There were several potential routes to take to the consignee but I settled on the shortest, even though it went over several state highways. I noted as part of my trip planning that near the end I would be passing through the Bong state recreation area.
Upon arrival I was told to cool my heels in a nearby parking area and "it will probably be a while." I beeped dispatch over the QualComm to keep them updated and was given a preplan to load out of nearby Oak Creek, Wisconsin at noon. The plant took their sweet time, and the back into the assigned door was a chore (what is it with these backs of late?) but I departed around 1130 and made it to my next appointment right at noon. It helped that the shipper for this next load was at a location I remember having passed back when I worked at CFI.
It turns out that Joseph Campione foods manufactures garlic bread, Texas toast and other yummies for many private labels and apparently business is good: the workers I talked to mentioned they were adding a whole new building soon to keep up with demand. The entire facility smelled of buttery garlic to high heaven; dirty job, but someone has to do it.
Yet there was a snag, as there so often is in this business. A good portion of the 9,400 pound load wasn't yet produced so my noon appointment was pushed back to 2000. I spent eight hours chilling out at the nearby truck stop before returning to find the order ready to go, staged on the dock and everything. I was in and out in fifteen minutes and some, uh, promotional samples somehow appeared in my truck fridge. Thanks guys.
They also pointed out that there was a thin ribbon of blood left on the floor of the trailer on one side from my previous load. Since the reefer hadn't been above freezing for days it was essentially a vampire popsicle and was quickly disposed of with a paper towel and 409.
Now the fun part: this load was scheduled to be in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at 2100 tomorrow night. At 870 miles, there was no way to run it legally in one day, necessitating a 10-hour break somewhere in the middle. The truck stop I was waiting at before loading was packed and the spot I left had vanished moments after I split. So, even though I was tired and the schedule opposite my norm, I carefully made my way out to I-94 southbound to run through Chicago, ending my driving hours around 0100 this morning.
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