Shingles and a Trip
Week before last was to be a full week set aside for driveaway. But after a weekend of golf, where I both came down with shingles and blew out my back, I had to use the week for recovery. And for the curious, shingles are just about as much fun as most people say they are, although I'm pretty sure I ended up with a relatively mild case of them.
Since that week was set aside for driveaway, that meant this week was to be set aside for bus trips - and I had several, including one very long one to the state fair in Richmond, a trip of about 195 miles one way. After missing driveaway the previous week, and since I had Monday and Tuesday off this week before doing bus duty, I decided to call dispatch and see if they had anything that would work for Monday and Tuesday, and have me back home no later than Tuesday night.
As usual, they were able to come up with something. They offered a rental from Roanoke to
New Bern, NC, cab ride to Havelock, NC where I was to pick up a small Ford F450 bucket truck and deliver to Altec in Frederick, MD. That sounded doable, so I agreed.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Since I hadn't called until Monday, it took a little while for dispatch to get the rental car reservations made and the paperwork faxed to me. But even with that, I was at the airport for rental pickup and on the road by 10:15 AM. Turned out it's a really long drive to the small airport at New Burn, NC, where I was to return the car and get a cab to Time Warner to pick up the truck. Got there about 4:00 PM. Was lucky and got a cab quickly and he knew how to get to Time Warner. I had previously called my contact there and he said he would have the truck ready and meet me in the parking lot. Sure enough, he did, and I was able to pre-trip and be back on the road by 5:00 PM. I was already fairly bushed from driving, but wanted to get as many miles under my belt as I could given that I needed to get to Frederick, MD, about 400 miles and back home, another 200+ miles by Tuesday night. I drove until about 8:00 PM and stopped for the night at a Days Inn near Roanoke Rapids, NC. The truck was driving great, and it was easy to make time with it.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Up and on the road by around 7:00 AM. Trip was going well, but each truck has to throw some kink in the trip, just to keep you awake. This one threw in a new wrinkle for me - a hood latch problem. I had noticed that, after checking the fluids, it had been mighty hard to get to relatch. So when I hit a big bump on the big bridge next to Richmond on I-295, it decided to release. Thank goodness for safety catches, because I was going 70 and it would have folded over the windshield. I-295 wasn't overly busy, so I pulled to the side and slammed it the hardest ever, it latched, and I didn't have any more problems, other than the worry, with it.
I had been debating with myself (a fun activity while on the road by yourself) ever since I left Roanoke whether I wanted to try to find some way around Washington or at least time it to miss rush hour, although that seems to generally be a 24-hour per day afair. I initially had decided I would get off I-95, take 234 by Manassas and then route 15 to Frederick. But as I approached that area about 9:30 AM, I chickened out and decided to test Washington one more time. Turned out to be a good choice. For the first time possibly ever, I was able to get on I-495 and get around Washinton DC without a major holdup. Arrived Frederick around 11:15 AM and turned the truck in.
That's where it got a bit dicey. Dispatch had trouble finding a rental car anywhere near, including as far away as Baltimore and Washington. They were about to give up and put me on the hound, which I would have missed the 12:35 departure, but a last second location of a Hertz office that had just re-opened in Frederick saved the day. Got a cab there, picked up my rental, and was headed home by about 1:00 PM. I almost kissed the guy contracting the car. I was so sure I wasn't going to make it home in time for bus duty on Wednesday and/or I was going to have to take the hound through Washington, and that is especially ugly.
Got home in good shape by 4:30 PM and was able to get rested up for bus duty on Wednesday for a trip to Clifton Forge, and on Thursday, for the long trip to the state fair - an experience all its own.
Since that week was set aside for driveaway, that meant this week was to be set aside for bus trips - and I had several, including one very long one to the state fair in Richmond, a trip of about 195 miles one way. After missing driveaway the previous week, and since I had Monday and Tuesday off this week before doing bus duty, I decided to call dispatch and see if they had anything that would work for Monday and Tuesday, and have me back home no later than Tuesday night.
As usual, they were able to come up with something. They offered a rental from Roanoke to
New Bern, NC, cab ride to Havelock, NC where I was to pick up a small Ford F450 bucket truck and deliver to Altec in Frederick, MD. That sounded doable, so I agreed.Monday, September 25, 2006
Since I hadn't called until Monday, it took a little while for dispatch to get the rental car reservations made and the paperwork faxed to me. But even with that, I was at the airport for rental pickup and on the road by 10:15 AM. Turned out it's a really long drive to the small airport at New Burn, NC, where I was to return the car and get a cab to Time Warner to pick up the truck. Got there about 4:00 PM. Was lucky and got a cab quickly and he knew how to get to Time Warner. I had previously called my contact there and he said he would have the truck ready and meet me in the parking lot. Sure enough, he did, and I was able to pre-trip and be back on the road by 5:00 PM. I was already fairly bushed from driving, but wanted to get as many miles under my belt as I could given that I needed to get to Frederick, MD, about 400 miles and back home, another 200+ miles by Tuesday night. I drove until about 8:00 PM and stopped for the night at a Days Inn near Roanoke Rapids, NC. The truck was driving great, and it was easy to make time with it.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Up and on the road by around 7:00 AM. Trip was going well, but each truck has to throw some kink in the trip, just to keep you awake. This one threw in a new wrinkle for me - a hood latch problem. I had noticed that, after checking the fluids, it had been mighty hard to get to relatch. So when I hit a big bump on the big bridge next to Richmond on I-295, it decided to release. Thank goodness for safety catches, because I was going 70 and it would have folded over the windshield. I-295 wasn't overly busy, so I pulled to the side and slammed it the hardest ever, it latched, and I didn't have any more problems, other than the worry, with it.
I had been debating with myself (a fun activity while on the road by yourself) ever since I left Roanoke whether I wanted to try to find some way around Washington or at least time it to miss rush hour, although that seems to generally be a 24-hour per day afair. I initially had decided I would get off I-95, take 234 by Manassas and then route 15 to Frederick. But as I approached that area about 9:30 AM, I chickened out and decided to test Washington one more time. Turned out to be a good choice. For the first time possibly ever, I was able to get on I-495 and get around Washinton DC without a major holdup. Arrived Frederick around 11:15 AM and turned the truck in.
That's where it got a bit dicey. Dispatch had trouble finding a rental car anywhere near, including as far away as Baltimore and Washington. They were about to give up and put me on the hound, which I would have missed the 12:35 departure, but a last second location of a Hertz office that had just re-opened in Frederick saved the day. Got a cab there, picked up my rental, and was headed home by about 1:00 PM. I almost kissed the guy contracting the car. I was so sure I wasn't going to make it home in time for bus duty on Wednesday and/or I was going to have to take the hound through Washington, and that is especially ugly.
Got home in good shape by 4:30 PM and was able to get rested up for bus duty on Wednesday for a trip to Clifton Forge, and on Thursday, for the long trip to the state fair - an experience all its own.
posted by Harry | 2:45 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home