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A Long Day's Journey into Night... (continued)
There is an art to plowing snow. Those who've driven on the Northern winter roads know that if you get too close to the edge, you'll get "sucked in" and end up with your vehicle firmly lodged into the snowbank. A plow truck operator has to make sure that the roads are plowed wide enough to let two loaded trucks pass each other, but not so wide that your outside tires drop into the soft snow on the edge.
You need to keep some speed on so that the snow is thrown well off to the side. If you were standing on the side of the road when the plow came by with a "full head of steam", you'd be knocked off your feet by the column of snow. The snow sometimes gets lodged into the radiator as well - so occasionally you'll have to stop and clean it out, particularly if there's a lot of fresh snow. Believe it or not, if you don't do this, your truck's cooling will be compromised and eventually the engine will overheat - even in the winter!.
Your long day's journey will take you through some truly breathtaking country. Winter was always a favourite time of year for me (although I think Scott might have a little different opinion on that). Northern winters bring the cleanliness and soft white cover of the snow, the skies are often clear and blue, and even with temperatures plunging, the sun starts to bring a little heat to this world.
This job brings you to all corners of this part of the world. There's not much left in Cassiar now - the mine closed in 1992 and the town hauled away and mostly auctioned off to the highest bidder.
This _was_ the lone phone booth in Cassiar, which existed until it was removed last fall by the telephone company. You now have to stop in Jade City to find and use a payphone.
