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From the Pacific Northwest to the Great Plains to Sin City
Tour of Duty 7th September 2019 to 8th October 2019
Part VII: 1st October to 8th October I awoke Tuesday the 1st of October in SeaTac, WA. After I got ready I headed to a filling station to take on some fuel. I stopped at a park to take some pictures then headed to the Rental Car Return and turned in the rental car and caught the shuttle bus to the terminal. I checked in and checked my bags which weighed 46.0 and 45.0lbs. I cleared security after a queue and I ended up being directed to WTMD so I did not have to choose to opt out. There was no additional screening of my carry on items. Total time from beginning of check in to clear of security was 35 minutes. Southwest #2181 SEA-PHX B-737-700 Boarding Pass B16 Seat 23A Cruising altitude 37,000 feet Estimated flying time not given, actual 2:20 Depart: Gate B14 Scheduled 14h30, actual 14h44 Taxi: 9 minutes Arrive: Gate D4 Scheduled 17h30, actual 17h18 Taxi: 5 minutes We boarded via jetway. The plane was almost full with load of 131/143 but there was an empty middle in my row. Pushback was 14 minutes late. Takeoff was to the south then we turned more southeast. I saw Interstate 5 and parts of Seattle/Tacoma area then I saw a snowcapped Mt. Rainier sticking its head above broken clouds. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:10 and I saw Mt. Adams. At 0:16 we crossed the Columbia River into Oregon airspace near Hood River, OR and I saw The Dalles, OR farther out. Drink order was taken at 0:20. Clouds increased as we headed south. At 0:28 I got Pretzels and Ritz Bits. At 0:51 I got cup of soda. I felt bumps and seatbelt sign went went on at 1:03. I saw what may have been Fallon, NV at 1:03. I got second cup of soda at 1:14. Seatbelt sign went off at 1:23 and on again at 1:33 and I saw US95 near Beatty, NV. I saw part of the Las Vegas metro area at 1:38. I saw the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Nellis Air Force Base at 1:40. I saw Lake Mead at 1:42. I felt descent begin at 1:47. We crossed Interstate 40 at 1:54 and I saw Seligman, AZ to the east. I saw the San Francisco Peaks to the distance at 1:56. At 2:00 I saw Prescott, AZ and I saw the Mogollon Rim to the distance. At 2:04 descent was announced and it was 88F at PHX. I also saw Interstate 17. At 2:05 I saw the Sunset Point Rest Area off Interstate 17. At 2:10 I saw the outer reaches of the Phoenix metro area. At 2:12 we crossed the Arizona 101 Loop. At 2:14 we turned east and at 2:15 we turned south and west. I saw Mesa, AZ at 2:16. I saw Tempe on final approach and we landed east to west. We arrived at the gate 12 minutes early and we deplaned via jetway. Southwest #162 PHX-OKC B-737-700 Boarding Pass A35 Seat 23F Cruising altitude 41,000 feet Estimated flying time 1:45, actual 1:43 Depart: Gate D6 Scheduled 18h20, actual 18h38 Taxi: 6 minutes Arrive: Gate 18 Scheduled 22h15, actual 22h31 Taxi: 3 minutes Reclaim checked bags 22-23 minutes after arrival We boarded via jetway and the plane was not totally full with a load of 109/143. It was announced it was 83F and windy at OKC and we were being delayed because we were waiting for connecting bags. Pushback was 18 minutes late. Takeoff was to the west. I saw Interstate 10 and downtown Phoenix. We circled to the left and I saw the aftermath of the sunset and the lights of the Phoenix metro area. I saw the lights of Interstate 10 and the lights of the Casa Grande and Tucson areas farther out. I felt some bumps on climb. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:35. I got pretzels at 0:38. Drink order was taken at 0:39. I felt bumps and seatbelt sign went back on at 0:43. I got cup of soda at 0:55. I got second cup of soda at 1:01. I felt descent begin at 1:21. Descent was announced at 1:25 and there were a few clouds and it was 78F at OKC. I saw Interstate 40 at 1:33. I saw the lights of the Oklahoma City area on final and we landed north to south and we arrived at gate 16 minutes late. We deplaned via jetway I got the shuttle to the Rental Car Centre. I got in the Rental Car and took some pictures of Oklahoma City then I had late night rations at Beverly's Pancake House in Oklahoma City. I headed to hotel and spent the night in Oklahoma City, OK. Wednesday I got on the Turner Turnpike and headed to Tulsa where I got on US75 and headed toward Independence, KS. I loaded the truck and did Safety Inspection then I headed to filling station to fill the tank of the rental car then I headed to Braum's in Independence, KS for evening rations. I turned in the rental car and walked to where the truck was. Trip: Independence, KS to Las Vegas, NV 1,303 paid miles Make: 2020 Freightliner Model: Box Truck Transmission: Automatic Governed Speed: 65mph Route: US75 to Oklahoma 11 to Interstate 244 to Interstate 44 to Interstate 40 to US93/Interstate 11/Interstate 515 Highest elevation: 7,335 feet Arizona Divide Interstate 40 5 miles west of Flagstaff, AZ Highest diesel price USA: 3.099$ per gallon at Flying J Albuquerque, NM and TA Gallup, NM Lowest diesel price USA: 2.799$ per gallon at Flying J Tulsa, OK Permits required: NM, AZ and NV Trip Permits When I did Safety Inspection I found a front top marker light was out. As a result I felt compelled to stay in Independence since the pickup was after hours. I spent the night in Independence, KS. Thursday morning it was raining when I woke up. I returned to the shipper and was sent to another part of the property but the person said that they did not fix the lights. I went back to the lot where trucks were staged and notified dispatch. Some mechanics came out and ended up getting in the headliner and it turned the light was out because it was not plugged in. So the light was plugged in and I was good to go. The rain quit by the time I got to Dewey, OK. I stopped in Tulsa and took on fuel. I continued and ended up getting some fog around Clinton, OK. I spent the night in Elk City, OK. Friday it was cloudy and grey to start but it cleared up. I stopped in Erick, OK and took some pictures of that city. The company sent me the New Mexico and Nevada Permits electronically over the phone. I took on fuel in Amarillo, TX. Then I stopped at Dyer's Bar-B-Que in Amarillo, TX for evening rations. The meal was edible but I was not terribly impressed with the food. While there I had a chat with a fellow "Benedict Arnold." I encountered some heavy rain showers on the west side of Amarillo. I made it into New Mexico and showed the permit on my phone to an Officer at the New Mexico Port of Entry near San Jon and I was cleared to proceed. I ended up spending the night in Tucumcari, NM Saturday before I left Tucumcari I stopped by Watson's BBQ for midday rations. That location is not open evenings. The food was satisfactory but I constantly had to chase flies away which was aggravating. I headed west on the 40 and I experienced some wind on the eastern plains of New Mexico. I stopped in Santa Rosa, NM to take some pictures of that city. Then I made a pit stop at Clines Corners, NM. I took on fuel in Albuquerque. I stopped and had evening rations at the Sky City Casino in Acoma, NM and I think I overdid it on the Beef Brisket. I spent the night in Gallup, NM. I felt sick to my stomach during the night but felt better by Sunday Morning. I was late to church but made it to Bible Believers Baptist Church in Gallup, NM in time for the message which was on Titus 2. I took on fuel in Gallup and then I headed west into Arizona. I stopped in Holbrook, AZ and had midday rations at Popeye's. I continued west and made a pit stop in Bellemont, AZ but the Interstate was closed there due to roadworks. The offramp and onramp was used as a detour. I stopped in Williams, AZ and had some evening rations. I continued and stopped and spent the night in Seligman, AZ. Monday I awoke and headed to Kingman, AZ. I saw a message from Dispatch that the Receiver stopped receiving at 13h00 and there was no way I would make it by then. I was going to proceed and get a room in the Las Vegas area but I double checked the Nevada Trip Permit the company sent me and found out the wrong date was on the Permit. I had to stay in Kingman for the night as there was no viable place to stop and get lodging between Kingman, AZ and the Nevada state line on my intended route. I took some pictures of downtown Kingman and old route 66 then checked into hotel. Then I took a walk and had some evening rations before spending the night in Kingman, AZ. Tuesday morning I got the Nevada Trip Permit sent to me on my phone with the correct date. I got rolling. This was the first time I used the new four-lane bridge bypassing Hoover Dam. As I approached Nevada I saw signs saying "Future Interstate 11 Corridor." I used the new bridge. Back in 1999 and 2000 when I was driving semi pulling trailers of freight as a company driver, I remember the road toward Hoover Dam became single carriageway and there were some very tight turns especially for a 53-foot trailer. The speed limit went down to 15mph and I remember driving right over Hoover Dam. After 11th September 2001 that came to an abrupt end and trucks were required make a considerable detour while the bridge was being planned and built. I remember using detour at least once if not more. Once I entered Nevada the route was signed as Interstate 11 until I got to the junction of the Interstate 215 ring road around Las Vegas. The section I stayed on became Interstate 515/US95. I exited just before Interstate 15 and there was some confusion about where to go but I found the correct entrance and arrived at Receiver for execution of delivery and conclusion of the trip. I ordered transport to LAS to fly home as there were no suitable trips available. I was wanting to get home closer to my scheduled Jury Duty but that did not happen. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7f378d4097.jpg Oklahoma City, Oklahoma https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7d2da0590b.jpg Oklahoma City, Oklahoma https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...96eb27eb99.jpg Oklahoma City, Oklahoma https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7025d732e1.jpg Oklahoma City, Oklahoma https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dfc66802b0.jpg Tucumcari, New Mexico https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...829b5b0ab3.jpg Tucumcari, New Mexico |
An Eventful Trip Home
Tour of Duty 7th September 2019 to 8th October 2019
Part VIII: 8th October 2019 I arrived at LAS and checked in and checked my bags which weighed 47.4 and 45.0lbs. I cleared security and there was no queue. I opted down and was patted down. There was no additional screening of my carry on items. I did not measure the time elapsed because I took some time to write a couple postcards and mail them after I checked in but before I proceeded to security. That said, security was NOT busy. After I cleared security I got evening rations which consisted of a burger, fries and water from Shake Shack. This was my first time at any Shake Shack and I liked the quality of the food but not the prices. However I expect food at LAS to be overpriced. Southwest #1462 Segment A LAS-LAS Intended destination LAX B-737-700 Boarding Pass B56 Seat 23F Cruising altitude not given Estimated flying time 0:43, actual 0:23 Depart: Gate B11 Scheduled 18h50, 19h09 Taxi/hold: 41 minutes Arrive: Gate C1 Scheduled 20h00, arrive back at LAS 20h30 Taxi: 11 minutes We boarded via jetway. The plane was almost but not totally full with load of 128/143. It was announced there were low clouds and it was 68F at LAX. An announcement was made there was an issue with some sort of seal on the front door and a mechanic was coming. The mechanic came and announcement was made it was a quick fix but paperwork needed to be done and that would take about 10 minutes. Pushback was 19 minutes late. It was announced that we would sit for maybe 30 minutes as LAX is still accepting arrivals but at slower rate due to low clouds. We finally took off to the west. I saw the Strip and the new Football Stadium being built for the Raiders. We turned south and I saw the 215 ring road. At 0:05 I saw the lights of Jean, NV and the lights of traffic on Interstate 15. At 0:06 I saw the lights of Primm, NV. Then I saw Interstate 15 and the California Port of Entry then at 0:10 we turned and at first I thought we might be in holding pattern but at 0:12 announcement was made that the door seal was leaking and even though air pressure was holding out of an abundance of caution we would be returning to LAS. We made turns and headed east, turned north and west and landed east to west. We arrived at gate C1 30 minutes later than our scheduled arrival into LAX and we deplaned via jetway. An announcement was made that the plane would be put out of service and passengers were told to get their belongings and deplane. Shortly thereafter it was announced that there was a plane en route and would become available at gate C11. We waited for the plane to arrive and an announcement apologising for the inconvenience and some sort of compensation would be made. Southwest #1462 Segment B LAS-LAX B-737-700 Boarding Pass B56 Seat 23F Cruising altitude not given Estimated flying time 0:43, actual 0:42 Depart: Gate C11 Scheduled 18h50, actual 22h02 Taxi: 8 minutes Arrive: Gate 11B Scheduled 20h00, actual 22h58 Taxi: 6 minutes Reclaim checked bags 20-24 minutes after arrival We boarded via jetway The plane was not as full with load of 111/143. I had entire row to myself. Some passengers chose not to continue. It was announced the weather improved at LAX. Pushback was 3h12min late. Takeoff was to the west. I saw the Strip and we turned south and I saw the 215 ring road. I felt bumps on climb. At 0:05 I saw Interstate 15 traffic and at 0:06 I saw Primm, NV. At 0:09 I saw lights of what looked to be Mountain Pass, CA. At 0:12 I saw lights of Baker, CA. Seatbelt sign went off at 0:16. At 0:18 I saw lights of Barstow, CA and vicinity. I felt descent begin at 0:22. I saw lights of Victorville and Apple Valley. I got pretzels at 0:24 and I got cup of soda at 0:26 as descent was announced and it was partly cloudy and 64F at LAX. At 0:28 I saw lights of north part of San Bernardino and the junction of Interstates 15 and 215. I the north parts of Rialto and Fontana then I saw Rancho Cucamonga and Upland. I saw junction of Interstate 10/California 57 and California 71 at 0:33. I saw Interstate 605 at 0:36. We crossed Interstate 710 at 0:38. We crossed Interstate 110 and I saw downtown Los Angeles at 0:39. We crossed Interstate 405 at 0:41 then we landed east to west and we arrived at gate 2h58min late. We deplaned via jetway. After I reclaimed my checked bags I headed to the designated pickup point for Uber/Lyft. I chose Lyft this time and the first driver kept going to wrong place and he cancelled on me. I had to order another driver and this driver came and took me home to end this tour of duty. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ec468ba6d5.jpg Shake Shack at LAS |
Baker City, Oregon
Some pictures of Baker City, Oregon
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Yakima, Washington
Some pictures of Yakima, Washington
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Kingman, Arizona
Some pictures of Kingman, Arizona
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Awesome! Thanks for the great TR. bummer on the final LAS-LAX flight but better safe...
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A couple days after I got home I saw in my e-mail a voucher for 100$ which exceeded the cost of the air ticket.
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You covered some territory on this trip. The detail you provide is so good. And great pics of small town USA!
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