The scary thing in the mirror

Spring is a wonderful thing.

To a Southern boy it still looks like winter.* But I had to wear short sleeves today, all the way to Indianapolis. I may not get up shivering tonight at all.

That's a good thing. It's been a long day. Not so much the hours as the timing. The wee-hours delivery last night meant a late start this morning, and the new load was due in the wee hours again. So I got parked about 10:30 tonight, and considered myself lucky at that--the customer took the load early or it would have been really late.

But 10:30's sleepytime these days. And I have a trailer to pick up as soon as I can in the morning. So I roll at 08:30.

Oops. Make that 09:30. Happy Spring Forward.

Other than the timing, it's been quite pleasant. The only real low point was in--was it Louisville? And it wasn't serious, just a little worrisome.

I was in the right lane in moderate traffic, when four cars came up an on-ramp. This is why I prefer a middle lane in the city if they'll let me have it. BY the time I saw these cars, moving left was out of the question. The two I saw in my mirror might have objected. So I slowed a little to give them some space.

Three of them took it. The fourth just sat by my front fender, slowing exactly as much as I did.

I've talked about this before. But it bears repeating. If you find yourself near the front of a semi, slowing down is not the best move. I put the hammer down sooner this time, but that car still spent at least fifty yards on the shoulder. And he's probably still muttering about that trucker who "ran me off the road!" Sigh.

The last time I bought a car** I left at least one salesman a little scared and a little bewildered. Each car he showed me got the same test drive--we went out to the Interstate and started comfortably down the on-ramp. At about 30 I floored it.

Top speed doesn't matter much to me. And I couldn't care less about how fast I can pull away from a red light. But 30-60, now...

If you see that truck behind you, remember. It's big and scary, but any half-decent four-wheeler can pull away from it. And once you're going faster than the semi, you're home free. Honest.
-----
*We don't go by snow, for some reason.
**Yes, once I had money.