Calm Down People part two

Well, it seems that everyone must have enjoyed their Christmas Gatherings last week. Enjoyed them so much that they did not feel the need to pay attention to what was traveling down the interstates beside them.

This was another one of those excruciating weeks for travelers.. More so, for us who were actually having to work that week.. I did however make it out of Georgia before encountering my first delay. I was determined to not sit idly by and go with the program..Instead, I chose an alternate route through the country side. (This is not always such a good idea for those in large vehicles) The route turned out to be easily manageable once you got through the first town. The total time for this alternate route was about 1.5 hours. Thirty minutes of that were spent maneuvering through the little town of Aiken South Carolina.

I assume that this little community must not be Truck Friendly simply because the highway signs did not include 4 simple little words. Major Information. I did not see a single sign that included the directional information required to guide folks safely out of town. NORTH SOUTH EAST WEST..... So, after crossing the same intersections and retrying the same roads in the opposite direction I finally made my escape..

There were several of us making this little trek into the unknown. They say there is safety in numbers.. But the whole lot of us left that town convinced that we had just left the Bermuda Triangle of alternate routes.. While a bit frustrating for us, I am sure it was quite amusing for the town folk. Imagine FIVE BIG TRUCKS doing doughnuts all over town...

Okay, that was a bit longer than I had anticipated, so I will paraphrase the rest

My first delivery was in NC. My second accident site was also in North Carolina. Boy was it a mess. Two big trucks, got together and the first one ended up in the center median buried up to the axles. The second truck ended up side swiping a bridge support and completely tearing open the entire right side of his tractor and trailer. Boxes were scattered for 300 yards. Interstate SHUT DOWN!!

Next was Virginia and Maryland. From the 130 mile post in VA to the 24 mile post in MD, there was a total of 22 accidents....That is approximately 70 miles...

Delaware was not bad, only 1 accident site, but there is only an 8 mile stretch of interstate across DE.

Pennsylvania had to get in on the action also. While there were no fender benders on the Turnpike, they did indeed decide that the roadway needed a little clean up action. Result, 9 miles of congestion. They had decided to put the street sweepers on the interstate where 4 lanes merge into two. Of course, that means only one lane was available to the traffic.

Only one more notable delay to mention.... I-77 Southbound in VA... 27 mile back-up with the interstate being closed down near the scene....

And how were your Holiday Travels????