12/08/2009

A bit of snow, a bit of ice and away we gooooooo.

Pulled out at 3am. Rest area where I laid my head down was dry as a bone. Got ten miles north of Bloomington-Normal and it all changed. Despite the snow I was able to maintain a fairly steady 55 until I got up around rockford. There the cars in the ditches materialized and even an 18 wheeler down in the median. Fortunately all the fender benders appeared minor in scale. I got to the consignee about 12 hours early. Went to check in and was told that it would 1am before I was unloaded. No problem that was when my appointment was for anyway. 30 minutes later he pulls around and tells me to back in a bay and untarp, but that it would still be late before I was unloaded. So I backed in pulled the tarps and went to bed. 8 o'clock got woke up "All done, you can just stay in the bay and take off in the morning". An offer I shouldn't have refused!

I got a dead head to Wichita Falls, TX and figured that despite the weather I could knock out a couple hundred miles before I got to tired. So I open the bay door and there is 8-12 inches of snow. I pull out, pop the brakes, plot my course with co-pilot and mosey back to the door to shut it. Get back in the truck to take off and I'm stuck. Sixty minutes of rocking, clearing excess snow, and cussing myself for ever stopping once I pulled out ensued. Finally I manage to break free and there is no way I'm stopping now. Heading south on I-35 you can't see the lanes you just follow the tracks of the trucks in front of you. About 30 miles down the road I get a call on the CB your rear running lights are covered in snow. I find an exit and gingerly pull off not exactly sure where on the ramp I am. I find a section that looks like the break down lane area. And pop the breaks. I walk back and there is no snow the damn lights just won't work. I got turn signals and four ways but not the rear running lights. Well there goes any forward progress at least until daylight.

Two hours later a snow plow comes through and scapes a fair amount of snow in front of me. Hmmm.... Another hour later another one comes through and piles it a bit higher. At this point I figured I should at least move forward into the plowed area so I don't get buried again. Only had to rock it twice to get clear this time. Tomorrow should be interesting to say the least.

Have a good day

Bookerz out