Since I have got the car running better I have been driving the snot
out of it. Last night I was leaving the building where I work. I
work in a building that holds about 7,000 people. A couple of lister
can appreciate the road layout at where I work. The building has two
ring roads that go around the entire building and parking lots. Both
ring roads are one way, the interior road runs clockwise, and the
exterior runs counter clockwise. The complete circle is about 1.5 to
2 miles. The two ring roads are connected with some small connector
roads. This is all on private property so the speed limit is optional
and there are not police issuing speeding tickets. The ring roads
have the feeders that connect from the public streets, and they are
about 3/4 to 1 miles. My co-workers make comments about how I drive
on these roads, high speed, high RPM and trying never to slow down.
Last night I was leaving work at about 8PM. I got the MG up to about
60 MPH and started to head out the main feeder road. This feeder road
is about 3/4 of a mile and not many lights. I am doing about 65 MPH
and as I near the end in my headlights appears 3 deer moving left to
right across the road. I start to brake but it is clear I will not
stop in time so I head to the left side of the road. Two more deer
appear out of the dark and are right in front of me. I continue to
the left and at this point I need to avoid the last deer and I dropped
the two left wheels off the road. The back wheel then locks up and I
start to drift sideways. Now I am sliding sideways with my door
pointed at one scared deer. I was lucky since I was now going slow
enough that the deer turned back and I missed all of the deer in the
string about 8 deer. I did not stop to check out the lawn.
Later I was about 3 miles from home, sitting at a red light, about 15
feet behind a mini-van. I was on a two lane road and since Raceway
Park was letting out the oncoming lane was filled with cars and
trucks. The light is still red and I hear the dreaded squeal of tires
on the pavement. I looked over my shoulder and saw a BIG Chevy pickup
truck sliding at the rear of my MG. I punched the gas, dropped the
clutch and moved as close to that mini-van ASAP. The Chevy was not
stopping fast enough and it was clear he was going to park in my
trunk. Then the Chevy driver, realizing that he would could not stop
in time, turned into the guardrail and scrubbed the rest of his speed.
He missed me by about 8 inches. I was lucky that I was on the ball
and the truck driver had enough brains to hit the guardrail to stop
his truck. His damage was limited to a bent bumper, a wrinkled front
fender, and some missing paint.
Two near misses in a 17 mile trip, what a night. Oh yea I stopped and
purchased some lottery tickets, I am sure that they will be winners.
If I win I will be dropping of the list :-)
--
Later,
Bill mailto:w.gilroy@verizon.net
"Facts are the enemy of truth"
77 Midget
90 Shar-Pei
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