Wednesday, March 28, 2007

This and That

And winter came back, the very next day, winter came back, we thought he was a goner but winter came back, he just couldn't stay awayyyyyyy.....
Brought home a lot of snow on my truck and trailer tonight. Was SO enjoying the bare dry roads the past couple trips.
Seems the rv'ers are already torturing us. There should be a NO RV rule until the May long weekend. Then cut em off again mid September. These people leave their brains behind when they get behind the wheel of these things.
Why speed up when I try to pass you, if you don't want to travel as fast as me...why...WHY!!!? Finally get by, they relax and go slow again. Just let us by!!! Arghhhh! Do they think everyone out there is on holidays? Like I carry around a 53' trailer loaded with groceries because I get really hungry?
Phewww winter hasn't started yet and I'm already revved up, not a good sign.
I have pictures to post of one of my co-workers trucks who got rear ended last week but it'll have to wait for next time. I'm not feeling great, just found out a dear, dear wonderful person has passed from our lives. She had a great influence on me as a young teen and I wish I'd seen her more since I moved up here. Planning to get to her funeral on the Island on Sunday. RIP Jennifer, sadly missed forever.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

The Truck Got Stuck

Corb Lund Bands song comes to mind when I think of my day on Sunday. Innocently enough I headed over to the bone yard to retrieve an empty trailer so I could leave for Fort Nelson. The yard looked ok, lots of tracks from trucks turning around. So I head on in, get about 3/4 of my U-turn done to line up with my trailer when suddenly, truck won't turn anymore, won't stop, and just takes off into the untouched snow. Oh yay... an hour and a half later, my truck is moving. This is of course after much sweat, a lot of yelling, and having to walk to the shop to get my car and another set of chains.
The truck was free and clear rolling no problem, until I moved it 2 feet to get a chain out from under a tire, I hung the triples back on the rack and put the singles back in the car, hop back in the truck to hook up, guess what! stuck again! On flat ground with ONE wheel in about 2 inches of snow.
Lesson learned: do not take a truck with no lockers into the bone yard until summer!
What I could have done to prevented all this: backed in off the road. doh
Sure didn't look like it should have been that stuck....
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Finally got down the road and found this just after washout hill (just past the Liard Hot Springs).
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Something else worth looking at regarding the Pit Bull plight, www.sorryagain.com

Time to hit the highway again.

Pit Bulls

Somehow a couple days ago I ended up doing a search on "pit bulls". Now, I have been a pittie lover and supporter for a long time, since I used to house sit for a friend years ago and he had a male, "Odie". Odie unfortunately was un neutered and had spent time on a chain, so while excellent with people, he had issues with other dogs. Despite this though, this dog was my best friend, he was so cuddly, and sweet. He definately helped show that pitties temperments are established by their owners, not their breed.
It is proven time and time again in statistics studies that Pit Bulls are NOT the most likely to bite! According to This Site , the breeds most reported to have bitten people are German Shepherds, Cocker Spaniels, Rottweilers, and Golden Retrievers, in that order! So why are pit bulls getting the bad rap? Because they are used for "for profit" fighting? A poodle would get vicious with that kind of abuse!
I was totally disgusted to find out that Fort Nelson has Breed Specific Legislatoin on Pit Bulls. I travel to Fort Nelson every other day and was suprised to learn this.
On top of all this, I own a Pit Bull/Lab cross and fully intend to own a purebred pittie someday. My dog has no idea he has 'bad blood' in him. I'd trust him with children, babies, dogs and cats. His best friend is a cat!
This video makes me cry like a baby. Lots of love to all my pittie friends!

Friday, March 16, 2007

Crashes of 2006/2007

It has been a real Northern winter this year, and with that, comes crashes. There have really been quite a few this year. Thought I'd do a re cap on them and hope that there are no more to come.

A friend of mines truck, they were running on dusty, snowy roads, he didn't realize the guy he was running with was slowing down almost to a stop, ran into the back of his trailer.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Heard this guy was from the East Coast, just caught the shoulder and it pulled him in.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

A new guy working for Matco, bad weather and lost it, went over the bank about 1/2 a km from the Watson Lake scale.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

A Calgary truck hit the ditch hard, and when 2 people stopped to help him, they blocked the road and another truck coming around the corner hit him, and crashed on the other side of the road, what a disaster.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Just a silly 4 wheeler, missed the road.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

A Hi-Line truck slid into the guard rail, slid down it a ways and smoked the bridge. He was completely unharmed. (Unbelievable!)
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

A co-worker of mine got caught in a whiteout situation, lost the road and almost drove off the rock cut at Summit Lake.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Not positive what happened with this guy pulling for Hoskins. Just know it was North of Fort St John.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

No one was hurt in the accidents shown here with the exception of the odd bruise, and that includes egos!

The Weather?

I'm getting tired of winter. It just goes on and one like it is never going to stop. My horse I bought in the fall from the Island looks at me when I go out to see him like, "How could you have taken me from the warmth of Southern BC and brought me to this frozen over land?" What can I say but, "Sorry, boy."
Last year I counted 8 months of winter, feels like this year could be more. Snow till June, anyone?
Another set of days off and too cold to play with horses. The wind chill is awful. In honor of my quest to eat healthier, I decided to cook up a big batch of Minestrone Soup, this particular recipe is chock full of veggies.

The first stage.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Added the broth and tomato sauce.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Getting ready to stir in beans and spinach.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Yumm!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket