Back and Forth
Well, since being cleared to return to work, it's been a couple of weeks travelling up and down the highway between home and Fort McMurray, (250 miles one way) 400 KM. This in addition to our (50 miles) 80 KM one way daily ride on one of the highway cruiser buses which collect the local workforce for the transit to site from town. When I'm driving I pay particular attention to how the truck (winter a Ford Ranger 4X4, summer a Ford Focus) handles, whether it slews on the surface or there is good traction. Speed is adjusted accordingly, my first principle for driving is: "Must Arrive Alive." Second is: "Comply with the unwritten partnership agreement with all other road users." This becomes a challenge at times for there are a lot of folk who drive as though they are the sole user without any regard for others! Being too polite to swear, I do gnash my teeth at times and mutter under my breath. This past week, the temperatures have again risen to about the freezing point, however, that doesn't make for any easier driving conditions, quite the reverse for it becomes really difficult to see ice on the road surface until too late. Therefore, a trip which usually takes under four hours can resemble times closer to six hours. It's for this reason that I have been putting off coming home after work on Thursday evenings, opting to stay overnight, get a good rest and then begin my journey without the added fatigue, in reduced light and often worsening conditions. This morning, I left at 0545 arriving home just after 1000. the other thing I enjoy about my adjusted travel hours is the gorgeous sunrises I see on Friday mornings, spectacular doesn't come close to being an apt description of the beauty my eyes behold.