I drove over 1,000 miles last weekend on the way to and from visiting a dear friend. On the way, I had ample opportunity to muse about the complexities and mysteries of life, including weigh stations.
You know what I mean — those little places along highways ostensibly built as “a checkpoint along a highway to inspect vehicular weights” (according to Wikipedia). But they’re never open. There’s usually a sign that says “weigh station” and then in glowing letters it says “closed.” I think prior to this trip I’d seen only one that was open and had a truck driving into it. Coming home I did see a weigh station sign with glowing letters that said “open,” but I never saw the weigh station. Very mysterious if you ask me.
And yes, I did do my research on this and found out about the electronic bypass systems with scales embedded in the road so trucks can be weighed without actually entering the weigh station. But the weigh stations are still there, mostly closed from what I’ve seen, and I wonder what they might be used for. Here are my top theories:
- They are entrances to secret government facilities, hiding in plain sight like the purloined letter. And being a weigh station, even an out-of-use one, means no one would think it too terribly odd if a truck drove in and delivered secret something or others.
- The entire weigh station thing is a cover for an alien invasion. They landed here and set up weigh stations, edited Wikepedia, and no one noticed because everyone assumed the stations were someone else’s jurisdiction.
- 42. It’s the answer to life, the universe, and everything, so I’m assuming that includes weigh stations.
- They actually are what they claim to be, but have now been taken over by some kind of secret organization. I’m picturing men in floor-length cloaks with masks whispering “What’s the password?” and speaking in Latin.
Personally, I’m leaning toward number 2. But that might just be because I’m starting to get excited about Falling Skies coming back on the 22nd.
What are your off-the-wall or so-strange-it-just-might-be-real theories? Doesn’t have to be about weigh stations — could be anything that has the potential to be far more interesting than most people assume.
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Weigh stations have long struck me as creepy being a “trucks only” thing in the middle of nowhere and sometimes set back from the road so you can’t really see them while more often than not they’re closed. This was a fun read. I’m glad you asked about off-the-wall theories, I’d love to hear other people’s strange theories and I have a theory about the disappearance of socks, I wrote this post last August: http://loreandlit.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-secret-life-of-socks.html
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Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed your “Secret Life of Socks” theory. It makes so much sense 🙂
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Hello! I have been an avid reader of your blog for some time now, but only just got around to commenting. Snort. I really must work on that. 😉
But anyway, just dropping in at the moment to let you know that I nominated this post for “I’d Like To Share” (http://miss-dashwood.blogspot.com/p/id-like-to-share.html) at Miss Dashwood’s blog. It made me giggle for quite some time. 😀
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Thank you 🙂 I’m so glad you commented — I enjoy meeting my readers. By the way … I love your user name. Austen is one of my favorite writers, and Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of her novels.
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Ooooh, are you a Janeite too, then? I always love meeting fellow fans of Miss Austen’s work. 😉 In any case, I’m glad you like my username! I’ve had it for my online “identity” since I started blogging and I’m very happy with it still. 😉
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I am a fan of her work (I’ve read her six novels), but I’m not sure I’m quite devoted enough to be called a Janeite. Have you read any of her letters or juvenilia? I keep meaning to read Lady Susan, since I actually have a copy, but I get distracted by other books.
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I have read the Juvenilia, but not the letters–you? Haha, I’ve read Lady Susan once or twice; it’s quite amusing. I own all the JA books, plus Lady Susan and Jane Austen’s unfinished works (“The Watsons” and “Sanditon”…I haven’t read them yet, though :P), but I don’t put them to use nearly as much as I ought. There are too many other books to read in the world! 😉
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I haven’t read them yet — just her six full-length finished novels. Since I admire Austen’s writing so much the letters, Lady Susan, and the unfinished works are on my to-read list, but I simply haven’t got around to them yet. You’re right — there are simply too many books in the world to find time for them all!
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It depends on what state your in, some of them are like speed traps. Sometimes they also get used as CDL testing sites I passed my test at a weigh station in Missouri.
I get it though, everyone sees them and only trucks go in so they make people curious but they really aren’t very exciting. I’d say they are about as fun as a waiting room at the DMV.
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