What you see is how one couldpark our rig, if one had lots of space at one's disposal. Nice stretch of asphault, with hardly a car around, and plenty of space leading into the spot to ensure that you can pull in straight. Recall that, with the trailer, backing up is a dicey option.
So when we pulled up to the motel south of Chicago at 1:30 in the morning, and saw utility trucks scattered around a mostly full lot, we knew we were going to have difficulties. It took us about twenty tough minutes, with Da spotting and me behind the wheel, more than one false start, and a ten-point turn to be able to pull into a spot one wide by two long, and hemmed in by three utility trucks. Thank goodness the mirrors fold in.
Still, it did mean no bed until about 2:30.
The picture above is from about six short hours later, as we fetched some hot drinks for the road.
We headed into Indiana with just over a half tank - the dash display estimated 160-mile range. I-80 in Indiana ends at milepost 153. We intended to fill up at one of the last two rest areas, but balked at the $0.25/gal markup they had. When filling a 40-gal tank, that actually does make a difference. However, when we saw that the first gas in Ohio is 15 miles in, and the dash is estimating only 12 miles left, you start to question if it's really worth that much. For that 15-mile stretch I dropped down to 50 mph, killed the AC, coasted where possible, and hoped for the best. We trusted the truck had some margin beyond zero miles, but couldn't count on much.
As it turns out, it had at least three miles' extra.
1 comment:
I've done that trip more than once. The southern, non-toll route through NY is lovely--great diners with good pie.
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