We waited over 2 hours yesterday at the loading docks just to start getting loaded yesterday. The scene was one of unbelievable chaos, both van trailers and flatbeds crammed together and yard jockeys on fork lifts speeding by at break neck speeds. Everyone's temper was as hot as the 90 degree weather.
There was a row of empty van trailers on one side, a row of van trailers loading and unloading on the other side At the docks, there is barely room for three tractors to fit side by side down the middle, and these fork lifts zipping through with out a thought to caution, speeding up and down the loading ramps with pallets of wire fencing and barbed wire. We have to constantly move our rig a few feet to make room for other trucks.
They finally load the last pallet on and we proceed to strap the load down securely. It takes us over an hour, we have a total of 29 pallets. Its almost 7 pm by the time we leave the loading yard and we are both sweaty and tired and hungry. We take a quick ride over to the TA and take care of 2 of three of those issues, the third will have to wait a few hours, we need to get as far as we can tonight. We are supposed to deliver this Thursday morning, but with the delay in getting loaded, its going to have to be a few hours later than that.
The TA in Laredo is fairly new, and is definitely one of the better TA’s. You will have to pay for parking if you plan on staying there all night and not spending $20, other wise the annoyance of going through the parking gates is well worth it.
The shower attendant sees both of us going into our shower and anticipates us needing another set of towels before I even have to ask. Our only complaints are that you only get one towel, but I always keep a towel for my hair in my bag for just those occasions. The vents in the ceiling constantly drip a steady stream of condensation over the sink, but it's clean, the water is decently hot and pressurized and that’s all that matters. Its amazing how your priorities change when you live out over the road.
The restaurant is clean, as always, and the buffet looks pretty appetizing. We both opt for breakfast though, as we usually do. As I am not supposed to eat egg yolks, I asked our waiter James if they had egg substitutes, which he assured me they did. I get my usual TA breakfast, the Truckers sandwich, an egg, cheeses (which I forego) and your choice of bacon or sausage on an English muffin. Now, I am not supposed to eat bacon either, but hey, pork fat rules and I gave up the cheese and the egg yolk so that cancels out the bacon, right? I mean, seriously, how could I NOT get the bacon, I ask you?
My order arrives and I stifle a laugh, I can see fried egg whites hanging over the side of the muffin. It used to be a big item of contention between Joe and I because, as a matter of course, something always goes wrong with what I want to get to order, but now its pretty much a standing joke between us. Its even funnier (to me) when they get HIS order wrong. I whip off the top of my muffin…..whaaa laaaa!! I show Joe my fried egg and he does his usual eye roll. Resigned to eating it, as I am too hungry at this point to wait for another one, I take a closer look and discover it was only fried egg white, which was great. It actually tasted much better than the egg beaters would have! I think I am going to order it that way from now on.
The service was very good, as well as the food itself. I always give this TA a 4.5 rating.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment