6/11/10

I'm sure that there are worse things in life than waking in the morning, having that feeling in your stomach, walking into the restroom, and finding both shitters occupied.  At the moment that it happens though, it might as well be the single worst thing in the history of mankind.  And thus begins another day...

There's another thing that seems like it might be the worst thing ever.  West Virginia.  As anticipated, today's load is a 44,000 pounder.  That makes for a fun ride through the mountains.  Now that I think of it, today's frustration began even before I got into West Virginia.  The Ohio part of the drive was okay.  Then I was angling down through Pennsylvania toward I-70 and I-79.  There was a spot where the state highway on which I was driving joined another state highway.  I had to stop at the intersection and then make a right turn.  And I stalled my truck three times in the process.  Pretty embarrassing.  The hill was so steep that I had to keep my foot on the brake pedal until the transmission engaged.  Otherwise I would have rolled backward into the people behind me.  Then, after the transmission grabbed, I had to get off the brake and onto the accelerator - hard and fast.  Fourth time's the charm... or something. Yeah, that hill was wicked steep.

By the time I got onto US-19 in West Virginia, cutting from I-79 over to I-77, I had had just about enough.  By the time I got onto I-77 in Beckley, I was at my wit's end.  The number of people who insist on cutting me off just as I try to get a run at the next hill is absolutely astonishing.  Instead of being able to pull the hills with one or two downshifts, I end up going all the way down to fourth or fifth gear and lug over the top at 20mph.  Ridiculous.  Long story short - the travel plaza in Beckley is home for the night.

I'll have around 930 miles to cover between now and 8am on Monday, so a couple of decent days on the road should do the trick.  That is, of course, assuming I don't commit vehicular manslaughter during the mountainous portion of tomorrow's drive.  Sometimes it's tempting.  I ain't gonna lie to you.

Mark your calendars.  For the rest of your natural life, you're unlikely to see another situation where I agree with Keith Olbermann.  This time, however, I'm gonna have to say that K.O. seems to have it about right.  Something just doesn't add up.  60% of the vote?