Friday, April 13, 2007

We're in Grover and it's SNOWING.

Imagine that....

But I get ahead of myself.

After we left the trials and tribulations of Vega it was time to face the next challenge that the compassionate team at the Texas Permit Office had compiled for us.

DalHart.


Isn't that purty? Recall that I'm over a hundred foot long....also recall that at that length trailer off-track is significant. What that means is that every turn requirse significant "swing" in order not to run over stuff at the corners......like children maybe?

Consequently each and every sharp turn....particularly every right turn....requires that I get waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over left. Like....I mean.....really ...really way over. I've had to get on the left shoulder in order to turn right on ocassion.

It's even more fun when this occurs in the middle of a town.....like DalHart. It's very colorful the way all the locals behave when I have my rig kitty-corner across main street.

I want to thank the Texas Department of Oversize Permits for allowing me to have such fun and I'm sure the residents of all the communities thru which I travel are equally appreciative. I know the Sheriff of Odam county is.

So....we made it. Got outa Texas.

Oklahoma was a snap. (it doesn't have a Texas Department of Permits....It has an Oklahoma Department of Permits.....there's a difference...they know what theyre doing) We came in on 385.....made a huge sweeping turn way out in the country onto 56....followed 56 out of the state into Kansas. Didn't take no time.



Kansas was no problem. Oh...there were a a few small towns.....even a turn or two. But nothing challenging like Texas provides....kinda boring actually....flat. We spent the nite in Lakin Kansas. Pulled right into a closed down resturant's parking lot near the local choke'n puke and a Valero. Half the town just "happened" to drive by...up into the parking lot even...to look at my load (what IS that thing?). Kind of impressive I suppose....didn't look nuthing like a haywagon.

Next morning about half an hour before daylite we were rolling.
Around tennish we were in Burlington Colorado to feed and fuel....bout eleven or so we were rolling again.

No muss...no fuss.

We did have a little bit of trouble in Sterling City. Kinda missed a turn....very similar to the Texas experience. The route doglegs twice in the middle of town

For some reason my GPS was acting up...(both of em..some kind of radio interference I think...that happens ocassionaly).. and I couldn't really tell where we were accurately.....naturally there were no street signs...that would have been too easy.....so I (and my escort) didn't see where the route turned off to the left....and we missed it. We continued along...fat, dumb and happy....down this wide four lane road..until it narrowed to two lane...became residential ...and we saw a sign saying "no thru trucks"....oops.
That's kinda clued us in.

It only took an hour or so to get back on course ....we didn't even have to call out the cops. I must admit that old lady showed considerible aplomb when I pulled my truck up into her driveway.....trying to get the right angle to back around a corner. She never even blinked. She just shook her cane at me and shouted .....screeched kinda.......probably blessings and compliments on my driving skills....after all I DID miss sqishing her rosebushes.

Anyway....we toodled on. My escort was getting just a tiny bit nervous after it had been snowing for a while. He told me he generally liked to be able to see the roadway.

I told him he was a wuss. Just stay in front of me and we'll be OK. We didn't need to see...I'd follow the GPS and tell him where the road was. (I'm exagerating...it wasn't QUITE that bad....not really)

He did alright. Only missed two other turns. But that was understandable....the road swung around to the right...but the ROUTE jumped over onto a dirt road..no sign naturally..couldn't see it for the blowing snow....but my GPS was working fine so I noticed.

We took the dirt road. "bout twenty miles of washboard and ruts and we got there.

No phone service...no internet....nuthing.

Pristine wilderness.....with about a hundred parked pickups....trucks,tanks, portable buildings, a cement batch plant....and cement trucks........ten or twenty acre "yard".

No one came out to tell us anything either....so I just pulled up behind another tower hauler and parked.
I cut the escort loose and heated up a can of stew. He hollered at a departing blade truck and asked to follow along....he appeared to be kinda lost. Why everyone doesn't have GPS is beyond me.

Gonna be a nice nite. Nice and cool

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This morning I woke up shivering. I had been a little bit warm last nite and had opened a vent. Big mistake. What with the motor shut off and the vent open it got a mite chilly in the cab....the left over coffee in my coffee cup kinda froze a little.

I rectified that problem right quick ...started the engine... put coffee on to cook....and crawled back under the blankets....when it was warmer I got up.

So....I was sitting there drinking coffee and having breakfast (a Philly Titan)....when this nice young guy drove up in a pickumup truck.... he got out...walked around to where I was sitting blowing smoke out the window...and asked if I was "ready to go".

"Yup" I said....and we took out.

He took me out to pad site 14...ten miles or so... and then left.

So I'm currenty sitting out on the backside of nowhere. It's snowing....it's foggy....and I cain't see nothing beyond a hundred yards.
No wind though...that's nice. Kinda comforting actually.....I think I'll take a nap.

EvMick



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