Jan 19, 2007
3:55 AM
…is not a good idea in a heavy truck.
I drove through my first real snowstorm last night. At times I couldn't see the lane markings. I saw snowplows on the Westbound lane of I-94 in Southwest Michigan, but they were apparently boycotting the Eastbound lane. I guess the snowplow drivers don't like Detroit either.
I have some rules of thumb that I picked up from more experienced drivers. If you can't safely drive 45 mph, or if you see two vehicles in the ditch, it is time to get off of the road. At times the traffic was moving at 25 mph, and I saw 4 cars and a big rig in the ditch. So I felt like I had permission to get off of the road if I wanted to. It took the pressure off of me.
I took a two hour break at the Meijer's in Grand Rapids (The birthplace of the Agnostic Church of America, LLC pending), and meditated and checked my email. Then I thought I would give the roads a try. If it was dicey I could double back and chill at The Birthplace until morning.
The roads were actually better up on I-96. I credit salt and plowing. They do wonders for nasty, snow-covered roads. I was able to drive at, or near, the speed limit for the rest of the way to Lansing, and arrived 17 minutes early for my appointment.
I drove nice, and geriatric like, and kept The Screaming Blue Bitch on the pavement. My right shoulder got sore from constantly shifting gears, and adjusting the speed of the windshield wipers. I guess it's an occupational hazard.
Maybe I could have broken into the trailer and lifted some of those medicated Ben Gay patches, but petty theft wouldn't be a good enough reason to lose a perfectly mediocre job.
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