vakkotaur

1. The road to work, with the intersection that is now a 4-way stop, has had a couple changes happen to it recently. One is a reasonable thing. Rumble-strips were cut in to alert folks that yes, there is indeed a stop ahead. As this was a not a stop for years and years, such an added reminder for those who aren't out this way often is a good idea.

2. The other thing is not so good. At the intersection, the pavement widened and there was short right turn lane. The real problem was not so much that it was short, but that it was just narrow enough that gravel would be kicked up onto it and make even turns from a dead stop not what they should be. So they widened it, right? Wrong! Instead, that lane, and other right turn lanes on this road, were covered in tar (not asphalt) and then pea-gravel. Now small tarry gravel can be kicked up if anyone drives on it. Naturally, few drive on it. The upshot is that by taking action, the situation has been made worse. Leaving it alone might not have been ideal, but it wouldn't have made things worse.

3. Last weekend as I was driving along, I happened to come up behind an aging Chevy pickup that sounded even more ancient than it looked. It sounded a lot like an old-time hit & miss engine the way it rattled along. The exhaust had a noticeable odor, but not too bad. It'd never make it as a perfume or air freshener, but it wasn't an outright stench, either. I'm not sure why, but I felt good about that truck. Maybe it was like one my grandfather had when I was kid or something.

4. On a few occasions recently I have found myself behind Ford pickup trucks. Would someone please tell Ford drivers that an empty pickup with a big engine can actually do the speed limit? And I don't just mean on the interstate where aerodynamic drag can really affect mileage. Even a Ford ought to be able to muster more than 20 mph in town.. on a clean, dry road, on nice clear day, and with a posted speed limit of 30 mph. Or maybe some couldn't. The exhaust on at least one was just plain nasty. Not the blue smoke and burning oil smell, not the sulfurous smell sometimes mentioned for some fuel mixes or such, but something else, and amazingly foul.

5. No major travel plans for this weekend, unlike last year. Last year was a trip through South Dakota to see the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, and various other things. Yes, that included Wall Drug. This year, I plan to pretty much stay home. I am pondering a drive to Sioux Falls, but that's no big deal.