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dr_phil_physics ([personal profile] dr_phil_physics) wrote2009-05-20 03:47 pm

Doesn't This Sort Of Thing Happen In Winter?

Best Intentions

Tuesday was Exam 1 day for my PHYS-1070 class this summer. I thought it'd be nice to get in earlier than usual, so I got up earlier and hit the road earlier. Alas, as I sat in the Shell station's restroom in Wayland MI, I heard a large number of fire trucks driving by. "Huh, that's either a big barn fire or someone's done something stupid on US-131." Getting back on US-131 south, I could see this big column of black smoke in the distance. Three miles south, everyone got off the road -- and I could see that northbound traffic was just ending a detour -- US-131 was closed ahead.

So it was off into the wilds of the back roads of Allegan County. Or at least into Bradley, down Country A-45 / 10th Street to Shelbyville. The big problem was the two right-hand turns. Both were four-way stops and there was existing traffic, in addition to the increasingly backed up miles of US-131 traffic. The turn in Shelbyville was particularly narrow and the Allegan County Sheriff's deputy directing traffic could only let one vehicle make the turn at a time and the trucks were still ending up in the dirt on the shoulder.

Miles of backed up traffic...

So I ended up arriving later than usual. (sigh) And I haven't yet found out what the problem was. It wasn't in the news that I saw and coming northbound last night I saw no evidence of scorched earth on either side of the road. However, in between Exits 61 and 59 (corrected 5-21-09 Th), there is the Hopkins Propane outfit, so maybe they had a truck fire or something and were worried about all the propane going up.

Other interesting thing was that it took seven patrol cars to get enough people to man the detours, and that doesn't even include any police at the actual scene. That's got to be a lot of the county's manpower.

Fair Weather

Very pleasant yesterday. Today is supposed to get up to 80degF, but it's been really nice and breezy all day. And yet just the other morning I woke up and felt warm arm on my legs, because the outside temp had dropped to 33degF, which was just below the setting for switching from heat pump to furnace. Nice to get that functionality with the new system tested before the fall. (grin)

Dr. Phil

[identity profile] aloysius7.livejournal.com 2009-05-20 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
It didn't get above 40 here yesterday, but as I write this today it's 84. Tomorrow, in the 60s. Minnesota - land of can't-make-up-it's-mind weather.

Since the black smoke wasn't on the news, it's likely no one was seriously injured or killed, which is a good thing. And what kind of animal is on your dashboard? Is that legal in Michigan? It's not in Minnesota - although it's usually enforced only if you tick off a cop who's stopped you for another reason.

[identity profile] dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com 2009-05-21 02:47 am (UTC)(link)
It's a Rodney Reindeer. Hallmark made them. The first plush toys came in 1983. Later there were some distributed by Burger King.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aD2ndpIqQQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vbpzLPibSs

Dr. Phil
Edited 2009-05-21 02:48 (UTC)

[identity profile] nerwengreen.livejournal.com 2009-05-21 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
A moose!

Err, reindeer. Except we called them mooses. ;) I have two small ones and one big one.

[identity profile] nerwengreen.livejournal.com 2009-05-21 05:50 am (UTC)(link)
Also, although the first one was named Rodney, the second one came with the name Randolph. They look the same though...

[identity profile] dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com 2009-05-21 05:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Actually, it was Randy. There was Rodney and Romona. And Randy and... Anyway there was a whole line of them. We own lots. Different sizes.

And Rodneys aren't just for Christmas anymore. They were the unofficial mascot of the Physics Grad Students at Michigan Tech in the late 80s.

Dr. Phil

[identity profile] nerwengreen.livejournal.com 2009-05-21 08:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, darn. I guess it's too late to collect them all?

[identity profile] dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com 2009-05-22 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
Heavens no. Just go to eBay and type in "rodney reindeer". There are usually lots for sale. I've replaced several car Rodneys who'd faded over the years that way. (grin)

Dr. Phil

[identity profile] steve-buchheit.livejournal.com 2009-05-21 05:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Hell, 7 cars, that's more than my county has on the road at one time. Ever. And we're the largest county in Ohio.

And I have a Rodney. Put him on the tree every year.

[identity profile] dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com 2009-05-21 05:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I think at least five were Allegan County. May have been on Michigan State Police at least -- there's a post just four miles up the road.

See, I wondered about that. One incident and there's no one else to deal with criminals.

Dr. Phil