Let's Get Ready to Rumble

We're all familiar, all too familiar, I might add, with road construction and repair. When those signs appear - left lane closed, two miles and what have you - our hearts sink.

Yet I get it. They want to warn you. They want to give you a heads up. Fair enough.

Then they, that famous they, decided it wasn't enough. Someone developed rumble strips, rubber lines glued to the roadbed to make your car, well, rumble as it sped along. They are placed increasingly closer together as work approaches, to remind you that you need to be considerate, slow down, and change lanes. All right, I get that too.

But now, to go along with the construction advisories and rumble strips, there's a new sign.

The other day as I came upon road work, I was informed that there were rumble strips ahead. So I was being warned of the upcoming warning.

It's actually kind of laughable. Still, things may be getting out of hand.

MDOT Sleight of Hand

Road construction crews. I know they take a lot of grief. But I realize the roads need work. We must deal with things as best we can.

Heading north yesterday towards Michigan's glorious Upper Peninsula, a construction sign appeared near Grayling. The left lane would be closed in three miles. Oh well. It can't be that bad in the middle of the afternoon, miles from nowhere.

It wasn't. Everyone was able to merge without turning off their cruise control. Life is good.

Yet not five miles later the left lane was closed again, and this time it caused a backup of about a mile and a half. It seems the Michigan Department of Transportation was playing Got ya! You drivers cruised past that first construction zone and grew complacent, but we set up a second bit of road work for exactly when you were breathing easy. It was like when a murder mystery has a trick first ending. Hey, the butler did do it! Oh, wait, he didn't?

It wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the construction crew exchanging high fives though.

Patience Practice

I had a fairly long day on the road yesterday. It wasn't helped by two traffic delays, one caused by construction, another due to a fender bender. Such is life.

They were aggravating enough as it were, but even that was complicated. Neither time did my phone app which was supposed to alert me to delays actually inform me of the backups. Technology is great until it doesn't work. Then, we have our patience tried.

I have said quite seriously and honestly that I pray for patience. Apparently the Almighty is taking me at my word by trying it. I believe He is demonstrating that to learn patience we must be faced by incidents which call for it. 

Well played. Now I simply must put the plan into action. I can't say much else, because I asked for it.

Whither disease

Road work is everywhere. That's okay though. The roads need work and it is the season.

The Davison freeway, which me Grandpa Joe and all those old enough always called the Davison Underpass, is no exception. It is having repairs done to it too. I drove across it just the other day, to be met with barricades. There was also signs announcing, Concrete Curing.

It makes me glad to know that even concrete is doing its part to help eradicate human ailments.

Look, you get what get early on a Sunday, ok?

Taut shoelaces

I've had long days; we've all had long days. Some days things just seem to pile on, and all we can do is be thankful we're past them.
Once I was on the road for 17 hours. Two AM until Seven PM. I made a hard sell (okay, that part was good) and then got caught in a traffic jam within an hour on my way home. It lasted about ninety minutes. When I had cleared what had caused the problem - a truck trailer by then to the side of the interstate looked like the Hand of God had karate chopped it midsection into an elongated V shape (how that happened I don't know) - I decided to heck with it, I'd take the scenic route for awhile. Why not? See something different than the freeway, enjoy the country air, just have a nice ride.
A train caught me at a railroad crossing.
This put me in Toledo during rush hour. I-75 in north Toledo was under a massive reconstruction, so that obviously slowed me down all the more. But eventually I was through all that mess and in south Detroit (you sang it, didn't you?) and as I neared my exit I actually said aloud, "Thank God I'm home."
The exit was closed.
Okay, all I had to do was go to the next and circle around. First World problem. It still felt like my shoelace just busted.
But I supposed we've all had worse too. When it happens to me I'll let you know.