Pulled out late, after playin' with the dogs in the grass at WalMart Ogden... headed NW, continuing up... ugh!... Interstate 84... and, within the hour, got my second, and then, 'bout a half hour later, my Third gentle reminder, of why I reeeeallly don't like movin' very far on an Interstate...
Are there ANY drivers of Cages (motorcycle speak for a car) left on the road... who know HOW to Merge into traffic, from an On Ramp, correctly? ... or Hell, even Drive the dang thing at all?
Yesterday afternoon, as we got close to Wally Ogden, came reminder #1. A lil' white car came down the on ramp... that I was passing at a sizzling 60 mph... They timed their Merge so that they would hit the highway... right about the middle of the fifth wheel...
Hmmmm.... 11,500+- Lb fifth wheel hitched up to a truck tipping 9,000+ vs. 2500 lb. car... who ya guess is gonna win that argument?
Geeeze! Does Anyone know that the responsibility of the Driver, already ON the highway is to maintain a steady and consistent speed, so the ON RAMP driver can correctly pace their Merge to blend into traffic... In front of... or behind... the Drivers already out on the Highway? WITHOUT forcing them to accelerate or stomp on the binders? ... not a good thing to be doin' in heavy vehicles anyhoo!
So... the buggers had the punk arrogance... to wear out their horn, 'cause I didn't push that 18 wheeler beside me out of the way, run up and push the car in front of me out of the way... or see how much rubber I could squeal off the tires locking up the binders... so they wouldn't have to bother learning how to drive!
So, that was #1... this morning... maybe an hour into todays roll... a movement caught my eye in the left mirror as I rolled down the right hand, north bound lane pushing the blinding speed of 60 mph... #2, Another lil' white car, popped out from behind us somewhere... moving toward the median side of the left lane...
Just as I looked back, and that car got 'bout halfway up the trailer... the left rear fender of that lil' car started goin' west... while the front end started coming east... "Uh Oh" I thought... "there ain't room out here for runnin' slaloms... and I'm sittin' right where she's headed...
As I took my foot off the throttle, that lil' car come slidin', 'bout 3/4 sideways, and cut across the pavement in front of us... missing my left front fender by 12... maybe 18"...
Now... here's where I went into my; "My, ain't this pretty up here", Wolf Creek pass sort of meditation...
Curiously scratching my chin... I thought... "Now, if I cut left, she'll slide that bugger back that-a-way and I'll send her butt to perdition... and if I go right... she'll keep goin' that way... and we'll get the same metal crunching, day ruining commotion... but if I go straight down the middle..." and that's when I recollected how those NASCAR boys always say; "If they get tangled up in front of you, aim for the tangle... by the time you get there... it'll be gone!"
So... I sat back down, put my feet back on the pedals, took a good solid grip on that steering gizmo in front of my seat... and aimed that 20,000 lbs of truck, trailer and motorcycles... straight for that fool bimbos drivers door... slidin' along in front of me... all that scratching, conjuring and calculatin' took maybe one part of a half second!
... and sure 'nuff... just like those NASCAR boys promised... when I got there... she was gone!
The tail of that lil' car, as it whipped across in front of us... went from pointin' west to snappin' to the east with the squeelin' of tormented tires... leaving the nose now headed toward the median... and just like that, passenger door headin' north, tail end comin' around, workin' on a 360... she slid off into the median, showerin' us with rocks and gravel... 'till she dissapeared in a cloud of dust...
I roared on by at my sizzling road speed of 60mph... and looking back in the mirror...
...To see her come spinning out of the dust, heading for the other side of the interstate!... she spun across that... across in front of the south bound traffic... without having rolled... without hitting anyone, or anyone hitting her... and the last I saw, she had the damn thing parked on the shoulder, headed south!
Damndest thing I've ever seen... but... it did slow me down even more... while I got used to that uncomfortable feeling in my shorts!...Though I don't want to consider what the inside of her car smelled like...
I rolled along... and started cussin' the now, chipped and cracked... what had been a brand new windshield... that wasn't chipped and cracked 6" when I got up this morning! aaaarrrrgggghhhh!
What the hell she was doin'... or why... I got no knowledge... likely fiddling with a text to her boyfriend when she looked up and saw the V Star sittin' on the tail of the fiver... comin' at her at an alarming rate of speed... What a fool...
But then... On to #3... maybe 20 miles later... an instant replay of #1... Down hill ramp... road wide open clear in front of me... wide open clear in back of me... and I watched the fool roll down the ramp... in what appeared to be a brand new car... pacing right beside me, down that long, long ramp... with an even longer run on lane... so that she could hit the highway... at my door... and then she wants to get mad at me? Huh?
Lookie here... you want help? ask for it... you fall down, I'll help you up... you're hungry? I'll likely share a burger with you... You come at me pushin' an' shovin'... all angry and arrogant? or, a willfully, incompetent driver? I'll grin, as I grab you by the collar... and play cowboy Polo with your butt! :o) don't matter to me if you're on foot or motivatin'...
So... with a kind of "Sour" feelin' growin' on the day... we rolled on as far as Boise... hoping to put us in range of a decent National Forest Spot to set up a few days, when we break into Oregon... maybe around Baker City on the Umatilla National Forest or some such... and get away from those that run the interstates... we just don't seem to see eye to eye.
That put as at Wal Mart Boise. our second Wally Docking night in a row... Not bad neither... I got pine trees right outside my window... If I don't look past 'em... I can almost hear the mountain stream gurglin'.
Maybe tomorrow... tonight... just chill and enjoy the Free parking... hell that's half of Free-dom ain't it?
Later folks. Tomorrow, on to Oregon...
Take Good Care
Brian
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5 comments:
Your post today brought my heart rate up and reminded me of our accident last Sept. In 4 more days i'll be hitched up and ready for the battle of the unable drivers. Last year in Missouri on the Interstate we were hit twice...First the husband and wife ran into us at over 100mi/hr in our jack stands and then in our tires on the right side!! They were lucky to be alive and for us well we are still paying the price! Stay safe and let them bounce off!!) BiLL
I think maybe all the crazy Alabama rush hour drivers were out there on vacation today....Yikes.
BTW, you are the sole cause of me finally ordering a Kindle3. I was kinda against them, too many gadgets you know, but then you got me to thinking. Sure will save a lot of trees and be easier to carry a lot of books around with me in the rv. Should get it next week, and then can learn how to download ebooks. I think I might just be a bit excited.
chuckandAyn
Oh, man when I read your post when we got home, my heart rose up in my throat. At first I thought you had been in an accident, but as I read on, I was so relieved that you hadn't been in one. I think we have always has those merge idiots trying to beat you, knowing good and well that an 18 wheeler is in the other lane. So glad you and Heidi are ok, and a big thank you to Hiself, who was riding co-pilot, sitting in Heidi's lap.
Safe travels my friend, I am determined to meet you down the road.
I'm thinking that if you want to head north you will be fine weather-wise. I don't think we got more than 1 snow all winter last winter in Olympia. Then again, 2 winters before (which a month before I got there) they had a huge snow in December. Keep an eye on the extended forecast and you should be fine. It might be misty/rainy/chilly but you shouldn't have too much actual winter. I'm still running the air conditioner here in Honduras. :)
I think they confuse us with road and sky... because our motorhome is silvery grey on the bottom and blue on the top! LOL
A local morning newscaster said her *pet peeve* was when people don't move over for HER when she is coming down a ramp to enter the highway. The news station was flooded with calls and emails from people who know HOW to drive and told her how WRONG she was-----
It's a wonder how some folks got their driver's license?
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Karen and Steve
(Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com
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