Welcome to the Breakfast Show.......

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by Jim Flower

Fly at Night
Up the Fraser Valley
Towards Hope

Safe trip. Jim

Interesting place name -
Hope.

Thanks, Jim.

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by cwf

When I count my blessings my life is full too!

cwf, indeed!

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by masseyfarm

OMG !!!!! Be careful. I know HELLS GATE is in that direction.

Dave

Dave,

I went there, but the sign read, "Closed for the Season."

Whew!

[Fly at Night]

In the last chapter, our gallant heroine, towing the Airstream trailer she calls "FaN," was careening through the Rocky Mountains, a convoy of truckers on her tail. Who would triumph? Eight wheels or eighteen?
The story continues......

Gripping the wheel tighter, no beefcake trucker one was going to push me off the road. As the angry glare of another Kenworth bore down. I hit the accelerator. The F150 surged with all its might. The FaN screamed in protest with a metallic thud.

"Suck it up, FaN," I shouted at the trailer. "It's this or the scrap heap. Let's see what you're really made of now!"

The FaN shuddered again, steadied, then followed like a devoted greyhound.

Drawing away from the Kenworth, we ravaged miles.

Golden.
Revelstoke.
Salmon Arm.

The small towns came and went like hasty lovers in the night.

Heading into Kamloops, I wondered how long I could continue. I was exhausted, and had almost gone into the drink somewhere in Lake Country. The urge to get home and the urge to sleep slugged it out in the dulled arena of the mind like weary boxers.

I could not go on.

The neon glare of a Flying J Travellers' Spot would be my respit. I swung into the lot - carelessly - the FaN lept the curb like a wild thing. I cranked the wheel hard the other way - she thudded back down with a FWAP!

At the far end of the lot, two SWB trailers were parked, its inhabitants sleeping soundly. I drew alongside and cut the engine.

The FaN's warm bed was only a few feet away, but my legs refused to move. The chill of the early morning air started to permeate the cab of the truck. I grabbed the large astro turf outdoor mat that was behind me and wrapped it around my shivering body. I closed my eyes and my head lolled sideways, coming to rest against the cold glass of the driver's door window.

It felt good against the dried sweat.

That was my last thought.
Sleep.

The journey is almost over, but what lies ahead for our battle-weary heroine? Will she make it? The exciting conclusion next!

[Lily&Me]

I really think you and Gene are ghost writers for J. Peterman.

Astroturf as a blankie? Really??

You need fleece. It's the best.

Looking forward to the teeth-clenching conclusion.


Maggie

[slowmover]

From a trucker: Keep some Red Bull or 5-Hour Energy around. Good for about that long. And clean the glass inside & out, especially the mirrors. And wipe off all other exterior lamps. Night driving is nothing to fool with. FWIW, Rain-X treatment and glass cleaner makes glass easy to keep up with. And Stoner Invisible Glass along with dedicated microfiber towels.

We overdrive even our high beams at 55-mph (brake distance versus illumination distance).

Down here it is the crude haulers I meet from the other direction running in tandem ten feet apart and a foot over the line on roads with no shoulder that I'd like to shoot. Playing chicken in the Peterbilt is far from my favorite sport. A hot CB radio and some quite choice Spanglish is par. Blind curves are the most exciting at 0300 when circadian rhythm difficulties go to maximum . . and the abysmal high school graduation rates hereabout mean that thinking skill by other drivers is always suspect.

The sort of disregard for traffic devices exhibited makes me think these were local or regional drivers. Contempt through familiarity. Day or night, though, I so rarely see the following that I'll add it in (I pass thousands of other vehicles in year, I literally remember those who do this, as do I when towing my TT): Immediately slow more than 5-mph or more when that big truck moves out to pass. Get him around you as fast as possible AND have far more than a four second separation thereafter.

Ideally, one has a destination already mapped. The less executive decision-making unrelated to the physics of driving at night, the better. Emotional disturbance is what gets truck drivers killed, it is a well-understood maxim . . night only compounds this problem.

I guess I'm old enough to think that night-driving is always a bad idea (that road-markings, etc, can be poor -- anyone remember Toledo Torches? -- and services near non-existent. And a breakdown get any of us killed by another driver much more likely), but to be prepared is itself confidence-building. A few tools, supplies and a slightly longer departure checklist figure in.

I'll not ever understand those who plan vacation trips with night departures (the after-work crowd). Though not related to the post, or the thread tone, (and not a criticism, none of this is intended as such), a barely pre-dawn departure (civil twilight) trumps it handily on every aspect to be considered.

I don't plan to run 90-mph with my rig, but I do plan to test it up to near that speed (mainly brake distances; how long/fast down to 45-mph; wehn do TT brakes fail to work well any longer, etc). In the same fashion, to also be prepared for driving at night. To be prepared, in all ways.


.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by slowmover

And clean the glass inside & out, especially the mirrors. And wipe off all other exterior lamps. Night driving is nothing to fool with. FWIW, Rain-X treatment and glass cleaner makes glass easy to keep up with. And Stoner Invisible Glass along with dedicated microfiber towels.

Old-fashioned felt blackboard erasers are excellent for cleaning glass. Very absorbent, easy to grip, and don't leave streaks. I carry one in the glove box of every vehicle I own.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

I really think you and Gene are ghost writers for J. Peterman.

Maggie

I had no idea who J. Peterman was, so I rushed to the quasi-omniscient Google and found it was a catalog company that went bankrupt years ago and may have valiantly resurfaced, or a character on Seinfeld. I've never seen Seinfeld, but more deep searching revealed this:

"From Seinfeld fame, Elaine's boss at the catalog company.

"Everything that J Peterman said came out sounding like text from a "J Crew" catalog.

"(amazing but in fact this company actually exists too....)
'People want things that are hard to find. Things that have romance, but a factual romance, about them.'"

This was not hard to find and has no romance.

And I'm still wondering about the fight.

Gene

[dirigible25]

Cover the children's eyes and ears!

Writing such as this pulls me to a place where my prurient interest takes over and I begin to ponder the source, (other than literary freedom), that has been drawn on for the use of the adjective "ravaged" right before the use of the simile "small towns came and went like hasty lovers in the night".

Provocative to say the least, and thanks. I couldn't find a symbol of an icon having a smoke, like one might expect from a scene in a Bogart movie right after the camera faded away, so this one will have to do

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by Gene

I had no idea who J. Peterman was, so I rushed to the quasi-omniscient Google and found it was a catalog company that went bankrupt years ago and may have valiantly resurfaced, or a character on Seinfeld. I've never seen Seinfeld, but more deep searching revealed this:

"From Seinfeld fame, Elaine's boss at the catalog company.

"Everything that J Peterman said came out sounding like text from a "J Crew" catalog.

"(amazing but in fact this company actually exists too....)
'People want things that are hard to find. Things that have romance, but a factual romance, about them.'"

This was not hard to find and has no romance.

And I'm still wondering about the fight.

Gene

Well, where have you been that you do not know J. Peterman catalogs. Such a deprived life. They can be found at jpeterman.com

We have received J. Peterman Owner's Manual for decades. They are sellers of unusual, sometimes artsy clothing and other items that all have stories attached to them.

Stories of romance, intrigue, interesting settings/people, foundling treasurers in the Paris fleamarket, etc., that have been carefully replicated to make them available to readers of this small catalog.

Each story evokes visions of the original article, the setting, the time, the wearer. We make occasional purchases.

Go to the website, read the stories......you will see what I mean and why I think you and FaN are ghostwriters.

It's a compliment.


Maggie

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

Stories of romance, intrigue, interesting settings/people, foundling treasurers in the Paris fleamarket, etc., that have been carefully replicated to make them available to readers of this small catalog.

Sounds like the original booklet-sized Banana Republic catalogs.
A Rare Look: Banana Republic Catalogs 1978-1983 | Abandoned Republic

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by slowmover

From a trucker: Keep some Red Bull or 5-Hour Energy around. Good for about that long. And clean the glass inside & out, especially the mirrors. And wipe off all other exterior lamps. Night driving is nothing to fool with. FWIW, Rain-X treatment and glass cleaner makes glass easy to keep up with. And Stoner Invisible Glass along with dedicated microfiber towels.

We overdrive even our high beams at 55-mph (brake distance versus illumination distance).

Down here it is the crude haulers I meet from the other direction running in tandem ten feet apart and a foot over the line on roads with no shoulder that I'd like to shoot. Playing chicken in the Peterbilt is far from my favorite sport. A hot CB radio and some quite choice Spanglish is par. Blind curves are the most exciting at 0300 when circadian rhythm difficulties go to maximum . . and the abysmal high school graduation rates hereabout mean that thinking skill by other drivers is always suspect.

The sort of disregard for traffic devices exhibited makes me think these were local or regional drivers. Contempt through familiarity. Day or night, though, I so rarely see the following that I'll add it in (I pass thousands of other vehicles in year, I literally remember those who do this, as do I when towing my TT): Immediately slow more than 5-mph or more when that big truck moves out to pass. Get him around you as fast as possible AND have far more than a four second separation thereafter.

Ideally, one has a destination already mapped. The less executive decision-making unrelated to the physics of driving at night, the better. Emotional disturbance is what gets truck drivers killed, it is a well-understood maxim . . night only compounds this problem.

I guess I'm old enough to think that night-driving is always a bad idea (that road-markings, etc, can be poor -- anyone remember Toledo Torches? -- and services near non-existent. And a breakdown get any of us killed by another driver much more likely), but to be prepared is itself confidence-building. A few tools, supplies and a slightly longer departure checklist figure in.

I'll not ever understand those who plan vacation trips with night departures (the after-work crowd). Though not related to the post, or the thread tone, (and not a criticism, none of this is intended as such), a barely pre-dawn departure (civil twilight) trumps it handily on every aspect to be considered.

I don't plan to run 90-mph with my rig, but I do plan to test it up to near that speed (mainly brake distances; how long/fast down to 45-mph; wehn do TT brakes fail to work well any longer, etc). In the same fashion, to also be prepared for driving at night. To be prepared, in all ways.

.

Wow! Thanks for the professional input and tips.

It's a hard haul for Canadian truckers; high fuel prices and taxes. Then there is the terrain and weather. Maybe those night drivers are really on the line.

Would I do another "Fly at Night"? Not unless absolutely necessary.

Oh well. Something to reflect upon when my arteries harden and the only thing I'll be driving is a scooter.

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by dirigible25

Cover the children's eyes and ears!

Writing such as this pulls me to a place where my prurient interest takes over and I begin to ponder the source, (other than literary freedom), that has been drawn on for the use of the adjective "ravaged" right before the use of the simile "small towns came and went like hasty lovers in the night".

Provocative to say the least, and thanks. I couldn't find a symbol of an icon having a smoke, like one might expect from a scene in a Bogart movie right after the camera faded away, so this one will have to do

You're wellcome.

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by Gene

And I'm still wondering about the fight.

Gene

If you think I got it bad.......



.....you should see the other guy!

[Fly at Night]

(In the last episode, our gallavanting heroine and her trusty FaN Airstream challenged the Peterbilts and Kenworths on a harrowing journey through the Rockies. One woman and thirty-two men. Settle down, dirigible, it's not what you think.

Our heroine prevailed. Exhausted, she limped into the Flying J Travel Centre. Too tired to make it to the back of the FaN, she pulled an astroturf outdoor mat around her quivering body and fell asleep in the truck).....

I woke-up with a wet thigh.

The drool had lolled out the corner of my mouth, trickled down the driver's door and pooled onto the left leg of my yoga pants.

It was almost 9 a.m.

Still cloaked in my astroturf blanket, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and tried to focus. An old man was three feet away from the hood of the truck. Staring.

It was obvious he had never seen a drooling head atop a mound of grass drive a truck before.

I really needed a cup of coffee. Two very stiff legs carried me into the Flying J's convenience store. I was greeted by the aroma of weenies under a heat lamp. Too weary to eat anything, never mind a weenie, I grabbed a large coffee and headed back to the truck. I had a vague recollection of whalloping the FaN's right tires on the curb a few hours earlier.

Had those Goodyear Marathons held?

The tires looked firm. I gave them a Beckham kick and they were solid.

I would need good rubber today.

(What would the day - or night - bring? Would the truckers get our heroine on the final leg home - that harrowing downhill section of the Coquihalla known as "The Smasher?" Would this go down in the anals of highway lore as the biggest battle of the brake linings?)........

Bumpy Night - YouTube

Next: The Finale!

[masseyfarm]

This is starting to remind me of "DALLAS" of years ago!

You promised us the conclusion back two chapters ago in Post 584.

How late do I have to stay up to stop worrying about you??????????????? It's tough to sleep without a conclusion.

Dave



The journey is almost over, but what lies ahead for our battle-weary heroine? Will she make it? The exciting conclusion next![/QUOTE]

[Fly at Night]

Make Hay While The Sun Shines - YouTube

[John&Vicki]

I'm starting to feel like my chain is being yanked. "One woman and 32 men."? "Quivering body."? "Wet thigh."? "Weenies"? "Go down in the anals (sic)"?

Reminds me of the classic internet meme - cartoon attached below.

Could FaN be a 60-year old fat guy with cute feet?

Poppy

[Fly at Night]

Oh dear.

What a spelling mistake that was.

Bird, I's me....and I did make that trip in the middle of the night.....and I do drool in my sleep......and there is a truck stop called the Flying J....and they do sell weenies. It was the weirdest thing to run into that morning - all those weenies.

Flying J, Kamloops,Bc - YouTube

When I strung it all together, it turned out kinda....what was that word dirigible used?...... "prurient."

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

Well, where have you been that you do not know J. Peterman catalogs. Such a deprived life. They can be found at jpeterman.com

We have received J. Peterman Owner's Manual for decades. They are sellers of unusual, sometimes artsy clothing and other items that all have stories attached to them.

Stories of romance, intrigue, interesting settings/people, foundling treasurers in the Paris fleamarket, etc., that have been carefully replicated to make them available to readers of this small catalog.

Each story evokes visions of the original article, the setting, the time, the wearer. We make occasional purchases.

Go to the website, read the stories......you will see what I mean and why I think you and FaN are ghostwriters.

It's a compliment.

Maggie

Maggie, I have been so busy trying to catch-up to my work (the downside of the return after hitting the road) but am really intrigued by that catalogue! Will take a good look asap!

I love creative marketing (and that is a big part of my work right now).

Thanks for the lead!