This is starting to get ridiculous. Two nights in a row without Internet is borderline cruelty.
Well, I dodged two bullets today, but I got grazed by the third one. My appointment was at 6:30 this morning, so I headed across the street to check-in around 6:00, but all the doors were locked and there were no cars there. History tells us this is not a good thing. As I was checking a third door, which was also locked, another truck pulled in and I decided to see if the driver could shed some light on the situation. He said he'd been there once before and the dock workers arrive at 6:30 on the dot. And they did. I was loaded in half an hour, but still technically on my ten hour break, so I did my paperwork and pre-trip inspection to kill some time. After I got rolling, I realized I wasn't going to make it to my scheduled fuel stop in Mount Vernon, IL with only 1/4 tank, so I filled up in Beloit, WI. An hour or so later, I got a Qualcomm message saying the wait for fuel in Mount Vernon was over an hour, supposedly because of the ice and power outages. Sweet. I dodged that one and didn't even know it was coming.
The ride down through Illinois was a slow one, thanks to it's 55mph speed limit for trucks. There was still snow on the ground, but the roads were completely clear. Didn't somebody say something about an ice storm? As I neared I-24, I noticed the northbound traffic was going rather slow and starting to back-up. And then I saw the road in the headlights. It was covered in slush. And it was 23 degrees. So, while the northbound lanes were backed-up and about to be iced over, I was rolling steadily along southbound, enjoying the favored side of the Illinois DOT's half-baked work. Thanks guys. Dodge number two.
A short ride on I-24 brought me into Kentucky, and that's where the ice started - not on the roads, fortunately. They were still dry. The trees adjacent to the road, however, looked as though they'd been thrashed by a hurricane. They were laying over the guardrail and obscuring road signs in a few places. Everything outside looked as though it were made of glass. Ah, here's my exit. Hmm, where's the Pilot sign? Oh, it's dark because there's no power at the Pilot. So, no fuel, no restaurant, no showers, and no bathroom. Ouch. That bullet kinda stung.
I just heard the interstate is going to be shut down for 45 minutes so a downed-power line can be fixed. Ha. Dodge number three?
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1 comment:
Just glad you are so good at dodging the bullets. Looks like at least 4 truckers weren't as lucky/skilled as you. Glad to hear from you and have now learned that when I don't hear from you it means you don't have cell/internet service because the cell towers are out and not because you are in a ditch somewhere. At least that is what I am going to believe. Love Mom
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