Tour of Duty 5th December 2018 to 19th December 2018
Part II: 6th December to 11th December
I awoke Thursday to a cloudy and chilly day. The temperature stayed in the 40'sF all day. I got transport to the Greyhound Bus Depot in North Little Rock and checked in and checked my bags. My bus ticket said Little Rock and the Greyhound website shows Little Rock, AR but the bus station is actually in North Little Rock, AR which is actually another city.
Greyhound #1227 Little Rock, AR to Texarkana, AR
Depart: Gate 5 Scheduled 10h40, actual 10h41
Arrive: Gate 2 Scheduled 12h55, actual 12h48
Reclaim checked bags immediately upon disembarking
The bus was on a route from Chicago, IL to Dallas, TX with numerous intermediate stops in between. The bus departed North Little Rock one minute late. I saw the Arkansas River and parts of downtown Little Rock very soon after departure. There were no intermediate stops on my itinerary. There was some off an on rain en route but it was not raining when we arrived Texarkana, AR 7 minutes early. After I disembarked I phoned up the shipper and soon was picked up and taken to the truck. Drizzle started falling as soon as we entered Texas and there was mist, drizzle and light rain. I loaded my gear into the truck, did the inspection and finally got started.
Trip: Texarkana, TX to Ehrenberg, AZ 1,392 paid miles
Make: 2019 Freightliner
Model: Cab and Chassis
Transmission: Automatic
Route: Interstate 369 to Interstate 30 to Interstate 20 to Interstate 10 with detour in El Paso
Maximum elevation: 4,974 feet at Texas Canyon Interstate 10 14 miles east of Benson, AZ and 20 miles west of Willcox, AZ
Highest diesel price USA: 3.399$ per gallon at Pilot Big Spring, TX
Lowest diesel price USA: 2.649$ per gallon at Love's Hooks, TX
Permits required: AZ and NM Trip Permits
As mentioned earlier it was an overcast day with mist, drizzle and light rain nearly all of the time. The roads were wet resulting in spray from other vehicles. Temperatures stayed in the 40'sF until it got to 50F just before midnight in Ft. Worth, TX. I stopped in Hooks, TX to take on fuel. I then stopped in nearby New Boston, TX and had late midday rations at
Randy's BBQ. I later had evening rations from
QT in Greenville, TX. Then I ran the 30 through downtown Dallas and downtown Ft. Worth before reaching the west edge of Ft. Worth where I got a room for the night. I spent the night in Ft. Worth, TX.
Friday it was dry when I got started in Ft. Worth but almost immediately after I got started the rain started up again. The rain continued all day. I had midday rations at a truckstop in Gordon, TX. I took it slow and easy because there is essentially no traction with the cab and chassis. I had evening rations at
Schlotzsky's Deli in Sweetwater, TX. The temperature dropped from the 40'sF to the 30'sF as I headed west on Interstate 20. I learned that there was the threat of freezing rain and mixed precipitation and the weather forecast indicated the rain/snow line would be very close to my intended route so I opted to shut down early to avoid any possible problems. I spent the night in Colorado City, TX.
Saturday morning the snowflakes were flying in Colorado City, TX. The snow was not sticking in Colorado City and the temperature was barely above freezing. I took some pictures of downtown Colorado City then headed west on the 20. I stopped in Big Spring, TX to take on fuel and by that time the precipitation stopped. As I headed west road conditions improved. I stopped in Midland for midday rations at
KD BBQ. I stopped in Monahans, TX to take some pictures of that town and the sky started to clear. I had evening rations in Van Horn, TX before heading to El Paso where I took on fuel on the east side of El Paso. I phoned up numerous hotels and found out that many hotels were sold out but finally was able to hold a room on the west side of El Paso. I took the Sunland Park exit and arrived at hotel just 7 minutes before the end of my legal 14 hour workday. I spent the rest of the night and the next morning in El Paso, TX.
Sunday I awoke late in El Paso, TX. I was not able to get back on the 10 at Sunland Park as a couple hours after I arrived at hotel that interchange with the 10 was closed for construction. I took Sunland Park to Doniphan then took Doniphan to Transmountain where I got back on the 10 west. I stopped at the New Mexico Port of Entry to get Trip Permit then continued to Deming where I took some pictures of that city and had early evening rations at
Rancher's Grill. I took on fuel in Lordsburg. I phoned up a number I thought was for a church in Lordsburg but that number was not what I thought it was. I continued west into Arizona and stopped at the Port of Entry to purchase a Trip Permit. I made a pit stop in Willcox then continued to Tucson where I sought lodging. It was late enough I was going to need a noon checkout to take a legal break but several hotels I phoned up would not bend on their 11h00 checkout. I finally found a place with a noon checkout that allowed truck parking so off I went and I spent the rest of the night and the next morning in Tucson, AZ.
Monday I understood that the earlier weather delays cost my my ability to make delivery in Ehernberg that day so I took my time and I found a place to park for a short while and took some pictures of downtown Tucson. Then I headed west and after a pit stop at the rest area in Sacaton I continued west on the 10 into the Phoenix metro area and I stopped in the East Valley where I found a place to park and I had early evening rations which consisted of a tri tip sandwich at
Can't Stop Smokin' BBQ in Chandler, AZ. I waited awhile and took a nap as I learned traffic was bad. Then I headed across the Valley of the Sun and still got some traffic slowdowns but not as bad as if I left earlier. I stopped on the west side of the Phoenix area and had late evening rations consisting of a sliced bbq brisket sandwich at
Rudy's Bar-B-Q in Goodyear, AZ. I then headed west on the 10 and spent the night in Quartzsite, AZ.
Tuesday I headed the 12 miles into Ehrenberg and delivered the truck. I booked an itinerary on Greyhound out of Blythe. I opted to wait awhile before the taxicab came to get me as the driver's lounge at the receiver was more commodious than the location where Greyhound came to pick up and discharge passengers in Blythe, CA. I got paperwork done and kicked back then the taxi came and took me to the location that Greyhound serves in Blythe, CA. I learned that the bus was delayed so I had a much longer wait than anticipated.
Greyhound #1437 Blythe, CA to El Monte, CA
Depart: Scheduled 14h20, actual 16h26
Arrive: Scheduled 18h30, actual 20h17
Reclaim checked bags immediately upon disembarking
The bus departed Blythe 2h6min late and we left Blythe as the sun set. We continued west across the desert darkness and we made an intermediate stop in San Bernardino and I got off to stretch and use the facilities. We continued west and made another intermediate stop in Claremont but this stop did not allow enough time to get off. We arrived at El Monte 1h47min late and I got off and claimed my bags and got an Uber to go home for the night.
Little Rock, Arkansas and the Arkansas River
Downtown Little Rock, Arkansas
My ride from Texarkana, Texas to Ehrenberg, Arizona