Batgrl (Book Data Kept Elsewhere) > Recent Status Updates

Oddly they cross a floating bridge in Seattle and discuss how it works, but fail to give its name: Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge. It apparently sank in 1990, which makes this book's discussion on engineers learning from failures (prior to crossing the bridge) seem a bit too close to reality.

Oh and we left Dave back on pg 42 without him carrying out a single ax murder. That we know of.

This chapter's named "Galloping Gertie" which is the nickname for the infamous Tacoma Narrows Bridge of 1940, which has fascinated me since childhood. Check out the video at that link under Inquiry. And learn about aeroelastic flutter in the Collapse section.

"The Morrows and Mr. Wylie stayed at a rustic motel at Dawson Creek."
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Which is this Dawson Creek, not to be confused with Dawson's Creek. Look at the photos in the first link - you can't confuse these places, aside from the fact that one's fictional.

"That's the bridge over the Peace River," Mr. Wylie announced. "It cost four million dollars, but it was worth it. ...During the summer they threw three temporary bridges across the river, one after the other; each time the bridge was knocked down by the rushing river."
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So I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third.

"They drove over monotonous gravel highway through most of the afternoon."
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Finally, some roadtrip realism!

After 4 pgs of discussion about maps the chief engineer uses a loaf of rye bread (cut into chunks) and a string "to demonstrate the function of stations." It's apparently part of the engineers' lunch but had me wondering if anyone would be annoyed that the chief had cut it all up and allowed strangers to poke at it prior to eating. He's also making X marks on the chunks with a knife.

Now Dave and the Morrow family have stopped on the side of the road in a construction area to pester some Canadian engineers. And the chief engineer is happy to take the time to explain to random strangers the history of the Alcan Highway and show them his section maps. Apparently the US Army build the road in a bit of a rush and the Canadians are tidying up. Also the kids are unusually interested in asphalt.

"Men are scarce in northern Canada," Mr Wylie explained, "and one man for two machines is a common sight."
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Why yes, I did enjoy taking that out of context.

It is now 11pm at night, first day of travel, they've been going for 16hrs - and they are STILL talking road history. No one has needed a snack or a pit stop or has fallen asleep. Have decided that all of them are really androids.

Dave has them stop again to dig away at the side of the highway to show the logs underneath. (Corduroy road) I note that there's no mention that Dave ever fills in the holes he makes before they leave...

I'm not going to quote, but if you're interested, Dave hops out of the truck, grabs a shovel, digs a 1 ft deep hole, and discusses subgrade and other layers under the road. Then they hop back in the truck and continue to discuss the history of roadbuilding post-Romans. With an illustration of the layers of various road types.

Dave still going on about roads:
"Here, let me show you the difference between construction of the Appian Way and the "Alaska Way," Mr. Wylie said, and asked Mr. Morrow to pull over to the side of the road."
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Randomly this reminds me of a college geology class fieldtrip where we did indeed stop on the side of the highway to observe some sediment related fun.

Dave is just FULL of engineering history:
"Some of the 'hardened ways' the Egyptians built to haul the massive stone blocks for the pyramids were as good as the highway between Circle and Fairbanks. And that was 2000 years before Christ!"
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That does make me wonder about the quality of that Alaskan highway.

Dave chats about permafrost and road building:
"...Permafrost hardens the soil until it's almost like stone. It's the unfreezing that does the harm. When the soil melts under a road, it does so irregularly, and even newly paved roads often develop rolls and waves."

Apparently strangers who are civil engineers thrive on being asked engineering questions.

"I'm Dave Wylie," he said, "engineer with the Canadian Highway Department. I'm up here on vacation, and I heard you were going to drive down the Pan-American Highway. Thought I might be able to hitch a ride as far as Vancouver."
"We'd be glad to have you aboard," Mr. Morrow said without hesitation.
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And no one asks for ID or how he knew the travel plans, because in 1958 no one is ever an ax murderer.

Children in this era are often not overly clever in this sort of book. They decide to give their truck a name. Then ask what the Spanish is for truck:

"Why, it's - el carreton."
"All right, let's name the truck El Carreton!"

(Should be an accent over the o but I never remember the keys for that.)

So the family - dad and two sons, mom not mentioned yet - is driving from Alaska to the southern tip of South America, all in 3 months? I feel doubtful. Nice two pages of maps though.

Enough folk were amused by this in the comments that it talked me into reading the actual text now rather than setting it aside again. I did buy the book for the amusement of the title, you see.

My father called to let me know that he's checked the 1970s translation he has of this - and it's really dull in comparison. And I definitely need to start reading this faster...

Made the mistake of sending my father (former lit prof.) some quotes from this (already posted here). He's so psyched to read it he was going to buy his own copy - I've convinced him to wait for me to finish and he can read my copy. Next time will remember to wait til I've finished the book before send the amusing quotes. Meanwhile must speed up and finish this!

"Everyone in Nevada, including the state's journalists, also engaged in an unusual amount of horseplay, and it affected the stories they wrote." - People were into practical jokes and tall tale telling in a serious way. Because it was the cheapest form of entertainment. (Meanwhile out of context that sentence is definitely amusing.)

"Unfortunately historians cannot read the stories that Twain and De Quille published in the Enterprise. Almost all of Twain's work, and much of De Quille's, was destroyed. On October 26, 1875, a fire started in a rooming house near Virginia City's business district." - and it consumed all stray copies and clippings of newspapers up to that time.

When you misspell Poe as Pow suddenly the most serious sentence you may write becomes ridiculous.

So this knight named Grifon is so stupid that the woman he's in love with has convinced him that the man Grifon found her with is her brother - when actually the guy's her lover. The poem's author/narrator is equally "can you believe this guy?!"

In case you're tired of battle, never fear!:
Canto XVII, 17
But enough of this wretched violence. Let's turn away
from mayhem and killing and such depressing stuff!
Of burly wicked Saracens, I say -
and I think you will agree with me - enough!
_____
I love it when the book worries I'll get tired of the story it's telling.

Charlemagne telling off his nobles before he rushes into the fight himself:

Canto XVII, 15
Now there is only one of that tribe who destroys
our city. And what can he to do you that's worse
than death? Are you such frightened little boys?
Everyone dies. What's nasty and perverse
is dying badly, losing your nerve and poise
so that your names provoke contempt or a curse.

Canto XVII, 4
Evil rulers are worse than wolves for their
hungers are never satisfied. They feed
on flesh and treasure. Terror everywhere
flatters and delights them.

Example of unexpected humor:

Canto XVI, 83
His arrival turns out to be very timely indeed,
for Zerbino's haggis surely would have been
otherwise cooked.
_____
No one expects a haggis!