Tour of Duty 27th May 2015 to 27th June 2015
Part IV: 16th June to 18th June

Tuesday morning I took shuttle to CLT. It was hot and muggy with considerable discomfort. I understood that I have it good living on the West Coast as I definitely do not care for humidity. It was forecast to get into the high 90's F at CLT. I checked in and checked bags which weighed 48 and 40.5lbs and paid checked bag fees. I cleared security after queue and opted out and was patted down but there was no additional screening of my carry-ons.

US Airways #1862 CLT-ORD A-321 Zone 3
Seat 32A Cruising altitude 34,000 feet Estimated flying time 1:30, actual 1:31
Depart: Gate B9 Scheduled 11h45, actual 11h54 Taxi: 17 minutes
Arrive: Gate H8 Scheduled 12h59, actual 12h54 Taxi: 11 minutes

We boarded via jetway. The plane was full or nearly full with capacity of 187 passengers. It was announced it was cloudy and 66F at ORD and we were expecting a few bumps along the way. It was announced there was a backup with too many planes taxiing toward runway so pushback was 9 minutes late. I was unsure of the direction of takeoff. I saw Interstate 40 and we made a turn NW over Statesville, NC. Clouds increased as we headed toward the Appalachians. At 0:40 I saw what may have been Interstate 71 in northern Kentucky. At 0:41 I got cup of soda then clouds blocked view until the clouds broke at 0:54. Seatbelt sign was on the whole flight. I thought I felt descent at 1:00 and at 1:08 beginning of descent was announced and it was 70F and a few clouds at ORD. At 1:10 I saw evidence of flooding below. At 1:19 I saw MDW. The approach pattern seemed different and during approach I saw more evidence of flooding from the bad storm that hit the Chicago area the previous day. We landed west to east and arrived at gate 5 minutes and we deplaned via jetway and it definitely felt cooler.

American Eagle #2828 ORD-MKE CRJ-200 Group 2
Seat 9A Cruising altitude 7,000 feet Estimated flying time 0:15, actual 0:15
Depart: Gate G7 Scheduled 14h22, actual 14h23 Taxi: 12 minutes
Arrive: Gate C10 Scheduled 15h13, actual 14h56 Taxi: 4 minutes
Reclaim checked bags 17-18 minutes after arrival

We boarded via jetway and the plane was full or nearly full. It was announced it was 64F at MKE. Pushback was 1 minute late and takeoff was to the north. At 0:07 I saw the TA truckstop in Russell, IL then we entered Wisconsin airspace. At 0:08 descent was announced and I felt descent as we paralleled Interstate 94 for much of the flight. Seatbelt sign stayed on the entire flight. I saw the Petro in Sturtevant, WI at 0:10 and landing gear went down at 0:13 as I saw the Pilot truckstop in Oak Creek, WI. We landed south to north and arrived at gate 17 minutes early. We deplaned via jetway. After I got my bags I hired a taxi to New Berlin, WI where I got the next truck. It felt a lot more pleasant in Wisconsin than it did in North Carolina.

Trip: New Berlin, WI to St-Ignace, MI 390 paid miles
Make: 2016 Peterbilt
Model: Vacuum Truck
Transmission: Standard straight 10-speed
Route: Interstate 43 toInterstate 894 to Interstate 94 to Interstate 43 to US41 to Michigan 35 to US2
Maximum elevation: unknown
Diesel price USA: $2.859/gallon at Pilot Oak Creek, WI

I was looking forward to this trip. This was going to be only my second time in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In November 2011 I had a trip from Marshfield, WI to Sudbury, ON which took me through the U.P. of Michigan but I used different roads than this trip. I got the truck and went to truckstop to take on fuel. I was pleasantly surprised to see a 70mph speed limit sign. That did not last long as the limit went back down to 55mph in Milwaukee County then 50mph in parts of Milwaukee itself. North of Milwaukee the limit went back up to 70mph. Interstate 43 north of Milwaukee was new territory for me. I stopped and had late evening rations at Culver's then I spent the night in Manitowoc, WI.

Wednesday I took a look at downtown Manitowoc then headed north. Interstate 43 ended in the Green Bay area and I transitioned to US41. The road was twinned for quite a while. I entered Michigan at Menomonie where I stopped to get Information. Then I proceeded up Michigan 35 to Escanaba where I stopped to take a look at the town and take some pictures. I transitioned to US2 which I took for the rest of the trip. Sunset was not until at least 21h30 or later and it stayed light until well after 22h00. I had evening rations at Bob's Big Boy then after taking some pictures of the lighthouse I spent the night in Manistique, MI.

Thursday I continued east on US2. Before I left Manistique there was a brief thunderstorm which delayed my departure. It stopped raining by the time I departed however the roads were still wet. I made a few stops to take pictures then arrived in St-Ignace. I finally got a hold of the shipper and was told he would arrive around 17h00 so I had some time to kill. I was able to take some pictures of the Mackinac Bridge but not from the vantage point I wanted to go to due to a weight limit. I saw some of downtown St-Ignace and the lighthouse and had midday rations at the truckstop restaurant. Then I went to the place to drop the truck and waited for the receiver. The receiver was late because he was stopped by the police but he did not get a ticket. I dropped off the truck and was given a ride to hotel and spent the night in Iron Mountain, MI.