Drove the rest of the way to Allentown to load. When I got there two other trucks had been loaded and they were just finishing up with their tarps. They are going to the same place I am. While they finished up I stretched out my trailer and got ready. Then backed in under the crane and they loaded my piece. I chained it down while they draped my tarp over it. They tried two other smaller tarps to finish it but they didn't fit at all so they took them back off. To make a very long story short. Someone from Carlisle drove another big tarp up to me. When it got there they were busy loading the last truck that was going. Four total. They finished tarping his truck then finished mine.
I left. That's when things really went wrong. Because of construction on I-78, Pennsylvania routed me around it on some really unbelievable back roads. I missed my first turn so I had to find a place to turn around. Not an easy task in Pennsylvania. I found a place and got back on my route. It didn't get better. Here is the route Pennsylvania sent me on.
I did pretty good until I got to Kempton.
Had to make a hard left curve with a wall along the side of the road going around the curve.
In order to make the curve without hitting the wall I had to take the truck off the side of the road. That's when the trailer bottomed out on the hump. I was stuck blocking the entire road.
I called the State Police, then our shop. Our shop sent a wrecker. After a while the State Police arrived. They were great. Helped a lot. They couldn't believe that the State would route me on these roads. Three of them showed up. Then the wrecker got there.
Took about a half hour of lifting, moving, and repositioning to get un-stuck. Had to reposition about four times. Its not as easy as it looks. It is very easy to tip the entire thing over doing that. Have to do it very slow and easy. Finally got it free. The cops said that they would escort me on the last leg of this back road adventure. The wrecker stayed with me too. They knew what was ahead. We got to the next obstacle. A left turn directly on to an old narrow bridge with guard rails next to the road all around.
No way I was going to make that turn. Remember my trailer is stretched out. I am 89 feet long. Made a right turn instead into that open area and made a "U" turn to go the correct direction.
The cops stopped all the traffic and the wrecker positioned himself in case I got stuck again. Fortunately, I made it without difficulty. Continued on toward I-78. The cops did a great job escorting me back out. It was needed too. The roads were very narrow and winding. Once out on I-78 they took off. I stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in Bethel, PA. Thoroughly exhausted and totally drained, I showered, tried to eat something and fell into bed.
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