Tour of Duty 9th November 2017 to 20th November 2017
Part II: 14th November to 20th November
Tuesday the 14th of November I awoke in Phoenix, Arizona. There was some unwelcome excitement as the toilet overflowed in the bathroom in my hotel room. Fortunately that took place after I got my shower. I got transport to the shipper. The truck was blocked in by other trucks so I had to wait for some trucks to be moved but I finally got the truck and loaded my gear and did the safety inspection and I was good to go.
Trip: Phoenix, AZ to San Francisco, CA 750 miles
Make: Ford E-350
Model: Straight Box Truck
Transmission: Automatic
Route: Arizona 202 to Interstate 10 to California 210 to Interstate 215 to Interstate 15 to US395 to California 58 to California 99 to California 58 to Interstate 5 to California 152 to US101
Maximum elevation: 4,190 feet Cajon Summit Interstate 15 about 8 miles south of Hesperia, CA
Highest unleaded price USA: 2.959$ per gallon at Love's Tehachapi, CA
Lowest unleaded price USA: 2.339$ per gallon at Arco Quartzsite, AZ
I got underway and stopped in Goodyear, AZ for midday rations. I stopped in Quartzsite for fuel before crossing the Colorado River into California. I made it to Indio, CA where I spent the night.
Wednesday I stopped at a Bank Machine to get some cash from the fuel card and deposit it into my account. That was necessary as It was not as economical to get money off the card at the truckstop as the truck ran on unleaded instead of diesel. I stopped in Cabazon to get fuel then midday rations. I saw the sunset in Redlands before going up Cajon Pass. I stopped in Tehachapi to get fuel and have evening rations then continued over the Tehachapi Mountains into Bakersfield where I spent the night.
Thursday it was cloudy to start. I took some pictures of downtown Buttonwillow, CA then stopped in Lost Hills to take on fuel. I had early evening rations at
Bravo Farms in Kettleman City, CA. Rain started in northern Fresno County and there was rain on and off for the rest of the evening. I crossed Pacheco Pass and caught the 101 and had difficulty parking but finally was able to park safely and legally on the street. The rain had quit by that time and I spent the night in Morgan Hill, CA.
Friday was clear and cooler. I headed north and made the delivery in San Francisco. Afterward I got transport to the bus depot and booked a bus ticket online and checked in and checked bags which I had to have with me.
Greyhound #8312 San Francisco, CA to Sacramento, CA
Scheduled departure 16h15, actual 16h15
Scheduled arrival 18h50, actual 19h12
I placed my checked bags by the side of the bus to be put in the hold and boarded the bus. The bus was not very full. We had free wifi and there was a plugin for my phone. We crossed the Bay Bridge and made a stop in Oakland. We had to make the stop in Oakland even though no passengers boarded and had to wait until the scheduled time to leave. The driver announced we would be late to Sacramento due to traffic. Sure enough we ran into congestion in Oakland, Orinda and Walnut Creek and we arrived in Sacramento 22 minutes late. After I disembarked and reclaimed my checked bags I got transport to hotel then went to nearby restaraunt called
Black Bear Diner for evening rations. I spent the night in Sacramento, CA.
Saturday I awoke and got ready then got transport to the shipper. I found the truck, loaded my gear and did the inspection and was good to go.
Trip: Sacramento, CA to Goshen, CA 247 actual miles
Make: 2011 Freightliner
Model: Road Tractor
Transmission: Standard Straight 10-speed
Route: Interstate 80 to Interstate 5 to US50 to California 99
Maximum elevation: unknown but not much over 300 feet
No fuel purchased this trip
I got underway and made it to Stockton, CA and found out that
Royce Farms BBQ was closed as in out of business and I was disappointed. I sought out other restaurants and that burned up some time. I opted to go to a shopping centre and did not see any signs prohibiting or restricting truck parking so I parked and had evening rations at
Sizzler. I had some difficulty finding a hotel with suitable truck parking and finally was able to park with some difficulty at a hotel I booked a room at and I spent the night in Turlock, CA.
Sunday morning I got underway and stopped in Merced and attended what was left of the Sunday Morning service at
Merced Baptist Church. The sermon was on Romans 5:1-5. After the service I met a fellow "Benedict Arnold" and had a chat and found out he was a truck driver. Afterward I headed down to Fresno and found out that a major truckstop was closed. (Later on I found out that was for the high-speed rail project.) I had trouble finding a place but finally found a place with a washroom then I took some pictures of Fresno before heading to
Grace Bible Church for Sunday Evening service. I was able to park safely and legally. I attended the service and the sermon was on First Peter 2:21-25. Afterward I headed down to Selma and had evening rations at
Cattleman's. I spent the night in Selma, CA.
Monday I continued south the short distance to Goshen. Goshen is off California 99 near Visalia. I made the delivery and found that another possible trip was already gone so I got a ride to the Amtrak station in Hanford. Upon arrival at the station I booked my ticket online then checked in and checked my bags which weighed 45.5 and 42.5lbs.
Amtrak #712 HNF-BFD San Joaquin
Scheduled departure 14h36, actual 14h42
Scheduled arrival 16h04, actual 16h01
The train was several minutes late arriving. I boarded and the train departed 6 minutes late. The train made intermediate stops in Corcoran and Wasco and made up time. I went to the Snack Car and ordered a Hot Dog, Cheeseburger, Chips and Soda and ate those en route. The train arrived in Bakersfield 3 minutes early and I made my way to the bus for the next segment of the journey.
Amtrak #5812 BFD-LAX Thruway Bus
Scheduled departure 16h10, actual 16h11
Scheduled arrival 18h30, actual 18h28
This was an uneventful trip. The bus departed one minute late. I saw the sunset around Mettler, CA followed by a Crescent Moon. The route the bus took was California 99 to Interstate 5 to Interstate 210 to California 2 to Interstate 5 to Union Station. There was traffic congestion around Magic Mountain then lane closure and construction in Santa Clarita but the bus made up a few minutes and arrived at Union Station two minutes early. I made my way to the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge where I used the facilities in peace and helped myself to a cookie and soda before being taken along with another party to the train for the next segment of the journey.
Amtrak #590 LAX-FUL Pacific Surfliner Business Class
Scheduled departure 19h15, actual 19h15
Scheduled arrival 19h44, actual 19h44
Reclaim checked bags 8 minutes after arrival
The train departed exactly on time and arrived at Fullerton, the first station after leaving, exactly on time as well. I reclaimed my bags then got transport home to end this tour of duty.
Sunset 14th November 2017 Goodyear, Arizona
Indio, California
Buttonwillow, California
Morgan Hill, California
San Francisco, California
Merced, California
Fresno, California
Fresno, California sunset 19th November 2017
Selma, California
Mettler, California sunset 20th November 2017