Ubiquitous WIFI

Sunday morning - you would think I was in a little paradise. It's a Maryland rest stop, quite nice.

Before I start rambling I need to add in a very much thanks to Debbie F. for the spaghetti and meatballs/sausage leftovers she sent along last week and the brownies, too. Both were wonderful and I hoarded the brownies for 3 days eating them sparingly each night. THANKS, Debbie.

Friday started off nicely. Headed for Piedmont, SC. Know where that is ?
Course not. Doesn't matter but I had a bunch of tractor stuff headed for 5 places in SC. Mind you these aren't big places, just medium sized tractor shops. At the first place I said "there is no way I can get this truck back there..." the guy says to me "they do it all the time!" Well if you know me, that was an open challenge. Actually turned out to not be as bad as I expected. They sell and service John Deere commercial lawn tractors for the golf courses. That's big business in SC. I don't think the locals golf much but a lot of people come to SC to golf, so it works.

The seccond place looked about the same, so I didn't balk this time. The guy says follow the trail, head to the back and you'll see the loading dock. Whoa... it's a dirt mound in the middle of the field. Geez, got to get a picture of this stuff.

So I head to the third place and decide to call and see if they can take it on Friday instead of Saturday as is scheduled (along with the next two stops) and he tells me, in his SC drawl, "we don't take no dlvrys (that's the way he said it) on Satrdy, and besides we got big doins at the hosptl on Satrdy... so get on the phone to dispatch. Ultimately they decide to put the last three off and tell me to head back to Charlotte. Now I'm already on back roads and I'm supposed to get on smaller back roads back across the SC to Charlotte. I didn't get lost (guys are never lost, sometimes miss directed, but not lost) but I did ask for directions 3 times.

This is getting to be a long story. It's still Friday and I've been on the road for about 6 hours and get back to Charlotte and figure I'm going to have a nice evening maybe even eat some real food again, Debbie and Ron spoiled me, it's their fault. Anyway the QC beeps and says - get fuel, run over to this other place (6 miles away) pick up a trailer and run to (120 miles)Mountain Home, NC. Argh, another challenge, I think they are figuring out how to "work" me.
I think Ron must be FOS (you figure that out). We worked together for 7 years, me in Chicago and him in Charlotte and he ALWAYS bragged about how great the weather was. I can tell you that it has rained for 90% of the time I have been in NC, and that's a lot lately. Anyway heading to Mtn. Home I see lightning headed south on I-85 and figure it's going to rain soon. I didn't rain, it wasn't even cats and dogs, WORSE. Traffic was down to 25 mph on the freeway for about 45 minutes.

Trying to shorten the story, I made it up to Mtn Home, dropped my trailer picked up a loaded trailer of 44,000 pounds of Tangerine juice - you drink tangerine juice - me neither. I got to the truck stop about 3 miles away with no hours to spare.

I had to wait until 10 am to take of on Saturday but got in 510 miles by 9 pm and am going to take an hours reset until 7 am Monday morning, here.

Bob