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03-08-2007, 04:19 PM
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#1
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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tip: do not vacation in iowa in march!
as many of you know i work for a midwest utility company that has a name that starts with a capital A.
i just got done with a weeks worth of work doing restoration after a rather nasty ice storm.
here are some photos showing my march vacation in iowa.
enjoy.
john
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 04:23 PM
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#2
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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this is a shot of what passes for a side road in iowa, they mean it when they say enter at your own risk!
we made it about 300 feet with tire chains on, had to get pulled back out by a 4 wheel drive international dump truck.
basicly mud with some corn stalks mixed in. luckily it got colder and the road froze up so we could drive on it after we chain sawed the downed poles out of the way.
john
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 04:25 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
1956 22' Safari
2015 27' Flying Cloud
Vintage Kin Owner
Conifer/Evergreen
, Colorado
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 12,702
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Looks like some of the backroads here on the CO plains ~ no thanks!
Shari
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03-08-2007, 04:26 PM
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#4
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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more broken stuff
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 04:29 PM
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#5
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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new poles set and laying up wire...
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 04:36 PM
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#6
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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day 3, more broken stuff, reinforcements arrive and saw some pigs! it is iowa after all!
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 04:41 PM
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#7
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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day four same same, new poles lay up wire after digging it out of the ditch.
the weather started to turn for the worst, 3 day blizzard warning if this wasn't enough fun!
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 04:51 PM
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#8
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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our next job was told to us "hey can you guys run over to highway 151 and clear some wire up that is laying in the road" it turned out to be 12 70 foot poles snapped off and laying in the road. now i was not enjoying my vacation much.
did i mention it started to rain?
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 04:58 PM
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#9
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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at this point we pooled our resources and put a 20 man crew on this job and got it back up and energized in less than 24 hours. this line fed 3 towns.
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 05:02 PM
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#10
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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day six, full blizzard, my drive to work from the motel. en route to conroy iowa. a small outpost, the whole town is running on it's third rental generator. burned up the first two, these are semi truck sized units.
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 05:04 PM
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#11
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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forgot the pics
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 05:06 PM
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#12
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Rivet Monster
1975 31' Sovereign
1980 31' Excella II
Sprung Leak
, North Carolina
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 7,172
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John...put in for hurricane duty this fall...at least it is warm
Aaron
__________________
....so many Airstreams....so little time...
WBCCI #XXXX AIR #2495
Why are we in this basket...and where are we going
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03-08-2007, 05:08 PM
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#13
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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since at this point one is thinking this is a real mess, and we were given no maps i had to rely on my trusty laptop with GPS mapping. here is a screen shot, i can't see much out the window due to the snow but i kinda have an idea where i am!
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 05:12 PM
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#14
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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we got our running orders and the wind kicked up to 40 mph.
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 05:15 PM
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#15
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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then it got dark and really started to snow...
that is pole laying in the middle of the road.
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 05:20 PM
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#16
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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day 6 1/2 weather got better but it got cold and the wind still blew.
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 05:26 PM
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#17
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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day 7 we have to unload unneeded material in cedar rapids and head home, only 6 hours and it is miller time!
that is me on the left in the last photo.
john
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 05:33 PM
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#18
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Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
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so to sum it up, don't vacation in iowa in march, it is not hospitable.
choose labor day weekend, it looks something like this instead! our annual run to davenport. much nicer!
john
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
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03-08-2007, 05:54 PM
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#19
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Rivet Master
Currently Looking...
West of Fort Worth
, Texas
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,699
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Thanks John,
Interesting series. I think I'll heed your advice...
Dave
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03-08-2007, 06:06 PM
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#20
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Vintage Alum. Enthusiast
1959 24' Tradewind
Phoenix
, Arizona
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: I currently do not own a 2nd Airstream
Posts: 4,360
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Awh, you're making me homesick. Naw, don't miss it at all!! Thanks for the trip down the frozen memory lane.
Brad
FF
__________________
4CU 2699 / AIR 10 / TAC AZ-1
I'm haunted by aluminum.
Charter Member of the 4 Corners Unit.
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