More Like Sour Beets

Recently, I learned what a Jake Brake is.  I learned about it because starting as early as 2 a.m. and going all day long, I heard the loud, sputtering, Jake Brakes being used as they roared past our house.  You see, we live across from a sugar beet dump and starting in late September, the sugar beets are pulled out of the fields and transported to the dump.  The past 2 years we noticed an increase in traffic during the day, but it didn’t really bother us.  What’s a month of heavy traffic?  Mildly annoying at best.

This year, however, the daytime temperatures have been record setting……70 to nearly 90 degrees in October!  Because of the heat, the sugar beets have to be harvested in the morning when it is cool.  This means the heavy traffic is starting as early as 2 a.m.  This also means the Jake Brake noise starts at 2 a.m.

I have neglected to educate you on what a Jake Brake does.  Basically, this lovely feat of engineering slows the engine of a diesel truck down.  It works by releasing compressed air in the cylinders.  This release results in an extremely loud, downshifting sound that will rattle you right out of your bed in the morning.  It’s like some form of sugar beet truck torture device.

Rio is not amused….

Rio

Sometimes, the trucks leave us souvenirs.

Sugar Beet

Here’s a picture of the huge beet piles accumulating.  They get to be about twice this size.

Beet piles

Thankfully, the harvest will be done soon.  Then, the piles will sit there and mock us until it’s time to take them to the sugar beet factory.  Thankfully, the factory is East of us, so the trucks won’t be driving by the house to pick up beets.

Until then, I remain sleep deprived!