OldTroubador's Blog - page 11

Let's get the statistics out of the way first today:
Run Started: 5 November 2013
Run Ended: 5 December 2013
Run Length: 31 Days
Full Days Off: 1
Total Miles: 12,387
Miles per Day: 399 (average)
Most Miles in a day: 615
Least Miles in a day:59

This is probably my shortest run in years. But with good reason – tomorrow is the father/daughter Christmas dance. My young 'un has said that she would rather have me there for that than Christmas; we can do the gift giving any time. So, tomorrow, I will spend the day getting a hair cut, beard trim, and scrubbing all those miles off me. Then it will be time to slick up this old mother trucker and take my belle to her ball.
I had some good running this time. I've been from Laredo, TX to the Twin Cities in Minnesota and east from Maxton, NC to Somersworth, NH. Once again, I have been blessed by missing the worst of the weather – the tornados in the Midwest and the two large winter storms. I did get some snow in Oklahoma, but just enough to make the roads dicey. I did not pick up the four inches of ice on my truck like a lot of drivers did, nor did I get stuck on the highways that were closed for a few hours. There was some black ice a couple times during the early morning hours, but with a little planning and a lot of care, those situations never developed into trouble.
On a high note, I did get to meet the delightful Northern Star on this trip. She is a delightful lady and a pleasure to share a meal with. Thank you again for a wonderful evening – the hours passed too quickly.


Following the open road, wherever it may lead. Living life like a Sunday stroll, free and easy down the road I go. Y'all take care and see you out there where the horizon meets the highway.

Low bridges, the bane of every transportation specialist since the Erie Canal. In this country, most were built when tractor trailers were much smaller and lower than they are now; at 13'6”, the modern trailer just won't fit under a bridge built 50 years ago. I've had a few brushes with low bridges and heard some stories that were even better.
A few summers ago, I was headed north through the Panhandle of Texas. As I rolled into Dalhart, TX, I was confronted with a bridge that was posted at 13'4”, two inches lower than my trailer. I stopped to think about this, then decided to ease up to the bridge and see if I could slide under. I crept up and then put my truck in the lowest gear. I stuck my head out the my window and twisted around so I could see the top of my rig. Slipping the clutch, I crawled under the bridge. Hallelujah, I fit!!! I pulled myself back into my seat and slid the gearbox into second gear. Inching forward, I kept an eye on my roofline through my mirror. I kept easing along until my trailer was out from underneath the bridge; I started grabbing gears and got out the area quickly. I later learned that the posted height was applicable when trains were crossing the bridge or when it was buried under snow. I have since found another route around Dalhart and its low bridge, not willing to tempt fate anymore, at that location. As the man once said, sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.
As I said earlier, many of the low bridges are found in older cities. In some places, the road bed has been carved to allow trucks to pass underneath, but most haven't. Chicago is infamous for these as are Pittsburgh, Boston, and Cleveland, just to name a few. In order for a driver to get into downtown Pittsburgh, he must travel through the Squirrel Hill tunnel or the Fort Pitt tunnel, or both. They are listed at 13'6” and the first time I had to pass through them, I questioned my customer at length about getting through them safely. After a number of assurances (by which point, I am sure my customer was getting a little upset with me), I headed that way. I saw dozens of trucks driving along, seemingly without a care, so I followed. While under the Squirrel Hill tunnel, I looked up in my mirror to see just how much clearance I had – I will never do that again. If a roof rib had been bowed up just the slightest, if I hit one little bump in the road, I would have shredded the roof of my trailer. I talked to a driver at my destination and told him what I saw. He laughed and said everyone looks, just one time, and is as shaken as I was by what they saw. We both agreed that ignorance really is bliss, in a situation like this.
Many of the low underpasses that one sees are on small country roads. In Pennsylvania, it is not unusual to see bridges listed at 10, 9, or even 8 feet in clearance. I often wonder if the people who buy these large motorcoaches or travel trailers ever consider bridge height when they make their purchase. If they live behind one of these low spots, they will never get them home; I don't have much faith in them being able to back up along a back road either, to find a new route or storage location for their pride and joy. Many roads also will not allow any towed vehicle or high clearance vehicle on them; I'm thinking of the parkways in lower New York state. I could go on about how some of these folks think that the rules that govern large vehicles don't apply to them, but I won't. I will, however, say that just recently, I saw a motorcoach traveling down the highway and that the owner had forgotten to lower the satellite antenna. I would have liked to be at the next 14-foot tall bridge when he went under at 70 miles per hour.
Many entities are now replacing some of the older bridges; the low heights make them susceptible to being struck by taller vehicles and the upkeep on them is prohibitive. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has, over the last five years, been replacing many overpasses on the turnpike. These old bridges were beautiful stone arches. The biggest downside to them was the lack of suitable height over the shoulders of the highway; many were in the 11-foot range. Also, the Commission has been widening the turnpike wherever possible; the new bridges were necessary to accommodate the extra lanes of concrete. Unfortunately, this has detracted from some of the charm of traveling this historic highway across Pennsylvania.
And no matter how tall the clearance is, there is usually a load coming down the road that is taller than the bridge it has to clear. There are a few ways that trucking companies deal with this. One is to route the oversized load on roads that have no clearance issues at all. This is usually a last resort because it sends the loads on roads that might not be designed for heavy trucks. It also means that on many of these roads, utility crews need to accompany the convoy and detach then re-attach the power lines that stretch over the roadways. Also, tree limbs arcing over the path would need to be removed. Another avenue for these loads is to take the exit ramp up to the obstacle bridge, then down the entrance ramp on the other side, returning to the highway. Most of the interstate highways have older US highways that run parallel; these are kept clear of low-hanging obstacles for the purpose of detouring the tall loads when needed. One newer commodity has taken a novel approach to the height problem. The towers that hold the wind turbines are huge carbon fiber cylinders. The size of these would make it prohibitive to transport them on a flatbed, even one that has a dropped deck. The tractor is attached to a short trailer that has hydraulic arms on it, a similar unit is positioned at the rear. These arms are attached to the cylinder, then lift it off the ground; the rear unit is steerable by remote control. When confronted by a low bridge, the convoy comes to a halt, then the arms are lowered so the tower is just barely off the ground; crew members are placed to watch the load as it creeps under the overpass. After reaching the other side, the unit is again raised to normal traveling height and the convoy proceeds to the next low bridge. Oversized loads such as these command a pretty penny on the market. Much of it is to pay for the specialized equipment used, much goes to the drivers. And the drivers of these loads earn every bit of their pay.
Two of the best stories I heard from my father. One he witnessed himself, the other he got from the news, but there were plenty of witnesses for it.
Scene: Suydam St., New Brunswick, NJ. Early 1970's. Time, afternoon rush hour. Suydam St. runs from Livingston Ave. to the Cook College campus of Rutgers University. Dad was on his way home from work one afternoon, on Suydam. In the right lane, a few places in front of him, was a tractor trailer which had come to a stop because the driver realized he might not make it under the railway bridge ahead. The driver stood with one foot on the fuel tank as he slipped the clutch with his other and eased under the bridge. As soon as the driver saw that his tractor would clear the bridge, he jumped back in his seat, grabbed a gear and kicked the accelerator. And quickly came to a stop as the top two feet of the trailer smashed into the side of the bridge and was wedged underneath. In a momentary fit of panic, the driver slammed the gear shift into reverse, dumped the clutch – and backed over a Mercedes-Benz that was following the truck, just a little too closely. I have a feeling Dad will still be laughing about that for years to come.
The other incident was just last summer. There is a trucking company in Scranton, PA, that shall remain nameless (Bravo Oscar Lima Uniform Sierra). They do a lot of work in the northeast area of the country with vans and refrigerated units. They had recently started doing flatbed and drop-deck work locally in that area. One evening, a driver for said company was dispatched to pick up a track-hoe excavator from a construction site. It seems that the arm of the excavator was not lowered all the way; the driver was grabbing gears and rushing to get back to the yard when he went underneath an overpass that carried a major cross street on it. The raised elbow of the track-hoe slammed into the crossmembers under the bridge; the driver kept on driving. A couple of citizens following witnessed the accident and called the local police. They arrived to listen to the witness statements and assess the damage. Then PennDOT was called to look at the bridge – they immediately shut down the crossroad and ordered the bridge replaced. The crossmembers that were not totally broken were fractured so badly, PennDOT had no choice. The next day, there was an interview on television with the owner of the trucking company, his corporate attorney, and the driver. The driver was looking absolutely miserable, the owner and lawyer were smiling and double talking for all they were worth. That did not stop the state from charging the company for the replacement of the bridge, which just re-opened a few months ago. I never heard if charges were levied against the driver, but I am pretty sure he is polishing beer mugs in some downtown bar now. And the trucking company is now the proud owner of, not just a bridge, but also a track-hoe that is no good for anything but the scrapyard.
I am going to leave you with a video of what NOT to do when confronted by a low overpass. Many thanks to 12-Gauge for sending me the link to this.
Backstory – the person filming this supposedly offered his assistance to the driver. That assistance was caustically rebuffed; the driver then proceeded to film the escapades.
Legal Disclaimer – I do not know this driver. I did not train this driver. I am sure he is now flipping burgers somewhere, at least I would hope so. Or maybe he was hired by a trucking company in Scranton that needed a replacement driver.

A chill damp blanket covering
Everything behind a curtain of wet silk
Billowing in waves passing
My truck like
So many random thoughts
An opaque cloak hiding
From my sight the trees on the side
of the road, landmarks
Everything looks the same – gray, formless
Eyes peering, straining to see more
Than the six dotted lines that cycle
Past, interminably
Taillights ahead appear then disappear
Then reappear; or do they?
Like a vague notion that never fully
Develops
Hidden behind that ephemeral shawl
Are the landmarks I use to mark time
And distance
But as I sit hypnotized by the metronome
That is the wiper blades, time
Has no meaning, location has no bearing
My whole world is a small circle of light
All that has been, that is, or that shall be
Is enveloped by a diaphanous wall
I am alone in this room
Sensory deprivation
Obfuscation
Alienation
Alone but for the treadmill of
Those six dotted lines

Tomorrow, here in the States, is Thanksgiving Day, a day set aside by President Lincoln in 1863 as a national holiday. It's origins are rooted in the years after the Pilgrims first landed in what is now Massachusetts as a day to give thanks for a successful harvest and for surviving another year.
And while tomorrow is a special day for giving thanks and for celebrating with family and friends, feasting and football, remember - every day is Thanksgiving Day. No matter our circumstances, there is always something to be thankful for - being alive is always a good one, having the love and support of family and friends, a child's smile. And, this season, if you have a chance, give someone else a reason to be thankful.
I posted this last year at this time, but, try as I could, was not able to improve upon it.
I am thankful to be alive.
I am thankful for my health which is, for the most part, quite good.
I am thankful for my daughter, the highlight of my life.
I am thankful for my family - my father, mother, sister and her children.
I am thankful that I am able to work, and work on a job that I love.
I am thankful that I live in a country where I am free to worship, and to worship whatever Supreme Being that I wish to. Or to not worship at all.
I am thankful for the veterans, and their families - past, present, and future, who have sacrificed so much to give us the freedoms I enjoy.
Last but not least, I am thankful for all my friends, here and everywhere, who have shown me that I still have a heart, a soul, and am worthwhile as a person. All of you who have helped me laugh, smile, sing. All of you who have lifted me up. All of you who have shown me love and kindness and allowed me to do the same for you. Friends past, present, and future - I have loved you all, and still do. Each one of you has become a part of me, a part I will treasure and carry with me forever.
I am thankful. Very thankful indeed.

If they stick to the wall, I guess it's time to do laundry (No, I do NOT use them the same way Cartman did, I just wear them)



Making a mountain out of a molehill



OMG!!! I've turned into my father!!!



X marks the spot



Be sure to visit all the other socksy players this week
bighoss2, amancalledpony, guitartxn, Uschi7337, Whispermyname, Showy_Showy, ali_dee, InnateLovers, Viszla1, luvthelabia, dziga, masterstoy91, KaioticEvil, hornyman1155, stretch, Tardis, safire13, lennyknatural, Jersey_Girl, nickey69, arabella_topaz, hornyman1155, northern_star and tight_wet_lips.

Let's make love
Slowly
And live a lifetime in each kiss, every caress
Let's make love
Urgently
And banish the hunger we feel for each other
Let's make love
Passionately
And burn away the lonely hours of our separation
Let's make love
Freely
And forget all else except the other
Let's make love
Timeless, selfless, reckless love
Let's make love
And then sleep
Arms and legs entwined
Head on chest, skin to skin
Warm and safe
in our embrace
And then sleep
Smiling at our whispered murmurings
Lulled into peaceful repose by our gentle breathing
Rocked to sleep by the rhythm of our hearts beating as one
Our souls welded together by the heat of our passion
And then sleep
Our arteries, veins, nerves passing through our skin
Into the other, joining, uniting, binding us together
Until what is me is you, what is you is me
Let's make love
Together
Forever

I had the extreme fortune of spending the evening in the company of a delightful lady last night. She made the long drive from her house to a truckstop outside Buffalo, NY. We took over a table in the restaurant where we talked and laughed and commiserated and talked and laughed some more. She is a warm, caring, funny lady and an absolute delight to spend time with. But, as is usually the case, the hours flew by like minutes and all too soon it was time for her to head home.
She truly is a shining star in the NN firmament. Northern Star, I want to thank you for a wonderful evening

At the same time, my heart goes out to REM870 and the others who lost their homes and possessions in the line of storms that rolled through last night. My thoughts and prayers go out to each of you.

A date remembered by people in many countries by many different names: Rememberance Day, Armistice Day, Veterans Day.
In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed a 'Day of Rememberance' for 11 November to honor the signing of the Armistice of Compeigne, which ended the fighting in Europe. The armistice went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and brought to an end the War to End All Wars. Unfortunately, it and the ensuing Treaty of Versailles were mere instruments which led to a much worse war twenty years later.

Following World War II, a man from Birmingham, AL, Raymond Weeks, petitioned the U.S. government to declare 11 November as a day to remember all veterans,living or fallen, not just those who gave their lives in World War I. This idea had popular backing from many people including Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. When Gen. Eisenhower became President, he sent a bill to Congress establishing 11 November as a national holiday to honor all veterans, past and present. Congress amended the bill, changing the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

Yesterday, I posted a blog about the United States Marine Corps to honor them on their birthday. Today, though, we honor all our veterans, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines, and all the reserve forces attendant to them. For without these intrepid souls, these men and women who fought and sometimes died to first gain our freedom from tyranny and then hold onto it, we would not have the freedoms we enjoy now. Their sacrifices of time away from home, of blood, of life shall not be forgotten.

The history of the wearing of a poppy flower also dates back to World War I. The Flanders region of Belgium was utterly devastated by the fighting. Some of the most concentrated and bloodiest fighting was here. The devastation was complete - buildings, roads, even towns were eradicated. Trees and all other natural life was gone. All that was left was a sea of mud, a massive graveyard for the soldiers of both sides, and yet the battle raged on. Come spring, the only signs of life, other than the soldiers, were fields of poppies - bringing hope, color, and reassurance to those still locked in combat. A poem titled "On Flanders Fields" by Lt. Col. John McCRae of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces mentioned the poppies growing there; inspired by this, American Moina Michael started wearing a red poppy to honor those who had fallen during the war. The American Legion quickly adopted this practice and soon, wearing a red poppy as a rememberance spread world wide.

So this Veterans Day, Rememberance Day, thank a veteran for the freedoms they have given us. Remember those that died, and salute those who survived. There are many here among us on NN who have served, and are still serving; many others have family or friends in the service of their respective country. Please, for a bit, forget the sales and spare a thought for those who have gone into harm's way to give us the life we have. It is important to remember that these men and women have bought and will continue to buy our freedom with their sacrifice of time away from loved ones. Our freedoms are underwritten with the blood spilled by those who have answered the call. Our rights are buttressed by the rows of white crosses at cemeteries around the world. Remember why this day has been set aside as a special day of rememberance in so many countries.
And so, on this day, may I say THANK YOU to all here who have served or are serving and to the families of all servicemen and women everywhere.

Lest we forget.


I have posted this video before on Memorial Day, but it is just as appropriate now. For those around the world, please substitute the name of your country for 'American'.

To the United States Marine Corps - tomorrow celebrating their 238th birthday.
One of the premier assault forces in the world, the Marines have been engaged in every major conflict from the Revolutionary War to the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, they are also the President's 'go-to' force to protect United States interests throughout the world - Tripoli, China from the early 1900's - 1941, the "Banana Wars" in Central America in the 1920's, Grenada in 1983, and many more.
So, Happy Birthday to the Big Green Machine!!! And thank you to the men and women who proudly wear the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor.

"If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scene, they will find the streets are guarded by the United States Marines"


And I cannot post about the Marines without including this video






Semper Fi!!!
Uuurrraahhhh!!!