Maine roads and the obstructions you see (Bangor, Vassalboro: how much, modular home)

[forest beekeeper]

Today I was driving and spotted two logs on the road. They were 'tree-length' and both over a foot in diameter. One was completely blocking my lane, the other was on the shoulder. I slowed, saw that nobody else was within either horizon, and I drove around the blockage. Three bends in the road later I came upon the stopped pulp-wood truck that had lost the logs. The driver was re-adjusting his straps. I told him that he had lost some wood back a ways, and he said that he had already called his buddies with a crane to come meet him to get those logs placed back onto his truck.

Now fortunately it was clear and sunny, I saw the obstructions from 1/4 mile away, and I had plenty of time to slow down and creep around them.

Though it does occur to me that had I came upon them when the snow was blowing hard drifting across the pavement, or if it had been dark; I might have easily struck such a log.

I commonly do see saw dust from blow-downs, where someone has already cut-up the wood and hauled it away. I assume that when a tree blows down across the roadway, the next fellow along who is carrying a chain-saw, cuts it up into stove lengths and loads up his truck. Problem solved.

Does this happen everywhere in Maine?

I am not complaining about it mind you, I just find that interesting things block the roads here. Beaver dragging their trees, moose, wild turkey, and now logs.

Later I was on Stillwater between I-95 and Bangor, my goodness how much that road has been cracking, sinking and frost-heaving is amazing. I got my little saab air-borne today going over a frost-heave [maybe I should slow down a bit].

[Maineah]

You mean you don't carry a chainsaw with you?? At a bare minimum anyone who travels any distance in Maine should have a chainsaw,peavey,tire chains,snow shovel,come-a-long, regular shovel,2 five gallon buckets of sand, axe, road flares, three days worth of food and water, sleeping bag or several quilts,flaslights and two sets of extra batteries, 150 feet of 1/2 inch rope,a tire repair kit, bailing wire, duct tape,tool box, small 12 volt compressor, 2 1/2 gallon gas can, snowshoes, ice creepers, whistle, signal mirror, and a Delorme Gazeteer.
Handgun under the seat and 9,000 lb Warn winch are optional.

Or just a cell phone will work. (if you have coverage that is)

[MRVphotog]

That type of thing happens from time to time in any area that has logging, not just in Maine. If it was a not so busy road, not too surprising. If it was busy Rt 1 I am sure they would have been abit more concerned about warning drivers.

[Maineah]

Have you ever gone around a corner in Aroostook in the fall and found a half load of spuds in the middle of the road?? That will get your attention!
For rolling obstructions avoid following fish trucks. It may only be melted ice streaming out of the back but wait until you stop and the sun dries that "water" a bit. Your car will smell like a bait barrel in August!

[Bewitched]

Originally Posted by Maineah

Handgun under the seat and 9,000 lb Warn winch is optional.

LMAO

When I first read this sentence, I read it as:

"Handgun under the seat and 9,000 lb Warm wench is optional."



Yeah, I think I need to go to bed.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Bewitched

LMAO

When I first read this sentence, I read it as:

"Handgun under the seat and 9,000 lb Warm wench is optional."



Yeah, I think I need to go to bed.

Geeze I guess probably a 4 1/2 ton wench would keep ya warm! Thin too!

I edited out the "is" and changed it to "are" after I read it the first time. Now no one will know how you saw it as"is!"

[Acadianlion]

My Mother and Father retired to Maine in the late 1960s. They had a small business in early retirement and my mother made many trips around the midcoast area making calls on her clients and deliveries to her customers.

One day coming back toward Route One from the Frankfort area, she was following a large logging truck that hit a frost heave. The bounce of the frost heave caused a log on top of the load to bounce off the truck.

The log struck the road butt end first and bounced up and OVER my mother's approaching Volkswagen Super Beetle.

I can assure you that THAT got her attention. I think of the story EVERY time I come upon some sort of logging or pulp truck struggling up a hill.

[Bydand]

I've seen the regular stuff like Moose, and other animals, along with logs, potatoes, even a load of carrots. Oddest thing I saw was a few hundred stuffed animals all over a corner, it was during "fair season" and I figured a carnival game had lost their prizes between stops. Couple of miles up the road and sure enough there was a couple of game trailers pulled off to the side securing loose boxes. I told them how far back they had lost some and they shrugged and said it was only two or three of the boxes, the local kids could have them, they were not going to turn around and get them.

[mollysmiles]

I think the most recent one for the Eastport area was a couple of years ago when a company was bringing in a modular home. There is a very sharp corner on Rt. 190 (Redoubt Hill) and although you see it, it's worse than it looks. The driver hadn't been on the road before, didn't slow down.......yes, the house was unloaded a bit early and in the wrong place.

[bignhfamily]

On a trip to Maine 2 years ago we exited the highway in Vassalboro to see the "castle' were my mum went to boarding school (place is now a police academy).

We went around a corner to find a couple of bags of Blue Seal grain, another corner a couple more bags, then finally we found the box truck that lost them. The guy was standing in the road scratching his head wondering what happened. We helped the driver put the salvageable bags back in the truck and he let us keep the broken bags. It was mostly horse trotter and dairy cow feed. Our pigs didn't seem to care much though.