Anybody want anything from Ontario?
- Thread starter Chicken lights
- Start date
The bypass turn off is east of Pilot Butte. I am guessing you stayed on the #1 into Regina, down Victoria to the ring road and then out to highway 11. I am not sure if the bypass is any faster than going through east Regina, but it sure is a lot nicer not having to stop or even slow down for the city or traffic.
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
On paper that doesn’t look faster?
I’ll agree going into downtown wasn’t much fun and wasn’t very fast, it seems to me the southern ring road adds miles but skips the scales?
Last time I checked it added about 5 min. to my trip from the northwest of Regina to get to the east end by using the bypass. I have to go west to get to the bypass from my house, so it involves going the wrong way for a bit. Much nicer drive in my opinion though.
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
I always seem to learn about these bypasses after the fact haha
My first trip ever out west a few years ago I ran solo. Got out to Chilliwack and found out there was a couple drivers who ran together because one was new. They asked how I liked the Calgary bypass.....
...what Calgary bypass..?
Haven’t been back to Calgary since to find out
Thanks! If I go home that way I’ll remember that!
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
The ol’ GPS says 3700 kms to get home from here.
The receivers said not to show up after 3:00 pm...we got there about 3:20...pulled the ol’ “I just wanted to make sure I knew how to find you guys in the morning” trick....they got me unloaded so now I’m empty a day early.
The receivers said not to show up after 3:00 pm...we got there about 3:20...pulled the ol’ “I just wanted to make sure I knew how to find you guys in the morning” trick....they got me unloaded so now I’m empty a day early.
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
Whitecourt and Whitecourt
Let's see if this works.
https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...eca92968b!2m2!1d-115.6654225!2d54.1273952!3e0
https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Grav...eca92968b!2m2!1d-115.6654225!2d54.1273952!3e0
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
Storytime for @YYCHobbyMachinist
Couple years ago, crossed at Sweet Grass into Montana. I had a triaxle stepdeck loaded heavy and tall. I was heading to the Gold Butte area. Looking at it all the roads were unpaved (conditions vary- consult locals). I called and asked directions. The guy had a heavy accent and was standing in a wind tunnel. All I got was such and such road, turns to gravel turn left at the Y bear left right at the T and 3/4’s of a mile you’re there. No road names, just landmarks
Well, I figured I’m not scared of gravel roads. I have a GPS, how bad can it be?
I turned left at Sunburst. Nice wide paved road. 10 miles it turns into narrower paved road. 10 miles it turns into narrow gravel road. 10 more miles I’m on skinny, narrow twisting, hilly goat path starting to get worried. Another 5 miles I’m really getting worried about either tipping the trailer or not being able to get out again. Come to the top of a hill and see the road is no longer goat path quality it gets worse. I jam the trailer up into a muddy field and went BACK through that horror filled gauntlet to find actual roads.
Came at it again from around Galata and got hopelessly lost again. Passed a wee sign at one point that said “Canada 2 miles” and was tempted to go home and try again in the morning.
Now it’s dark. I’m lost. No cell service. Keep driving until I get some semblance of cell service and call this guy back. He says I’m a mile away and keep coming.
Got unloaded and drove to Shelby where I promptly bought paper maps of Montana. Since then I’ve started collecting paper maps of cities and states.
Montana is beautiful!! Especially the back country
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
You forgot the parts where I got lost and drove around aimlessly!
Yes, partS
But other than that that’s pretty accurate!!
historicalarms
Ultra Member
You forgot the parts where I got lost and drove around aimlessly!
Yes, partS
But other than that that’s pretty accurate!!
"drove around aimlessly" was commonplace back in the Ab oilfield hayday before GPS. Those little green Range Road & Township road signs we see today are a result of the oil companies complaining of the cost of "lost truckers" for hours on end. Now they have somewhat of a reference to go by.
We used to just get a LID rig location # and a verbal land mark description to places 15 hrs away. One time I was dispatched out of Leduc up into the Simonette region (60 r 70 miles north of Whitecourt) to a drilling rig. Firstly I was dispatched at 4 in the afternoon, broad daylight, the first direction was "up 43 to just passed the "Little Smokey" bridge to a big spruce tree and turn west"... 75 million spruce trees in that country...but this one had been struck by lightning so with the limited amount of daylight left by now, I did spot it . Second instructions: "go west for 45 minutes or so until you see 3 red grain bins beside the road, turn north here"...darker n hell now but their close to the road so when I see 3 "black hulks" beside the road I turn. I'm now supposed to go 1/2 hr north until I see a barn with a cow hide nailed to it...now its close to mid-night and darker n that cows a$$...and he neglected to tell me that that barn is 300 yard off the road, impossible to see so I miss that one. A bit later I spot a rig derrick light so find my way over there but it's the wrong one but they do know where the right one is ( always someone on one rig knows somebody on the other one...or they had a fight over who could make "better hole" in a local bar recently)...just a common "everyday excursion" in the booming oilpatch for hundreds of truckers back then.
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
A friend of mine is up in Grand Prairie and we were swapping stories yesterday.
He said his Dad was driving a 32 wheeler up a hill that was a pretty good grade. Well they spun out at the top of the hill. The trailer jackknifed the jeep and the jeep jackknifed the truck and however it all worked out the whole mess straightened out but now they were going DOWNhill the wrong way. They dodged traffic and got to the bottom of the hill to a chain up area and pulled in to assess things
He was telling me they used to have little pagers, one button paged the office, one button paged emergency services. He said guys would ping the office, they’d drive a half hour, then ping the office. The office would give them a yes or no if they were going the right way.
Another one was he was in a sand truck with 19k kg in the box. Lost, snowing, dark, he made a rh turn onto an uphill climb, looking for a drill site. Spun out, hit the brakes, started sliding backwards. He said he bets he was doing 60 kmh BACKwards heading to this turn he just made at about 30 kmh. He pointed the drives at the snowbank, the truck hit the snowbank at 50-60 kmh and sucked him right around the corner.
He said those were both in no way driver skill
We were laughing pretty good. His old man used to log as did I, although we use line skidders and I think you guys are mostly grapple skidders.
Alberta is crazy how tough the trucks are!
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
Ummm that part I’m kind of making up as I go. I’m thinking to drop down and cross at Sweet Grass into Montana. Then grab Hwy 2 over to Duluth, MN.
That’s the “plan”
What’s the best way around Calgary to get to Lethbridge?
That’s the “plan”
What’s the best way around Calgary to get to Lethbridge?
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Coming from the north (as in Hwy 2), Stoney Trail East also known as 201 takes you around the city center and links back up with Hwy 2. I don't think there are any lights on it either.
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Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
I’ll probably be sneaking in the back door from Cochrane on the 1A.
Thanks!
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
I’m southwest of Rocky Mountain House, I figured to try to get back to Sundre, then down 22. It looked like another 20 km over to 2.
Better to keep going to 2?
Better to keep going to 2?
I would say so. You have to come east to hit Sweet Grass as it is. Might as well get on 2 sooner than later. Then Stoney will get you around Calgary nicely.
There is no nice way around Lethbridge on Hwy 2 and it's not the greatest place to have to drive through.
I would suggest that you head east on Hwy1 at Calgary and catch Hwy 36 south to Warner. That will bypass Lethbridge all together.
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