Trip #2092 Portland, OR > Auburn, WA > Topeka, KS

While Lucky Distrib was unloading the Toro lawnmowers [on May 20th] that we had brought them, Smidgen & I walked down 2 the Airport Café 2 pk up some breakfast-to-go. Their food is always delicious & is run by a very nice North Korean couple. They moved 2 the Seattle area over 30 yrs ago, speak excellent English & we always enjoy visiting w/ them. Several US Army officers came in while I was waiting 4 r breakfast sandwiches. They had spotted Smidgen clipped 2 the shrubbery outside, peering thru the glass door, & 1 of the men showed me a pix of his own pet dog, back home, assuring me their pooch was equally loved & spoiled. All 3 gentlemen made fine impressions. I thanked them 4 their service 2 r country.

By the time we returned 2 the trk, we were mt, & I could send in r mt call. We enjoyed r breakfast while waiting 4 r next trip assignm’t, which soon came x the QualComm. We were 2 head n 2 the Seattle area 2 pk up a pre-loaded trlr of imported shoes @ Payless Shoes’ American Port Services facility. The load was going 2 Payless Shoes Distrib Ctr in Topeka, KS by Sunday, the 23rd.

The 1,400 cases of shoes weighed approx 30,000#s. R paperwork did not give a breakdown as 2 what kind of shoes were included, or whether they were 4 men, women or children or a mixture thereof.

We had mistakeningly assumed r rt would angle down x WA & ID, w WY, dropping down thru Ft. Collins 2 pk up I-70 in Denver. Not so. CCC’s computer generated routing determined it 2 b 5 mi less 2 stay on I-90 x WA, ID, MT, the NE corner of WY, then x SD, pking up I-29S in Sioux City via Council Bluffs, then pking up US 75 @ Nebraska City. The computer also picks which of Crete’s authorized fuel stops that have the cheapest fuel en route, accordingly telling us how many gals we were 2 take on @ each place. We fueled @ North Bend, WA; Superior, MT; Columbus, MT & Council Bluffs, IA. It had been several yrs since we had taken this rt & we were surprised 2 discover that all familiar Town Pumps were now Pilot Trk/Stops.
Not being pressed 4 time, we stopped 4 nite in Moses Lake, WA; Columbus, MT & Council Bluffs, IA, delivering the load mid-day on Sunday in Topeka.