A restful sleep is one of the most important things in being healthy. So yes, be quiet! Here's a little story for you. I took on a midnight shift many years ago. After several years of working a typical day shift, when I came home in the morning, getting to sleep was nearly impossible for the first few days. To give you an idea of how long ago this was, I used to fall asleep to Jay Leno's monologue on the tonight show when I did work the day shift. The first challenge was getting my bedroom dark enough to mimic a nighttime environment. You really gotta black out those windows (very important). The second challenge was actually getting to sleep. It occurred to me that my routine involved the Tonight Show. Jay Leno was not on at 6am! Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! Record the Tonight Show on the VCR and then watch it in the morning! It worked!

@OpenRoading

2 ай бұрын

Nice! Yes sleep is super important! Beet harvest + truck problems beat that out of me this year. -J

That was really interesting. I’ve heard people talk about the beet harvest, even the ghost ,but never seen it. So thanks! Good job filming🎥

@OpenRoading

2 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for watching! The machine shutting down was SUPER weird. I'm sure there is some explanation that makes sense... But I've never seen a button "push itself" -J

Was great working with you man even tho we didn’t work the same piler still was a pleasure and man that night schedule was hard

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

I was shocked at how easily my body switched back to daytime schedule after how hard it was to get acclimated to nights! lol - J

We have watched a lot of videos about the beet harvest. This is by far the most complete one of them all. We love how honest you are in your Videos! Keep up the great work! Yes, we start each morning with a 'how did you sleep report?' 😉

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

Awe, thanks so much. I feel like I left a lot out in order to keep it entertaining. 😂 -J

Wow! I’m from Idaho & have seen the piles but never worked them. Awesome. Thank you.

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

Maybe next year if you need some extra cash! 😁

Just found you guys this weekend, and I’m so excited! Love your channel and content. But I think what I love the most is that you’re working towards a goal and not just traveling all around the world like Kara and Nate. Love, love, love, the channel!

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

I’m not sure how to handle getting compared to Kara and Nate… 👀 -J

Just found your channel. Awesome!!! Yes i ask wife how she slept. An insomniac unfortunately she is. The beet industry is something i never knew about. Thanks for showing us your day.👍👍👍

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

So glad you found us! Yea we were clueless about sugar beets until last year. It's crazy. -J

That beet harvest schedule is no joke, I don't know that I could handle the night shift but I'm guessing the newer staff get that night shift. We always enjoy your videos- Kyle and Michelle

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

So they rotate shifts. Last year I worked days, so this year I had to work nights. If I go back next year, I'll be back on days. In the district I work at there is one crew at one piling site that always works nights every year because they love the night shift so much. But yeah, either way they are no joke for sure. The work isn't hard (IMO), it's the hours. Thanks so much for the encouragement! -J

I am impressed by y’all managing the whole night shift thing! 🙌🏼

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

Stay tuned....the beet harvest was just a preview of what's to come for me 🤣 -J

LOL, yes, we totally do the sleep report every morning, a strange little ritual indeed... :)

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

It's such a funny thing to do! 😄 - K

Very educational I have heard about the beet Harvest was not sure what the job intaled thanks for sharing from central/upstate also 30 miles North of Syracuse

@OpenRoading

3 ай бұрын

Glad you found it informative! You're way up there! We lived in the Southern Tier before moving to sunny FL in 2013. -J

@libbymckittrick8277

3 ай бұрын

Love your videos so real and thanks for showing how you painted the stripes I want to do mine was not sure how but now I do yea we are in snow country lol

@OpenRoading

2 ай бұрын

@@libbymckittrick8277 Yeah....has to be above 50 degrees.... 🥶 -J

My husband and I just found your channel yesterday and we are hooked. It's nice to see people our age "bawling on a budget" as well! 😂 We are 16 months into our full timer ways. I really enjoy this series as it's inspiring some ideas for me. Thanks for being so relateable!

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

Welcome!! We love getting to know other full-timers! We spent the first few years of RV life coasting and making memories, now it's time to hustle to continue the dream. 😄 Thanks for watching and following along! - K

That looks like a lot of work...! I remember my days on the oil rigs in ND, those 12.5 hour days (2 weeks straight) were brutal. Everyone always spends 2-3 days wages on Carhartt jackets & expensive Redwing boots. I always used the $50 dollar logger boots from fleet farm & a wool sweater (can't waste $$ on work apparel Lol) Grinding out those 12 hour days makes awesome $$ on double time or "time and a half". Nice work!

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

I am SO with you on clothing!! Of course we were never working in weather below 31 degrees BUT that didn't stop me from just wearing long johns and LITERALLY the same pair of pants all harvest long. Not to mention a coat from a thrift store and $70 boots from Walmart that lasted me 2 seasons. 😆 I was going to buy a Carhartt jacket from a thrift store. It had a bunch of holes in it and they wanted like $25 for it. Nope. -J

@homermcclain4599

5 ай бұрын

A pair of old white muck luck boots work great in a patch don't see why they wouldn't work great in a beat field

@homermcclain4599

5 ай бұрын

I turn 64 in April retired truck driver got bored looking at this bead harvest thinking about going for it Long hours that's no thing to me I spent pretty much all my life from 15 years of age up working anywhere from 100 to 125 30 hours a week body still pretty good shape hell I can hurt four weeks be sitting here at the house all alone and Pennsylvania and watching moss grow on the walls and on my face when I look in the mirror

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

@@homermcclain4599 as long as they are warm! -J

Thanks for the glimpse into a typical day! SO glad you had at least a couple of those days, once the truck was fixed! 😅 And yes, we check on sleep every morning too! 😂

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

LOL! It's a thing, right?! Like, it's the first conversation of the day, EVERY. DAY. -J

When it comes to working the Sugar Beet Harvest..."You take the red pill... you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes"....👍🤔🎞🎬

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

Hmmm....I'm not sure taking drugs would be a good idea prior to working on heavy equipment. 😬 (I caught the reference though) -J

My husband and I did the Michigan Beet Harvest this fall for the first time. Will you do it again? We haven’t decided.

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

At this moment in time I'm going to say yes. That of course could change - but if we do get to Alaska this year, North Dakota is pretty much on our way to Florida which is where we will probably winter next year. I really like my foreman and last I checked some of our crew would be coming back too. You never know though! -J

So, judging by the amount of dirt "cleaned" up, There is a slight error in weight; it doesn't get returned to the field by the trucks that brought it in. I suppose the total is weighed and taken off total. the beet weight, figured that one out by myself.

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

I mean…yeah there is a lot of dirt that comes off the machine when it is cleaned but that is after a few hundred trucks. That dirt is not weighed or returned.. As to the dirt trucks take out 99% of it is from their load. Depending on how quickly they come off the deck and get to the dirt return there is a chance that they are getting a couple pounds of the next trucks dirt, but there is also a possibility that a couple pounds of their dirt went into the precious truck. It’s not “perfect” but it’s dang close. -J

I hope you are making big money at the harvest, looks like a lot of hard work. Nice to see you are posting consistently. Larry

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

Makin' that sugar money! -J

@homermcclain4599

5 ай бұрын

Thank God for those procedures. Unfortunately many years ago I worked at a facility that followed the same procedures The head of employee that they did not like. I was on duty that died and made complaints about some of their procedures I managed to get to the lockout in power cut off in time to save that employee in doing so I was fired and restricted from that line of work in the future.

@homermcclain4599

5 ай бұрын

Play blacklisted me for doing what's right. Hats off to you Jay and for every other operator in every industry for taking the precautions to protect yourself and your personnel around you. Your own personal safety is always best to look out for but it's even better to save a fellow hand

Gilmore Girls does nothing but make me incredibly hungry! I'm getting serious Gold Rush wash plant vibes from these videos. I love the new format, cadence, and energy.. easily a favorite channel of mine

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

First, thanks so much for that amazing compliment! I'm very happy the new format is noticeable...in a good way. Second, could you explain Gold Rush wash plant? My google search is rendering....not enough of an explainer for me. lol Enjoy your snow! -J

@acatzr800

6 ай бұрын

​@@OpenRoadingI'm a big fan of the show Gold Rush and Joe's work reminds me of the work they do running paydirt through the wash plants as part of the recovery process. Conveyor belt tears and lockups are frequent and so the plant shutting down is very familiar.

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

AHHH! Now it all comes together. Yeah, these machines were built in the 1950s so probably a LOT of similarities! -J

I shared it to my Facebook.

Thank you for keeping it real

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

That's our number 1 goal with our content. -J

Alaska suggestion: Change your fuel tank to a larger one. Go longer and better to carry more.

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

I love that suggestion...but the tanks are so dang expensive. I'm going to carry more fuel for sure and do plenty of research on our route to make sure we have enough to get to the next station. -J

I use a C pack, yes I check with myself in the morning.

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

I hope yourself responds favorably. 😄 - K

Sleep more important to longevity than cleaning the house

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

Thanks so much! I like trying to pull my weight in keeping the house clean and it takes us so much less time to do it together. -J

Yes, Susan and I often sleep report. :)

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

Are you even married if you don't? 😆 - K

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

I think sometimes if I sleep well the sleep report is a gauge as to how chipper I can be (aka...If her answer to "did you sleep well" is "No" then I know I need to tone down the chipper scale a notch or two.) 😂 -J

Another great video guys! Congrats on getting through the harvest.

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

Thanks so much! They are a ton of work but I'm really enjoying the process. Did ya'll find a place to spend the winter? -J

@PittsWithAPurpose

6 ай бұрын

@@OpenRoading we are in Texas. We found a great place. We work a rotating schedule. Two days 9-6, then six days off.

@PittsWithAPurpose

6 ай бұрын

@@OpenRoading we still haven't done a video. Between the long editing and me not really being an “in front of the camera” sort of person, we are still trying to figure it all out. Yours are always good.

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

That's an AMAZING schedule! We're in Texas too which means we must be next door neighbors right now, right!? 🤣 -J

Curious why you stay in Drayton and work at McArthur….I work Bathgate last 6 harvests and stay in Hamilton. Great videos.

@OpenRoading

6 ай бұрын

I. Have. No. Idea. 😂 So in 2022 they originally had us camped in Grafton and working at McArthur. They realized that wasn't a good idea during orientation (40 minute commute) and moved us to Drayton. From there on out I was told that if you worked a previous year generally they put you in the same location if you come back (same piling site, same campground). I do know there was one other McArthur employee who stayed at Drayton but he worked dayside so no carpooling option there. Thanks so much for watching! -J

Don't you have day/night shades in the rig? At least in the bedroom? It's way to bright in there. No way I'd be able to sleep with that much light.

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

Nope. If it gets too bright for us we have reflectix we throw in the windows but I’ve managed to be able to sleep during the day without them. -J

What are the padlocks for? Is it a lock out-tag out system? I'd love to know what that the farm uses them for.

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

It's a simple but effective safety device. When you clean the piler you cut the power to the machine, then every person who is going to be in or around the machine puts their lock on a device that prevents the machine from getting turned back on. Once cleaning is done, everyone removes their own lock, and then the machine is turned back on. Without this system in place it would be possible for someone to still be in the machine when it gets turned on (and has happened before this system was in place from what I've been told). -J

@dteitsma

5 ай бұрын

Got it! That's an important safety device!

Love watching your videos. I'm from upstate ny, where are u from in ny

@OpenRoading

4 ай бұрын

I spent most of my childhood in Cortland and Joseph grew up around Corning. Then we spent a few years in Binghamton after we got married! -K

Beard looks good! What was wrong with the truck? Air in the fuel lines?

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

What is wrong with it....it runs rough when cold....what WAS wrong with it is I tried to fix it. (see our 16 days without a truck video) 😂😂 -J

What do you do when you are on different sleeping schedules and you are done with a job and you now are getting on the same sleeping schedule how do you do this?

@OpenRoading

3 күн бұрын

When we were on different sleeping schedules it was tough since we didn't really get to spend a lot of time together. As to switching sleep schedules I usually just make as close to a 24 hour day as I can getting into it. Stay up overnight then crash the first morning. It then takes a few days to get used to it. Then do the same thing coming off it. Just make sure your not working or driving on that day of switching. -J

How can I get a job driving truck for beet harvest?

@OpenRoading

4 ай бұрын

That is a good question! I would reach out to American Crystal Sugar to see if they can put you into contact with the various farmers. As far as I can tell the farmers are all in charge of their own hiring so you'd have to work directly with them. I do know at least one of the farmers had a few RV sites and/or a bunkhouse for drivers. -J

I'm surprised they permitted him to video while he's was working.

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

I cleared everything with my foreman and with any crew that showed up in the videos. Also the vast majority of any video shot was actually when I was on break so as not to disrupt the flow. But yes, This is certainly something you need to clear before you do! -J

How do the beets get picked in the fields

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

Farm machinery. It's a very big operation. -J

They can't bring in frozen beets, but you pile them up in freezing weather for months and hope they don't freeze? I'm confused!

@OpenRoading

Ай бұрын

So it's my understanding that frozen beets, if they start warming in the pile, begin to rot. Once one rots it creates a hotspot in the pile and a giant section of it will rot. The beets, once piled, hold their temp pretty well. and I'm guessing if an OUTSIDE beet freezes and thaws it's not as big of a deal as one deep in the pile (I could be very wrong on that). There are freeze piles that once stacked they blow cold air through the pile to freeze them and they keep them frozen until they are needed. I'm certainly not an expert... I just know that the people in charge don't want beets coming into the pile pre-frozen. -J

Just kind of wondering what happened to the dog I’ve been going through the videos and I haven’t seen any new videos of the dog could you get rid of him or her?

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

Watch the most recent video with the thumbnail “unemployed” for your answer. 😀 -J

Re Sleep Reports. When I ask my wife how she slept, she'll say "I don't know. Let me check my app." She wears an Aura ring to track her sleep and trusts her ring more than her own opinion. 🙄

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

LOL! I tried that with a fitbit for a while, never trusted the results though. 😂 I do think Kalyn wants one of those rings though....-J

No dog??

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

This was before Trinity! 😀 -K

Thank you for also hating the beard situation. Just not a fan and over that pandemic thing we all endured suddenly it seemed like all the rage to just grow it all out. Still not quite over it...yikes.

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

😂 You can always come here for a beard free viewing experience. I promise you...it will never be more than stubble. -J

Sure can't "beet" a free pay day or 3.

@OpenRoading

5 ай бұрын

Haha. Exactly! - K