'Ice Road' Melting

Normally, I'm glued to the drivers and the perilous conditions they drive through on the mighty Dalton Highway in Alaska.  But this week, I was completely transfixed by the folks who work hard to keep the Dalton up and running and make sure it's safe (as safe as an iced-over road with steep drop-offs can be anyway).  Whether it was the people dishing out the violations to perennial violator Hugh and a newcomer to the citation game or the Alaska DOT worker known as "K Bear" who had one of the scariest jobs I've seen (and that's saying a lot for a road that has an avalanche crew) -- this week was all about the behind-the-scenes people who keep everything running so that important supplies can get to the North Slope.  The theme of the week was melting ice, and as we learned in this one, the simple act of snow and ice turning into water isn't just a welcoming sign of impending spring.

Convoy on 'Ice'

Well Ice Road Truckers fans, we've got ourselves a convoy! I know it's highly doubtful that Carlile coincidentally chose only the stars of the series to run this convoy to Nuiqsut, but I don't care. I LOVED the fact that they all traveled together, got stranded in Prudhoe together, and ventured out onto the river ice together. Of course, there were some tense moments between the drivers, but there were some fabulous bonding ones as well. One such moment happened in one of the most remote places on earth and involved a unique native tradition and an even more unique menu.  But first, the drivers had to make it 500 miles through some pretty hairy conditions and then across weakening river ice.

'Ice Road' Racing

On the Dalton, racers never win.  Especially when one of those racers is a rookie who spent some serious time in a ditch just one episode ago and he's racing one of the biggest cowboys to ever drive the Dalton (at least out of those whom we've seen on IRT).  Ray was kinda doomed the moment Hugh passed him, but trying to reclaim his lead while driving in the southbound lane while climbing a steep hill sealed his fate.  Not to mention raised a red flag with the Carlile management back in Fairbanks.  I'm wondering if Hugh will get in trouble as well since he is already on a sort of probation.  While Ray and Hugh were raising up the Dalton, Jack was pushing a HUGE load up it with the return of my new favorite ice road tactic: Push-Trucking.

'Ice Road' Ditch

What is it they always say?  Oh, right... pay back's a b*tch!  Of course, they also say that there are two kind of drivers on the Dalton: those who have been in a ditch and those heading into one.  Both of these little pearls of wisdom apply to Ray's unfortunate incident during this week's episode of Ice Road Truckers.    Thankfully, no one was injured and considering the amount of people who die every year on the Dalton for taking their eyes off the road for a split second, that's saying a lot.  Ray wasn't the only driver having a bad trip, though.  Two others found themselves struggling with their loads and one wound up in a bit of hot water upon his return to Fairbanks.  But, Ray's trip into the ditch was the night's scariest mishap.

Blood 'Road'

The promo for this week's episode of Ice Road Truckers promised that there "will be blood." And while the circumstances surrounding that story were as crazy and convoluted as the movie by that title, thankfully, it didn't leave me with the same underwhelmed, disturbed feeling as the film.  But let's face it, that bloody encounter on the side of the Dalton was just weird.  Alex wasn't the only driver having a strange week, though.  Greg was fighting to keep his job, Lisa was afraid that a scary accident was going to derail her career after coming off of such a huge accomplishment last week, and Ray was just hoping to live to truck another day.  It was just another bizarre and dangerous day on the Dalton.

Push 'Truckers'

Ice Road Truckers certainly hit the mother load this week!  I can't believe that I have yet another thing to add to the top of my list of elements that make for the best episodes of this fan-freakin-tastic show (alongside wicked weather and avalanches).  It's hard to believe that we keep getting introduced to more challenges on the Dalton.  You'd think after a spectacular freshman run last season that we would have seen it all, but this season has been full of surprises and edge-of-your-seat moments.  In short, it has been AWESOME!!  This week, we witnessed something that was one step beyond "I've seen it all."  It was so outrageous, so intense, and so large that I found myself actually getting a stomach ache just watching some of the scenes involving it unfold.  So, just what was so awesomely-horribly-terrific?  Only the biggest load of the season.

Avalanche 'Road'

For those of us who do not live in avalanche danger zones, it's easy to underestimate their tremendous, deadly power.  Recently, I took a fabulous vacation to Montana.  During my stay, I learned all about the scary process of trying to ski the bowls at the top of the state's mighty mountains.  I heard about testing the snow before skiing down and the thought of it made me shiver and question whether I'd want to go back in the winter and ski one (and I love to ski!).  The folks on the Dalton Highway don't have much of a choice. If they want to stay employed, they have to travel through Atigun Pass where the threat of avalanches always looms.  Luckily, there are good people like Reid Bahnson out there to prevent as many tragic avalanches as possible.  This week, however, he was a little too close to the action, and one of the drivers was a little too close to becoming another white cross on the side of the road.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the 'Ice Road'

No one can deny that Alex Debogorski is a nice guy.  He's the type who would give you the shirt off of his back if you needed it and I love him for that, but this week, he might have been a little too nice.  I remember my dad hitchhiking after our family car broke down when I was very young, but that was 20 + years ago, and let's face it, the world is a different place.  Thankfully, his hitchhiker was a bit strange, but harmless.  After that entire bizarre exchange, I was left wondering just one little thing: Why in the world was he hitchhiking on the Dalton in 55-below temperatures??!!  Yikes!  The hitchhiker incident wasn't the only strange occurrence in this week's episode, though.  In fact, the entire hour was a different sort of outing all together.  But there was one part that was more cool than strange and it had nothing to do with hitchhikers.

Heavy Hauls & Close Calls

Next to wicked weather, my second favorite type of episodes of Ice Road Truckers are the ones where Lisa gets heavy hauls.  The oversized loads give her cred and help her build up her resume as one of the most dependable drivers on the Dalton.  Plus, she just gets so darn excited about getting the confidence-building assignments!  With heavy hauls, virtually everything becomes a difficult obstacle and that's before the truck even leaves the town of Fairbanks.  Plus, heavy hauls lead to some of the most intense non-weather moments on the show.  This week, however, the scariest and biggest edge-of-your-seat scene was courtesy of a very surprising source.

Off Duty 'Trucker'

I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but I figured since we don't have a new episode of Ice Road Truckers to discuss this week, it's worth a bigger mention.  Fellow IRT fans know that Lisa Kelly is one badass mother-trucker out there on the Dalton.  She navigates through the dangerous haul road to carry supplies from Fairbanks to the oil-rich Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean.  She carries super-heavy chains and attaches them to the tires of her big rig (something that proves challenging to some of her male counterparts).  And, she endures her share of ribbing from the boys on the Dalton (whether it's blocking out mean radio traffic or having to work harder to prove herself).  She does it all with a smile on her face.  Recently, though, Esquire magazine highlighted Lisa's softer, more girly side when they named her "The Sexiest Trucker Alive."  Check out whether she's a country or city girl, how she got into trucking and how she feels about her new celeb trucker status after the jump.

Riders in the Storm

There is only one thing better than a new episode of Ice Road Truckers: a new episode that deals with wicked weather!  A blizzard that blows so hard truckers can't see the road right in front of them, dangerous drifts pile up faster than Alaska state DOT teams can clear them, deadly avalanches could strike at any moment and Atigun Pass closes stranding drivers in Coldfoot (the lucky ones) or in their cabs along the deadly Dalton.  In the last post, I mentioned that "rely on the delineators" is my new least favorite phrase, but this week, the truckers couldn't even see them to rely on them!  They were basically traversing the section from Atigun to Prudhoe on a wing and a prayer at best.  As you can imagine, the dangerous weather elicited different reactions from the different drivers.  One driver decided to take a risk while another played it safe.  One stuck with a convoy and another tried to live down a new dubious reputation.  And one driver had a moment that was a little too livin' on the edge -- and that was before he reached the storm.

'Truckers' Get Dealt a Blow

Hands clenched, sweat beading up on the back of your neck, knuckles quickly turning white... and that was just my reaction while watching those white-out conditions (or, as Alaskans call it, "a blow") during the second episode of History Channel's excellent Ice Road Truckers this week.  I can't even imagine how the drivers were feeling!  Seriously, the phrase "rely on the delineators" might be my new least favorite saying.  Sister show Deadliest Catch (which I also love) puts me on the edge of my seat, but this show does something to me that no other show can: it transports me to the Dalton and puts me right there in that cab with the drivers whose every decision could be the difference between life and death.  It's that serious and it's that scary.  Just ask the driver who found himself on the very fortunate side of fate this week.

'Ice Road' Open

On the road again!  Dalton Ace Jack Jesse, Alex Debogorski, Hugh "The Polar Bear" Rowland, and my girl Lisa Kelly are back on Alaska's Dalton Highway navigating treacherous conditions, steep passes and hairpin turns in order to bring much-needed supplies to the oil rigs up on Prudhoe Bay -- part of Alaska's oil-rich North Slope.  And this TV fan couldn't be happier!!  This season, two new drivers are joining the line-up: rookie Ray Vellieux and Greg Boadwine (who sat out most of last season after wrecking his load of pipe on the side of the road and narrowly escaping serious injury).  Ray seemed to struggle a bit this week while Greg made it his mission to beat the Dalton Ace to Deadhorse.  But new faces weren't the only changes this season because the show decided to up the ante a little by adding two new side roads along the Dalton.  One is actually a trail (as in un-paved grassy/woodsy path through the woods) that involves crossing a frozen river and swamp land to get to the remote town of Bettles.  The trail is the only way in or out of this town and it's only accessible 30 days out of the year!  The other involves crossing river ice to reach the native village of Nuiqsut. And just in case this wasn't enough excitement to start the season, a trucker flipped right outside Deadhorse spilling his entire load of pipe and landing himself in the hospital.  He wasn't the only close call, though.

'Ice Road' Closed for the Season

"Dalton Ace" Jack Jessee's Marks of a Good Season:

1) I didn't die

2) I made it home every trip, and

3) I made a little money doing it

Mission accomplished for all of this season's drivers on Ice Road Truckers. And what an intense, fun, and exciting season it was! I'm sad to see this year come to a close (and worried that the show will once change locations next season and we'll lose the awesome-ness that is the Dalton, the awe-inspiring views of Alaska, and the fun drivers who drive that road every year), but it did end on another set of exciting notes. My girl Lisa finished off her stellar season by navigating her brake-challenged rig back to Fairbanks. After leaving Deadhorse, she discovered that the air was leaking out of her trailer brakes which would eventually render the them useless. Her biggest concern was that the air would run out just as she was climbing a hill, causing her truck to lock up and come to a dead stop on the incline. She managed to ascend the always-scary Atigun Pass, but had to make it back down without any trailer brakes. Thanks to some good shifting and her jake brake, she was able to navigate down Atigun without applying her brakes. Once she reached Coldfoot, Tim was able to help her cap the air leak well enough to get her all the way back to Fairbanks. She completed her 15th run and her most impressive season yet that should put her on the path to become the Dalton's first heavy-haul woman.

Meanwhile, Hugh had a temporary set back with his brakes as well. The thawing roads made for some extremely bumpy rides and one of those bumps knocked one of the brakes off. Phil was able to fix it with a bungee cord, and Hugh then made it back to Fairbanks just in time to pick up his 14th and final load the next day. Rival Alex was paired up with veteran George Spears, and the two took the slow and steady route much to Alex's chagrin. He had an otherwise uneventful ride to Deadhorse where he finished his 13th and final run of the season (one behind rival Hugh). Meanwhile, George finished his 15th and last run of his career (maybe). All along, George had said that this would be his last season on the ice road, but he was beginning to have second thoughts on his way back to Fairbanks. Hmm... time will tell if George really hangs it up this season. His protege (and family friend) Tim finished his first solo run of the season without any problems.

The episode's most thrilling moment almost didn't happen. Jack was supposed to haul his load of diesel fuel across 70 miles of ocean ice to remote Point Thomson, but when he arrived in Deadhorse, he learned that a polar bear (or possibly a polar bear den) was blocking the ocean ice road. Only a few hours remained before the road closed for the season and Jack was about to pack in it when the polar bear moved and the road reopened. So, he pulled his 50,000 lb. truck out onto the ocean ice, and I literally held my breath. The end of the season means thawing, and thawing means thinner ice separating Jack from the bottom of the freezing cold ocean below. You could actually see chunks of ice separating as he was passing nearby! So scary! In the end, he made it safely to Pt. Thomson where he dropped off his 20th load of the season (more than any other driver).

So, it was an intense season that saw some of the worst weather in the Dalton's history. There were blinding white-outs, huge mounds of snow, tons of accidents, wildlife in the road, and slippery, steep passes. Simply put, it was awesome! And I can't wait to do it all again next season. Better start breaking in the edge of my seat in a few months.

To catch up on this season of Ice Road Truckers, click on over to HistoryChannel.com where you'll also get show info, driver bios, and an IRT app for your iPhone.

Slippery When Wet

Temperatures have risen to -5 degrees, the ice is turning slushy and snow storms have given way to sleet storms. This can mean only one thing: spring has sprung on The Dalton! And from the looks of things this week, it's going to be a rough end to a very rough season. You know things are bad when "Dalton Ace" Jack Jessee is spinning out on Atigun and slipping and sliding across the Yukon River Bridge. How intense was his ride back to Fairbanks this week??!! When his truck came to a dead stop on Atigun, I literally held my breath. It was so scary! Luckily, the DOT plow was able to give him a tow up the remaining 300 feet.

Later, I was holding my breath once again when he tried to use the truck's momentum to carry him up the 6% grade of the Yukon River Bridge. I was actually scared when the show did that little fake-out leading into the commercial where it showed his rig careening toward the guard rail. Turns out, he slipped and slid, but was able to gain some traction (by downshifting) just in time. And just as a side bar, the animation that shows the truck plunging into the water and landing on the bottom of the river/sea really freaks me it. It's like 10x scarier than the one that shows the truck careening off the side of the mountain (not that I'd want to suffer that fate either, it's just that the water one is so much freakier!).

Meanwhile, my girl Lisa was hauling her most explosive load yet (literally!). After her first load stalled out on her (the air pressure on the trailer wasn't functioning properly), she unhooked her cab and went back inside the Carlile building to get another load. This new load was so dangerous, she had to inform the state police when she started out on the road (and she was quick to point out that the state police ought to always be informed when she's on the road -- hahahaha! I love Lisa!). She was very concerned that shifting (her achilles heel) would once again rear its ugly head on Two & a Half Mile, where last week, she spun out and had to back all the way down the incline to try again. So this week, she tried a little trick where she turned on the fan to cool the engine leading into the incline and then flipped it off at the right moment to give herself extra traction. It worked, and I was relieved.

Elsewhere, George and Tim completed, what could be, their last run together as George will be retiring at the end of this season. They hit a bad patch of low visibility going up Atigun, but otherwise, had a good run back to Fairbanks. Alex got stuck in Coldfoot when his convoy partner had a leak in his oil line and later when a storm settled on Atigun. The two eventually got back on the road to Deadhorse. Hugh and Phil (a.k.a. "Phil-Billy") completed another load and landed back in Fairbanks, but not before Hugh struggled going up the Beaver Slide. He failed to gain track, so he started purposely swirving his truck back and forth across the hill in an attempt to gain footing on something. It worked and it garnered him some serious praise from Phil-Billy. Overall, the road was thawing for the spring and it was making for some dangerous conditions for our fave ice road truckers. But then again, what else is new on the Dalton?

Ice Road Truckers airs Sunday nights on History Channel. To catch up on this season, click on over to HistoryChannel.com where you'll also get show info, driver bios, and an IRT app for your iPhone.

Breakdown, It's (Not) Alright

Murphy's Law was in play this week on Ice Road Truckers -- BIG TIME! And, strangely enough, it wasn't just one driver suffering: it was all of them. Lisa was heading south to Fairbanks when she and her passenger Anita (a stranded safety instructor whose flight from the North Slope was canceled when Mt. Redoubt started erupting a thousand miles south right outside Anchorage grounding flights across the state) encountered a breakdown. Lisa began to smell diesel fuel inside her cab. She stopped and discovered that her truck was leaking diesel. After laying out a hazard mat to catch the pollutant and turning off her truck, she tried reaching other truckers on her radio. Unfortunately, no one was within radio contact and she and Anita were stranded on the side of the road with no heat and a cab that was getting colder and colder by the second. After an hour, another truck finally crossed their path and stopped to help. He found the source of the leak, and luckily, had the needed part to mend it and get Lisa back on the road to Fairbanks. Of course, Lisa being female, blonde, attractive and stranded, several other trucks stopped to try to help her a well. She got back on the road and traveled the remainder of the 500 miles with strong diesel fumes in her cab leaving both her and Anita with headaches and unsettled stomachs. Fairbanks and the Carlile lot never looked so good.

Meanwhile, Alex was set to leave Deadhorse for Fairbanks with an out-of-service truck on his trailer when his truck suddenly took itself out of service courtesy of a flat tire. Unfortunately for Alex, this has been a common theme for him this season. He was temporarily sidelined until they patched his flat. He was on his way for the second time when he realized that the broken down truck he was hauling was leaking toxic anti-freeze. So, he had to drain the radiator so there would be no anti-freeze left in it to leak. Luckily, the third time was the charm and he and his convoy partner were finally southbound on the Dalton. Things went smoothly (he even managed to master his achilles heel: chaining up) until he got close to Fairbanks. His engine started to falter as he tried to ascend a hill. He pulled over and discovered that his air filter was clogged causing the engine to stall out. His convoy partner was able to rig a quick fix that carried them the rest of the way to Fairbanks.

Elsewhere, Hugh encountered problems before he even picked up his load in Fairbanks. His exhaust system was on the fritz, so he was stranded while he waited for the mechanics to fix it. They patched it up and had him on the road (with Phil Billy) about 5 hours later than he had anticipated. Later, he struggled with chaining up as he prepared to cross Atigun Pass. Dalton Ace Jack was hauling a crucial load of diesel fuel to Prudhoe. The eruption of Mt. Redoubt meant that the only supply line to the oil fields was the Dalton, so the generators needed to provide power to the buildings and rigs were running desperately low on fuel. Jack's load of 9,200 gallons of diesel would be a welcome site in Deadhorse. Most of his trip was uneventful, but he did have a close call with a southbound truck on one of the inclines. The truck was supposed to yield right-of-way, but continued to navigate the hairpin turn just as Jack was approaching it. A collision seemed imminent, but both trucks were able to pass through the curve without slamming into each other. The only other close call of the episode occurred when Hugh descended Atigun Pass and his "J brake" refused to engage. He couldn't use his regular brakes because they could cause him to jackknife and slide off the slope and downshifting was only slowing him down a bit. He was barreling down the hill when his J brake finally engaged and slowed down his rig. Somehow, no matter how many episodes I see of this show, it still manages to put me on the edge of my seat.

Ice Road Truckers airs Sunday nights on History Channel. To catch up on this season, click on over to HistoryChannel.com where you'll also get show info, driver bios, and an IRT app for your iPhone.

The 'Ice' Begins to Thaw

After they told us that Lisa would be hauling her load over the frozen Arctic Ocean, I waited the entire episode for those nerve wracking 36 miles. When the clock showed 9:59 and Lisa still wasn't on that ice, I thought they were going to end the episode without showing us my favorite part, but thankfully, I was wrong. They saved the best for last -- as in, the very last minute of the episode. And just to be sure that we were good and nervous enough, they were sure to throw in the line about the climbing temperatures beginning to melt the thick ice (cue video of sudden death when falling through the ice into the freezing cold Arctic Ocean just for fun) and the shots of the already cracking ice below her 40,000+ pound load. Yup, it's April in Alaska and the ice road is about to become the waterway road in 3 weeks (give or take). But just because it's April doesn't mean that the temps aren't still subzero or that blinding wind storms don't pop up without notice. Just ask Lisa, George and Tim. They faced one over the bluffs and it was INTENSE! Visibility was less than 50 feet and trucks were coming at them with little to no notice. For some reason, these three were convoying together. Lisa "It just seems like I'm fast because the other drivers are slow" Kelly was stuck behind George (a.k.a Mr. Slow and Steady) and Tim until they switched and gave her the lead. This worked well at first, but she missed a gear on 2 1/2 Mile (a steep incline) and spun out causing her to hold up traffic while she backed down and started again. Luckily, she made it up the second time. So, it was a slow start for Lisa this week, but she finished strong.

Meanwhile, Jack was hauling a load of DRA (the substance that helps the oil flow through the Trans Alaska Pipeline) to a station outside of Coldfoot. Seems like an easy enough load until you learn that the tank was only 3/4 of the way full giving Jack what's known as a "live load." The load is constantly moving -- sloshing back and forth in the tank -- depending on the speed, brake pressure and incline/decline of the road. Things took a scary turn when Jack descended the Rollercoaster and the DRA sloshed to the front of the tank. The movement can propel the truck down the hill at a faster rate of speed causing a very dangerous situation for Jack. When he started up the next incline, it sloshed to the rear of the tank causing the truck to struggle to make it up the hill. He eventually made it to the station with the "live load" intact.

Straps and wildlife posed the other obstacles on the Dalton this week. Alex was hauling an oversized load back to Fairbanks when he and his convoy leader encountered a patch of bad frost heaves. The violent bumping knocked a strap loose and the sharp edge of his load cut the loose strap off. It was flapping in the wind dangling dangerously close to the tires while the load started to sway back and forth. Alex finally pulled over and made the proper adjustments before continuing on to Fairbanks. Further up the Dalton, Hugh and Phil encountered a lone caribou running up the road. She seemed content to stay in the road instead of moving to the snow-filled sides. Phil tried to steer her toward the side by closing in on her a bit and she finally made her way off the road. I tell you, if it's not moose than it's caribou! So many hazards for one road.

Ice Road Truckers airs Sunday nights on History Channel. To catch up on this season, click on over to HistoryChannel.com where you'll also get show info, driver bios, and an IRT app for your iPhone.

Everything But the Taillights

It's amazing how something as small and seemingly insignificant can waylay an entire trip up Alaska's Dalton Highway, and yet, that's exactly what happened when taillights decided to go amuck in this week's episode. Lisa was able to fix hers with a little bungee cord and luck (and advice from "Dalton Ace" Jack Jessee), but Tim was not so fortunate. His malfunctioning tail lights cost him a run up the Dalton and about $1300 in missed income. He discovered the issue just outside of Fairbanks and had to turn around and head back to the Carlile yard to spend more time in the garage (a common theme for Tim's rookie season). But, Tim was not the only driver experiencing problems this week. Hugh returned to Fairbanks ahead of rival Alex, but he was stopped by the Alaskan authorities at the Fox Weigh Station for not keeping proper log books. In Alaska, a driver must rest 10 hours for every 16 on the road. Hugh hadn't crossed the 10-hour threshold according to his logs. His safety instructor (good old "Phil-Billy") retrieved the missing data from the Carlile headquarters, but Hugh was still cited and forced to pay more than $200 in fines, received 3 points on his license and was not permitted to drive in the meantime. And then there was the tanker driver who caught the unplowed snow and wound up in a ditch (not a driver featured on the show).

Despite the sorta "bad day" theme running through the episode, this was a super-awesome outing for me because my two faves -- Lisa and Jack -- were hauling together. Through the convoy, Lisa was able to pick up a few lessons from "The Dalton Ace." One lesson, about shifting on a downhill, led to some harrowing moments as her truck slipped into neutral and wasn't finding the gear that she needed in order to slow her it down before it slid out of control. Jack counseled her over the radio telling her to be patient and not to panic (easy for him to say!) and to give it time. Sure enough, the gear clicked into place and her truck slowed down just in time. Lisa declared the new method a success and decided that she would have to keep practicing. A lighter moment along the Dalton occurred in Coldfoot when Lisa woke up, showered, did her hair and then had to wait for Jack to get ready. First, she had to wake him up with a little honk of her horn. It took him 2 hours to her 1.5 to get ready to leave. Yes, Jack just got beaten in the getting ready contest by a girl. Love it! And then later, the two encountered a couple of adorable Dove Sheep running along the Dalton. Just more examples of how this show can be the most intense hour on TV at one moment and one of the most fun the next.

Ice Road Truckers airs Sunday nights on History Channel. To catch up on this season, click on over to HistoryChannel.com where you'll also get show info, driver bios, and an IRT app for your iPhone.

To Chain or Not to Chain

"Nah. I'm not going to chain up. I'm only carrying 12,000 pounds." Famous. Last. Words! This week on Ice Road Truckers, Hugh quickly learned that what worked in Canada doesn't work on Alaska's Dalton Highway. Chains may not be a part of the daily grind across the smooth, frozen Arctic Ocean, but along the ups and downs and the 4-mile stretch known as Atigun Pass they become a necessity. As Hugh slipped his way up the stretch, he realized that his decision to skip the chaining up process was a mistake. You live and learn and then you chain up. There's only one problem, though; out there on the Dalton, one mistake can cost you your life. Hugh eventually made it up OK and continued on to Prudhoe Bay where he completed his 6th load of the season (one ahead of rival Alex, although, Alex was gaining ground as he headed out of Prudhoe with his 6th load while Hugh remained ground waiting for "Phil-Billy").

This week's episode marked the return of "The Dalton Ace" Jack Jessee. I missed Jack and his ridiculously large oversized loads. This week: a 100,000-pound storage tank and he had a buddy making the haul with him with his own storage tank. We finally got to meet the appropriately named Carey Hall. Like Jack, he's a heavy-hauler and it seems, the two have quite the tit-for-tat when it comes to haul-road pranks. First, Jack taped a message on Carey's side view mirror that read, "If you are looking here, you know ugley (sic)." Carey, not one to be out-pranked, got him back by attaching the largest pair of underware ever onto the back of Jack's truck. He made it quite a ways up the Dalton before Carey finally came clean. In between the joking, there was a tense moment when Carey almost plowed through Jack while they traveled through The Rollercoaster. Jack was unable to find the right gear, and Carey (unable to slow down his rig) was quickly approaching and bringing a whole new meaning to "Objects in the rear view may be closer than they appear." Jack found his gear and another almost-catastrophe was avoided.

This episode was a bit Lisa-Lite, but she had some interesting moments through Atigun Pass and then later through the Beaver Slide on her way back to Fairbanks. First, she found herself having to drive in the opposite lane as she descended through Atigun because the northbound trucks (which always have the right-of-way on the Dalton) were having a difficult time getting traction as they ascended in the northbound lane. She was inches away from the edge (there was a small guard rail separating her rig from thousands of feet straight down) and having a difficult time seeing, but she cleared the descent and allowed the northbound trucks to maintain traction in the southbound lanes. Later, she found herself facing a very slick Beaver Slide. Her wheels spun and she quickly geared down in time to help her truck make it up the incline. Earlier in the episode, she mentioned that there are two kinds of drivers on the Dalton, "The ones who have been in the ditch and the ones who are gonna go in the ditch." So many times on this show it seems that the latter are about to become the former. And this is why I can't take my eyes off of my TV screen.

Ice Road Truckers airs Sunday nights on History Channel. To catch up on this season, click on over to HistoryChannel.com where you'll also get show info, driver bios, and an IRT app for your iPhone.

Stranded in Coldfoot

I literally watch this show on edge: my stomach's in knots, my jaw's clenched, and my foot shakes off nervous energy. And this week the show decided to up the ante even further. As if ice, steep passes, high altitudes, severe weather and a variety of road hazards weren't enough to get my heart racing, this week the Dalton added ice fog (a.k.a. "white death"), huge snow drifts, and super-slick ice that left truckers without brakes leading to a host of deadly dangers including jackknifing and sliding off the edge. Oh, and Hugh was also hauling 18,000 pounds of toxic waste. That'll give a man extra pause about driving recklessly on the Dalton. Most of the increased dangers this week could be chalked up to the impending winter storm that promised to choke Atigun Pass and make driving on the flat sections almost impossible. Hugh and his lead truck (Carlyle Safety Instructor Phil) made it to Atigun, but got caught waiting for a less fortunate driver to get his truck towed after turning sideways on the Pass. So, what do you do when you're stuck in -20 degree weather? Have a cook-out! Phil (or as Hugh calls him, "Phil-Billy"), planned ahead and brought caribou, veggies and a small grill to prepare them on. I have to admit, it was pretty awesome.

Meanwhile, Alex and his safety instructor Jack were trailing Hugh and Phil so they didn't reach Atigun until dark. To make matters worse, Jack got frustrated with Alex's lack of "chaining up" experience and left him to finish the process himself and then cross Atigun alone. This was toward the end and by this time, my nerves were a bit frayed. I know he made it across safely, but the details are a bit sketchy. He said a prayer and then took it nice and slow until he reached safety at Coldfoot (the Dalton's midway point). And then there's George and Tim and their harrowing trek through the flats with snow drifts that resembled snow mounds. These "drifts" were all over the road as the wind from the storm whipped more and snow into their lane. You could hear and see the stuff hitting the side of Tim's truck! It was intense!

My girl Lisa tackled her third oversized load of the season, but she only made it to Coldfoot because the storm shut down Atigun Pass before she had a chance to go through it. She, like most of the trucking fleet, was grounded in Coldfoot until the storm passed. Before she got there, though, there were a few tense moments. As any driver knows, our worst enemy is the other drivers on the road. They're unpredictable, distracted, and no one (and I mean no one) drives as well as we do. The Dalton is no exception. Lisa feared that the southbound traffic would brake as they approached her, causing their trailer to jackknife and plow right into her. Then, she lost her brakes for "The Rollercoaster," which, thanks to some awesome camera angles, put me right into the driver's seat with her. It was scary, but she made it safely to the bottom (full speed ahead). It was just another day on the Dalton.

Ice Road Truckers airs Sunday nights on History Channel. To catch up on this season, click on over to HistoryChannel.com where you'll also get show info, driver bios, and an IRT app for your iPhone.