Comments | trooper557: Back and Forth

trooper557

Back and Forth

Jan 24, 2014 11:55

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 ( Read more... )

driving

Comments 5

words_spoken January 25 2014, 03:44:18 UTC

The sunrises and sunsets are the best part of the winter day, in my opinion. I agree that making that long a drive on slick roads is much better done with rested eyes and body. When I drive on dangerous roads, I always arrive at my destination with stress and pain throughout my upper back and my hands from having a *death grip* on the wheel. Add in the crazy drivers who think they can still go 65mph despite icy conditions, and I end up physically and mentally drained.

I wish winter would return to Alaska. These overly warm temps are causing not only slick roads, but avalanches too.

trooper557 January 28 2014, 02:59:43 UTC

Thanks for your comment, I appreciate your point of view and candid assessment of how some drivers behave in AK. During your winter travels, do you plan for halts at specific locations or intervals, say every two hours to lessen the stress?

To lessen the thaw/freeze cycle and all the negatives the cycle brings, I too hope that winter returns to your part of the world.

words_spoken January 28 2014, 05:30:03 UTC

I try not to drive extremely long distances alone. I find that my eyes get extremely fatigued, and if the sun is low in the sky (which is usual this time of year), I get a headache or blinded. But when I do drive long distances, even with my husband, we make routine stops along the way to stretch our legs, have lunch (packed sandwiches or snacks), and maybe stretch. My husband has the *luxury* truck (even though it has almost 200,000 miles on it). He has heated seats. Even in the summer, I turn the seat on as a makeshift heating pad to help my back.

Today it was in the 20s, but we really do need a bunch of new snow.

opakele January 25 2014, 06:23:40 UTC

I think you are smart to leave in the morning, rather than the evening.

Nightsky could travel home from Alaska in one day. It is an 11 hour trip...at best. He breaks it into two days and stays in Anchorage over night. His back thanks him for the break in travel.

Enjoy your weekend.

trooper557 January 28 2014, 03:05:55 UTC

Thanks for the encouragement and confirmation that others think getting on the road well rested is the best way to travel. I'd be concerned to travel by road from Alaska to Washington during the Winter months, an eleven hour trip, (at best) is somewhat daunting although LOML, Teddy and I drove straight through (18 hours) when we came to visit you so many years ago. On our return home travel it took 21 hours total time on the road, wasn't able to locate a vacancy in hotel/motel enroute due to an unannounced convention in Kamloops, our intended overnight stop, so we continued along our way finally coming to a three hour rest as one of the roadside rest areas. While not the best option, it was acceptable in part because of the weather being so cooperative.