Where is everyone #5

Which route is better in the winter?

 

Thanks driver. Can you see my sig pic?

 

And half way back to Phoenix

 

Trans Siberian Highway ? Sorry if that's not the right answer, I don't get above 40 so that's unfamiliar territory.

 

Hard to say. The 17 suffers from lake effect snow, where one minute you could be in sunshine and clear skies, then 5 miles down the road driving through a blizzard dumping a foot of snow on the road.

The 11 is the easier route, meaning all the inexperienced immigrant drivers who come over the double yellow lines into your lane around sharp curves at high rates of speed are far more common. This leads to more accidents that can shut the highway down for hours.

But the 17 gets shutdown sometimes due to being impassable because of snow until they can clear it.

The idea is to check the weather before leaving and plan to stop anywhere along the way. The 11 has far more places, more evenly spread out, to get the truck off the road with access to bathroom facilities, but the 17 is the technically shorter route despite the hills.

Personally, with elogs getting in the way of everything, the 11 is the only really good option now. On paper, you could make Wawa from Winnipeg on the 17 without question. Now, you have to run a perfect log, drive over the speed limit, and have no delays.

Otherwise you get stuck in White River with no cell reception, or at the top of the hill in Marathon with no bathroom at night.

On the 11, you can stop in Longlac, Klotz Lake, or possibly make Hearst with time to spare. And pretty much every town between Hearst and North Bay has room to fit a few trucks if the highway shuts down. Between Narin Centre and Sault Ste Marie, there isn't a single place to safely park a truck off the road.

Many of our drivers swear by the 17 all year long. I just don't see the appeal. Those huge grades with no safe descent lanes or brake check areas aren't my thing. They stress me and the truck more than necessary.

I'd recommend the 11 if you are ever going through there your first time. Only take the 17 if you can go with someone who knows the area.

 

Made it to Tucson and kicked the ramp off. They made it easy on me and came out with a forklift that had 10' forks so we didn't have to dik around with my ramp kit and the winch.

Parked now at a rest area between Phoenix and Flagstaff.

 

I did a rounder to Winkler and back to get a combine. I took 17 both ways but that was October. Breakfast if you want to call it that on day 2 was at a Robins Donuts in White River I think. Next morning was at a Petro Pass in Winterpeg. Great eats.....not

Lake effect snow off Superior looks like a beeeeeotch!

 

I think that’s farther south

 

I like the way you're thinking. Wow, something we agree about !

 

It kinda has to go where it is though doesn't it?