12-04-2005, 04:23 AM | #1 (permalink) |
I like dirt.
|
Today was the first big snow of the year. Somehow the great minds that run this God forsaken place have once again forgotten that it snows in Indiana. Every year this happens. We have a big snow and people are like "Oh fuck. What do we do? What do we do?" PLOW, MOTHER FUCKERS.
Today my family celebrated my sister's birthday in Fort Wayne. For those of you not familiar with the Indiana Highways, a trip from Muncie to Fort Wayne takes almost exactly 1 hour (today it took me 1:05 to get from Muncie to Fort Wayne) and is all on one road, I-69. After the festivities, I met up with some friends. At about 9 o'clock EST, it began to snow. Nothing shocking to me, it's December in Indiana. Around 11 o'clock EST, I was ready to leave. "The highway department has had two hours to begin clearing the roads," I thought, " and I-69 is the busiest road in the state. It has to be pretty travelable." So, that is where my journey began. Fort Wayne to Muncie. The roads had not been cleared. That 1 hour trip turned into a 2+ hour trip (I arrived home after 1 am EST). During the entire trip I saw 4 snow plows, each in groups of two. The first two weren't doing anything. In fact, both had their plows up, not even touching the ground. Let me ask you a question...why is this? Even if they were just in transit (en rout if you will), why wouldn't they have them down for good measure? Do a good deed on your way. The second group I saw were in Muncie. Were they clearing off 332, the main strip in Muncie? No. They were plowing the side road that leads to Wal-Mart. Yeah, these people know what's important...and of course, what do I see as the second truck in this tandem passes? Sparks. That's right, in typical Muncie fashion, even their plows are pieces of shit. I will give the people in charge some breathing room here. It is the first snow of the season. However, once you factor in the fact that it is December, I feel all is fair. If this were September and a freakish cold front came out of nowhere and even the weather broadcasters didn't see it...I might be able to let it fly. Instead it's December, in a state that everybody knows gets snow, on a day that snow was in the forcast. I hate this place. |
12-04-2005, 01:19 PM | #2 (permalink) |
COME ON YOU YANKS
|
I made the trip from warsaw to muncie. I started at 8:15 and ended at 10:45.
The roads weren't bad until Wabash. Once there, they were completely covered...leaving tracks in the road where others had gone before the only way to get through (there weren't any other cars with me in a pack). Navigating the blizzard of 15 was nothing compared to trying to traverse the hazards that 218 had to offer. The road appeared as if only one car had traveled on it in the hour previous...and its tracks were pretty much completely covered. I eventually caught up to a plow that led me to the homeland of 69 (going about 25 mph). Like tongue, I was very surprised to see how shitty this road was. Nonetheless, it really wasn't too big of a problem so long as driving was kept from being maniacal. I kept a steady pace of 60 mph without problem. Also, I saw a total of about 7 plows on the 32 mile stretch of road that I drove on. Three of them I passed on my side, the other four passed on the other side. The only problem with the road were the crazy fucks. People in big trucks going 70+ & even semis who thought that 60 was too slow (which means they were legitimately speeding...even had the conditions been perfect). Once I got into muncie, I saw another 4 plows, one on my side of 332, 2 more on the other side, and one in the area tongue mentioned. In short, while I found the trip quite treacherous, I don't blame the plows for it. They seemed to be out in high numbers doing their jobs at least 2 hours before you made your trip. Perhaps they decided it was a lost cause at that point since it was snowing like a motherfucker...but it's not like they just said "fuck it" and didn't even try. |
12-04-2005, 01:24 PM | #3 (permalink) |
Spice Master
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 17,969
Internets: 278288
|
Yeah there's like a half inch of ice covering my car in muncie this morning. Sucks.
|
Psychedelics are illegal not because a loving government is concerned that you may jump out of a third story window. Psychedelics are illegal because they dissolve opinion structures and culturally laid down models of behavior and information processing.
― Terence McKenna |
|
12-04-2005, 03:29 PM | #4 (permalink) |
I like dirt.
|
60 mph was the absolute maximum that I drove, and that was only a few select spaces of maybe 2 or 3 miles where I could see even a sliver of asphalt. When driving between 50 and 60 mph, the only people that passed me were white trash in their diesel trucks with the tires that elementary schools use on their playgrounds after they are discarded.
Other than that, I was forced to drive an average of 45 mph the rest of the time. While driving 45 mph, I passed dozens of cars and two wrecks...very few vehicles passed me. |
12-04-2005, 03:40 PM | #5 (permalink) | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: U.S.A.
Posts: 13,643
Internets: 247330
|
Quote:
I drove from Muncie to South Bend (and immediately back, mind you) one snowy night last January. I was doing like 50 and scared to death cause the roads were icy. I had semis passing me doing at least 60. Various SUVs doing 70 or so. I was like 80% sure that I was going to go off the road at some point. I don't know how the hell it didn't happen. -UB | |
12-04-2005, 07:23 PM | #6 (permalink) |
Senior Member
|
the one thing that i just can not understand about muncie is the lack of preparation for snowfall.
when i was in high school, i'd love it when the weatherman would call for a foot of snow because chances were, we weren't going to school the next day. wrong. most of the time, the roads were cleared by morning. the plows would stay out all night just to clear the roads. this is great. in muncie, (and most of indy) this foot of snow will stay on the roads for at least a week before i see a plow doing anything. last night, i was walking through campus and saw salt on the roads. i about shit myself b/c this never happens....preparing? for snow?! it's not like the salt did anything, it's just the point. it's about fucking time they did a little something. |
12-05-2005, 04:29 PM | #10 (permalink) |
Spice Master
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 17,969
Internets: 278288
|
I will most likely end up on either the SC area on the east coast, or in AZ, Cali or Texas hopefully. I don't want to stay here. At all. No matter what though, I want to live in a place that is near a large body of water.
|
Psychedelics are illegal not because a loving government is concerned that you may jump out of a third story window. Psychedelics are illegal because they dissolve opinion structures and culturally laid down models of behavior and information processing.
― Terence McKenna |
|
12-05-2005, 07:19 PM | #11 (permalink) |
I make bad decisions.
|
It was more from the ice from the sleet and freezing rain that was causing the problems, not from the snow.
Driving my car is the absolute worst thing ever in this weather, its even worse since I haven't changed over my rims and tires yet, but thank God I am tomorrow. |
12-05-2005, 10:03 PM | #13 (permalink) | |
Spice Master
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 17,969
Internets: 278288
|
Quote:
So you can surf? Be honest. -UB</font>[/quote] ehh i've never surfed before, but most likely if i lived near a coast, i probably would. I do snowboard though. Anyways, it doesnt even have to be an ocean, just anyplace that I can have a boat or jetskis... | |
Psychedelics are illegal not because a loving government is concerned that you may jump out of a third story window. Psychedelics are illegal because they dissolve opinion structures and culturally laid down models of behavior and information processing.
― Terence McKenna |
||
12-05-2005, 10:21 PM | #15 (permalink) |
Spice Master
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 17,969
Internets: 278288
|
Yeah, the surfer joke doesnt work as well now since i've had my hair shorter, though.
|
Psychedelics are illegal not because a loving government is concerned that you may jump out of a third story window. Psychedelics are illegal because they dissolve opinion structures and culturally laid down models of behavior and information processing.
― Terence McKenna |
|