Fuel for Thought

Adventure?

             This past Friday I had one of my less fun days in Expediting... we'll call it my adventure LOL.   I got a call for a relatively short run, little over 200 miles, from one part of West Virginia, to another.  At the pick up, I got my first clue I might be in for 'fun' when another the forklift driver told me 'good luck, it's another world up there'.

          I had checked my routing, saw it was a little town about 50 miles East of Beckley, but the roads were clear, weather was good... how bad could it be? Right? Famous last words.  I got to within about 10 miles of the delivery, and realized my elevation was slowly increasing.  I went from clear roads, to lightly dusted, to downright slushy.. but still seeing brown.  Well, about 3 miles from the delivery, the GPS pointed me up a small.... we'll call it a road.  Turns out the last 3 miles were on a logging road...  there were 3 businesses up there, a coal mine, a logging tract, and the windfarm I was delivering to.  Now this 'road' you need to understand, was one lane... but paved.. and I could stil see brown.. .so no prob, right? Um. yeah.  about 1 mile up... the snow was inches deep on the sides.... another half mile... the road it'self goes from brown.. to covered in inches.   Well, I'm thinking.. I can just roll right thru this section, it's prob just drifted here.  I come around another corner... to UNPLOWED road.... by this time, I'm committed... no place to turn around.. well, I made it about another 1/4 mile before my lil van said NOPE.  Forward momentum was slower and slower as the snow piled up... suddenly the tires broke free... and I was sliding backwards down the mountain. 

            Definately a 'pucker factor' moment, considering there was a drop off about 5 feet to my right.  I got it stopped, and parked it... there was no digging out, no moving on... it took a 4 wheel drive wrecker with chains to get me up the mountain the last mile.  Turns out, the state only maintains to a certain hight, then the plows BACK down til they can turn around.  Oh fun.  The logging company had cut there own road down the backside of the mountain that they maintained. Lot further around, but safer!  Wish I'd known! That little left out fact turned a 5 minute drive up the Mountain into 4 hrs!

The "Road"

My 'Resting Point".... Nice view tho!

My Hero LOL...

Dale is a  frazzled solo van owner operator with FedEx CC, and can be reached with comments at [email protected] or by using the comments form below.