CHAINING...are you ready?

No bad weather until tomorrow. I'm figuring the storm will be in Wyoming just as I'm coming through, because that's how my luck works out.

 

At the TA just west of Winnemuca, NV for a 10 with my new trainee. This is a person with over 5 years OTR experience that let her CDL lapse, but an outstanding driver. Totally smooth first day coming from San Bernardino up US-395 then getting over to US-95 to I-80.

Going to be cold tonight, down in the 20's. Tomorrow morning I'll run a super single to help get us in position for a delivery at 5:00 on Friday morning in Spokane.

We'll be running down Cabbage tomorrow. Any word on current conditions?

 

I just checked Oregon DOT and they are predicting 12-14" snow in the Blue Mountains starting tonight through Friday. I'm wondering whether running north on US-395 might be a better option than running US-95 to connect to I-84? Might be lower elevation that way?

 

There are truck restrictions on US-395 from Mt. Vernon to Pilot Rock, I don't know what the restrictions are but it is a restricted route. I just checked my atlas and it is not marked as a truck route. Looks like you will have to run Cabbage.

 

Deadman pass was ok last night

 

ut oh.. I'm seein some light snow fall now here in central washington..

Near the Gear Jammer

edit : it be gone.. no its back no its gone.. (mother nature is moody today)

.. its comin and cold is comin with it

 

glad to see all of you missed the SUPER FUN on 70 Weds., chains were up WB MM 259 to MM 178, basically Denver to Vail . Yeah, we cancelled 3 mtn. deliveries as a result.

 

Drove from Winnemucca, NV to Pendleton, OR today with my trainee at the wheel (fortunately an experienced driver getting back into the business with five previous year's driving coast to coast).

Chains were required from La Grande all the way through Cabbage Hill. It was smooth going until the last two miles coming down the hill, then it was a choo-choo train of trucks in the right lane all going 3-5 mph. We got into the hammer lane, which was going 5-10 mph.

When we got to the bottom it seems we basically passed the cluster of trucks and were well ahead but for a few trucks as we pulled off to call it a day at the Arrowhead Travel Plaza. The parking lot was full and it took us 30 minutes to get through the cluster(stuff) to get back out and head to the casino parking lot.

As we finished parking and calling it a day got to talking to another driver that parked right next to us right after we did. He said he just finished Cabbage Hill and came right away to the casino parking spot, and narrowly avoided getting involved in a three truck jackknife fiasco at the bottom of the hill, three potato haulers all coming down too fast to slow for the choo-choo train at the bottom.

Currently snowing about an inch an hour. Temperature about 18ºF and falling.

We left the chains on. Going to need them in the morning anyway.