mountains

You probably know about the brake pull offs up top, you will learn about chaining areas and chain laws. If you are fortunate and you run hard between say... April 15 to Oct 15 you can bypass the need for winter operations out west in the teeth of snow and particularly split ice.

In the east you can climb a hill in a hour or two, and be in the yonder hollow through the gap without too much time. Out west though, it might be half a day before you top it and then the rest to get safely down to the bottom.

I once spent approximately 20 hours at walking pace to get the rig to shelter crossing the continental divide in Montana. It was quite a storm and I got through it, but that thing would slide. And the snow piled. You did not dare stop on the shoulder like you would do east because the snows drift out west... higher than big trucks are.

Now I don't know if you are old enough to recall the great blizzard of 1993 that buried the east coast that winter. We had our house completely covered in drifts after three days of wind and all telephone poles themselves waas covered as well.

Out west you have that covered in a day or less. Poof! Snow!!! big snow.

If that does not excite you, wait until you eyeball two tornadoes together somewhere in say Nebraska, dead man walking as they follow each other as if God himself is taking a walk. Now what?

And the spring times... so pretty. Green, verdunt flowers tress and everything. whoo. But so short and gone going into the fall 3 months prior to that in the east.

Ive always loved the American west I guess you can scatter me somewhere out there and let the winds howl as they always do. I would be happy. But that's not the case, Ive already got that sorted.

However... there is one thing out there that is not a problem back east. Water. You have to carry a few cases of water. A man does not live more than 4 days without water in some cases much shorter time than that. There are tens of thousands who have died trying to travel without water. The progession of damage prior to your death includes your eyeballs and lenses. They get scoured and you can never see again with them. And then there you are. That is another thing... You need a proper set of goggles preferably with seals and ballstic protection because if you run into a haboob (Sand storm) in Arizona you can be blinded in less than a hour pernamently.

 

Just point it downhill and Gravity will take care of the rest.

Seriously, mountain driving is mountain driving. If you can safely descend one in the east, you can safely descend one in the West. The techniques don't change, just the grades, the distances, and the altitudes.

 

Did Black Mountain (NC) this morning, 0230 pouring rain, fog. Didn't leave 8th (light loaded, 12,900), just drove with the jakes - mostly mid. Like you said, man - pretty easy, just don't rush to the bottom, you might not make it.

 

I think Cabbage is so infamous because there are no trees blocking the view to the bottom. Without those natural blinders people tend to get spooked.

 

Cabbage is interesting. People in winter during hunting season would be walking on the shoulder in some of those curves and rifles on them. They need to learn not to walk the shoulder I have enough trouble keeping that trailer stretched out and in line sometimes.

 

Cabbage gets a lot of winter storms. Icy a lot of the time. It is in what I call the in between zone. Meaning the temperature fluctuates above and below freezing, meaning ice a lot of the time. It's actually easier if it just stays very cold then you know what you are dealing with.

This is why there are lots of pileup wrecks on cabbage.

 

There is one thing. I have a pair of pictures from long ago when a black acura or prelude type commuter car passed a rocky mountain gas tanker 200 yards behind me at 70 to 90 plus he was doing 15 split ice with interlock in bearfoot and I was the same way, he was actually communicating with me taking me to split ice school because 10 miles before you got to sheridan the split ice was actually about 4 inches thick, enough to cause one side of your drives to tilt too high and quit accepting power from your internal final drives inside the axle housing, does that make sense?

Anyway... car was coming, Caught him in mirroir two people inside then they caught the edge of the lane snow pack and spun across my bumper in slow motion and i was taking pictures and not doing anything because it's all worked out. They buried themselves into the drifts higher than a man. Much higher. I knew they regretted it but could not stop due to a variety of good reasons I did radio ahead to Sheridan to get them some kind of help. You cannot stop on these long western grades it will be what I call a momentum problem keep it moving.

Ive seen my mighty truck and other people's super trucks get stuck on a little slip of frost sometimes back east it's redecilious. and here we are crossing the end of the world ice to the rubicon yet to be discovered and that does not stop a truck...

There is one rule I always used without fail and want to teach you here. Two actually. When it starts to snow good, allow room for the local tanker and doubles drivers to zip ahead paving a black stretch using the down blast of air off the areodynamics in front of the steer axle. This buys a chance for people to still keep moving as long it's a cooperative effort to blow the snow off that blacktop.

When the LOCAL truckers start seeking shelter I do too. Always back and forth and make a bed first with that thing. 20 times working to the sides as you go as well. And always on a little bit of downgrade so you can get out.

Good luck!

With this talk of winter ice out west I wanna see it NOW... talking is horsestuff and doing to learn is way bettter.

 

Mountains out west have less curves than those east which is better for me. Those that are curvy are more compact within a range not like the whole state of Penn. once you get used to em you will like them a lot better than the. Ones east, but I've been all east lately lol.

 

Highway 24 down into Little Fort, BC is a decent hill. I rode down there with my dad in a fully loaded 7 axle logging truck. Its like a 3rd gear jake on high for like 8 km or so all the way to the bottom. There's a sharp S corner right at the bottom too.

 

The South.

Ozarks are crooked. If you ever. Ever. see a sign saying crooked road, curve 5 mph safe road speed. Get it to 2. Im not kidding. We have some that frankly the views are awesome God's Country. That might be the last thing you see before you finish the fall.. that wont be too bad I guess.

Ice storms in the south make sand drops on bridges use them. But never allow a car to get on the bridge with you because that trailer will feel the gravity slope and then start sliding to the downside taking out the minivan and three others too stupid to understand you don't get downslope of big trucks on bridges during southern ice storms.

Alabama 79 east of Memphis comes to mind, there is a group of divided highway bridges on a curve plus embankment due to speed engineering and those will take your trailer and slide you into the rail to rub a bit at crawling speed as you cross on ice. No biggie. After a couple bridges peole learn and get away from you.

This is the one time I make the exception for no contact if a big truck is next to me. He slide into me and I will hold him up does that make sense? I know a safety minded people just reached for whatever it is that they need to forget the horror of what I just described Just take the profuse apologies on the radio and work it out. No bigdeal. Just watch the hooks back there on that trailer so you don't go ripping off his ABS light or other lights...