Curfew woes for Mick McGarry.

We left the Pilot at Dalton this morning and picked our pilot car up at the scale before the Tennessee border, along with Paul and Mick, which would escort us all across Tennessee and Kentucky, leaving us to continue unaided as we passed over the river into Illinois. (Thanks Jimmy).

Cath, with Kay from Apache Escort Services on a previous run at the scale near Ringgold Georgia.

Unfortunately for Mick, he didn't get across the river to Illinois, and had to shutdown early as he didn't have enough driving hours left to get much further, and won't have enough left tomorrow to get him out of Illinois before the Martin Luther King holiday curfew comes into effect for oversize loads, so he is stuck in Paducha Kentucky for a few days, poor lad.
Paul pulled in at jct 52 on the i55, but we carried on to 100a to use up all the daylight time that we could, pulling into the Pilot truck stop at Springfield IL bang on half hour after sunrise. I'm sure we'll run together tomorrow sometime, as we both push for Sioux City Iowa.

There's a cafe/diner at the truck stop, called the Star 66 cafe, and whilst we got seated and served pretty quickly, there was a queue of 15 along the corridor by the time we were done (it's that popular)! The place is the busiest diner we have ever seen in the USA, and the generous portions, large choice and great prices, as well as the friendly staff mean we will call in here again.
I took some good video shots of the trucks on the road today, well I thought I had, but it was set to photo, so I'll try again tomorrow.

Mick avoiding a low bridge in Casper Wyoming on the way south earlier this week.

It looks like winter may have arrived here now, with sub zero temps and snow.

For my fellow Brits who don't have a choice as to where they work, but (quite rightly) complain about the crap in the UK, ie no parking, or expensive, unsafe, unhygienic places... sign the petition here.., it has to start somewhere.