Posts
4761
Joined
6/6/2010
Location
Nanton Alberta
CA
Edited Date/Time
11/22/2016 9:26pm
It smells like sweat, fear, desperation, and a slight tinge of "Aw, fuck!". Kootenay Pass in southern British Columbia, (north of Washington state, for the geographically impaired) climbing to 5820 feet, on what started out as a perfect day.
Things change in heartbeat around here, or in this case, about 1/2 a mile. Road went from wet to snow covered and glazed, and the party was over. Lock up EVERY brake, make sure 70 ton isn't sliding backwards, before jumping out with shoes on. Shoes off, if it is going backwards, because I drive barefoot, and I'm not going off a 600 foot drop on an e-ticket ride.
Anyhoo, drag out the shiny, start slinging them. Doing the drivers side, in the right hand lane, and some asshole goes by at a pretty good clip as close as he can in the left lane, and blows the horn. Probably wouldn't find it so funny, if he lost control and killed me, like has happened before, to a few drivers. Plow sander combo goes by, blade up, slingers turned off. 35 minutes later, got them centered and tight, and do the last.......wait for it.......3/4 of a mile to the top, at 2 mph. Get to the summit, and there's the two Union idiots on duty, standing by the snow shed, hands in their pockets, laughing. Another day in paradise.
Every truckers dream, to break these bad boys out, and have wet snow running down the back of your neck.
The scene of the crime. Doesn't look like much, but I could barely stand up on that. Lol
The summit, ready to start the 12 mph descent.
You get this thing sliding backwards, things get ugly in a hurry. On the upside, I would've been on the right end of it. The front end. Bye Felicia.
Things change in heartbeat around here, or in this case, about 1/2 a mile. Road went from wet to snow covered and glazed, and the party was over. Lock up EVERY brake, make sure 70 ton isn't sliding backwards, before jumping out with shoes on. Shoes off, if it is going backwards, because I drive barefoot, and I'm not going off a 600 foot drop on an e-ticket ride.
Anyhoo, drag out the shiny, start slinging them. Doing the drivers side, in the right hand lane, and some asshole goes by at a pretty good clip as close as he can in the left lane, and blows the horn. Probably wouldn't find it so funny, if he lost control and killed me, like has happened before, to a few drivers. Plow sander combo goes by, blade up, slingers turned off. 35 minutes later, got them centered and tight, and do the last.......wait for it.......3/4 of a mile to the top, at 2 mph. Get to the summit, and there's the two Union idiots on duty, standing by the snow shed, hands in their pockets, laughing. Another day in paradise.
Every truckers dream, to break these bad boys out, and have wet snow running down the back of your neck.
The scene of the crime. Doesn't look like much, but I could barely stand up on that. Lol
The summit, ready to start the 12 mph descent.
You get this thing sliding backwards, things get ugly in a hurry. On the upside, I would've been on the right end of it. The front end. Bye Felicia.
Here is a pic of my buddy the morning after we got stranded in Haines Junction, Yukon ...started heading out of town and up in elevation and had to turn this thing around at a small turn off after chaining up in a blizzard!
The Shop
I take it nice and slow in the winter, and learned my lesson my first year driving with the ten chips in my windshield to give trucks a wide berth. That Kootenay Pass is a bitch, never in good shape in the winter unfortunately. Feels like that whole corner of the province likes to wait till the snow stops to clear or maintain the roads.
I don't mind the mud. Driven the Coquihalla a couple times in crap conditions. One time I was going about 40 on my way out of Kamloops cause all I could see was ditches on either side of the highway, a foot or two of snow on the road and I was the only jackass out there in the blizzard so no tracks either.
I find they take pretty good care of the 97 in the winter though, and for that I am grateful, as that is one of my main routes when I am north of the border.
Stay safe out there.
People that scare me In the winter: anyone in a Tahoe.
Yaa! EH!
Last I was there it was a crazy ice storm and then we had to go to Amarillo and it was 20 below. We never see anything like that and we get 600-800 inches of snow in California.
It doesnt snow where its really cold. Its just too cold.
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