Page 5 of 18

Re: MidAmerica tour

Posted: 17 Oct 2023 13:52
by krigl
Finishing the journey from Abilene to Ballinger now.

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South of Ballinger we found this interesting spot.

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The heart of Texas is quite green and rural, and more interesting than I’d expected. Thought it would be all bland green grassy areas, like around Abilene.

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Ahhh… we must be getting close now.

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A wildlife reserve?

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Hobby Lobby truck. The owner of the nationwide hobby supplies company gave control of it to a trust instead of leaving it to his descendants, saying that all his success came from God, that God was the true owner of his business, and he didn’t want to change or ruin his children and grandchildren’s future…

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Tried to take a decent picture of this ditch.

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Last ditch attempt.

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More roadbuilding.

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Sooo… Junction wasn’t actually that nearby, then.

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Had a quick rest, consumed some of those lovely sticky buns.

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Okay, here’s Junction, I think. A cattle farm on the outskirts.

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Cow’s eye view.

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Or… maybe it wasn’t the outskirts of Junction. That’s the JUNCTION sign over there.

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We won’t be crossing that river today, the delivery site is to the east, accessed from the other side of this highway. We’re going to have to pass Junction and then retrace our steps in order to get there.

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Heading SE. The sun is fleeing the heavens with frightening speed.

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We’re off the highway, about to double back.

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Now going NW back towards Junction.

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Alright, let’s get these shiny new dumpsters delivered.

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The end for today. Next time – Abilene to Fort Worth (sort of).
Krigl

Re: MidAmerica tour

Posted: 18 Oct 2023 11:21
by krigl
This time we make further progress eastwards, driving from Abilene to a jobsite just south of Fort Worth.

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Picked up another generator, from Vestas this time.

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Getting out of the industrial estate required quite a round-about route, so I thought I'd save time by cutting this corner. There wasn't a sign saying I shouldn't, so why not, eh?

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Unfortunately I failed to notice that a cop had been tailgating me, and when I saw him, it gave me such a shock that I collided with the sign I was carefully turning around. I would have made it otherwise, honest. The collision left the sign leaning at an unpleasant angle, and I watched the cop approach with some trepidation. He was, shall we say, a little heavier than the average cop, and wishing to avoid a fine and delays for paperwork, I hit on a desperate ploy. "I really am terribly sorry officer. The thing is... I was thinking about the large bag of Amish sticky buns I have on the passenger seat". "Amish sticky buns, eh? And how could something like that be so distracting?" "Well, officer, why don't you try one? I think you'll understand better." I cautiously reached for the bag, seeking to avoid giving any impression of "funny business", and passed it over to the mildly porky man in uniform. "Well, in the interests of law enforcement..." he said, making a swift, well-practiced 360 degree turn of his head to check that no cameras or witnesses were nearby "... I guess I could try one. Mmmf, mnyom mnyom mnyom yes, I'm starting to see how the presence of such fine buns in the cab could be hazardous." "Have a couple more, officer" I said. "There's plenty."

"Skree-clonk-clang-thud."

"Why not take the whole bag, officer? These are obviously dangerous buns, and they'd be better off in your hands." "Well, if you put it that way," he said, and after giving our surroundings another once-over, he took the bag, got into his patrol car, and drove off, leaving us to continue on our way.

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All's well that ends well, as they say.

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Leaving Abilene behind us. We'll be back in Part 6 of the tour.

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It's all highway driving once more to Fort Worth, nothing spectacular.

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The weather wasn't good for screenshots, so decided to take a couple of hours' break. My stomach was rumbling already anyhow - I'd been hoping to breakfast on those buns.

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Was happy to see things were looking a bit sunnier as we moved off once more.

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Eventually it was time to come off the highway.

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No sign of Fort Worth, but I think we officially 'discovered' it here on the way to the delivery point.

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There are two Freemont jobsites right next to each other here.

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The generator was wanted at the first of them, which seems to be some sort of quarry.

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And we're done.

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Took the afternoon off, and made my leisurely way back to San Angelo in the heart of Texas. We need to take something eastwards right through that green heart, and then up and round to the same 'Fort Worth' jobsite we've just visited.

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Asked my secretary if, perchance, Amish Furniture didn't have any more work they need doing.

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Perhaps a nice heavy contract, like a rustic traditionally crafted 43' x 16' x 10' Air Conditioning Complex, or maybe a 77,181 lb Large Reservoir Tank in the Shaker or Mission styles?

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I'll even haul furniture if they, you know, need me...

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Well, turns out they didn't need me, which is a crying shame as I don't think I'll be back to San Angelo again on this tour. Instead, I had to pick up something from the Metalwest cylindrical tank factory. Hmm... can't see that bulldozer anywhere. Well, no cause for alarm, it's probably working round the back somewhere.

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And then we set off eastwards through the centre of Texas on what would turn out to be a very pleasant ride.

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First stop: Ballinger. We'll continue the trip in the next set.
Krigl

Re: MidAmerica tour

Posted: 18 Oct 2023 15:26
by krigl
This time - eastwards through the very heart of Texas from Ballinger to Early.

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Starting with a second visit to Ballinger. Last time it was from North to South, this time from West to East, so here are a few more views.

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Fine little town. And now across country to Early.

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Deer by the roadside...

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Longhorns!

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Probably deer again. Or alpacas. 'Vicuna alpaca' = 'no worries' in Peruvian, I've heard.

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Vicuna ranch.

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And we've reached Early. Having guessed where the actual geographical centre of Texas is (1/3 of the way between San Angelo and Waco as the crow flies was my guess), I got curious about where the centre really is. Turns out the closest publically accessible point to it is on Route 377, where there is a rest stop and a small park with a viewpoint from which the 'true heart' can be spotted on a private ranch 5 miles to the northwest. The nearest significant settlement to the 'true heart' is the town of Brady, 19.5 miles to the southeast of the centre As one would expect, Brady promotes itself as the 'Heart of Texas' and actually fought a court battle with nearby Brownwood for the right to do so. Brady won because it's 4.5 miles closer.

Looking at the map for a point 19.5 miles northwest of Brady, I can see that the centre is pretty much exactly where I eyeballed it. Go me!

Anyhow, Brady isn't in the game, and Route 377 doesn't seem to be either. However, the DLC town of Early seems to be right next to Brownwood, Brady's rival. In other words, Early is the closest place in the game to the geographical centre of Texas. The true heart.

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Why do I care? Well, Texas is midway between the west and east coasts, and the centre of Texas feels like a true halfway point, even though I suspect it isn't exactly. And I'm just all happy to have guessed correctly. Small things please small minds...

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Nothing defines the frontier spirit and love for one's state government as much as furniture.

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Cowboys, mountains and rivers, the heroes of the Alamo. What do they all have in common? That's right. Furniture.

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Early is another cool little town.

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Youth musical: Live it to the max! Join us on Sunday! My question is - perhaps, but are you Amish? Can has sticky buns?

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I do hope we're not too late.

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Texas longhorns are evidently a thing around here.

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Early afternoon in Early, having an early beer.

Next time - picturesque scenery on the way from Early to Stephenville.
Cheers! Krigl

Re: MidAmerica tour

Posted: 19 Oct 2023 16:19
by krigl
Continuing the 'scenic route' journey from San Angelo to Fort Worth today - this time driving from Early to Stephenville, with some very nice views.

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Driving through Early right now.

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Crime scene? Or a cop in the family? "Honey, I'm home! With yet another bag of Amish sticky buns from some fool trucker."

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Local cemetery.

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Eastwards once more. Not much to be said except: enjoy the shots : )

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Not a dude ranch, a horse ranch.

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Not sure where this is.

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My favourite from this set. Love the colours, everything looks almost like a painting.

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My second favourite from this set. Ditto.

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And here's Stephenville.

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It's like a hamster wheel for teenagers.

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Out of Stephenville, and heading northeast now, I guess.

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Another set from picturesque central Texas still to come...
Krigl

Re: MidAmerica tour

Posted: 19 Oct 2023 16:42
by krigl
This set will take us from Stephenville almost all the way to Fort Worth.

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Bridge.

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Canasta.

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Boat vendor. Quite far from the ocean, so must be some lakes nearby, I guess.

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The Chisholm Trail was a famous cattle driving trail pioneered by a certain Jesse Chisholm and an adventurous Native American guide named Black Beaver, his friend. This history of it and the people involved is quite interesting.

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Ah, maybe that's the lake those boats are bought to sail on.

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Ducks congregate in sixes, hawks fly in groups of four, while people sway their hips in threes, they must for it's the law.

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Coming to the end of this long trek through central Texas now.

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It's time for us to head north and then westwards to the Fort Worth Newmont jobsites.

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Northwards, I guess.

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We turn west here. This intersection totally creeps me out.

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The sun is, of course, starting to go down.

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This whole region should be pretty urbanised, being close to the Dallas-Fort Worth conurbation. This little glimpse of city streets from the bridge kinda sorta helps to bring that across.

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As does this panorama of distant Fort Worth. We'll be heading over there in a few sets.

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For now we've got this metal stuff to deliver, followed by the final push eastwards to Tyler and Longview.
Thanks for looking in!
Krigl

Re: MidAmerica tour

Posted: 20 Oct 2023 17:31
by krigl
This set takes us from 'Fort Worth' via 'Dallas' to Tyler...

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Nearing our delivery point as the sun drops to the horizon.

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We're going to the second of the Fort Worth Newmont sites this time.

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Maybe this place processes the stone they dig out of the quarry site?

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More or less full moon directly 'above' the setting sun. Not sure if that's actually possible, but why not. The fact that the moon rotates at exactly the right speed so that it always presents the same face to us on earth will never cease to amaze me.

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The next day, we head to a jobsite further east along the same highway.

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About this time we were informed that we had 'discovered' Dallas. I would just like to reassure the residents of Dallas that any offerings of edible wildfowl that they may perhaps provide from the kindness of their hearts to help us get through the winter will not result in their eviction and eventual virtual extinction.

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Smart truck fleet there.

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And now we've left 'Dallas' behind and are heading eastwards to Tyler.

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Shreveport. That's in Louisiana. Judging by the recent photo posted of SCS crew members by the sea, we should be seeing Louisiana before long, maybe in early '25 or late '24.

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Sorry guys, nice try.

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That our exit?

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Yep. Turning off for Tyler.

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Another delivery is within our sights.

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Rockin' this badass Draugr paintjob right now. Not sure what the runes mean, looks like Mithmrofr. Sounds like a legit name for an undead Viking to me. A lot of norse were a bit like truckers, plenty of trading and stuff. Some AI fishing coracle probably inexplicably pulled out or stopped in the way of this guy's knarr and caused his death, and now he has returned as a bloodthirsty revenant to avenge himself on the luckless fisherfolk.

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Alright, so we've got a consignment of cars to take to Longport close to the Texas - Lousiana border. We'll make that trip next time.
Krigl

Re: MidAmerica tour

Posted: 20 Oct 2023 17:51
by krigl
Driving from Tyler to Longview this time, in the far east of Texas. Well, we're already in the far east, it's not far to Longport. The route and area is a taster for the scenery of the Deep South that SCS should be putting out over the next couple of years, if all goes okay.

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Leaving Tyler.

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Someone needs to revise what they learned at school about the cardinal points of the compass, methinks.

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Nail my head to a coffee table? Old Dinsy? Nooo... not old Dinsy...

...Well, yes. He did do that, yes. He was a cruel man. Cruel but fair.

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This is what a Farmer's Barn should look like. Maybe.

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We could be in Washington.

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Or not. Muddy lakes and rivers are going to be a trademark of this region, I expect.

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And here's Longview already.

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Cars delivered, taking a break.

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No rest for the wicked, off to pick up a new cargo. In game, Longview has one positive and one negative aspect.

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The negative is the large amount of traffic lights on its main street, which we shall traverse next time.

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The positive is this absolutely spectacular chemical plant. Which is why I say 'in game', as while it no doubt provides jobs, in real life it probably stinks to high heaven, looks hideous to many people and is dangerous to boot. But in game it's very cool.

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Come on, come on.

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I used to love that screensaver.

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Anhydrous ammonia? Can do that, sure.

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It's going to a GMC car plant in Dallas... next time.
Krigl

Re: MidAmerica tour

Posted: 21 Oct 2023 18:40
by krigl
In this set we traverse Longview's traffic light encrusted main street and head through the growing darkness towards Dallas.

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We've just left the Dow chemical plant in Longview.

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Looks like someone started building a house and ran out of money.

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If we don't get out of Longview soon I'll stop there for breakfast.

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Not sure what this building is, or why it is connected to a building across the road like this. A hospital, perhaps?

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Sigh.

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Slightly unfortunate juxtaposition.

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Oof.

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Gave up on getting out of Longview, went fishing instead.

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Okay, we've made it. Time to head westwards to Dallas.

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I originally wanted to include Dallas and Fort Worth in Part 3, but then decided to relegate them to Part 6 so that part has some large and impressive cities in it, and now have decided to visit them here after all, due to their importance to the region. It seems silly to just drive past them when they are literally just up the road. Also, there are several routes from Waco and Tyler that go there, and I don't want to leave them to Part 4 when they actually cross central Texas. So, yeah.

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Just about enough light to see what we're passing. We're going to have to find a rest stop before we get to Dallas, though.

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Truly the golden hour.

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We'll continue the journey to Dallas in the next set.
Krigl

Re: MidAmerica tour

Posted: 21 Oct 2023 19:00
by krigl
Continuing our trip to Dallas with Anhydrous Ammonia.

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Cosy.

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I do not like this type of crossing.

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Approaching a rest stop near Dallas.

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We could do with some fuel, actually.

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I'm all in and looking forward to curling up in my cab.

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Early start, coffee fuelled.

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Nice while it lasted.

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Courthouse.

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And here's Dallas!

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A large amount of intersections and bridges in these parts.

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And some fine skyline views. It would be nice to get in closer to the city centre like in Boise, Idaho, but this DLC is so vast, you can't have everything. That's what the dozens of unmarked minor settlements are for, I guess. You can't get jobs from them, though. Well... never mind. In general, I prefer to enjoy what there is rather than obsess about what there isn't.

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Well, that was Dallas. There are some other parts of the city, which we shall visit in Part 6 for sure. And we'll be back at least once more in the next few sets. The delivery site lies ahead near Six Flags Arlington. We'll reach it next time.
Krigl

Re: MidAmerica tour

Posted: 22 Oct 2023 14:17
by krigl
Today - we make our delivery to a car plant somewhere between Dallas and Fort Worth - maybe Arlington, and then pick up something new and continue towards Fort Worth.

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Another lot of blue-purple cabs.

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Delivery spot nearby.

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Arlington's Six Flags amusement park rises in the distance.

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You could go snowblind from this intersection.

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Or you could listen to Black Sabbath's Snowblind. One of my faves from them. Keen mountaineers, they were. Apparently.

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Car factory reached.

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Anhydrous ammonia. Come and get it! Maybe they're doing research into ammonia powered vehicles?

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Or maybe not, tralala. Okay, time to find a new cargo.

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Looks like I've just punched the road surface, like The Hulk.

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So, what do Bauhaus have for us?

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Empty pallets? Wow. Thanks Walter.

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A final (for now) glimpse of Dallas on the horizon.

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Passing Six Flags. It would be great to hear people shrieking and yelling as we drive by.

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One of Fort Worth's in-game water towers.

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Just need to get through this intersection and FW should be there.

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That will have to be next time.
Krigl