It has been an interesting few days. I picked up an 8 by 8 truck at Fort Polk, Louisiana early this week and hauled it up to Oshkosh, Wisonsin. The first part of the trip was pretty uneventful, but when I got into Missouri things started happening. I was running North on I 55 in Southern Missouri when I saw black smoke up ahead of me.
As I got closer I could see a rig with a flatbed trailer on the Southbound side of the highway. He had a load of fiber board and that load was on fire. Now, I don't mean a little smouldering, but a full blown blaze. There were police cars and fire trucks all over the place on that side of the road. They had traffic at a dead stop whiule they tried to put out the fire. Really felt sorry for that driver.
A few miles further up the road, just South of St Louis, the sky turned very dark and it began to rain. Not a drizzle, or even a shower, but a torrent of rain accompanied by high winds. Yuk. As I was watching the sky with it's dark, ugly clouds, I heard on the radio that a tornado had touched down a couple of miles West of the highway. Not good.
Then I saw it. A funnel was quickly dropping out of the clouds, over the Interstate, about a quarter of a mile in front of me. "Now this doesn't look good" I thought to myself as I began slowing my rig. The funnel dropped down until it almost made contact with the road, and then quickly sucked back up into the sky. Whew!
As I passed the spot where it would have touched down, I was suddenly in the midst of flying debris and high winds. Damn, it touched down just East of the road and I was in the middle of it's temper tantrum. I quickly sped up and got out of that mess. I decided it was a really good time to take a break.
Well, I made it the rest of the way to Wisconsin, driving the final 100 miles or so in dense fog.
On Wednseday, I departed Wisconsin with an intersting mixture of a load. Two very big snow plow blades for the Air Force base in Ellsworth, South Dakota, some mining equipment for a mine supply company in Gillette, Wyoming, some more mine equipment for a coal mine in Southern Montana, and a large stand-by generator for a radio station in another town in Wyoming.
I made it to the Air Force base on Friday no problem. I had called Thursday for directions and to let them know I was coming. When I arrived at the base I discovered that it was a "down day" as they put it. Basically, most people were off work. Hmph. Wouldn't it have been nice if they jhad mentioned that minor detail when I called yesterday? Hnmmmm?
Ok, they found somebody to bring the crane and unload their plows. Only took a couple of extra hours. Of stnading out in the 50 to 50 mph winds freezing my arse off. But it was delivered. OK, still time to make it to Gillette, Wyoming to make that delivery yet today.
About 50 miles before the Wyoming line the wind really started howling. The radio said wind speeds were 70 mph. Geez. Then it started to snow. I mean REALLY snow. 70 mph snow. A few more miles and it was a blizzard, and things got really interesting.
I pushed on through the stuff, struggling to keep my rig from being blown off the road on the snow-covered road. Several cars in dicthes, dodge one that slide into the guard rail and was blocking half of one lane, past the two over-sized loads that were tsuck trying to get up a hill; they had troopers guarding them at the moment so no need to stop. Except for the idiot in the little car who decided to stops and take a look at the stuck rigs.
Hit the brakes, slide a bit, blow the air horns, watch the idiot spin as he realizss he'a about the join the ranks of the terminally stupid. Ok, managed to not run over the moron, but now I'm having trouble getting rolling again on this slippery hill. Play the gears and clutch, slowly get moving again. Grrrr, damn idiots.
All the time I'm in this storm, I am trying to reach the folks in Gillette to let them know I am running alittle behind, but will be there. No answer. No answer, No answer. Ok, whatever.
Just beofre I reach Gillette, the storm is behind me and it's ok now. No more snow, no more high winds. Good. Sadly, it's also past closing time at the mine supply place. I decide to roll in anyway hoping to see if somebody might be working late. No such luck. A sign on the door reads "Closed early due to storm". Explains why nobody answered the phone. Damn.
Now I am stuck here in Gillette, Wyoming until Monday when these cowardly folks open up again and I can deliver this load. Really messes up the old schecule. I had planned on making the Montana mine delivery today (Saturday) and being over at the final stop at the radio station 8 am Monday where they will be waiting with a hired crane costing $200 and hour. I won't be there.
Maybe I can make it Monday afternoon. Maybe not. More likely Tuesday morning. Boy are they gonna be mad when I call them Monday morning. Oh well, such is the life of a poor old trucker.
Adios y'all.