Where is everyone #5

Yessir. Just trying to get to the end. 3 more days.
Spare bus blew an allison 2500 to smithereens on monday. Cool. That bus bus does 1000km a year. And it's an Allison retrans with only 150k.
I'm out for a ride now. Doin a cvip.

 

It’s challenging. That’s what I liked about it. MOST suck at leading. But we’re drivers.

Maintain a constant speed.
Read all signs.
Read the traffic.
Watch your mirrors••••. You don’t switch lanes until the entire group clears.

I was the road captain in an MC a few years back. They liked me because moving a group through traffic is the exact same principles as driving a big rig. The big difference is that you are the one that sets the running order. And when you run with the same group and you are on point, the group tightens up on the formation and it’s a beautiful thing.

Running with strangers gives the group that accordion action. Stretch, compress, stretch, compress. After running tight with a group, the accordion formation will really piss you off.

 

Unloaded and reloaded plus 450 miles today…. Yeah I’m a little tired. Least this steakhouse has some good a/c rolling

 

Conversation at the pit, two guys-

Are you still seeing that woman from Mountain Home?
Nah, too far to drive. We still talk though. I got a new girlfriend, she's in Grangeville.
How many kids.
None.
What? No kids and in Grangeville? What is she, 7?
She's 36, got outta prison three months ago.

Me and another guy were busting a gut. Funny stuff.

 

Keeping with the quarry humor-

Pit owner calls me on the phone.
I answer 'hey Pit Boss!"
He says "What did you call me?!?!"
Uh, I said "hey Pit Boss"
He says "I thought you said 'hey dick wad' ha ha!"
So I've been calling him Richard. Even changed his name in my phone to Richard Wad

 

Still sitting in my recliner a week after surgery and sleeping in my new recliner. Haven't tried to sleep in the bed yet. Still too sore to get up even with a leg roll to help me out. Surgery on my lower back went well without complications and I am on my way back to the driver seat in no time. About 5 weeks before I consider making my comeback. Gotta let this thing heal so I don't get hurt again. I'm pretty bruised from the surgery but everything is healing well and I have not felt that pain in my butt and my legs since I woke up in the recovery room which is awesome.

Found a really cool truck parking place about 20 minutes from the house in Ferris, TX off of I-45 south of Dallas. Great price at $160 per month. Gated, key pads, cameras everywhere and assigned parking. Not too shabby in my book. I have my post-op follow up appointment on the 29th to check everything out and get cleared to drive my personal vehicle again. It's tough sitting at home but I have my 8yr old son thankfully to help me out and we have been keeping each other company since the wife went back to work yesterday.

All in all so far so good. Y'all be safe.

 

Her insurance put a 40k value on it with an initial 16k damage estimate. I've found 4 other examples in like condition with roughly same mileage on drive train components ranging between 75k and 135k. So her insurance has already low balled the value of the truck.

I had started a claim with my insurance before I knew if hers was going to cover it is why I'm throwing out what my insurance valued it at which is what the market value is, and they came back with a 41k damage 75 to 80k value estimate. Once I found out her insurance took liability I put my insurance on hold pending what they decide.

As for the buy out I'm guessing they intend to, whether or not they will pay what it's worth I have no idea. If they flat out refuse then I will get my insurance involved since their value of it is in line with what it's worth and let them total it and go after her insurance for the money back.

I'm already setting at around 20k+ in lost wages (which her insurance will pay out on, I just don't quite know if they will pay on the income figures I gave them) to go with that 66k damage amount. If they pay it out for the amount I paid for the truck, which they are aware of, and for lost wages then it will be pushing/exceed the limits of her policy.

 

Went through the same thing about 7 years ago— got the itch really bad and a buddy had a 2001 road king that I thought I couldn’t live without —blasted off to Elko for a trial run and into a swarm of Mormon Crickets covering the road on HD Summit running about 60— got shut down without laying it down but it put a spook in me — figured that you don’t get more than a couple chances in that game — finished the ride but got over the itch pretty quick

 

Yes sir, just like watching a Marine Corps Marching Drill. It is a thing of beauty to see the precision and execution. On the other hand, everyone has to start somewhere, so dealing with the accordian effect comes with the territory of acclimating new riders to the group ride aspect.

 

That's crazy. Ran into those once between Austin and Battle Mountain. Craziest thing I've ever seen. They absolutely covered the road