Tour of Duty 22nd April 2019 to 26th April 2019
Part II: 23rd April to 26th April
I awoke Tuesday 23rd April in Seatac, Washington and saw that there was at least some rain during the night but no rain was falling though it was mostly cloudy. I got ready then checked out. I know a friend who lives not far from Ravensdale, WA but he was unable to come and get me. Before I ordered Uber I phoned up the shipper and received word the vehicle was not there; it was at a dealer in Kent, WA due to some issues. The shipper would not give me information so I phoned up dispatch and after some time I received the new pickup location. I ordered transport and arrived at the shipper and the vehicle was pulled up and I loaded my gear and did the safety inspection. I found out the vehicle ran on unleaded fuel instead of diesel and there was an issue with the low tyre pressure sensor causing a false alarm.
Trip: Original origin Ravensdale, WA changed to new origin of Kent, WA. Destination of West Sacramento, CA 752 paid miles
Make: 2019 Ford
Model: Sprinter Van
Transmission: Automatic
Route: Washington 167 to Washington 512 to Interstate 5 to Interstate 205 to Interstate 5 to US50 (Interstate 80 Business)
Highest elevation: 4,310 feet Siskiyou Summit Interstate 5 4 miles north of the CA/OR state line
Highest unleaded USA: 3.799$ per gallon at ARCO Orland, CA and West Sacramento, CA
Lowest unleaded USA: 3.259$ per gallon at Pilot Brooks, OR
I headed to a nearby filling station and topped off the tank for 3.499$ Then I got on southbound Washington 167 and there was a lot of congestion. There was not as much congestion on Washington 512 and traffic was moving pretty well on Interstate 5. The weather improved as I progressed. I hit Interstate 5 in Lakewood, WA south of Tacoma. I got off in Olympia and took some pictures of downtown Olympia and the State Capitol. Then I continued south and exited at Kalama and took a couple of pictures. I had evening rations at
Burgerville in Vancouver, WA. I booked hotel room then got on the 205 and crossed the Columbia River into Portland, Oregon. I checked into hotel and there were issues. The key card worked to get me in the room but not the building so I needed assistance getting into the building. Once in the room it was not long before I heard the telltale "chirp" indicating the batteries on the smoke detector were running low so more time was burned as Maintenance came and changed the smoke detector. I spent the night in Portland, OR.
Wednesday I got a late start and detoured to get back on the 205. Once on the 205 I made fairly good time in the Portland area. I stopped in Brooks, just north of Salem to take on fuel. Then I learned of a trip from Salt Lake City to Denver picking up Monday the 29th. I accepted the trip and booked an itinerary from LGB to SLC via LAS on WN leaving the morning of the 29th. I went into Salem and took some pictures of downtown and the State Capitol. Then I continued south and had midday rations at
Burgerville in Albany, OR. Then I went into downtown Eugene and took more pictures before continuing south on the 5 and I stopped in Cottage Grove and took pictures of that city as well as a Covered Bridge. Then I continued south and stopped in Roseburg where I had late evening rations at Elmer's. Then I stopped in Canyonville to get Ginger Ale then I continued south and spent the night in Grants Pass, OR.
Thursday it was warmer with fair weather and I met a Facebook Friend who is an open air preacher from Grants Pass. I had a visit of not much more than a quarter hour before heading into downtown Grants Pass where I took pictures. Then I continued south to Medford where I took pictures of that city. I learned the trip from Salt Lake City to Denver was cancelled. I was told about a possible trip from Portland, Oregon to Fowler, California. Fowler is a south suburb of Fresno. I continued south to Ashland, OR where I had midday rations at
Wendy's then I took on fuel. Self serve for unleaded fuel is illegal (with limited exceptions) in Oregon. Afterward I climbed the Siskiyou Grade and headed down into California. I stopped at rest area near Hornbrook and took a nap before proceeding south. I took pictures of the Sundial Bridge in Redding at sunset. Then I stopped in Corning where I had evening rations at
Petro. The cook messed up my order costing me time. I found there were no rooms available in Orland, Willows and Williams, CA. I stopped in Orland to take on fuel then I continued south and got room and spent the night in Dunnigan, CA.
Friday it was warm and fair. I learned another driver got the trip from Portland, Oregon to Fowler, California. I learned of a possible trip from Santa Rosa, CA to southern California but that trip was not yet in the system so I was not able to be dispatched on it. Furthermore I would not have been able to complete delivery of the vehicle I had then make it to Santa Rosa in time before that shipper closed for the weekend. I stopped at filling station to take on fuel then I went to the receiver for execution of delivery and conclusion of this trip. I had a wait and got my bags ready and changed the flight to a nonstop from SMF to LGB.
Another Facebook Friend picked me up. He is an open air preacher who lives in the Sacramento area. We visited and stopped in downtown West Sacramento where I took pictures. Then we stopped in downtown Sacramento for even more pictures before he took me to the airport. He dropped me off at Terminal B and I went in and checked in and checked my bags which weighed 44.5 and 46.0lbs. I cleared security after a queue and did not opt out but received a partial patdown anyway. No additional screening was done to any of my carry on's. I had early evening rations of Stromboli from
Famiglia. I made it to the gate and the plane was already late arriving from BWI. A further delay was announced as there was a need to clean up from some sort of accident on board.
Southwest #432 SMF-LGB B-737-800 Boarding Pass A6
Seat 6F Cruising altitude 35,000 feet Estimated flying time 1:03, actual 1:01
Depart: Gate B14 Scheduled 18h45, actual 19h46 Taxi: 10 minutes
Arrive: Gate 3 Scheduled 20h05, actual 21h01 Taxi: 3 minutes
Reclaim checked bags 18-20 minutes after arrival
We boarded via jetway. I saw that seats 3E and 3F were out of service so the capacity was reduced from 175 to 173. The plane was almost full. It was announced it was 67F at LGB. The pilot apologised for the delay but there were thunderstorms that delayed departure from Baltimore. Pushback was 1h1min late followed by takeoff to the south. We crossed Interstate 5 and I saw the aftermath of the sunset. We turned left and I downtown Sacramento and the Sacramento River. Then I saw Mount Diablo to the distance as well as parts of the California Delta. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:19 as cruise was announced and it was 62F at LGB. I got pretzels at the same time. At 0:22 I saw the lights of the California 99 corridor. At 0:28 I got cupof soda and I saw clouds increase. I felt descent begin at 0:40. We appeared to be over Ventura County at 0:45 and I saw some city lights and the glow of other city lights through the Marine Layer. Seatbelt sign went on at 0:46. I'm not sure exactly when we went overwater but descent was announced at 0:50. I got a glimpse of lights of the Los Angeles Basin from the other side. We made landfall at 0:58 and I saw the Huntington Beach Pier. I saw the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station then the interchange of Interstates 405 and 605 and we landed to the northwest. I deplaned via ramp from the front door. After I reclaimed checked bags I summoned transportation and arrived home to conclude this short tour of duty.