Imagine my shock to find that GAGAGA SP, a Japanese punk band who I thought was virtually unknown in the west, now has a Youtube channel.
Their greatest hits compilation "All time best - 20 years of misunderstanding" is probably the place to start if you want to know what you're in for. 😊😂
We're about halfway through day 2 of a multi-day snowsquall event here. And while other Canadians might be wont to beat the crap outta me for saying this: I love a good snowsquall. It's amazing to sit and stare out the window and feel like you're in a swirling snow globe; to marvel at just how far you can't see for the life of you.
But the "sitting and staring out the window" part is key. Being nestled up all warm, cozy, and secure indoors while Big Weather blows in is one of the most amazing feelings in the world. But it makes me reflect on how fortunate I am not to be subject to the whims of the weather, and think about the folks for whom that's not true.
The section of highway 17 that runs from Sault Ste Marie to Wawa often has lengthy closures due to winter weather; it may well be the most frequently closed road in the province. This post gives options to deal with these closures, depending on where you're currently at, and how badly you need to travel.
Every winter, the eastern shore of Lake Superior gets hammered by relentless snowsqualls. The prevailing westerly winds scoop up moisture as they skim across Lake Superior, and then deposit it in the form of snow upon making landfall. This continues until Lake Superior ices over, which happens in February, March, or not at all, depending on how badly climate change is kicking our ass that year.
This has unfortunate consequences for travel along Ontario Highway 17 from Sault Ste Marie to Wawa. Snowsqualls are powerful snowstorms that change quickly in intensity. You can go from a clear winter's day to near-zero visibility over the course of a few minutes or miles. What's more, the heavy snowfall makes it very difficult to navigate the steep climbs on the route, notably the Montreal River Hill. As such, this section of highway is frequently closed in the winter, sometimes for days on end.
There are a few options to deal with these closures. Which one you choose depends on where your travels take you, how comfortable you are driving isolated back roads in winter, how well those roads have been plowed and sanded, and how well equipped your vehicle is for those conditions. All of these options have their own drawbacks, so it's not possible to make a general recommendation that applies to all circumstances.
If you are making a huge drive across Northern Ontario (eg Ottawa/Toronto to Thunder Bay), Option #1 is to take Highway 11 from North Bay to Nipigon. Highway 11 is less hilly, less sketchy, less exposed to the weather, and generally less exciting. However it too gets its share of winter weather, and since it's the preferred route for trucks, one jack-knifed tractor trailer can close it as well. Moreover, it can be rather out of your way if you're already in, say, Sudbury or Wawa.
If your travels involve Wawa & Sudbury, Option #2 is to take Highways 101 and 144 between those two towns. This has the advantage that you're on provincial highways the entire route, which are (supposedly) monitored, plowed, salted, and sanded on a consistent basis. It's also less twisty and less hilly than most minor highways in Northern Ontario, making it one of the better detours for semi trucks. It has the downside that it lengthens your journey time by a fair amount, especially with that dog-leg up towards Foleyet and Timmins. Note also that cell phone coverage is sketchy along much of 144, and non-existent on 101 between Foleyet and Wawa, except for the outskirts of Chapleau.
Option #3, again for Wawa-Sudbury, is to take the Sultan Industrial Road. For those not familiar with it...this will be an adventure.
A brief primer on Industrial Roads: these are logging roads which the public can also use. Basically, the government decides that the route is one that the public would greatly benefit from having access to, but the costs involved don't justify building a provincial highway. So the forestry company that maintains the road gets a stipend for its upkeep, on the condition that the public be allowed to access it. Conditions of these roads varies widely; they are gravel or dirt surfaced in summer, snow packed or iced over in winter, and have even fewer road design or safety affordances than highways do. This means that steep climbs, sharp turns, narrow sections, and single-lane bridges are all to be expected. Look out especially for logging trucks -- they need to travel close to the center of the roadway, because loaded trucks can sink into the soft shoulders and get stuck or even tip over.
All that said, the Sultan Industrial Road is very well maintained by the company that operates it; in winter, it's often in better shape than the surrounding highways. However, it can be closed on short notice by washouts, bridge work, or culvert failures, so it's a very good idea to check the Sultan Road Updates Facebook Group before heading this way.
There is no cell coverage along this route from the time you leave The Watershed truck stop at Highway 144, until you reach the outskirts of Wawa, unless you take a brief detour into Chapleau halfway along.
Option #4 is to take Highway 129 and 101 from Thessalon to Wawa. Highway 129, while an incredibly beautiful drive, is an infamously sketchy route even in summer. Not long after it opened, a journalist who'd just travelled the length of it reportedly wrote, "A trip down the Chapleau Highway will shave ten years off any man's life." Much of the highway is actually reasonably good by Northern Ontario backroads standards, albeit with some very steep climbs that can be difficult if the road is slippery. However, the section immediately south of the Hwy 556 junction -- roughly from Rapid River to Wakomata Lake -- can be downright terrifying, and is the source of the highway's notorious reputation.
Through this section, the west side of the highway abuts the beautiful Mississagi River, at times with no guardrail protecting you from a 20-foot drop into its pristine icy waters. The east side is often flush against a rock cut, sometimes with the occasional one jutting out into the road, leaving the highway only about a lane and a half wide. Throw in some tight curves and small but steep hills, and it's easy to understand why one spot along section of highway has been called "Devil's Gap". The margin for error is small, especially in slippery conditions. A few of the more gnarly sections are signed for 20 km/h, and it's recommended to take these warnings seriously. As well, the previous notes about log trucks apply -- if you meet one, slow down and give them as much room as possible.
When travelling this route for the first time, I would strongly recommend that you do so
There is no cell coverage along this route from the time you leave Wharncliffe (just north of Thessalon), until you reach the outskirts of Wawa, save for taking a brief detour into the town of Chapleau halfway along.
Option #5 is to take Highways 556 and 129 from Sault Ste Marie to Chapleau, and then on to Wawa via Hwy 101. This avoids the super sketchy section of Hwy 129 mentioned above, but introduces its own fun aspect: The Ranger Lake Road.
The Ranger Lake Road is the unpaved section of Hwy 556, roughly between Searchmont and the Hwy 129 intersection. It is basically a logging road that has been adopted into the provincial highway network. The drive features sharp corners, steep climbs, sketchy road surfaces, and, during times of rain, the occasional washout. A fun surprise in winter comes when you slow down to take a tight corner, only to meet a huge hill that you need to take a run at.
It is very much worth checking the Ranger Lake Road and Highway 129 Updates Facebook Group before heading out on this road.
There is no cell coverage along this route from the time you leave the junction with Hwy 532 (to Searchmont), until you reach the outskirts of Wawa, save for taking a brief detour into the town of Chapleau halfway along.
Finally, if you are travelling to or from Western Canada, Option #6 is to cross into the USA, travelling between Sault Ste Marie and Duluth via M-28 and/or US-2. From Duluth you might either head up towards International Falls, across Minnesota towards Pembina, or somewhere else depending on your destination.
The big caveat here is that road conditions in the US side may be no better than those in Canada. The Michigan side of Lake Superior gets snowsqualls just like the Ontario side; the only difference depends on wind direction. As well, highway maintenance in Michigan can be rather piecemeal; it seems to vary on a county-by-county basis. You definitely want to try and assess road conditions through tools like MIDrive before committing to this route.
This, frankly, is an underrated option. Strong winter storms that close Highway 17 may also affect the routes listed above; waiting for conditions to improve is often the safest choice. As well, if night is falling, it's a good idea to bed down somewhere safe for the night and resume travelling when daylight rolls around, rather than trying to press on in difficult weather conditions made worse by inky darkness.
Last updated: 21 Jan 2024 (note that 101/144 is probably the best backroads route for CMVs)
For Mastodon-enabled folks, this is me:
☛ https://ottawa.place/@shadowspar
☛ @[email protected]
I haven't decided how or how much I'm going to use it yet, but in the face of the continuing catastrophic collapse of The Bird Site™, I figured I'd link this here.
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Frances Hocutt's session at Open Source Bridge, "Exit Condition: when to ragequit, raise hell, or duck and cover", was pretty awesome. I got a lot out of the session itself, out of bouncing ideas off of other conf attendees, and out of just thinking through this stuff in general. My takeaways kinda blew up too much to fit into tweet-sized points, so here they are.
When something goes awry and needs to be complained about, one person often ends up being the Designated Complainer. This is the person who is willing or expected to pipe up about any given problem (voice) even though it affects many people, not only them.
If you keep doing this to one person it will burn them out.
When raising a grievance, the Designated Complainer will eat the consequences of any disfavour from above. Worse, if they pipe up and nobody else has their back, it looks as though they are the only one who is upset. This undermines the effectiveness of their complaining and puts them at even greater risk of reprisals.
A couple of suggested strategies:
It can seem cold, heartless, and selfish to say "fuck this" and drop a project on the floor. But when you are perpetually grappling with a task that is causing you pain, ask yourself: is doing this thing actually your job?
This often shows up as an issue that is your problem because it is causing you grief, but not your responsibility, because you are not the one with the authority to fix it:
You can advocate for these things, or even try to fix them outright if you want to and have the spoons. In a good environment, your efforts will get traction; this kind of thing can even be a growth opportunity. But when things are not so cheerful, you can keep spinning your wheels until you've run yourself well into the ground.
Back in my army days, when someone was stressing out about the possible consequences of a trivial screwup or an act of principled disobedience, they were frequently told
"What're they gonna do, stamp 'NO DESSERT' on your meal card?"
Speaking for myself, I find it easy to freak out about the Horrible Consequences of some act without evaluating what these Horrible Consequences might actually be. While you don't want to be cavalier, you also shouldn't let yourself be held hostage by fear of consequences that are exaggerated or impossible. They can't fire you if you've already quit, they can't force you to work if you're a volunteer, and they can't take away a raise they were never going to give you in the first place. Think carefully about both formal and informal consequences, but don't be hemmed in by fences that weren't even real to begin with.
Those of us who care deeply and who see all the things that are wrong in the world are oft given over to trying to save the whole world. We feel like a utter failure unless we manage to catch every ball, right every wrong, and save every kitten.
This sort of perfection is literally impossible. It is a one-way superexpress ticket to Burnout Gully, population you.
Instead of taking it upon yourself to save the world, and kicking yourself when you don't succeed at this Sisyphean task, focus on the fact that you are making the world better than it was before. Every helpful thing that you do, no matter how small, wouldn't have happened without you and your hard work. Go you. ♥
Friends in the USA: if you would like some Remembrance Poppies for 11 Nov (Remembrance/Veterans Day), tell me how many you'd like and your mailing address if I don't have it already. I'll make sure they get to you. ^_^
(Comments screened for your convenience; I'll unscreen any that don't contain addresses.)
The forums over at track-chinapost.com offer some fascinating sociological observations.
( (~500 words) ) Welp...one of the few recipes that we use all the time that hadn't been on this blog is this one for chocolate zucchini cake. I originally found it here, and would just link people to it...except that that whole damn site is now dead of linkrot. So....
( Recipe... )
Aaaa, this blast from the past rolled around on my partner's spotify tonight. So much power pop goodness...I have ~feels~ about this song. ^_^;
Also notable: apparently Weezer did a cover of this song for the movie Cars 2. It's pretty good! They didn't stray very far from the original. =)
Ever feel so strongly about the non-existence of a given image macro that the world just seemed out of balance until you went and made it yourself?
Yeah, uh, me neither. ^_^;;
( Well, actually, images are under the cut ) ...when dealing with difficult people on the Internets.
( Read more... )
