Back on the road

Well, had to get back on the road this morning. 4:30 AM. My cousin Don was no happier about it than I was. I left if up to him as to when we started, as long as it was after 4 AM to start my hours of service over at zero. For those that don't know, the Federal Govt. has requirements regarding how long you can drive and work a day and for 70 hrs in 7 days. Once you hit those levels, you can no longer drive until you take 34 hours off. It is complicated, so I won't try to explain it. Anyway, it was raining too, which made it even more enjoyable. I headed north from Cedar Rapids to get to I90, which will take me into Washington. Rained most of the day, hard till about 1PM then sprinkles and drizzles. It wasn't too bad, not a lot of traffic, so that was nice. Went north all the way to Minnesota and caught 90 and headed west. Stopped in Sioux Falls right over the South Dakota border and fueled up. I was a little concerned about fuel, since I have a malfunctioning fuel gauge, so I put 50 gal in at the truck stop I parked at in Iowa. Not sure it was necessary because I only took 177 gallons in Sioux Falls and I have 300 gallon capacity with about 250-275 usable. But I didn't want to end up running out again. There was not a lot going on today. The only thing that really did interest me was some birds I saw in a large pond across the hwy from me. There had to be a hundred or more, and at first I thought they were ducks, since they were mostly in the water. But as I got across from them, I noticed they had large thick bills, very much like a pelican. I find it hard to believe there are pelicans in South Dakota, but they must be some variation of them. Other than that the scenery was much as it was through Illinois, Iowa and then Minnesota, lots of farm land. South Dakota is more ranch land than farming, but still not much to see. I made it all the way to Rapid City, which is the gateway to Mount Rushmore. I am only about 50 miles from the Wyoming border. I'm hoping to get through Wyoming and Montana tomorrow, but am not sure. I will drive another 11 hours, which is the limit. I put 680 miles on today in 11 hours driving time. Not bad since the truck is governed at 65. In closing, I would just like to say how enjoyable it was to get to stop and visit my cousin (who is really much more like a brother and best friend) and his family. It was only a day, but after missing out on Easter, it was quite gratifying. Thank you Don, and Alica for making me feel at home. Love you guys.

I will post again tomorrow if possible, even if it is just a quick note from my phone. If I get to Montana and into the mountains there, should be pretty. I'll take some more crappy pics with my phone. That camera is moving higher on the shopping list every day. :-)

Good night all, till tomorrow.

Larry