Wide Load

We took our sparks today and decided to try a back road nearby. It's a road that's narrow and has very little grit on it and a solid icy surface. The going was fast, and even on the flat bits a small scoot sent us gliding a long way. The downhill bits were exciting, even when they were only very slightly downhill.
I mentioned the road was narrow. There's plenty of room for a pedestrian and a car but there are passing places every 100 meters or so where one car can wait, to allow an oncoming car to pass.  We kept an eye out for the occasional car but were a bit surprised to see a van appear with flashing lights going and a sign on the roof warning us of a "WIDE LOAD".  Definitely a bit unexpected! We decided discretion was called for and at the next passing place we pulled over and waited. A wise decision because a few seconds later this lorry appeared, with a huge forestry machine on the back, and went roaring by.
It's always impressive to see these machines at close quarters. They work 24 hours a day, taking down trees, ripping off all the side branches, chopping the trunk into lengths and stacking them roughly as they go. An onboard computer has recorded the weight of each length so at the end of the job the forestry owner can get paid for the exact amount of extracted timber.  A far cry from the old days when a bunch of men with axes moved into a forest, built a hut, and worked there all winter.
Jan has blipped another side of the forestry industry.