Trucking Over Cabbage Hill

One of the most magnificent things I have ever seen in my life is the view from atop Deadman Pass, otherwise known as Cabbage Hill. This stretch of road runs between La Grande, Oregon and Pendleton, Oregon on I-84. If you ever get the chance to head to the northwest you really need to drive this road...however, make sure that you do it with care.

One winter, during my truck driving days, we had a delivery to make to Bend, Oregon. I was a fairly new driver who had only been at it for about a year at this point and I was very unfamiliar with Cabbage Hill or its reputation. Well, it just so happened that the weather turned nasty rather quickly, so when we arrived in La Grande, Oregon we learned that the road was closed over the mountain due to blizzard like conditions, with little to no visibility and ice of 12 plus inches on the road. We waited out the storm and after 3 days we were instructed that the road was now passable for vehicles with chains. Fortunately (or not) for us, the company that we drove for had supplied us with chains that we had placed on our rig and trailer for our journey across the famous Cabbage Hill.

It was decided, since my driving partner was too tired to drive after so much hassle with the chains and the fact that he had a hangover from the previous nights alcohol consumption, that I would be the one to drive over the Pass and stop once we reached Pendleton, which was only about 55 miles. Let me tell you driving that road in a semi with chains and a bunch of other semis is really a lot of fun, albeit a little slow and dangerous.

Well, I was driving along, irritated at my partner for making me drive in the first place on a road that I was not at all familiar with, so a few of the other drivers we were with suggested that I pull a little prank on him and we devised a plan.

I commenced to yell back at him in the sleeper, "Hey, what do I do if the brakes catch on fire?".

He responded, "You'd better jump out".

I grabbed the handle of the door, let it come open just a little and then slammed it closed after a few seconds.

You need to realize that I was only driving at about 20 miles per hour, but in his foggy state, all he could think of was brakes on fire, an icy road and deep gorges of the side of a huge mountain. He came flying out of the sleeper berth in his skivvies and just about landed in my lap...and began to berate me to the highest degree. Of course the whole time this was going on, I had the CB mike keyed up so all our driving buddies were privy to the entire episode. They hooted and hollered...what fun they got from that little episode.

A while later we arrived at the truck stop in Pendleton, Oregon where, believe it or not, they sell cattle prods. It was the first truck stop where I had ever noticed something like this for sale so I laughingly pointed it out to my partner....BIG MISTAKE! Although he now saw the humor in my little prank, you can guess what happened as soon as I turned my back. Ah well, turn about is fair play I guess.