(no subject)
We're now cutting spring wheat. It's called spring wheat because that's when it's planted. Got some time to do laundry today. We were trying to cut when it had started to sprinkle and we stopped for the day. Remembered to wash the towel I've been using. Have another but prefer the purple one. Remembered to wash the sheets on the bed. The ground, when its dry, is good to drive on. If you're moving along and you're kicking up dust, it's not too wet to be driving a semi and trailer down the dirt road. Said dust gets everywhere. On the dash of the trucks, in one's clothes, in one's hair, and eventually in the sheets. We don't shower every day. There are 7 of us in this trailer house and two bathrooms, each with a shower. Showering while someone is doing laundry is near impossible because of water pressure issues. So we shower every few days. But the sheets.. they needed a wash.
Two days ago 6 of us hopped into one of the pickups and drove to Rapid City, about 2 hours away. We went into a couple of tourist trap areas. I was annoyed to find that many of the "Native American" items were MADE IN CHINA. Not surprised, per se, but still annoyed. I did find a really neat ring made of stainless steel that I am now wearing on my pointer finger of my right hand. It's a thick band about a half inch wide in a natural steel color. Looks like they used a laser to cut out the outline of a lizard. Its tail trails into a straight line 1/4 the way around into another tail and another lizard, mirror image of the other. It's neat.
After having driven a semi for a bit, I've come to a much better understanding of why truck drivers do things I used to consider odd or annoying. I slow down very early when turning. The lower gears of my 10-speed truck are meant for power. It takes up to 7th gear to reach 30 MPH. And it can be daunting to have a full load (usually between 44,000 pounds and 57,000 pounds) and know that I'll need to downshift between 5 and 8 times before my turn. The number of downshifts depends on how fast I am going and what type of road I am on. So yeah, I'm slow sometimes. It's not a problem for people to pass me when I'm slowing for a turn, but there's no need to punch your accelerator as you do it. I KNOW I'm driving slow and I'm not doing it to tick you off.
Before I have to slow for a turn I'll also check to see if anyone's behind me so I know if I should expect someone to pass me. This can be a challenge with a trailer. The best way I'd found to do it is to move to the right side of the lane and then slide to the left of the lane. I stay in my lane, but this moves my trailer to a position as I'm sliding left where I can see more of the road behind me.
The next time you find a slow truck... please have patience. When we're speeding up, we're usually doing so as quickly as we can. Big trucks have a lot of gears to go through to get any real speed going... unlike a Miata. :D
Two days ago 6 of us hopped into one of the pickups and drove to Rapid City, about 2 hours away. We went into a couple of tourist trap areas. I was annoyed to find that many of the "Native American" items were MADE IN CHINA. Not surprised, per se, but still annoyed. I did find a really neat ring made of stainless steel that I am now wearing on my pointer finger of my right hand. It's a thick band about a half inch wide in a natural steel color. Looks like they used a laser to cut out the outline of a lizard. Its tail trails into a straight line 1/4 the way around into another tail and another lizard, mirror image of the other. It's neat.
After having driven a semi for a bit, I've come to a much better understanding of why truck drivers do things I used to consider odd or annoying. I slow down very early when turning. The lower gears of my 10-speed truck are meant for power. It takes up to 7th gear to reach 30 MPH. And it can be daunting to have a full load (usually between 44,000 pounds and 57,000 pounds) and know that I'll need to downshift between 5 and 8 times before my turn. The number of downshifts depends on how fast I am going and what type of road I am on. So yeah, I'm slow sometimes. It's not a problem for people to pass me when I'm slowing for a turn, but there's no need to punch your accelerator as you do it. I KNOW I'm driving slow and I'm not doing it to tick you off.
Before I have to slow for a turn I'll also check to see if anyone's behind me so I know if I should expect someone to pass me. This can be a challenge with a trailer. The best way I'd found to do it is to move to the right side of the lane and then slide to the left of the lane. I stay in my lane, but this moves my trailer to a position as I'm sliding left where I can see more of the road behind me.
The next time you find a slow truck... please have patience. When we're speeding up, we're usually doing so as quickly as we can. Big trucks have a lot of gears to go through to get any real speed going... unlike a Miata. :D