First Stop in MN

DATELINE: ROGERS, MN, 11:00 p.m. CDT

Miles Today: 522

Oy! Such a long day. It was all drive, drive, drive again, with just a few short stops for fuel, food, and rest areas. I got up at 5:00, hit the road shortly after, and just made my way here, arriving just before 4:00. So I was on the go for about 11 hours straight.

By the time I got here, I was wiped out. ("Here", by the way, is a TA truck stop. USA has only 2 fuel stops in the whole state of Minnesota on its network list, and this just happens to be one of them. It also just happens to be right at the exit I need to take to get to my delivery tomorrow morning, which is maybe just a little over a mile from here.) So after parking and checking in with a call home, I hit my bunk for a much-needed nap. When I woke up 4 hours later (8:45 p.m.), I was ready to face the evening.

Though still not completely refreshed, I had enough energy to keep up with my fitness plan. I headed out for a walk, despite the night already being dark. This is a commercial area (eateries, a cineplex, retail shops) and business park, and my route was mainly through the business park. At 9:00 at night, there was very little traffic, so walking along the roads was pleasant. My morning delivery site was close enough to make it the far end of my loop, so I walked past there to scope it out, to see where I'll need to pull in when I arrive with my truck. (It looks like the delivery shouldn't be a problem; plenty of room for maneuvering the truck in the loading dock area.) The walk took just about exactly an hour, so that was in keeping with my daily goal.

And now I'm back in my bunk, having handled today's e-mail messages and written all about my day for y'all. Thanks again for keeping up with my journeys. Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.