My Sunday Adventure pt.2

So at the end of yesterdays post I had made it to the top of the mountain and the Stratton Meadows turn around, now its more easy getting down. I put the truck in 1st gear and basicaly idled my way down so I could keep an eye out for photo ops. I stopped a few time and turned the truck off just so I could listen to the creaking of the upper tree limbs blowing in the breeze in the snow covered silence. Then a few hundred meters I stopped again to listen to the water run off and the creaking of the limbs, a true nature orchestra.

The Bridge is the Cherohala Skyway where it crosses Stratton Meadows and the turnaround before heading back down the forest road to the bottom.

My Sunday Adventure

Yesterday after a great Breakfast of eggs benedict made by my dad Chuck I decided to take a wonder drive up the mountain via the Cherohala Skyway. Usually I make it to Stratton Meadows where I then head down the mountain via forest roads to where I start. Well I found snow,ice and fog and had to head back down the skyway.

After backtracking down the mountain I decided to give the North River route a try to get up the mountain, its mostly gravel/dirt forest roads and should give good traction up to and above the 3000ft mark. When I hit the road it was nice and dry and green, that would soon change.

On the way up it was pretty nice but I wanted snow and I did’nt have long to wait.
At the 2800ft make it started to snow turning the forest into a winter wonderland, it was sooooo quiet, the only sound was the running water and an occasional bird chirp.

It was real nice till I hit the 3000ft mark and it started snowing but I was bound and determined to make it to the top and Stratton Meadows where I could safely turn around and head back down the mountain. So in 1st gear my venerable Ford F-150 made it up the last 800ft climb and I got turned around for the creep back down the mountain… and more pics.

I’ll do a few more pics tomorrow before we head back to the Air Museum.

Brrrrrrrrr!

Well winter is here, at least in the midwest. I’m in Wisconsin this morning and its warmed up a bit to -4F, at the coldest last night it was -13F. Needless to say I’m not wearing shorts and a tee shirt.. 🙂

Wordless Wednesday: Tuesday Morning in Alabama

How I Spent Last Saturday Night…..

By the time I got to the West Virginia welcome center on I-68 I could not even see the road. I had to look out the passenger side window to see anything and I used the rumble strips on the right lane to keep from going off the road. A few dumb asses passed me up only to find they could not see anything and jammed on their brakes… not the best idea, I went around them and they, like lemmings fell in behind me. Luckily the welcome center was only a 1/4 mile ahead and I couldn’t see the truck entrance so I just parked in the car area out of the way, it was an interesting evening to say the least, heavy snow and 20 mph sustained winds with gusts to 40mph kept the truck a rockin’ all night. I would say it ends there but I moved to Morgantown WV Sunday morning and parked at a Wal-Mart where it proceded to snow all day. It finally stopped snowing and in the evening proceded to Ohio where on Sunday evening into Monday morning the snow and high winds kicked up again and I stopped in Marion Ohio to wait this one out too. My company has had a lot of wrecks over the past month and I’m determined not to be one of them. I now have over 1.8 million safe driving miles and my goal is 2 million.. knock on wood.. Anyway I finally made it to Ft. Wayne Monday evening safe and sound, just in tome for the -15 degree weather… Is’nt life grand..:-)

Springtime in Virginia,,,NOT!

So while ya’ll were enjoying my water pics from Tennessee  from last Wednesday this Wednesday I was riding out the latest winter storm on an onramp in Virginia. Tuesday night the snow started when I  began my evenings driving  around 10 p.m. and it was lightly snowing and by the time I had drivin’ 90 miles the weather turned for the worse and the snow started to really pile it on. I made my pickup in Winchester Virginia and had reservations about getting on the highway but I figured I was heading south and the weather should clear up…boy was I wrong! I made it about 80 miles at 30mph and decided to get off the road and could not find a place to park, all the truckstops and rest areas were full so I found a lonely on ramp and tucked in for a long wait as the snow just kept piling on. I was safe and sound and had a couple of state troopers check on me and said I was smart for getting off the highway while other drivers took great risks and kept on driving, Wednesday afternoon I got back on the road and saw at least 6 jackknifed trucks (one was a fatality) and too many cars to count in the ditches. I always think safety when I’m on the road and if I don’t have to drive…I don’t. So anyway here are some pics from yesterday, around 11:00 a.m. I trekked back up the onramp to a small petrol station for a bathroom break and get a cup of tea, the walk did me good. The last pic is my truck on the onramp. Today I’m in South Carolina and the skies are sunny and hopefully spring is on the way..:-)

Out the front window around 7 a.m.

One of a few idiots still on the highway.

Across the highway a bit later in the morning after the snowplows had a go at clearing and salting the road.

Of course when I walked to the pertol station I took my pocket camera and took a few pics, people driving by must have thought I was insane..

The wind was blowing and it was snowing and the trees were creaking but I really enjoyed the weather….as long as I was’nt driving..

I’m thinking by the time it was all over there was about 10 inches of snow on the ground, I’m glad I was on the road even though it was pretty deep on the road too..

And there is my portable igloo, inside I was nice and warm and killing time watching movies and drinking tea and trying to keep the engine warm and the windshield clear of snow. Luckily the wind was out of the north and I was facing south. All in all it was pretty fun, now lets get on with spring..:-))

Skywatch Friday

So yesterday I was sitting in Norwalk CT waiting for the powers to be to decide what to do with my trailer and it starts to snow, and snow,and snow, not alot but it came down for a few hours and was kinda pretty since I was behind a strip mall. This morning I’m in a rest area, its -2degrees below zero and the roads are like an ice skating rink, apparantly the state of New York is too busy on I-90 to worry about I-88, so here I sit between Rotterdam and Binghamton hoping when the sun comes up the snow will stop and the plows will get to work I can get moving to Ohio. Its all in a days adventure..:-)