The dark night of Nevada

Ah, another interesting event that I will never know the outcome of.

Last night at 11 o’clock, there was yet another wreck on I-80 eastbound at Mustang, about a half mile from where I live in Rainbow Bend, Lockwood.

At 11:30 p.m., I heard strange noises in front of the house. I opened the front door to see a semi (C.R. England logo) crawling past, eastbound, followed by passenger cars, two more semis and several more cars.

One loaded semi weighs in around 33 tons. The three semis I saw rolled over a bridge with a  weight limit of 10 tons. Urgh.
 
The strange noise was the semis hitting speed bumps. There are speed bumps galore on Ave de la Couleurs (and Rainbow Bend as a whole) because the arrogant lunkheads out here ignore the 15 mph speed limit. People walking, walking dogs, children on bikes, and other activities, not usually at 11:30 p.m. Anytime of day or night, the lunkheads race past at 40 mph.

There were tail lights stopped on the freeway, which always backs up after a wreck. But this traffic was further east than usual.

NDOT’s incident report site listed the 11 p.m. wreck, with reopening estimated at 2 a.m. Traffic was being turned around at the Mustang exit.

From Mustang, there is a path to the east, Frontage Road to McCarran Ranch Road to Waltham Way and a freeway entrance. I wouldn’t drive that route at night. The roads, while paved, are not lighted and direction signs aren’t clear. It’s gotta be more than five miles. Waltham leads to USA Parkway and another freeway connection.

Maybe the parade past my house aimed for Peri Ranch Road, which runs into Mustang, where Frontage Road starts. What Google Maps doesn’t show is that there is a 100-foot elevation change from Rainbow Bend to PRR. Only two ways to get on PRR and both are steep.

I thought about following the parade, just to see the semis go up that narrow, steep hill, which requires a hard turn left or right at the top. I think there’s a streetlight there. For passenger cars, no problem.

If I weren’t lazy and a coward, I’d love to ride a toboggan down that hill in the snow. If we ever have snow again. The biggest challenge would be to stop before you land in the Truckee River.

I wouldn’t drive Peri Ranch Road in the dark, either. It is narrow, not striped, loaded with speed bumps (the lunkheads have a large feeding ground), and not lit.

I went to bed instead, but couldn’t sleep. The last time I looked out, 1:45 a.m., the eastbound freeway was open.

Might that tiny, lost caravan be wandering through the river canyon, covering ground that the westbound Donner Party rolled over?

Is it wrong of me to hope?

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