Pictures of the Week

[other dog]

Pretty rough week this week. At least I got in two full rounds for the first time in several weeks. This winter wasn't really looking too bad...until February rolled around.

Passed by Art Reed's when I left Sunday, tried to get a better picture of the machine...wonder what it was used for?..stringing pipe maybe?

Then I saw some snow and ice up on rt.20 in W.V.

Then I saw some snow and ice up on I-79 in Pa.

Then I saw some snow and ice on I-80 in Pa.

I was going to Coconut Lake, just west of Meadville, but I took I-80 over to Barkeyville when the road started getting bad so I could park at the truckstop.

They rejected a stack of 4x4-14's at Carter Lumber in Coconut Lake because they were "bent and twisted"- they didn't look that bad to me, only about 4 pieces in the whole stack were crooked, but they pay for it and they expect good stuff. They did unload it for me to keep until we can pick it up later, because I had to load roll-off bodies that take the whole trailer floor.

I saw some snow and ice on rt.58 going to Greenville.

I saw some snow at the dumpster getting place too.

Coming back down I-79 I saw some 'quipment at work-

I'm tired of seeing snow and ice- i'd rather see scantily clad wimmin, like they have in sunny south Florida!

[Green Dash]

Better days are coming. Looks like the lows in the Pittsburgh area are going to be above freezing all next week.

That was nice of Carter Lumber to unload your trailer and store the refused load until you can go back for it. There are still some decent receivers out there.

[keg1]

Did you happen to come through Franklin on Wednesday? Saw one of your trucks when I was getting back from taking the wife to Pittsburgh, thought maybe it was you.

[Gmerrill0516]

That first picture looks like a different type of luffing set up on the dozer. Typically I've seen a boom come up from the tracks and winches set on the opposite side to lift and lower it as needed to lower pipe into the ditch. That might do the same sort of thing but I'd be concerned about the higher center of gravity. So long as the load rating is observed, it would work just fine I guess. It is also a bit more flexible in terms of the distance from the side of the machine to the center of the trench if I get how it works.

Cool stuff.

greg

[other dog]

...then I saw a big yellow machine when I delivered the roll-offs at First Piedmont in Ringold, Va.

And a Ford Ranger that looked pretty well used-

An old Burlington Industries Ford on rt. 220 north of Martinsville.

Some old cars a little farther north.

Some fine looking poplars on rt.122 a little north of Rocky Mount, Va.

I went to Moneta and picked up a 2 stop load going to Strattonville and Warren, Pa. Warren is not my favorite place to go even in the summer time.

I got Strattonville off first- the parking lot there was just a solid sheet of ice- did I mention that i'm tired of ice?

But I saw plenty more snow and ice on the way to Warren. I went up rt.66 to rt.948. 66 wasn't too bad...

And I was expecting 948 to be better, because so many tankers run it to the refinery in Warren. But nooooo...it sucked!..not to mention being rough as hell.

I made it to Warren without difficulty though, got unloaded, then went to Sharon, Pa. and loaded up 5 coils going to Lynchburg.

Then it got worse...I was coming south on I-79, just south of rt.50 in Clarksburg, W.V. when I felt a little jolt...then another bump. I looked in the mirror and saw a car in the left lane spinning sideways. I assumed the car had hit me so I pulled over on the shoulder. A white suburban pulled over behind me-I thought that was the car I saw spinning out. I started to ask him what the hell he was doing, but it wasn't him. He said he saw it and called 911. He said the car was pretty well torn up in the front, and he didn't know if there were any survivors or not.

I waited for the police to get there- the car was a quarter of a mile or so back behind me by the time I got to the shoulder and I couldn't see it because it was over a hill.

The police came, got all my information, looked at the trailer- there was glass all over the frame rail and three of my straps were pulled towards the rear. Then another policeman brought the driver of the car, and he looked at the trailer too- he was in surprisingly good shape for the guy in the suburban to wonder if he even survived. Then the policeman said I was free to go, it was my word against his. So I said "what's his word, I ran over him? I was just driving minding my own business, never swerved, changed lanes, or anything, and he hit me." He said "I don't know,I didn't talk to him".

So I left, after being there about 45 minutes. It was just raining and 37 degrees at the time of the accident, when I left it was 32 and snowing hard.I made it to Flatwoods and found the last parking spot at the Go-Mart.

It snowed all night and all the next morning, I didn't leave until 2pm.

They said 19 was so bad that I just ran 79 all the way to Charleston.

79 was good all the way, the turnpike was good, I-64 from Beckley to Va.- not so much.

LED lights- they're nice but they produce no heat. My lights are on, but you can't see them for the ice on the trailer.

In Lynchburg this morning. I had to shovel the snow off the trailer and break all the ice off my strap winches with a hammer before I could get unloaded. I pretty much hate snow and ice at this point.

Then I heard that one of our drivers, Wooly Booger, a good friend of mine, had a heart attack behind the wheel and died yesterday. He had just loaded in Bedford, Va. and was coming east on rt. 460 just east of Bedford when it happened. He'd been over here for cookouts a couple of times last year. He went across the median, all the way across the westbound lanes and ended up in a yard. Hardly a mark on the truck, the right side window in the sleeper and the driver side vent glass popped out when he crossed the median, and that was it.

[other dog]

Did you happen to come through Franklin on Wednesday? Saw one of your trucks when I was getting back from taking the wife to Pittsburgh, thought maybe it was you.

I did indeed.

[hatcity]

Sorry to hear of your friends passing.

Ice belongs in a glass of Johnnie Walker-Black

We don't have to shovel snow here

[1958 F.W.D.]

O/D I am very sorry to hear of your friend's passing. Perhaps he knew what was happening and stuck around long enough so as not to hit anyone else.

[mowerman]

excellent man,,,some shit weather,,,been real lucky here...bob

[gearhead204]

well my week wasn't as bad as yours thankfully! tues. night temps dropped to 15 so I needed to run wind machines in the cherry orchard (were 30 days ahead of normal) any how went to start the last machine (a 455 olds powered unit) hit the starter and it sounded like a garbage disposal eating a steak bone, damn field mice filled the bell housing with cherry pits!! then the centrifugal force threw them into the pressure plate so the clutch wouldn't engage so at midnight I pulled the starter and dust shield so I could blow all the damn pits out about a hour later I had the machine going..............but hey no snow!

[vision386]

Looks about like my week! sorry to hear about your buddy,just glad to hear if he had to go,did'nt take anybody with him,still hate to hear about things like this though. That place on 220 where the CL-9000 is also has an old McLean Brigadier,and an ex Overnite "china closet" daycab F-Model stashed behind all those junk trailers,used to be able to see them before they moved a trailer across the driveway. ...................................Mark

[slpwlker]

Sorry to hear about your friend.

glad your all right with the accident and all.

I hate dealing with Ice covered straps

[vision386]

I was gonna say some smart shit about frozen straps,you guys need to pull a van! BUT I got to my first stop of the day this morning,after running in rain,snow,sleet,snow,sleet,hail,snow etc. (you get the picture) Got to my stop,trailer doors frozen solid closed! took me about an hour with torch and rubber mallet to get the S.O.B's open!.....................................Mark

[other dog]

I was gonna say some smart shit about frozen straps,you guys need to pull a van! BUT I got to my first stop of the day this morning,after running in rain,snow,sleet,snow,sleet,hail,snow etc. (you get the picture) Got to my stop,trailer doors frozen solid closed! took me about an hour with torch and rubber mallet to get the S.O.B's open!.....................................Mark

.

[carlotpilot]

well that one pic is as close as you can get to 2 band aids & a cork

[Timothy Maikshilo]

Sorry to hear about you friend and glad you were ok in last weeks snow and ice. I give you guys credit who have to run the roads and sleep in your trucks in the winter. Hard enough out there

with out the added hassles.

[j hancock]

Sad news about your friend. Condolences to the family. Stay safe out there.

Might be time to form a posse and find the PA ground rat by the name of Phil. Roads during February have been more than interesting around here.

[75T]

Sorry to hear about your friends passing.

[Green Dash]

Very sorry to hear of your friend's passing.

Is the cased officially closed on the accident or is there still a chance that guy could try to pin it on you?

[Vladislav]

Sorry to hear sad news about your friend.

Thanks for the weekly report.

[other dog]

Very sorry to hear of your friend's passing.

Is the cased officially closed on the accident or is there still a chance that guy could try to pin it on you?

I really don't know, I guess it depends on what the other driver said- or rather what he intends to do. The trooper said there was no way for them to tell what happened, it was my word against his, so I hope he's honest and doesn't try to say it was my fault and sue somebody. I know I did absolutely nothing wrong, I never left the lane that I was traveling in, but you never know what people might do. It wouldn't surprise me if he said he was driving along minding his own business and I came over on him.

But like I told the trooper, I believe that he either got lost in the spray or just hydroplaned and lost it and hit me.

The trooper asked me if I ran that way a lot and I told him I did. He said to me "well, whenever you come through here and it's raining do not get in the left lane- the road does not drain properly, and the standing water will pull you right into the wall." They didn't charge me with anything and said I was free to go...so I just don't know.

[Green Dash]

Hopefully that driver is one of a dying breed these days that still holds themselves accountable for their own actions.

[85snowdog]

Otherdog, try to keep any names ( trooper, guy in suburban) and keep some notes about weather, time of day, everything you can remember.

Up here people wait till the statute of limitations is almost up, then they sue, hoping that a lot of info has been forgotten or lost. It happens with people that run off the road in bad weather here.

Hopefully Green dash is right and the driver holds themselves accountable.

Sorry about your friend Wooly Booger. I know that name from somewhere, but can't put my finger on it.

Thanks for the weekly pics, I always look forward to them.

[other dog]

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• Location:Gladys,Va.
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• Year:1965

Posted 15 August 2014 - 04:22 PM

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Here's another old store. It's facing rt. 60 in Mount Rush, Va. Never open that I remember, but I remember my wife saying she had been in it when she was little.

I saw this odd shaped mushroom in the yard last weekend.

By the time I got home today it had turned from a mushroom head to a saucerhead.

Just who comes up with these road names anyway?

Trucks in the field.

Truck by the road. Pretty neat looking little unit.

I tried to get another picture of the car for sale in Canvas, W.V. but I accidently hit the button before I was close enough. There's Wooly Booger in front of me with another load of lumber.

...A "pictures of the week" post from August,2014. I just deleted the pictures a few weeks ago, now i'm sorry I did, as I've also deleted it from my computer.

He was also with me that time I broke the fan belt on my truck, and the one little strand lasted all the way to Pittsburgh and back.

[other dog]

Johnny Roy Dagenhart Sr.'s -AKA Wooly Booger- truck at the shop. RIP my friend.