New Truck

 

I want to tell you about the new truck that we purchased yesterday. So far, it seems to be a real humdinger. Keep in mind that I have had only a short test drive and brief inspection before concluding the trade-in deal at the Roscommon dealership. After yesterday’s purchase, today was my first chance to inspect the vehicle in more detail. The inspection revealed that I have a lot to learn about some of the surprising features on the vehicle. Before I tell you about that, I need to provide some background information that will help explain the surprises.

You may know that I have been a truck driver for many years, having owned a succession of light-duty pick-ups needed to pull the many camping trailers that we have enjoyed over the past 30 years. My last truck was a ¾ ton Chevrolet diesel, the same as the new one. All of the trucks I have purchased in previous years have been based on vehicles built to my order. This year was different.

Because of the pandemic, the greed of US chip makers that resulted in off-shore manufacture of the little buggers, and the long delays in shipping, truck orders have been extremely slow in coming. For example, my son placed an order for a new vehicle at his local dealership and he has been waiting for six months for the vehicle to be delivered. My new truck order would have been equally slow but my local dealership had ordered a truck last fall just to have one on their showroom. Then I came along in December and they said that if I put some money down, they -would sell the truck to me when it arrived. I did, provide the money, that is. This, despite the fact that I would need to accept the vehicle as ordered to their specifications, not mine. Since the vehicle they ordered was similar to my ten-year old diesel with a trailering package, I jumped at the chance. Last week the dealership called to say the new truck had arrived and if I could come in armed with a boatload of money and my old truck, they would conclude the deal.

The first surprise I noted on the new truck is that it is bigger than my old truck and is equipped with every option known to mankind. For some reason unknown to me, the new truck is taller, longer, and the box is one-and-one half inches taller than my old truck. Why would I care about that? The reason is that my new truck must fit under my 5^th wheel trailer and I would like it to be level to the ground, not katywompus with the trailer too tall at the front and too low at the back while being towed.

The other issue the longer truck provoked was the question about the length of my garage. My old truck fit in the garage along with an air compressor and a shop vacuum that were handily in place in front of the truck. The new truck is just enough longer that I will need to find a new storage place for the compressor and vacuum and will require more care to avoid bumping into the garage wall. The second issue about the taller truck fitting under the trailer has not yet been solved.

The trailering package on the new truck is different. In addition to the wiring for the trailer, the truck is equipped with a ‘gooseneck’ (their language) for hitching to the trailer. I don’t like the gooseneck. It is basically a ball for hitching that is built-in the box of the truck that can be raised or lowered when it is not in use. Sounds good, yes? The disadvantage for me is that the ball won’t fit my trailer and state law requires that whenever a ball is used for towing, additional and redundant chains must be used to secure the trailer in place. This would have meant that after the trailer was hitched in place, I would have needed to climb into the remaining space in the box and attach the chains to the trailer and truck. Not a pretty sight for an old-timer like me.

On a positive note, the new truck is equipped with rear view mirrors that seem perfect for trailering. They are oversized for improved viewing behind and around the trailer, they are equipped with motors that allow the mirrors to be adjusted, and they have tiny, but bright lights that can focus on the road behind. These new mirrors will replace the old add-on contraptions that I used to screw in place for trailering only. And cameras. The truck seems to have many cameras that show traffic around and behind the vehicle. The cameras should also make hitching easier when backing up to connect the vehicle and trailer hitch.

Like my old truck, the new one is also black but the exterior appearance is considerably different. The reason is that the current truck style is the use of a single color for all exterior appurtenances. The bumpers, the grille, the wheels, and even most of the badges are painted black. Apparently, the stylists wanted the truck to disappear under most conditions of lighting. My first impression was that this truck would be a perfect get—away vehicle for bank robbers. I expect to see a truck like mine used in TV shows where the gangsters manage to evade the pursuing police.

For a final note about the truck, I need to tell you that I sat in the truck yesterday to discover the means for the heads up displays, the cameras, the internet connections, and so forth. I looked at the buttons, dials, and switches all of which had logo’s or pictures to hint at their function. Most of the hints passed me by. Only the old carry over features like cruise control and headlights were identifiable by the pictures on the knobs. Accordingly, I will be unable to use the new features on the truck until I use the trial-and-error method to discover what each doo-dad is for. Wish me luck.

 

 

 

What is Plan B?

 

So far, it has been a mild winter where I live. In both December and January temperatures have been in the 20’s with only short excursions in the teens, but mostly temperatures above freezing. This is not normal. Now that I have lived here more than twenty years and been a frequent visitor more than thirty, I can say that normal winter weather used to mean snow at the beginning of deer hunting season (November 15) that would remain on the ground until the end of March. This winter our snow has come and gone so often that it is noteworthy when the snow remains on the ground more than two or three days. (Full disclosure; our current snow cover has lasted about one week)

How much of this winter’s weather is due to the current La Nina (that is known to be temporary) or are we at a new normal due to climate change? No one seems to be certain. However, the fact is that six of the 10 hottest years on record globally were in the last decade. Research indicates rising global temperatures will likely increase the number of ice-free winters for lakes across Michigan, and decrease the amount of snow cover in North America. Already our businesses who offer snow-based recreation are suffering through a major loss in revenue.

This shouldn’t be a surprise. Scientists have understood the greenhouse effect since the 1850’s, but it wasn’t until 1958 that one scientist, Charles David Keeling, began regularly measuring and tracking atmospheric CO2. Just since that time, it’s climbed by more than 30 percent, about 100 times faster than any natural cycle can explain. In a Nutshell: Global temperatures are now rising at an accelerating rate, which began in the 1800’s. This is entirely due to greenhouse gas buildup from human activity, mainly the burning of fossil fuels. We are the cause of this change.

Not only is this raising the global temperature, but a sizable fraction of the CO₂ we produce is going into the oceans, causing the water to become more acidic. That’s detrimental to important marine life upon which 10 to 12% of the world’s population depends.

Human activity, mostly fossil fuel burning, currently adds over a thousand tons of CO₂ per second to the atmosphere and the oceans. Natural cycles, volcanoes, and the sun have all been ruled out as the cause of the current heat buildup. They are either too small, too slow, or going in the opposite direction.

Here are the greenhouse gases and their effect on global warming:

 

 

Greenhouse Gas	Heat trapping power (relative to CO2)	Concentration (ppm/million in air)
Carbon dioxide (CO2)	1	420
Methane (CH4)	83	2
Nitrous oxide (N2O)	273	0.3

 

Consequently, CO₂ is the pivotal component that drives climate change. A tiny amount of CO₂ is needed in the atmosphere, or most all of the earth’s surface would be frozen. But just a tiny fraction – around 0.03% – is enough to keep earth at a nice stable temperature of around 60°F, allowing human civilization to flourish. This is the approximate amount of C02 that existed in the atmosphere for much of human history on earth.

Public appreciation of the dangers associated with climate change has grown since it first crashed onto the national scene with Dr. James Hansen’s 1988 Senate testimony. But even now, how this phenomenon works still remains a mystery to many people, especially among those of us who have failed to keep abreast of current science.  Where mysteries persist, misinformation thrives, and it is compounded by false information that is shared on the internet via “unsocial media.”

It is time for everyone to support efforts that will reduce air pollution from fossil fuels so that our children will inherit a planet that is livable. As you may know, there is no plan B.