So, this happened....

 

Thursday night. This poor guy, under strict instructions to follow the navigation system installed in his truck by his employer, somehow ended up on Halls Chapel Road. The back of the trailer--carrying 46,000 pounds of lumber--strayed off the pavement going around a sharp curve. The ground gave way and the trailer slowly rolled onto its side. 

 

South Toe Fire and Rescue showed up 10 minutes after the 911 call. A state trooper followed. The driver and his wife were both fine, if a bit shaken. Eventually Bobby Decola came with the monster wrecker, got everything upright and back on the road (the load was still intact).The trucking company booked the couple a room at the Comfort Inn in Mars Hill and the trooper gave them a ride.

I talked to the driver the next day. There were cameras and data loggers in the truck that showed that he was driving slowly and following the company's navigation system. Not surprisingly, it also showed that the system was malfunctioning. So he still had a job.

Remember, kids, carry a road atlas when traveling, and question your GPS if it tells you do something that seems suspicious.

Robin plants garlic

 

Robin helped me plant my garlic last month.  I have been thinking about those cloves everyday, underground, as certain as they can be of spring.  (By the way, Robin's response to this photo was, "Is that guy oblivious to the fact that the sky is on fire?")

Polar Express in chalk

Locomotive enthusiast Nico made this great drawing of the Polar Express. What's happening when you get to the front of the train? That the engine's headlight shining through a tunnel!