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MICROTEL
I've stayed here before a
couple of years ago, likely more than once.
The front desk was helpful
and polite.
The rooms are the small, along the lines of a Motel 6, but how
the rooms are kept up are more like a Holiday Inn. I see that on the corp
literature that they place the Microtel's before the Days Inn / Super 8.
Standards wise, I would agree.
Two things that did surprise me about the
room were that there seemed to be a lot of 'scuffs' / marks on the walls and
doors. No holes, no dirt just scuffs. The other was that the heater never got
the room 'hot,' with the heat cranked all the way it only got comfortable
(which is all I need.) It's just usually when I get to a motel, I crank the
heat, go eat and when I come back the room is toasty.
Breakfast was ready
in the AM when I left, but I only stuck my head in the door. It looked like the
basic's of cold cereal, bread and pastries.
I'll be back … it meets
my basic's of warm room, hot water and quiet … and the price is right.
FUDRUCKERS
I ended up here tonight because it was the
closest place to my motel and by now I had been up 16 plus hours.
Nothing
small on the menu so I ordered the 'smallest' thing I could. Chopped steak with
salad.
Place was a mostly quiet tonight but it was the last hour before
close. All the help was pleasant and the food was good, ate it all but the
mushrooms (which I should have told them to hold). No negatives tonight at this
location.
NOTES
Due to not getting back until 12 AM (home
at 2), I didn't work on Tuesday and just a short day on Wednesday. Somewhere in
there dispatch offered me a run going to TX, but when I looked on-line the
flights home were $500+ so I knew that wasn't going to happen. Then this run to
MI came up, which pushed the other one out a few days. After checking a few
times and a few different ways, suddenly there was a $79 flight out of DFW
home. A rental car to get there would be another $60, plus hopefully only $40
for gas, regardless … a whole lot less than the $500.
That all
happened before I left on the MI trip.
Wednesday - February 20,
2013
Dispatch usually does not setup transportation to/from the
airport in our hometown, but todays flight was leaving at 6AM (and it didn't
seem like they had anyone else willing) so I asked for and got a ride to the
airport … up at 4 AM … Yuck.
No problems with security,
flight isn't very full … I am able to choose my seat. Left isle so I can
stick my right arm out while on the computer. Wasn't an issue today, tried to
get some more shut-eye, didn't really.
8:15 Eastern we are on the
ground in Lansing, MI. I'm off almost immediately, the terminal only has 8
gates so it doesn't take long to get to the rental cars, things are looking
good. I want to get way past Madison tonight if I can … free room and
board. :
Now the bad news … dispatch has booked my rental for 9
AM, if I want to pick it up now, I'll need to pay for an extra day. So I wait,
and get to listen to the agent cover all the terms of the contract over and
over and over again … all the terms. I had lots of cute answers but I
wasn't sure they would think so, so I kept my mouth shut.
Just
checking now, I added 25 miles by not following the Prophecy I was given, but
that only added 2 minutes so I am glad I did stay on the Interstate. Plenty of
signs showing the way to the airport, it's a good thing as it's in the middle
of nowhere with no major roads going anywhere near it. Another airport with 8
gates (or less)
… I'm not sure what the flights were the day I
traveled, but checking now, for two days out … the difference between
flying into Lansing and Saginaw is $150, roughly what I paid for the rental car
and gas ???
More bad news … time wise. There are no taxi's
waiting, I have to call one and wait until it comes from downtown … tick
… tock … tick … tock …
Taxi arrives, no meter, no
GPS and no idea where I'm going. The only map I was given does not show any
freeway exits, just the freeway and the frontage road. I take a guess based on
where the county airport was and I was off by one exit, I should have paid more
attention when I went past with the rental car … or found it with the
rental car.
But we find it with only taking one U-turn, $50 and they
are gone. One big ugly truck, six axles, all of them need to stay down. Should
be a fun ride, and now I am two hours later than I had wished/ best case
scenario. I check the truck over, take pictures of it, let it warm up.
Everything checks good, which is good because no one is around to sign off on
it.
I do go check in the buildings, they are wide open but no one is
around. I had talked to someone a couple of hours ago and they said they
wouldn't be around. (I should have asked him for directions, but I thought I
knew)
Rolling, all axles down. 100 gallon tank is full of fuel, there
is a half a gallon of coolant in the cab but it looks good to me. Go right past
a Flying J to get on the Interstate, all the way to the bottom of the ramp
… and the STOP ENGINE light comes on along with the low coolant and an
alarm. By the time I stop it goes off so I pull back on the road, go a ¼
mile and the lights are back on. I stop and pour in the ½ gallon and
continue on my way.
More bad news … time wise. Speed limit for
trucks in MI is 60 mph, wasn't counting on that, but with this ugly truck that
was fast enough for me. And I wasn't going to draw any attention to myself so I
pegged the cruise right on 60 mph. At first I thought that a six axle truck
would draw the attention of the highway patrols, until I got on the Interstate
and remembered that MI is the land of 'B-trains' and 11 axle trucks, no one is
going to take a 2nd look at little 'ole me.
One of the 1st things I
did when I got in this truck was look for the height, 13ft 4in … so 13 was
going to be a VERY unlucky number for me if I ever saw one on the bridge ahead.
I watched really close the first 100 miles because I had been routed
non-interstate and wasn't sure why. Didn't hit anything so I guess it was
because of miles. But the whole trip I was watching, the closest it came was
14ft 1in, still I kind of ducked (for all the good that would do at 60 mph) at
every overpass.
I don't know that I have ever gone south/west on these
roads so I end up missing a lot of sights that I was expecting to see. One huge
new casino since I was here last, same exit as a Pilot I think, maybe a Flying
J.
Haven't had to stop for fuel yet, everything is going well as I'm
coming into Battle Creek and then I hit a pot-hole (as big around as a full
sized car tire) and then BANG … "What fell off … what fell off …
what fell off … " I keep saying as I am hanging on with both hands trying
to get the truck slowed down and to the side of the road. Lucky for me the side
of the road right there turned into the entrance ramp to a rest area. As I
coast in, the truck is still jumping all over the place and I haven't a clue
what just happened.
I lift the tag and pusher axles, get out and
check, everything seems OK. First I call a driver who has moved a lot of trucks
with pusher axles, but he is on his way to Canada and doesn't pick up. (by the
time he does call back, I have my answer and am driving again so never did talk
to him.) Then, 'just in case' something did break, I call dispatch but the one
who put me in the truck is NA … which turns out to be a good thing because
the one I talk to has driven these types of trucks and knows that what happened
was that the tag axle (or pusher) hit the pot-hole and started flopping from
right to left instead of following straight. They are spring loaded so that
they SHOULD follow the truck when you are turning. And the remedy is to lift
the axle(s) as soon as the truck starts to jump. I did have to do that once
more, but then I learned to avoid the pot-holes … there was a few more
times I thought it was going to get away from me but it didn't.
It's
been light snowing off and on all day. When I was at the rest area there were
actual drifts around the truck next to me. Snow … another reason not to
have gone to TX, Iowa, Missouri the whole midwest is supposed to get socked
with snow starting tonight … another reason I wanted to be long past
Madison to reduce the number of miles I need to drive in it.
I should
have enough fuel to get past Chicago, but I decide I need to eat something
today and I've been sitting for long enough so I pull into the Burns Harbor
Pilot … I don't want to stop at any stations around Gary, IN they are
always a zoo. Turns out this one isn't any better (other than in a better
neighborhood). Trucks waiting everywhere, ended up killing at least a ½
hour which puts me even closer to the heart of Chicago rush hour.
As
I'm pulling out, or somewhere after, I remember I did not buy any more coolant
… ?? Opps.
I have been debating all day if I should go through
Chicago or take I-80 to I-29 and bypass most of it. I know it adds 45 miles
because I've done it before. It would be nice because otherwise it's 6 or 7
toll booths plus traffic and this is a stick shift. I finally decided I didn't
want to get stuck with the bill for the extra 45 miles … 9 gallons at
$4.00 is $36 so I headed into Chicago.
Oh, and I found out I need to
get out at each toll booth because I sit so high up they can't reach my money,
more fun stuff. Just past the first toll booth and STOP ENGINE is on again
… and I have no coolant. But as soon as I back off, the alarm and light go
off so I keep going … finally, way too many miles down the road there is
an Oasis, I stop and buy and pour in the whole gallon. Not sure why, but I only
bought one.
Traffic really never slows me down except by a couple of
interchanges … and those 25 mph signs on clover leafs?? That means 15-20
mph for me … I don't care who is behind me, I'm not rolling this ugly
thing.
For as big and ugly as this thing is, it is really a nice ride,
easy to shift. Up and down, no problem.
For a while I was wondering if
I was even going to clear Chicago before my hours are up … I had thought
if everything went 'like clockwork,' that I would have my full 11 hours drive
time. But I don't so my miles keep getting less and less. Black River Falls,
no. Wisconsin Dells, no. Madison … no. Janesville, just barely. Glad to
make it that far, it is past the WI port of entry so that leaves only one scale
left, and that is close enough to home that someone can come and get me.
I'm zapped, I've been 'on-duty' for 14 long hours, mostly in a 'both
hands on the wheel,' big truck plus up two hours before that … I'm tired.
I don't feel like looking for motels or food. I want to crash. I was hoping the
Damon's next door to the Microtel would be open but it is still empty two plus
years later.
I've stayed at both the '6 and the Microtel, I go for a
good nights sleep … the Microtel.
Thursday - February 21,
2013
Wow, I wish I could blame this on last nights mushrooms but I
didn't eat any …
I dreamt that I was with (my favorite country
singer) Emmylou Harris. Seems, in my dream, that I had recorded a duet with
Emmylou when I came up with the idea for her to do a 'Texas' album but that
would mean releasing 'our' duet at the same time as the un-related TX album.
(This should be even more amusing to anyone who knows me … I have been
asked NOT TO sing, just about everywhere)
My real day started out OK,
for the first couple of miles … then the 'check fuel filter' warning and
alarm started. I'd slow down and it would go off, so I kept driving …
didn't want to get stuck this far from home at a shop, but a couple of hours
later when dispatch opened I decided I'd better give them a call. I hate for
this to be serious and not have told anyone.
Dispatch wants to check
with the customer and for me to stay parked. I did, for an hour. Then I got the
call to keep rolling, if I was OK with it. No problem here, I have had vehicles
with plugged fuel filters before and this one didn't act like it was on its
last leg. I still had plenty of 'umpf' going up hills, passing, etc. As long as
I was stopped, I bought another gallon of coolant. It is still holding just
below the add mark and I'm guessing they are going to fix the issue when it
gets to the shop so no reason to waste a gallon.
The rest of the trip
was spent trying to come up with a pattern of when the 'check fuel filter'
light was going to come on … when I changed lanes? When I hit the breaks?
Went up a hill? All those did seem to effect make it more likely, but no real
pattern over the next four hours.
By now I had a good idea of how many
miles per gallon I was getting and I wasn't going to be getting all the way
home. Black River Falls would be my fuel stop, Kwik Trip here instead of the
Flying J across the street based on ease of access. I pull up next to another
vehicle using our placards, before I'm out of the truck the driver walks up.
He's on his way to MI, he's fueled but needs to add some DEF. (Diesel Exhaust
Fluid), he decides to make his own funnel instead of going back inside, he
grabs some cardboard out of the trash and folds it. He's not having much luck
holding both the funnel and the jug so I stop fueling and hold the funnel and
then as him how he normally does it.
"Usually they come with a
tube/funnel." He replies.
"Like the one under the wrapper on your
jug?" I ask. He gives me a sheepish grin and I go back to fueling my truck.
Two more scales to pass and they are both closed, I'm home free.
I get to the customer and go to the shop as I remember doing in the
past, nope. I have to go to the front office. I find someone willing to sign,
but they don't bother to ask any questions. I go back out to grab my stuff and
someone has moved the truck … and my stuff. I find it just as the shuttle
driver is pulling in to give me a ride
… to the truck for my next
trip. |
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