do want to
find a better motel in this town, there are a couple more in town that I pass
plus the Super 8 on the other side of the freeway.
I still have plenty
of fuel so I kick it down to 65 for the next two hours, Those three extra hours
fueling the last two days have put me back into the rush hour in ABQ. This town
now has that same type smog as I see dropping into LA.
½ hour
fuel stop in PHX and I'm going again … forgot to have paperwork in hand in
Kansas City and again here, but I recognize the area and find it without the
map. Take a couple of pictures but nothing special, just another remote pump.
Back on the highway I start out at 65 mph, gain an extra few
minutes/miles while I can, I'm done checking the fuel every hour. The AZ scale
is my next stop, the gal at the window says to bring in my IFTA / DOT placard
when I come in … always do.
The guy ahead of me is getting an
overweight ticket … I can buy mine at the scale, I wonder why the
difference, I don't ask. He's not happy and is throwing things and starts to
walk out without his citation, he's loud enough that a big guy comes out from
another area and stands with his arms folded by his door a few feet from the
counter and watches until the guy leaves the office.
1st thing they
want to see is my IFTA, we have them covered in plastic, taped in a protective
sheet. I show her that she could feel that it's a sticker but she wants to be
able to peel it off and no, she does not have a knife or anything to cut it
open with. I finally am able to slit it open and pull it out, she peels it
back, looks at it and then goes to have someone else look at it. Comes back and
says I'm OK, but they have found that people are using color copiers and
printing their own … and sure enough, in the time I'm standing there they
catch someone. I don't see who it is but the gal at the window is first 'Got
Another One!' then comes over to the counter and says that printing their own
should be criminal, not just a fine.
Once done with that, the gal
isn't sure if I need a need a permit being only at 600# over, I do. At some
point she wants to see my registration, which is on the back of my plate …
stares at it for a long time, usually it's a two second look ??? By now there
is a half dozen people behind me.
When I had gotten to the AZ border I
had seen an escort car on the ramp and the oversized truck behind me had pulled
off, they are now at the scale and someone has come out to measure. It crosses
my mind to ask them to measure my bus but decide to leave well enough alone. My
paperwork was wrong so I guessed it at 35 feet.
I've been here a half
hour which counts as a tire cool down but I'm not ½ way to PHX yet so I
still stop at Holbrook, at McD's and pay $2 for a McRib so that I'm not
'stealing' there wireless, I'm a customer.
The permit I have for AZ
says 55 mph so that'll keep my fuel burn down. 70 miles out of Flagstaff is the
first time I notice the Flagstaff mountain today, mostly overcast but sun
shining on the tip area with the snow, no didn't take a picture.
I do
stop just south of Flagstaff at the break check area and take a picture, no
other trucks stop today, sometimes the lot is full. These units have a retarder
/engine break on them that kicks in as soon as you let off the gas pedal, very
hard to let off without the breaks coming on. Hard to control the speed when I
was trying to keep it at 55 for fuel economy but don't want it hitting the
breaks. Don't think I used the breaks at all coming down from 7,000 feet, just
the retarder. Not sure if they can get hot like other breaks but I try not to
let it break for too long.
I'm a few minutes earlier than I was on a
prior trip, when I get near 'Sunset Rest Area' the sun is just about to set,
but I'm not in the mood to stop and take pictures and the sunset isn't that
pretty so I keep rolling.
Coming into PHX in rush hour doesn't slow me
down much, only once for a few seconds does traffic slow so I'm not an
obstruction at 55 mph. Not bad today, get behind an accident and it is hours
that I don't have. I decide to try a different fuel stop today, not where the
address says but I could see it from the other one so I'm able to find it. Most
of the road on our maps from dispatch have been turned into one ways since
they've updated their software. So I make more notes to turn in, they still
haven't changed the ones I gave them six weeks ago.
I've got 15
minutes to get 12 miles, no problem. Park in my usual spot at the Travelers
Inn. I want to be near the internet and they say I'll have to be on the 3rd
floor. ??? The lot is empty, the truck parking is empty … must be a lot of
airport people???
Next door at the Ihop I was only going to order the
soup, but no. I also order a sandwich. The soup was all I needed, ended up
leaving some of the sandwich. Not because it wasn't good but because I was
full.
I do look at stops/write exit numbers down for the last leg
tomorrow before going to sleep … and take off my AZ plate so I don't
forget it. It stayed on, but one screw was loose earlier today.
Trip
Adviser - Travelers Inn- Review
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Trip Adviser - I Hop - Review
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
12/10/10 - Fri
After finally cutting an hour out of a
day and only running 13 hours, I decide to use half of that time by taking 11
hours off overnight instead of the usual 10. That will still get me delivered
by 6 pm, which was my goal based on that's when the local rental car place
closes.
The truck lot is still mostly empty, there is room for 40-50
and there is maybe a dozen. I haven't been parking in the truck area because of
how crowded it was, didn't want to risk getting hit. I just park on the far end
of the car lot under a lamp post.
There is a Days Inn by a truck stop
a few miles west of PHX (Buckeye Days Inn), I would have had time to get there
last night, I'll have to check on the price (I've checked online now, $110, so
not an option for me). I-10, I don't see much progress on the highway. I'm
starting to wonder if moving those red cones around is just 'make work' for
someone. AZ scale is closed, have never seen the exit one open, inbound is
always open when I've come past.
Colorado River looks just about dry,
not sure if it's a seasonal river? Usually at the 'produce check' station I get
waved through without stopping. The guy manning the booth today stands looking
the other direction and won't look at you until you are stopped. Then "Have a
nice day." And I was back on my way. I realized now how much later I must be
running, I don't remember coming through this station in the day light before.
Surprised to see the CA entrance scale closed, one less thing to worry
about. I turn the heat on, but it says it's already 74 degrees so it kicks to
AC instead. Not what I wanted so I shut it back off, another hour or so and
I'll have my jacket off and then the window open. No radio so I have no idea
what the temps were coming through.
From here on dispatch has given me
stops that I haven't been to before and don't give me paperwork for one that I
have been to and need to stop at. Dispatch gives us maps on these trips because
the fuel stops are not easily found and often don't have a real business
address, they are just remote un-manned locations.
Quartzite, AZ?
Seems to be a place where people can just park their motor homes, anywhere.
Lots of them parked where there doesn't seem to be services hook ups, and
others parked part ways up the hills.
1,000 palms is my first fuel
stop today (not on my list), in and out with 3,600# in about a ½ hour,
wish all the pumps were this good. Rolling again and another scale, this one is
open.
Speed is 55 mph for trucks, one of the few states that still has
a split limit. But in most cases the trucks are moving closer to 60. Almost no
wind today near 1,000 Palms, it took me a while to find any windmills moving,
then I noticed a few in one area. Not sure if they just started to move or I
didn't notice them right away. Not too much further down the road a whole
windmill farm was moving. ??? Was there that much difference in wind or were
the first farms shut off?
Because I didn't have a map for this last
fuel stop I had looked online and written down the exit number, also wrote down
the exit number for CA-210. It helps me to know how many more miles to go when
I can watch the exit numbers. The 1-1/2 hours on CA-210/I-210 were the longest
hours on this trip (so far). The lanes 'seem to be' narrower. Lots of traffic
even though it is 10 in the AM. At times there is lots of traffic, it seems to
come in batches and then open road for a while.
Finally I-5. I should
have taken the 'trucks only' route, Traffic came almost to a stop and after
that I wasn't able to get back up to speed. Once the two routes re-merge, I
merge in and out of the truck lane going up and then back down. Somewhere going
up I miss judge how fast each lane is going and get stuck in the slow lane
behind someone going 35 mph with a long line of trucks in the next lane left.
Finally a break in traffic and I pass but re-gaining speed doesn't come
quickly. Things go faster going down than going up, I don't have to use the
breaks coming down but the 'automatic engine retarder' gets quite a workout.
This one is real touchy, it's hard to let off the gas without the retarder
kicking in.
10 miles after the pass is where we are to wash these
buses, it looks like everyone is standing outside. But as I pull up, someone is
pulling in ahead of me and someone is already in the other bay so I have a
short wash. That's OK, I need to line up some work for next week and I wasn't
taking my calls going up and down the pass. I get an offer of a run but when I
ask the miles it doesn't sound like it will work, so they call back with the
run adjusted and I take the trip. One way to St Louis. Shorter than I'd like
but the math works for me, supposed to be four of us going.
Pulling in
to the wash I see a CAT scale next door at the new TA, so that's my next stop.
One weight but it takes a while to get my scale ticket. The good news is that
the guy has done them before so gets all the info on the ticket. … the bad
news, coming up.
From here I should only have about two hours until my
drop, doing a little better on time than I thought. The area looks familiar as
I was through here about two months ago. Helps as I don't have a map for my
last fuel stop.
Online it shows that the 'Greyhound' is supposed to be
next door, looks more like a cattle auction house to me. No one ahead of me so
fueling is quick, but as I read my paperwork for the fuel stop I didn't make, I
see that I was to have weighed the bus AFTER I fueled it. Hmmm. I've never
heard of there being an issue with anyone
So rather than get myself in
trouble … again. I decide to eat the $9 scale fee and weight it again
after I fuel. 160# less than when it's not full of fuel? Still need to contact
CAT on that one. Oh, and this place was clueless on how to do my weight. I tell
them when I pull on the scale what I need. They do it wrong so I have to
re-weight, so they weight it right but can't document it correctly. By now it's
the manager doing it and he says 'that's not an option on our system,' when I
tell him what I need. Oh well, once I see the 'empty' weight is more I move on.
I hadn't done an aerial view of my drop area so I miss the fact that
the street I need does not have an exit. I'll need to go to the next exit and
do the U-turn thing. By the time I'm to the drop, people are waving me in, ends
up being a dozen of them looking at it once the guys come back from their
motel. This place had said not to call so I didn't, so some of the guys had
left for their motel by the time I got there.
After about 2 hours one
guy decides that his wife is looking for him so he'll leave and give me a ride
to Amtrak. As much as I hate paying over $50 for a motel, I've finally done the
math and decided I can get an awful nice motel for $120 … which is what a
rental car plus 'cheap motel' would cost me.
We get to the station and
people are already on the platform so I know I don't have much time. I had
looked at the schedule but only remember that the train runs every hour or two
until 10 PM. Only two people ahead of me … only? That took 15 minutes and
when I got to the window and layed down my $10 and an ID, the guy gets in his
pose and says "You are NOT getting on that train."
"So, sell me a
ticket for the next one." Is my reply, it wasn't an argument that I could win.
Someone behind me says, 'Well, I guess that's the right attitude to
have." The ticket agent continues to kill time until the train leaves and then
sells me a ticket. ???
So I go and sit down for my two hour wait.
First person that comes in after I'm sitting there walks to the kiosk instead
of the agent and buys their ticket … and the ticket agent couldn't tell me
that was an option?
And a few minutes later a gal walks in and sits in
my area, then a young, 19-21, kid comes in and that sets the stage for the rest
of my night. The gal is clearly dressed for a night on the town, the kid is on
leave and heading back to WI on a bus? Somehow he got a roundtrip ticket for
$130.
First the gal is talking loudly on the phone and then starts
talking to us, she'll do most of the talking for the night. Interesting life,
but there is no way of knowing if people are telling the truth, telling stories
to get a reaction, or crazy and just talking. The warehouse grocery store
across the street didn't have any kind of deli, so I hadn't eaten … today.
I had walked over there when I got here and checked my bag at the door, no one
looked at me or asked me any questions when I grabbed my bag on the way out.
Likely won't do that again.
Now we find out that our train is running
late, they had to wait for a bus at a prior station … so they can wait two
hours for a bus but can't wait two seconds for a single passenger. Doing the
math, there must have been a whole lot of people on that bus to justify that
wait.
The train station looks like an 'original,' big block building,
one big waiting area with benchs that may have been the original. The place
used to have a restaurant/food stand on one end but that is closed. Need to get
a token for to use the restroom, not sure if you had to pay for the tokens or
not. Grocery across the street did not have public restrooms either …
Now I'm starved, and it's going to be too late to eat once I get to
Fresno. Did call ahead to make sure the hotel would come and get me, they
would. But I don't call back to see if they will still be able to two hours
later, if not I'll cab it. Dispatch had given me the bus route to get to the
airport, but both the guy who dropped me off and the gat that's been talking
have said you don't want to walk in the area of the train station …
anytime, and I'll be there closer to midnight. The gal said she does walk there
as she works in the area (now I'm wondering what kind of work?), as she's
saying this she pat's her purse and says "but then I carry a .25."
The
guy who dropped me also said this train station used to be rough but they've
tried to clean it up. I've been out a few times tonight and it seems quite
enough so when the other two decide they need food I follow. McDs is about two
blocks away but we can't see it from where we are. We start walking and catch
up to two other people, not sure if this is good or bad but soon find out they
were at the station also so we walk together … Five is better than being
alone. We end up at Burger King, we don't have to cross another street, we each
order and sit down. Single stall bathroom with no lock, set my bag in front of
the door to slow people down, it did.
The kid on leave orders a
'triple with an extra paddy.' One pound of meat, skinny as a rail. The two new
people in our 'group' are another young kid and a retired black man. The girl
keeps talking and when she starts telling about a former boyfriend who lived on
the 'south side' in LA an actual conversation starts between the two and they
stick together until she exits the train in Fresno.
One of her
comments I remember is that she doing what guys like to do "Pick up (people of
the opposite sex) with no strings attached." And that was her plan for tonight.
The black man's comment I remember was, when asked why he doesn't go
back to visit the south side … "Everyone is dead, nothing to go back for"
… from the gang violence.
We finish eating and head back to the
train station, and wait some more. Didn't see anyone else on our walk to and
from food so it seemed to now be a safe enough area. Both a northbound and
southbound train are going to be to the station at the same time so we get
orders to listen closely. I'm going northbound and we need to walk to the end
of the block, cross the tracks and wait on the bus station side … and do
it quickly as we won't be able to cross when the trains are there, they will be
blocking the access.
As I'm on the platform waiting another guy who
had been in our area talking but not talking to us comes up to me and says 'his
girlfriend' is coming in on this train. And proceeds to tell me that his 'other
two girlfriends' had dropped him when he told them he had made himself a
'fiscal ward of the state' and would not be allowed to send them anymore money.
But this one, she understands … I had places to go so I didn't stick
around to see if there was anyone on this train for him … he had never met
her, or the others before.
On the train the gal and the retired man
sit together and I grab a seat close and hear parts but not all of their
conversation for duration of our trip. The train is somewhat full, I did walk
up and back in this car looking for a seat before picking this seat. No power
so I don't dig out my laptop … not sure how many hours I've been up by now
but it's getting close to 20.
It's an hour and a half ride and a half
hour before we arrive in Frenso I call the hotel and ask for a ride. They are
still running the shuttle, whew. That's a big reason for my picking that motel.
Dozens of people get off the train in Fresno and the crowd quickly thins as the
go their ways. When it's down to a half a dozen I call the hotel again, they
are on their way. Finally I am the only one left in the area, a couple of
others are still on the platform, looks like they are waiting for the next
train which is being announced. The station doesn't look that bad, I stay
outdoors and the area is clean, I stay in the area where people are being
picked up, I could have walked the block to the ticket area but didn't feel
that unsafe.
Two in the van, maybe the second one was learning the
ropes? I check in and crash, less than eight hours before I want to be at the
airport across the street.
Trip Adviser - Holiday Inn - Review
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
12/11/10 - SAT
Up early to pay $50 and try and catch the
first flight. Airport is all of two blocks away. 10 minutes from the motel thru
the ticket area and to the security line, another 10 minutes through security.
They closed the body scan two people in front of me and I just got the old
fashioned metal detector.17 gates, not the one that the shuttle driver had said
last night. One terminal, maybe that's what they thought I meant.
But
still that only left me enough time to open my computer and they were calling
rows. No, no problem getting on this AM, it looks like the flight is about
½ full, two seats on each side, one person. But once we pulled away from
the gate we sat … I'm surprised they don't 'have to' announce why the
delay if it's over so many minutes. I was wondering how long they were going to
have the 'no smoking' icons overhead, this is the first plane that does not
have them. It has been replaced with 'Shut off all electronics.' :
Not
much to see lifting off, lots of fog but you can still see the length of the
runway. But going up it almost felt like we had stopped. Quiet and couldn't
tell we were moving, Also, there were layers of fog/clouds, and you could see
between the layers … sorry no pictures, camera is out of reach. Once above
the clouds we could see the mountain tops with the clouds coming up against
them like waves of water. Sun would be coming up in a few minutes but I decided
to doze briefly.
Closed my eyes long enough to miss the beverage cart
and had to call her back, have to have my morning juice. Did start this
write-up on the plane but my battery is down to ½ hours time before it
shuts down without warning. And the software I'm using doesn't always save, I
found that out a couple of weeks ago when the computer locked up and I lost a
couple of days write-ups.
As soon as I am off the plane at PHX I head
to my gate, once I realize where it was … I thought that I had seen my
gate number right next to us when we taxied in but no. It was in a different
wing, didn't check the time but it is quite a hike with 25# on my back.
I get to the gate and the sign still says 'loading at 9:35' which was
still a half hour away but almost no one in the area ??? Then someone comes
from the plane area and changes the sign to say 'Anchorage.' ???
I had
gotten a text from my wife saying that flights were being canceled but when I
walked up to my gate the flight information signs were not showing that update
yet. A few minutes later the info signs were updated, showing both my 9:45 AM
and the 1 PM flights had now be canceled so I found the US Air customer service
counter and got in line as I'd never been on/involved in a canceled flight.
Guess that is the proper route, they gave me a list of up coming flights and a
standby ticket for the (so far) uncanceled 4:40 flight.
An Opps (at
this point). On every flight this year I have tried to get on an earlier flight
and all have had two legs. This is the first time that the counter has
re-booked both legs, sounded good at the time. No waiting in an extra line and
I had my seat. (at this point) when I'm now at the PHX airport and my original
flight, the 4:30 hasn't been canceled, it doesn't seem like it was a good idea.
I had given up my seat on the so far un-canceled flight … can't win.
I called the driver who I was supposed to have run with on this trip
just to let him know how it was going. He is the same one that I had run with
last week and he'd been sick by Friday. When I called I found out he'd gone
into the ER Friday night with pneumonia. After I told him I'd be in PHX a while
he was just as glad he hadn't made the trip. When I had talked to dispatch, I
asked if anyone else was/would be in PHX but not as far as they knew.
I'm guessing by now it was about 10 AM and by Noon (PHX time) the MSP airport
had closed and all remaining flights had been canceled. MSP said they would
have one runway open for a ½ hour at a time before having to
reclose/reclean it. Once I confirm this with the ticket counter it's time to
move on.
When I found out the flight was canceled my first call was to
my wife, there would be no reason for her to go to the airport … as if she
could get there. My second call was to dispatch. Are there any trips anywhere
that don't involve going to/thru MSP? "Nope." Their only suggestion is to try
to get to Duluth which is north of the storm and only a couple of hours from
MSP. But the only flights to DLH go through MSP, plus one that goes through
Detroit. There is also a 'charter' style flight that flys from Las Vegas to DLH
but not today, and I'm not in LAS.
I decide to check out the Detroit
option before heading to a motel, so I catch a shuttle bus … the wrong
direction so it was a long trip. Out through the parking lots. Oh well. Been
here before so I knew one direction was from one side of the building and the
other direction on the other side but didn't see those signs when I walked out
the door.
At the Delta counter there is a line and I hang around for a
few minutes until an agent comes over and asks if they can help. All they have
is the list of flights from PHX, not flight info from DET (to DLH), but suggest
I get in line before it anymore time passes because 'a lot of people' are
already going that route. I do get in line but the 'a lot of people' comment
makes me decide against going that route. I'd rather stay in PHX than DET so
it's time to start calling hotels.
When I was at the customer service
counter they gave me a voucher for a discounted hotel rate but said that the
last one they called (for an elderly person) quoted them $51. While waiting I
checked my Corp rates and found them as low as $45, plus I know the hotel we
stay at while driving is $45 with a shuttle so I opt to not call the airline
route. I start calling the motels from the 'house phone.' Oh, yeah, I also did
not call the 'EZ 8' for $29 including shuttle. Once I'm out of my truck I seem
to want something a little more in a room.
I even try the Embassy
Suites but get put on hold and decide ??? I'm in too much of a rush ??? to
wait? Days Inn was the best price at $45, but I went for a Sleep Inn which was
about the same with my Corp pricing plus I'd be paying my extra $8 …
thinking I may get points. I called about five motels, the others were from $59
to $99. Also had thought about getting a rental car but without a place in mind
to go and see I decide against it.
Someone else from a canceled flight
had already called the hotel so the shuttle was there in a couple of minutes. I
asked if he was from the canceled flight, lucky guess, not too many people
going to the airport at 2 PM unless they are on a canceled flight.
Checkin is quick, the basics. Corp card, drivers license, credit card. Credit
card? Yes, just in case there are any extra's that can't be billed to the Corp
card. Wow, what a room. $100 room, or at least it looked like it.
One
bed, microwave, fridge … again I never turn on the TV so no comment there.
The room only has a shower, not a bath (I'm surprised they didn't ask if that
was OK) And a shower with no corners, the whole thing had rounded 'corners' so
as not to collect mildew? Pool view on the ground floor but didn't make it out
there, could/should have made use of some of these perks. Power outlets on both
desk lamps, so plenty of power. Supplies were limited to shampoo (no
conditioner) and location. I might try the cheaper Days Inn next time, but
likely will be back at the Sleep Inn again.
One of my 'computer jobs'
has asked me to do some work so now is when I have time … and hours. I
didn't dare do it inroute and have it cut into my driving hours. It ends up
taking about 2-1/2 hours, not sure who did the last updated, but it ended up
being a lot more work than I had expected. Haven't been doing much work (or
getting much pay) with the computer end. I don't charge them for phone calls
when I'm driving and there hasn't been much else. I should look, it does look
like the guy who is still paying me calls on the average of 1-2 times a day.
When I checked in I asked for the closest food, Hilton across the
street or Denny's down the street. The front desk gave me a 20% discount coupon
for the Hilton so I opt for there. I check online and decide on the Chicken
Penne. But when I walk to the hotel, I find the restaurant closed for the night
due to holiday parties but they tell me I can get the same food across the hall
at the bar. Not so, different menu. Checking now I find that I was looking at
the menu for the wrong Hilton. Ended up ordering a 'caesar wrap' with a salad.
Never had a 'ceasar' anything before so we'll see how this goes. I'm an
'iceberg lettuce' person, this salad was way too green for me but I did eat all
but the cucumber and tomato. Turns out the wrap is nothing more than a salad
the only difference seems to be the wrap instead of the croutons.
Food
was a little pricy, you could get either a grilled cheese or fish and chips for
under $10, but when I pay I find that my 20% off gets my price down under my
$10 goal and I tried something new.
Back at the motel I spend a little
more time on the computer but soon call it a night, all this waiting is hard
work. Before I go to bed I call US Air customer service, but I don't seem to be
able to get them to understand what I want to know. "How is stand by assigned,
for those of us who were on standby yesterday?" Finally they just said be to
the airport two hours before the flight.
Trip Adviser - Sleep Inn -
Review
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
Trip Adviser - Hilton Bar - Review
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
12/12/10 - SUNDAY
I'm guessing US Airway was telling
everyone '2 hours' so I decided I should get there a little before that. After
8 hours I can't sleep anymore so I decide to get going and someone already has
a shuttle set up for 6:30 AM so I get on that one, which gets me to the airport
three hours before the first flight.
At the front desk I try ask how
much the airport discount would have been, but English wasn't this persons
first language, or 2nd? And he won't give me a receipt because it's being
billed to a Corp account. I was able to get him to understand that I wouldn't
be on the 7:30 shuttle I had set up last night.
Three of us this AM in
the shuttle, it's only a few minutes ride and I'm in line … wait, no line
just a lot of people at the kiosk. One of the clerks comes up to me before I
have to wait in line and asks to help. At first they are confused, but only for
a minute. Like they momentarily forgot how to handle a delay.
Only a
couple of people ahead of me in the security line. Another 10 minutes for me to
unpack all my stuff to get through security, but no issues, just pack it all
back up. No rush today, I've got three hours and the clerk has already told me
I'm #16 in the pecking order … standby.
Sitting here (now) at the
airport I hear a couple of ladies say they spent the night in the airport. They
had thought they were on a midnight flight via Charlette but when midnight came
there was no such flight. One of the agents felt sorry for them and assigned
them a seat on the first flight out (so there were seats ??).
One of
the first stories I see on CNN this AM is that the dome in Minneapolis
collapsed and Sundays game has been changed to Monday night (it was later moved
to Detroit.) I had heard yesterday that the other team was stuck in Kansas
City.
I keep hearing … "Free WiFi, from America's friendliest
airport." Free maybe, but not very good. I was able to check emails this AM
about 6:30 but now that it has gotten crowded it usually times out before
loading a page. Yesterday Outlook would work but not so far today.
More later …
(Now it's four days later)
I was busy
working on my laptop when it finally hit me, it's almost time for them to close
the doors so I'll only have seconds if they call my name so I pack up and move
closer to the counter. All the other passengers are on the plane and I notice
another couple inching to the counter so I walked over and asked them which
numbers they were 10 and 12. So I told them "I might as well leave" … and
as I said that the agent called my name … or something close. Not very
close, in a lot of cases I would have ignored it was so far off, but not today.
I get a ticket and walk the three feet to the door … the ticket
won't scan, so one of the agents comes to the ticket to clear it. As I'm
waiting the husband gets called but now they only have one ticket left (not
sure how I got ahead of them) and he won't go without his wife (he told me they
also are on standby for Des Moines and Omaha ??) so the agent calls one more
name and I watched the lady's face, it was 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.'
She gets her ticket and boards, and I'm still waiting. Not sure what the agent
did but I got on the plane, hope they didn't get in trouble. Thank you, whoever
you are.
I have time to call my wife but forget about dispatch until I
have to have my phone off. Hope they don't give my Monday trip away before I
can call them. Oh, they 'suggested' I check my bag at the gate and I wasn't in
a position to argue so I did.
It's a three hour plus flight and we
didn't talk long but I ended up sitting next to one of the ladies who had spent
the night at the airport. The two of them had never met before, just ended up
sitting and talking the night before and at some point this lady asked the
other one when she said her flight was … 'Tomorrow night at almost
midnight.' "Are you sure? Because there is a flight yet tonight, you should at
least see if you can get on that one." The 2nd lady had been routed via
Charlotte instead of direct to MSP. They get to the correct counter and the
agent says, yes you are on tonight's flight, but "You don't want to go via
Charlotte, you'll just end up stuck there. I'll get you on the first flight to
MSP tomorrow." Then that lady said "Can you also get my friend here on that
flight?" So that's how this lady got on this flight instead of on as standby
for the day.
Interesting lady, 55, already has 22 grandkids (including
step's) and a couple of great-grandkids. A few are living with her and she's
coming to get four more to move in with her … their mom/her daughter is
real sick and her daughter will move as soon as she is well enough. This lady
and her husband have some land/lot with four, soon to be five houses and all
her grandkids will be living in one of those houses, the only child that won't
be there is her daughter who's kids she was already raising. That daughter
dropped the kids off one day and said she'd be gone a couple of days. The lady
told her that she hadn't brought any clothes for those couple of days, a while
later the lady looked out and saw a single backpack hanging on the fence near
there gate … she never saw her daughter again, and she does not have any
kind of custody so sometimes things can get 'interesting.'
Back in MSP
I find out that on US Air my bags are not going to be in the walkway when I
de-plane, it will be down in baggage claim … not good, I didn't even zip
the pockets of my backpack. Baggage claim, what a mess. Next to one baggage
carousel there are three 30-foot rows of luggage standing. Other places there
are groups cabled to support posts.
By now my wife has circled enough
times and decides to park … it's only be $3. Wrong. Wrong parking lot,
this one is $8 for about the 10 minutes it takes me to find her.
… see Trip1008_STL (next trip) for the rest of the day, it becomes the
beginning of my next trip. |
|
