Only two things come out of Colorado (for us): Steers and... beers

No preplan showed up Thursday, but my phone was ringing off the hook Friday morning from around 0300. A pity I didn't hear it since my iPhone was out of juice.

The caller was my old dispatcher, Ross, who now does some evening and night dispatch work for the company. He was looking for someone to repower a load from our yard out to Chicago for the morning and thought of me. Brings a tear to my eye.

Once I awoke and realized my phone was dead I started it on the charger, and realized I had missed some calls and had some voicemail. Just as I was listening to those, Ross calls again and I agree to take the load even though it was supposed to deliver in Chicago 30 minutes ago.

By the time I steer my truck from the Sapp Bros truck stop on the west side of town to our yard it gets called off: by the time I get there they will be closed, for the weekend no less. A different short repower is briefly considered and rejected, mostly because my miles this week kind of suck.

The long wait begins.

It is after 1000 when I get beeped to repower yet another load, this one heading to the Denver area for FedEx. I'm told the load won't be on the yard for a few hours so make plans to head to a nearby WalMart and stock up, but then I pinged My Overlords and it turns out the trailer has just now arrived. Grab paperwork, hook up and inspect rig, get fueled up, get logbook straightened out, get on road. The usual drill.

It is only 530 miles and I have until midnight, so there isn't a huge rush. I manage to stop in Lexington, Nebraska at My Favorite WalMart (lots of truck parking!) and spend $40 on food, which is unusual. Normally 30-40 bucks will handle most of a week for me and I didn't think I was getting that much. I did get more snacks than normal and those things are a bit more expensive, it seems.

Anyway, a few hours west of Lexington is Big Springs, Nebraska and the wonderful Sam Bass Saloon. I love their steaks and fantastic steak fries, and the bread... mmmm, to die for.

Three hours further gets me to Henderson, Colorado where I drop off at the FedEx facility, then a few miles further to our dropyard where I parked for the night. Not a bad day's drive, and the load was light.

Most of our loads heading out of Colorado are either meat or beer (or beer can) loads, with the occasional bunch of spuds thrown in. I grabbed a van instead of a reefer so hopefully I won't have to deal with the congenital screwups at the Swift Greeley plant again.