Loose Cannon
Jun 10, 06, 12:51 am
Got word the truck in the Milwaukee area was still not ready but there was one in Perrysburg, OH going to Billings, MT. I did research on the Internet and was disappointed to find Allegiant Air no longer serves Toledo. I got a relatively reasonable fare to Detroit and booked a rental car to Toledo. That is still considerably cheaper than flying into Toledo. I got a shuttle to John Wayne Airport, checked in, cleared security and was not selected for and did not undergo secondary screening.
America West #395 SNA-LAS B-737-300 Seat 5F Cruising altitude not given Estimated flying time 0:48, actual 0:52 Scheduled departure 10h55, actual 10h56 Scheduled arrival 12h02, actual 12h01
Plane was completely full (configuration 8F/126Y) Passenger in my row needed dialysis machine stored; it was heavy but could not be checked. A flight attendant finally stashed the machine somewhere. Pushback was one minute late followed by taxi/hold of 8 minutes. Takeoff was west over the water then turn north and northeast. I saw Seal Beach Weapons Station and the Bolsa Chica Wetlands upon landfall followed by a panoramic view of most of Orange County including the freeways. Then we flew over Chino Hills, Chino, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Devore and the San Bernardino Mountains. I saw almost all the lakes: Silverwood, Gregory, Arrowhead and Big Bear then saw some of Hesperia and the Mojave Desert. We crossed over Interstate 40 then 15. Seat belt sign went off at 0:17. There was one quick drink run. Descent started at 0:28 as we passed Baker. I saw Primm, Jean and part of Henderson. On final a couple coach passengers got up and used the front washroom contrary to instructions to stay seated. We headed east then swung around to the west, saw Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and the Strip as we landed. Taxi was 5 minutes and we arrived at gate one minute early.
America West #96 LAS-DTW A-319 Seat 10F Exit Row Cruising altitude 35,000' Estimated flying time 3:33, actual 3:35 Scheduled departure 13h57, actual 14h00 Scheduled arrival 20h52, actual 21h03 Ticket cost: $325.10
Plane was completely full and had USAirways markings. Pushback was 3 minutes late followed by taxi/hold of 20 minutes then takeoff to the west. I saw Colorado River, Lake Mead, the Grand Canyon then clouds. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:16. A movie was shown though I did not pay attention to what it was. There was a Drink Run and I got the whole can of soda. Peanuts were offered. Buy on Board was offered and I chose the Phoenix Philly for $5 which was quite good (no icky stuff on the sandwich). Water was offered with the BOB. Seatbelt sign went on again at 2:20 north of Des Moines as we worked around weather. The pilot came on the intercom and announced that we could end up in a holding pattern due to thunderstorm directly over DTW but then said the storm moved on and the hold was lifted. I saw some of the suburbs of Milwaukee but it appeared downtown Milwaukee was getting hammered by a big storm. We flew over Lake Michigan then started descent at 3:06 around Lansing. There were some bumps on descent and there was a light rain falling as we landed from the north northeast. Taxi was 7 minutes and we arrived at gate 11 minutes late. There was confusion about where baggage claim was and a short wait for my bags after I got there then got shuttle to Hertz where I rented a car to Toledo.
There were a couple of showers as I drove toward Toledo and traffic jam around the MI/OH state line on US23. I turned in the rental car at Toledo Express Airport and caught a taxi to Perrysburg where I picked up a nice truck.
Trip: Perrysburg, OH to Billings, MT 1,467 miles Routes: Interstate 475 to US23 to Ohio 2 to Interstate 80 (Ohio Turnpike/Indiana Toll Road) to Interstate 294 to Interstate 290 to Interstate 90 to US52 to Interstate 494 to Interstate 35W to Interstate 94 to Interstate 90
I had trouble getting through the Chicago area thanks to ongoing construction. On the Illinois Tollways nearly all the toll booths are being revamped and that cost a considerable amount of time. I think the periodic placement of toll booths is very inefficent as opposed to getting a ticket when you get on the tollway and presenting the ticket and paying the toll when leaving the tollway. Rain started around Janesville, WI and quit around Cottage Grove. There was another shower near Mauston and a thunderstorm and brief downpour in Tomah.
Sunday morning I attended Lighthouse Bible Baptist Church in La Crosse, WI. I explored a little of downtown La Crosse then proceeded across the Mississippi River into Minnesota. At Rochester I cut up toward the Twin Cities on US52. There was a strong south wind blowing and I later heard it got up to 97 degrees F in Minneapolis/St. Paul. I parked the truck in the inner city of Minneapolis and attended Sunday evening service at Gospel Light Baptist Church.
The temperature moderated as I headed toward North Dakota. I exited the Interstate and explored some in downtown Fargo before heading toward Bismarck. It stayed light late in Bismarck and did not get totally dark until about 22h45. Next day I explored some in Medora, ND which is a western town next to the south unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
I delivered truck to Billings and rented a car as I finally settled on a Watertown, SD to Ontario, CA run. I was told there was a possibilty of a Duluth, MN to Denver run but transportation options to Duluth did not sound desireable. I explored some of downtown Billings then attended Wednesday evening church service at Grace Baptist in Billings. Including the pastor and myself there were a grand total of eight people in that service. I finally settled on an air ticket on Frontier to MSP followed by a rental car to Watertown.
I turned in the rental car at Billings Logan International Airport and got in line to check in. There were three people ahead of me in line but I just beat a bigger rush. I cleared security and did not undergo secondary screening. The agent did not open my briefcase after I said there were rolls of quarters inside.
Frontier Jet Express #4311 BIL-DEN CRJ-700 Seat 7A Cruising altitude not given Estimated flying time 1:10, actual 1:00 Scheduled departure 11h20, actual 11h24 Scheduled arrival 12h45, actual 12h39
Plane was full; all 70 seats were filled. We used the jetway to board. Pushback was 4 minutes late followed by taxi/hold of 6 minutes. Takeoff was to west northwest followed by turn to south southeast. I saw Billings and some scenery then Casper, WY. There was one drink run and I did not get the whole can. Descent started at 0:40 as we passed Laramie, WY. I saw the Front Range to the right and the plains of Eastern Colorado to the left. There were a few bumps on final approach and landing was north to south. Taxi was 8 minutes and we arrived 8 minutes early. We deplaned outside at gate A64.
Frontier #100 DEN-MSP A-319 Seat 5A Cruising altitude not announced though monitor said about 38,000' Estimated flying time 1:30, actual 1:36 Scheduled departure 16h00, actual 16h03 Scheduled arrival 18h55, actual 18h54 Ticket cost: $407.10
Plane was completely full; all 132 seats were occupied. Pushback was 3 minutes late followed by taxi/hold of 9 minutes then takeoff to the east. On climb I saw Kimball and Dix, NE on Interstate 80. Seatelt sign went off during climb and there was one drink run and I did not get the whole can. Later I saw the Missouri River in SD. Seatbelt sign went on briefly as we passed Mitchell, SD. Descent started at 1:04 just after crossing Interstate 29 and seatbelt sign went on at 1:17. I saw both Minneapolis and St. Paul to the distance as we overflew MSP then turned and landed southeast to northwest. Taxi was 5 minutes and we arrived one minute early. There was a fairly short wait for bags then I got rental car. Not too many miles from Watertown I almost ran over a pheasant.
I turned in the rental car to a private home in Watertown, SD and met an 86-year old gentleman who used to be a travel agent. I saw some stickers of some airlines that no longer exist such as Western and Piedmont. I also saw a model of a stretch DC-8 with United's old markings. The gentleman said he was in the navy and landed at Normandy on D-Day back in 1944. It was about 90 degrees F in Watertown, SD when I picked up the truck and got started on the trip.
Trip: Watertown, SD to Ontario, CA 1,804 miles Routes: US212 to US85 to Interstate 90 to Wyoming 50 to Wyoming 387 to Wyoming 259 to Interstate 25 to Wyoming 220 to Wyoming 789 to Interstate 80 to Interstate 15 to California 60
I spent the first night of this trip in Redfield, SD the Pheasant capital of the world. Next day I saw several bikers pass me and later they were at the side of the road. I pulled off and had a chat with the bikers; there were part of the Bondslaves Motorcycle Club of Princeton, MN and they were headed to Sturgis for a Blessing of the Bikes. I saw Gettysburg, SD which was settled by veterans from the War of Northern Aggression (Civil War). It got up as high as 94 degrees F. I crossed the Missouri River and entered the Mountain Time Zone. I also entered an Indian Reservation (I forget which tribe). I saw Eagle Butte, SD and noticed housing for Indians not unlike the government projects in some inner cities.
I stopped in Dupree, SD and met the pastor of Eagle's Wing Baptist Mission. We had a long visit and he took me on a tour of Dupree and Thunder Butte and then he had me stay for dinner before I headed to Faith, SD to get a room for the night. I saw lightning to the east and found out that there were some pretty big storms in areas I passed through earlier.
On Sunday morning I backtracked to Dupree to attend Sunday school and morning worship at Eagle's Wing Baptist Mission. I met the pastor's son who works on a ranch during the week. There were both cowboys and Indians at church that morning. After church I got rolling and entered Wyoming and was told I did not need a trip permit this time. I attended evening worship at Central Baptist in Gillette, WY.
Later on in the trip I had a rain shower near Spanish Fork, UT followed by wind and lightning and a little rain in Nephi, UT. I encountered more off/on rain from St. George, UT through the Virgin River Gorge in AZ to about Moapa, NV. There was slow traffic going through Las Vegas and more rain around Halloran Summit in California. It got up to at least 106 degrees F in Baker, CA and I saw lightning to the west as I approached Barstow. I attended midweek church service at Barstow Baptist Temple and next day I delivered the truck in Ontario, CA, got a rental car and drove home.
America West #395 SNA-LAS B-737-300 Seat 5F Cruising altitude not given Estimated flying time 0:48, actual 0:52 Scheduled departure 10h55, actual 10h56 Scheduled arrival 12h02, actual 12h01
Plane was completely full (configuration 8F/126Y) Passenger in my row needed dialysis machine stored; it was heavy but could not be checked. A flight attendant finally stashed the machine somewhere. Pushback was one minute late followed by taxi/hold of 8 minutes. Takeoff was west over the water then turn north and northeast. I saw Seal Beach Weapons Station and the Bolsa Chica Wetlands upon landfall followed by a panoramic view of most of Orange County including the freeways. Then we flew over Chino Hills, Chino, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Devore and the San Bernardino Mountains. I saw almost all the lakes: Silverwood, Gregory, Arrowhead and Big Bear then saw some of Hesperia and the Mojave Desert. We crossed over Interstate 40 then 15. Seat belt sign went off at 0:17. There was one quick drink run. Descent started at 0:28 as we passed Baker. I saw Primm, Jean and part of Henderson. On final a couple coach passengers got up and used the front washroom contrary to instructions to stay seated. We headed east then swung around to the west, saw Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and the Strip as we landed. Taxi was 5 minutes and we arrived at gate one minute early.
America West #96 LAS-DTW A-319 Seat 10F Exit Row Cruising altitude 35,000' Estimated flying time 3:33, actual 3:35 Scheduled departure 13h57, actual 14h00 Scheduled arrival 20h52, actual 21h03 Ticket cost: $325.10
Plane was completely full and had USAirways markings. Pushback was 3 minutes late followed by taxi/hold of 20 minutes then takeoff to the west. I saw Colorado River, Lake Mead, the Grand Canyon then clouds. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:16. A movie was shown though I did not pay attention to what it was. There was a Drink Run and I got the whole can of soda. Peanuts were offered. Buy on Board was offered and I chose the Phoenix Philly for $5 which was quite good (no icky stuff on the sandwich). Water was offered with the BOB. Seatbelt sign went on again at 2:20 north of Des Moines as we worked around weather. The pilot came on the intercom and announced that we could end up in a holding pattern due to thunderstorm directly over DTW but then said the storm moved on and the hold was lifted. I saw some of the suburbs of Milwaukee but it appeared downtown Milwaukee was getting hammered by a big storm. We flew over Lake Michigan then started descent at 3:06 around Lansing. There were some bumps on descent and there was a light rain falling as we landed from the north northeast. Taxi was 7 minutes and we arrived at gate 11 minutes late. There was confusion about where baggage claim was and a short wait for my bags after I got there then got shuttle to Hertz where I rented a car to Toledo.
There were a couple of showers as I drove toward Toledo and traffic jam around the MI/OH state line on US23. I turned in the rental car at Toledo Express Airport and caught a taxi to Perrysburg where I picked up a nice truck.
Trip: Perrysburg, OH to Billings, MT 1,467 miles Routes: Interstate 475 to US23 to Ohio 2 to Interstate 80 (Ohio Turnpike/Indiana Toll Road) to Interstate 294 to Interstate 290 to Interstate 90 to US52 to Interstate 494 to Interstate 35W to Interstate 94 to Interstate 90
I had trouble getting through the Chicago area thanks to ongoing construction. On the Illinois Tollways nearly all the toll booths are being revamped and that cost a considerable amount of time. I think the periodic placement of toll booths is very inefficent as opposed to getting a ticket when you get on the tollway and presenting the ticket and paying the toll when leaving the tollway. Rain started around Janesville, WI and quit around Cottage Grove. There was another shower near Mauston and a thunderstorm and brief downpour in Tomah.
Sunday morning I attended Lighthouse Bible Baptist Church in La Crosse, WI. I explored a little of downtown La Crosse then proceeded across the Mississippi River into Minnesota. At Rochester I cut up toward the Twin Cities on US52. There was a strong south wind blowing and I later heard it got up to 97 degrees F in Minneapolis/St. Paul. I parked the truck in the inner city of Minneapolis and attended Sunday evening service at Gospel Light Baptist Church.
The temperature moderated as I headed toward North Dakota. I exited the Interstate and explored some in downtown Fargo before heading toward Bismarck. It stayed light late in Bismarck and did not get totally dark until about 22h45. Next day I explored some in Medora, ND which is a western town next to the south unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
I delivered truck to Billings and rented a car as I finally settled on a Watertown, SD to Ontario, CA run. I was told there was a possibilty of a Duluth, MN to Denver run but transportation options to Duluth did not sound desireable. I explored some of downtown Billings then attended Wednesday evening church service at Grace Baptist in Billings. Including the pastor and myself there were a grand total of eight people in that service. I finally settled on an air ticket on Frontier to MSP followed by a rental car to Watertown.
I turned in the rental car at Billings Logan International Airport and got in line to check in. There were three people ahead of me in line but I just beat a bigger rush. I cleared security and did not undergo secondary screening. The agent did not open my briefcase after I said there were rolls of quarters inside.
Frontier Jet Express #4311 BIL-DEN CRJ-700 Seat 7A Cruising altitude not given Estimated flying time 1:10, actual 1:00 Scheduled departure 11h20, actual 11h24 Scheduled arrival 12h45, actual 12h39
Plane was full; all 70 seats were filled. We used the jetway to board. Pushback was 4 minutes late followed by taxi/hold of 6 minutes. Takeoff was to west northwest followed by turn to south southeast. I saw Billings and some scenery then Casper, WY. There was one drink run and I did not get the whole can. Descent started at 0:40 as we passed Laramie, WY. I saw the Front Range to the right and the plains of Eastern Colorado to the left. There were a few bumps on final approach and landing was north to south. Taxi was 8 minutes and we arrived 8 minutes early. We deplaned outside at gate A64.
Frontier #100 DEN-MSP A-319 Seat 5A Cruising altitude not announced though monitor said about 38,000' Estimated flying time 1:30, actual 1:36 Scheduled departure 16h00, actual 16h03 Scheduled arrival 18h55, actual 18h54 Ticket cost: $407.10
Plane was completely full; all 132 seats were occupied. Pushback was 3 minutes late followed by taxi/hold of 9 minutes then takeoff to the east. On climb I saw Kimball and Dix, NE on Interstate 80. Seatelt sign went off during climb and there was one drink run and I did not get the whole can. Later I saw the Missouri River in SD. Seatbelt sign went on briefly as we passed Mitchell, SD. Descent started at 1:04 just after crossing Interstate 29 and seatbelt sign went on at 1:17. I saw both Minneapolis and St. Paul to the distance as we overflew MSP then turned and landed southeast to northwest. Taxi was 5 minutes and we arrived one minute early. There was a fairly short wait for bags then I got rental car. Not too many miles from Watertown I almost ran over a pheasant.
I turned in the rental car to a private home in Watertown, SD and met an 86-year old gentleman who used to be a travel agent. I saw some stickers of some airlines that no longer exist such as Western and Piedmont. I also saw a model of a stretch DC-8 with United's old markings. The gentleman said he was in the navy and landed at Normandy on D-Day back in 1944. It was about 90 degrees F in Watertown, SD when I picked up the truck and got started on the trip.
Trip: Watertown, SD to Ontario, CA 1,804 miles Routes: US212 to US85 to Interstate 90 to Wyoming 50 to Wyoming 387 to Wyoming 259 to Interstate 25 to Wyoming 220 to Wyoming 789 to Interstate 80 to Interstate 15 to California 60
I spent the first night of this trip in Redfield, SD the Pheasant capital of the world. Next day I saw several bikers pass me and later they were at the side of the road. I pulled off and had a chat with the bikers; there were part of the Bondslaves Motorcycle Club of Princeton, MN and they were headed to Sturgis for a Blessing of the Bikes. I saw Gettysburg, SD which was settled by veterans from the War of Northern Aggression (Civil War). It got up as high as 94 degrees F. I crossed the Missouri River and entered the Mountain Time Zone. I also entered an Indian Reservation (I forget which tribe). I saw Eagle Butte, SD and noticed housing for Indians not unlike the government projects in some inner cities.
I stopped in Dupree, SD and met the pastor of Eagle's Wing Baptist Mission. We had a long visit and he took me on a tour of Dupree and Thunder Butte and then he had me stay for dinner before I headed to Faith, SD to get a room for the night. I saw lightning to the east and found out that there were some pretty big storms in areas I passed through earlier.
On Sunday morning I backtracked to Dupree to attend Sunday school and morning worship at Eagle's Wing Baptist Mission. I met the pastor's son who works on a ranch during the week. There were both cowboys and Indians at church that morning. After church I got rolling and entered Wyoming and was told I did not need a trip permit this time. I attended evening worship at Central Baptist in Gillette, WY.
Later on in the trip I had a rain shower near Spanish Fork, UT followed by wind and lightning and a little rain in Nephi, UT. I encountered more off/on rain from St. George, UT through the Virgin River Gorge in AZ to about Moapa, NV. There was slow traffic going through Las Vegas and more rain around Halloran Summit in California. It got up to at least 106 degrees F in Baker, CA and I saw lightning to the west as I approached Barstow. I attended midweek church service at Barstow Baptist Temple and next day I delivered the truck in Ontario, CA, got a rental car and drove home.