Another day like so many in recent times: fairly bright and getting colder (3C / 37F). Went to town for a few bits and pieces, and found the shops to be fairly busy. Don't know why the electrical supplies shop was packed out and the butcher's empty, but that's the way it goes.
People from Sandwick east to Aignish were off electricity supply between 11 am and 3pm this afternoon after a high-voltage cable came down at Sandwick. The power company was soon on the scene and fixed the problem.
I am an avid follower of the TV programme Ice Road Truckers, which features truck drivers in the far north of Canada and Alaska. They negotiate ice covered roads, and roads made across frozen lakes. This inherently presents grave danger, meaning they earn a lot of money. It also claims the lives of some of their number each year, and one British driver was killed in an accident a few days ago. In the summertime, some of the ice roads are accessible to ordinary drivers, but even then it would appear you're driving a dirt track. One road, the Dalton Haul Road from Fairbanks to Deadhorse in Alaska, is 450 miles long. There is only one place of permanent habitation, a truckstop called Coldfoot. Imagine driving from London to Glasgow with no towns or cities along the entire distance... Have a look on this blog for an impression.
A few days ago, I featured a pic of the Barvas Moor road here in Lewis, which is empty for 11 miles. Multiply that by 40, remove the tarmac, and you have the Dalton.
