01 March 2012

Year 2, Day 61 (A Fresh Day After An Interesting Night)

Yesterday turned out to be far from uneventful. Larry and I were finally dispatched on our next load which picks up (as I thought it would) in Lewiston, ID. When we left Woodinville (although I was rather reluctant to leave) we made our way south to I-90, then east. I had heard that is was being predicted Snoqualmie Pass may get 7-10" of snow by morning... along the very route we were taking. It began alright, then evolved into all white (or at least getting there). We pulled off onto the shoulder - along with many other trucks - and began doing something I hadn't done in about 10 years... chaining up. It was an interesting "re-introduction" for me, as well as a new experience for Larry. Mind you, we had an empty trailer to take across the pass, so that added to the excitement.

Larry started out pretty slow which caused quite a bit of rough travel, but as he gradually increased his speed (never getting over 45, of course), the ride smoothed out. It was very pretty as the snow fell, even creating a more calming effect, but he never lowered his level of caution.

The snowfall increased as we gradually made the climbs and falls through Snoqualmie Pass. Even though the cars - and many of the other trucks venturing through the pass - passed us, I told Larry not to worry about it too much. The main goal was too get to the other side of the pass... without the aid of a tow truck and/or an ambulance.

Once we made it to the other side safely (and in a designated area to do so), we removed the chains and put them away.

We pulled off into the Flying J in Ellensburg, WA to top off the fuel before pushing on a little further. While we were there, Larry made a visit to the rest room, to which I commented, "Did the pass scare the crap out of you?", to which he replied, "Yeah... I think so." He did a very good job, considering he had never gone through this in a truck before.

When we arrived in Royal City, WA, I had him park the truck and call it a night. Besides, the second half of this leg I would prefer him taking in the daylight: Washington state road 261, from Washtucna to Starbuck... a route not for the faint of heart.

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