Scott Hammer TOXIC
Well-Known Member
Hope everyone had a great Christmas and here's wishing you a Happy New Year.
I decided to drive to Virginia from JAX and that was (in the end) a good decision because all of the flights got grounded anyway. Let me say, I have never appreciated my big 3/4 ton, V8, 4WD, crew cab, locking rear, gas guzzling, Silverado more than I did on this trip. That truck has earned a place in my driveway for years to come!! Went to bed last Friday in in JAX at around 6pm after cleaning the pool in shorts and a t-shirt.
Got up at 1:30am, loaded the truck and headed for VA at around 2am with a thermos of coffee, some granola bars and 4 Monster Energy drinks. With XM radio in the truck I flipped between DC Traffic channel, The Weather Channel and the Emergency Road info. Channel. I was hearing some pretty bad news regarding road closures, mainly 95. Wrecks, ice, snow, wind, overall not a pretty picture ahead of me. Got a call from the wife and she said that maybe I ought to reconsider the drive....:huh: Considering I was already in NCarolina I told her it was not an option.:lol: Weather held out all the way to VA, I was watching the outside temp gauge in the truck as it fell. Saw my first car in the ditch about 50 miles south of Richmond...:unsure: I jumped on 295 to skirt the city and that was when the fun started. You know that thin line between rain and ice....I found it!! Looked like a used car lot in the ditches!! Reached down and locked in the 4WD and got ready for the real driving. Where 295 and 95 meet back up is where the snow started and it was intense. I saw around 40 in the ditch and watched another 10 go off. The road was almost impassable because of the ice chunks (gonna hafta get the truck aligned before the home trip!!), 2 lanes were kinda plowed but you had to maneuver around jack-knifed semi's and people facing the wrong way. I guess slowing down is not an option for some:wacko: With my 4WD I could actually drive on the shoulder where the snow was deep but passable. Some cars tried to follow me but they ended up in the median. Finally got to the Rt 17 exit and waited about 45 min because so many were stuck trying to exit on an up hill grade. Filled up with fuel because I knew 17 would not be plowed as well and it wasn't. 1 lane with deep drifts on the shoulders. Slow go but I was making good progress. Came around a corner and on the Southbound lane there was a truck on it's roof with the wheels still spinning. Some others had stopped and were getting the people out. Finally got to my street and discovered no plow had been in there. The front bumper of the truck was pushing snow all the way in and when I got to an area that dropped low the whole front of the truck went under I was NOT going to get stuck in my own neighborhood so I put it down and the big truck literally climbed out of the drifts and I didn't let up until I was in the driveway. Got home at about 4pm and in one piece!! Whew, what a trip. Brought a nasty cold up with me and proceeded to give it to the rest of the family!!:lol:
Sooooooo....here are a couple of shots of the Florida crib just waiting for me to return!!
After about 200 man hours of cleaning, scrubbing and re plumbing, the pool is now ready!! Got the waterfall to work and after 3 shock treatments and a scrubbing, the water is crystal clear...but a little cold for swimming right now!! Power-washed all around the pool, after 2 years, the mold had taken over the concrete.
I finally got some furniture and can call it livable!!
And finally, my little project waiting for me when I get back.....Kind of a little Christmas present to myself....This rig has been parked in the grass for 2 years and I am going to rehab it. L48, 350 4-speed. Will be a fun little go-kart when I get it done!!
So now everybody knows where I've been the last 4 months!!:lol::lol::lol: I was planning on pulling the boat back down with me but that may have to wait until the next trip home. I have to get the lift fixed on the covered side of the dock. I am going to try and get the boat over to the hot side to see if it still floats!! This heavy snow trashed my cover. I won't make the NSM next Sunday because duty calls me back to JAX First one I've missed.
TOXIC
I decided to drive to Virginia from JAX and that was (in the end) a good decision because all of the flights got grounded anyway. Let me say, I have never appreciated my big 3/4 ton, V8, 4WD, crew cab, locking rear, gas guzzling, Silverado more than I did on this trip. That truck has earned a place in my driveway for years to come!! Went to bed last Friday in in JAX at around 6pm after cleaning the pool in shorts and a t-shirt.
Got up at 1:30am, loaded the truck and headed for VA at around 2am with a thermos of coffee, some granola bars and 4 Monster Energy drinks. With XM radio in the truck I flipped between DC Traffic channel, The Weather Channel and the Emergency Road info. Channel. I was hearing some pretty bad news regarding road closures, mainly 95. Wrecks, ice, snow, wind, overall not a pretty picture ahead of me. Got a call from the wife and she said that maybe I ought to reconsider the drive....:huh: Considering I was already in NCarolina I told her it was not an option.:lol: Weather held out all the way to VA, I was watching the outside temp gauge in the truck as it fell. Saw my first car in the ditch about 50 miles south of Richmond...:unsure: I jumped on 295 to skirt the city and that was when the fun started. You know that thin line between rain and ice....I found it!! Looked like a used car lot in the ditches!! Reached down and locked in the 4WD and got ready for the real driving. Where 295 and 95 meet back up is where the snow started and it was intense. I saw around 40 in the ditch and watched another 10 go off. The road was almost impassable because of the ice chunks (gonna hafta get the truck aligned before the home trip!!), 2 lanes were kinda plowed but you had to maneuver around jack-knifed semi's and people facing the wrong way. I guess slowing down is not an option for some:wacko: With my 4WD I could actually drive on the shoulder where the snow was deep but passable. Some cars tried to follow me but they ended up in the median. Finally got to the Rt 17 exit and waited about 45 min because so many were stuck trying to exit on an up hill grade. Filled up with fuel because I knew 17 would not be plowed as well and it wasn't. 1 lane with deep drifts on the shoulders. Slow go but I was making good progress. Came around a corner and on the Southbound lane there was a truck on it's roof with the wheels still spinning. Some others had stopped and were getting the people out. Finally got to my street and discovered no plow had been in there. The front bumper of the truck was pushing snow all the way in and when I got to an area that dropped low the whole front of the truck went under I was NOT going to get stuck in my own neighborhood so I put it down and the big truck literally climbed out of the drifts and I didn't let up until I was in the driveway. Got home at about 4pm and in one piece!! Whew, what a trip. Brought a nasty cold up with me and proceeded to give it to the rest of the family!!:lol: Sooooooo....here are a couple of shots of the Florida crib just waiting for me to return!!
After about 200 man hours of cleaning, scrubbing and re plumbing, the pool is now ready!! Got the waterfall to work and after 3 shock treatments and a scrubbing, the water is crystal clear...but a little cold for swimming right now!! Power-washed all around the pool, after 2 years, the mold had taken over the concrete.
I finally got some furniture and can call it livable!!
And finally, my little project waiting for me when I get back.....Kind of a little Christmas present to myself....This rig has been parked in the grass for 2 years and I am going to rehab it. L48, 350 4-speed. Will be a fun little go-kart when I get it done!!
So now everybody knows where I've been the last 4 months!!:lol::lol::lol: I was planning on pulling the boat back down with me but that may have to wait until the next trip home. I have to get the lift fixed on the covered side of the dock. I am going to try and get the boat over to the hot side to see if it still floats!! This heavy snow trashed my cover. I won't make the NSM next Sunday because duty calls me back to JAX
First one I've missed. TOXIC
