Monday, November 27, 2006

Iditiroad
As I have said, Eisenhower, gave us the modern Interstate system. To appreciate what we have you have to go back to the time when our country had no road systems at all. Washington, thats George, saw the need for a national road and being a surveyor himself set things in motion to transform Indian trails into roadways linking our states for the purpose of common defense and commerce These roadways were first travelled by wagon and on horseback. The most famous of wagons and a version of the modern truck-trailer was the Conestoga. The conestoga drivers were our first truck drivers and they smoked cigars hence the name-Stogey
The wagons gave birth to the bycycle. The bycycle industry gave rise and technology to the automobile.

Our nation was well underway to what we almost take for granted but we had a long way to travel.

Poised tonight in Omaha, NE to dash over to Indiana at daylight . Bloggin to you later

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

As a new feature on this blog I am going to attempt to challenge those who visit this site.
In keeping with the name I shall offer trivia of geographical interest and pose some homework
type questions that may require you to find a good road atlas. As well, I will keep you posted on
my travels and trevails . I will try to avoid any editorial comments. But before I do I have one
last comment regarding the electoral outcome we are now facing. The voters have done it,
we made our wishes known. Unfortunately I think we have voted for two years of political and legislative
gridlock. Hopefully the new majority will not waste time and dollars trying to impeach the
President . Hopefully we will complete what we started in Iraq otherwise I would predict that
we will be back there 20 years from now. I hope the next reminder that the war on terror wages
onward is not as costly as on September 11, 'but make no mistake those who wish us harm
have not called off the jihad against us. Having San Fran Nan third in line for the Presidency really
scares me more than Carter did. More than Clinton ever did. Let us hope Bush continues to have his
and Cheney's food tasted before consumption. President Pelosi is not a headline I ever want to
wake up to.

I make my living driving the Interstate highway system. There are 42,795 miles of Interstate highways.
These are spread amongst 62 super-highways. 27 are numbered with even numbers. 35 with odd.
In addition to these there are 261 beltways. What we truckers like about the interstate is the consistency
in design. At least two lanes going in each direction, each 12 feet wide. Wide shoulders and breakdown
lanes. Minimum clearances sufficient to allow standard rigs passage without low clearance concerns.
Designs to allow faster speed and routing to avoid transitting towns and cities. All this gets the good
to market faster, safer. Ground for this engineering marvel was broken in 1956. We have a republican
to thank for it. Eisenhower was the one credited with the Interstate Highway system.

Q-what was the original purpose of this highway system?
Q-what direction do even numbered interstate highways run?
Q-what direction do odd numbered interstate highways run?
Q-Only three run from coast to coast-which ones?
Q-Only three run from our Southern to our Northern border-name them.

I have been blessed to miss storm systems and to remain out West. I've been through Montrose
and visited with Dorothy. Final bonus Q-this current run picked up in El Paso, TX and delivers to
1)Vista, CA-which interstates did I drive to get there?