So, thanks for all the love and support yesterday. You people are awesome, I love ya! :) So for todays adventure. My dispatcher calls me at like 7:30 last night, just as I was getting done for the day. jon, im desperate, I have a farmer that needs 2, maybe 3 loads of corn hauled tomorrow. He has the trucks loaded and will just dump onto you and you can go right away. Haul it to Wolsey. He gives me the farmers phone number, I call, get directions and make the appointment. Gotta be 7 miles north, 2 east and 2 north of St. Lawrence between 8:00 and 9:00 am. Piece of cake. Farmer says the road is good. So by 8:15 I am 7 miles north of St Lawrence, I go to turn east, wow, this looks slippery and wet. It goes ok, I go 2 miles east, Look north, #%&*#@&%, I say, its mostly a DIRT ROAD!!!! I pull a pup, you dont just turn around. I say a lil prayer, much needed after all the swearing I just did. Turn north, mud puddles on both sides of me, differentials locked, speedometer says 30 mph but barely moving. im focused, spinning like a bugger, I get going. I hit a puddle and it covers my windshield, shit, WIPERS NOW!!!. I hit the wipers in time to see grass to my right, I correct, still on the road, still moving forward. im actually going 35 now, whew, got it made. Um yeah right. I hit a grove or soft spot or something, my tractor goes violently left, main trailer went right, pup was going everywhere. Fish tailing I believe they call it. I quit looking back when I saw grass flying, as long as I was still moving and upright I wasnt looking back again. Two miles of slippery hell and what seemed like two hours I am at the farmers yard. Two vintage 1970s Chevy tandem trucks and a lil grain cart nearly over flowing with corn, no auger sticking out on the road as promised. Fifteen minutes later an elderly gentleman shows up. He apologizes for being late, seems like a very nice man. The guy that is combining for me was supposed to be here to help me set up but hasnt showed up yet. I say thats ok. He proceeds to say I dont know how to run these tractors or trucks, youll have to help me set up the auger and move the trucks for me I can run anything, but were not supposed to. I tell him that, hes kind of put off, so I go to help (which means I did everything) I put the auger in place, by hand(hes 73, he aint helping much) back the tractor up to the auger, hook up the PTO, then I go back the vintage truck into place. Finally loading at 9:30. Thank god its only a couple loads. Um yeah right!!! An hour later I have my first load loaded!! yay!! The combiner guy got there just as we were getting done. Said he was tired and decided to sleep in. I just smile, shake his hand and introduce myself. Second load was uneventful, road was a little better with some sunshine and wind. After I dumped the second load we moved to another location, no big deal. BUT, I was only gone like 50 minutes, about 2 miles east of Wessington when the combiner calls. (its a 45 minute trip ONE WAY) where are you? are you on you way? yes im just eat of Wessington I say. I turn north on the Vayland road as instructed, 40 mph road, I gotta go north to the correction line road. 10-15 miles maybe? I dont speed, I dont get paid enough to do that. I have just turned west when he called again and very snottily(is that a word?) where are you? are you lost? I remain polite on the surface and I tell him( ok maybe I was stern to him)and say I am 3 fing miles away He just said ok. I pull up and they are sitting on a grassy patch, nothing ready. I stop on the road looking. The combiner runs out, saying we dont know what to do can you get in here? I get out, walk around checking the approach and the grassy area. The whole time Melvin (the combiner) is rambling on about how busy he is and how he just needs to keep moving. I deem the situation safe and pull in, help set up the auger once again, back the evil truck with air brakes up for the old fart to the GD auger and we begin to load. Melvin crabbily dumps the grain cart into my pup as Homer(the farmer) and I load the main. Get in and out of there with no issues, shoot the shit with Homer, helluva nice guy. By now its around 5:00. Im thinking & hoping this is about done. Homer looks at me and says so, can you come back to my place for one more load? do you have to quit at a certain time? I say with a smirk Sir, were limited to 16 hours a day, I will come back if that is what you want. He laughed. Well load back at my place again ok, ill be back! So this time Im 2 miles west of Wessington when Melvin calls. where are you? Are you coming back? (I had been gone an hour and ten fing minutes) yes sir, im 2 miles west of Wessington So, lucky for him he didnt call again, they werent ready, I set the stuff up again, moved the trucks and got loaded. So im cruising along heading home, its too late to dump tonight, ill have to dump tomorrow, no biggie. im coming up on the Vayland road. I see a pickup coming up to the stop sign. I dim my lights, he stops, then he pulls right in front of me!!!!!!!!!! I hit the air horn, brakes and head for the shoulder. The offender whips into the opposite lane just in the knick of time as I hit the shoulder. So if you hear of anyone in a red/maroon ford four door(half ton) pickup talking about a close call with a semi, tell em jon rowe wants to know if they are stupid, ignorant, drunk or all of the above??????? Tomorrow, I gonna go have pancakes with my dear sweet loving mother and step dad, dump that load, do just enough dishes to get through the week, then sit in my chair with my kitties watching bullriding and stuff. Maybe ill be safe from idiots that way.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 04:54:45 +0000
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