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5.01.2009

Iowa Drive-thru

Driving through Iowa, i kinda got a strange persecption of the state.  Driving wise.  I don't know how accurate this is as a whole, but this was my experience from observing the driving patterns and signs as we passed through.


Construction patterns - Cones closing off one of the two lanes, preceeded by tons of signs warning of the dangers of speeding in a construction zone.  The lane would stay closed for two miles or so without any sign of actual construction work happening.  It would say open for another 2-3 miles, then the process would repeat itself.  This kept going on and on for the longest time and i had no idea why.  One sign observed in one of these sections read: "Minimum penalty for hitting worker: "$10,000 and 14 years in prision."

Semi #1 - Overturned in the ditch between Eastbound and Westbound I-80.  Totally destroyed.  Wondered if driver survived.

Sign on Semi #2 - "DO NOT FOLLOW INTO WORK AREA"  How many cars followed that truck off the road into a construction site before they decided that they needed that sign there?

Sign on Semi #3 - "INEDIBLE - CONTENTS NOT MEANT FOR HUMANS" How many people tried to eat out of a random silver tanker truck looking like it could be hauling gasoline before this was inscribed?

Semi #4 - In the same ditch 60 miles down the road.  This one had been carrying construction vehicles, and was in worse shape than the first, although not overturned.  Wheels completely broken off and axels completely missing and a catipillar tractor half buried and still attached to the bed, which had been seperated from the rear 8 tires completely.

When we got to number four and we saw the ambulance pull into the lane blocked off by cones, it dawned on me that they leave cones up permenantly around common semi crash sites, so the ambulances can get to the mangled truckers faster.  It was the only thing that made sense.

Finally, it all came together when I started to see signs reading, "See the world famous I-80!" and the like.  We came up over the hill and saw the last sign before this actual I-80 place, reading "THE WORLD'S LARGEST TRUCK STOP!"  Behind it spraweled acres and acres of gas stations and fast food places and parking lots.  It was quite a sight to behold.

Summary:  Driving through Iowa, not pleasant, not safe.

1 comments:

Cyndi Day said...

Wow. Just wow. I love all the signs. Especially the inedible one. Very nice.