NEWPORT, MI to CRANBURY, NJ: 590 miles.
Friday July 10th, I arrived at the shipper at 6:30pm which was the same as the consignee of the previous assignment. This assignment was set up so I could be home on Monday the 13th for a doctor’s appointment. I normally schedule them for a Monday or Friday so I also have a chance to see my kids over the weekend. I left the shipper at 8:00pm and drove two-and-half hours to one of the Ohio Travel Plazas which tend to have easy parking, a food court and free showers. I also wanted to advance the load a couple of hours so I wouldn’t violate the Eleven-Hour DOT Regulation for maximum hours allowed to drive in a twenty-four hour period on the next day. I shut it down for the night at 10:30pm.
Saturday July 11th, I started my day at 10:00am with a shower, then performed the pre-trip inspection of the truck. I drove a couple of miles down the road to fuel at the Pilot in Richfield, OH. It’s a small truck stop and nearly impossible to find parking and the spots are very tight therefore the choice of the Travel Plaza the night before. I drove eight-and-half hours to consignee stopping for lunch at Kavkaz Restaurant in Loganton, PA. There must be an Amish community nearby because I often see them drive down the road in their horse pulled buggies. The restaurant has a large parking lot for trucks. I arrived at the consignee at 9:15pm and shut it down for the night there. Fortunately, they allow overnight parking otherwise it would be very difficult to find parking in that area of New Jersey.
Sunday July 12th, I started my day at 10:30am with the pre-trip inspection of the truck and drove three-and-half hours to the Pilot in Milford, CT, that I use as my home base. The drive is only 120 miles but traffic is always bad. The Darien, CT, Travel Plaza is much closer to my town on Rye, NY, but trucks cannot be left there unattended or else there is risk of being towed which is an expense of $1,800 that would come out of my pocket.
Monday July 13th, my doctor’s appointment was at 10:30am so I got up early, took a shower and then an UBER to pickup my car rental. My kids were busy so I didn’t get to see them but after the doctor’s appointment I got a mani-pedi then did laundry. I had Chinese food for lunch that is so hard to find on the road. Mexican restaurants there’s an overabundance spread out all over the country.
BOOK REVIEW: Only Murder by Rylie Dark (2021), THRILLER – RATING (****)
A suspenseful psychological thriller set in Anchorage, Alaska with great descriptions of the landscapes and life in such a remote part of the country. A strong FMC is always a plus.
FBI Special Agent Sadie Price requested a transfer from the prestigious Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) to the remote field office in Alaska, that most see as a demotion or punishment. She’s an upcoming twenty-nine year old agent but wants to get back home to see if she can shed light on her sister’s death that occurred fifteen years earlier.
On her first day she’s asked to help local authorities with the investigation of a woman’s body found under the ice in one of the frozen lakes of the area. Then a second body is discovered. Are these random accidents or the work of a serial killer? More importantly for Sadie, are they related to the death of her sister?
Good police procedural work, Sadie is helping Sheriff Logan Cooper and his deputy which happens to be his sister and not too fond of Sadie. There are other secondary characters that help maintain the suspense of the story.
Overall very entertaining.
