A few hours ago the odds of this post or any future post being made on TBP ever again looked awfully slim. Just another uneventful trip to Penn State.
Our multi-pronged moving of my youngest son into his apartment at Penn State Altoona and my older son into his house (shared with 15 other guys) at State College went so smoothly I almost couldn’t believe it. We drove my youngest with his stuff jammed into our “new” Honda Civic (bought after crazy lady in BMW destroyed our other Civic several weeks ago).
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Jimmy drove the Honda Insight with his stuff to State College. The car was going to stay with my youngest because Jimmy doesn’t need a car at Main Campus. Everything is walk-able and they have shuttle buses running everywhere. We unloaded Mike’s stuff yesterday afternoon and then had to make the inevitable trip to the Altoona Wal-Mart to pick up some remaining necessities.
Never have I seen a more deprived bunch of tattooed, obese, slovenly, rude people in my life. I felt dirty walking around that store. I weep for our country. Besides the college campus, Altoona is just an amalgamation of what our country has become. Big box cookie cutter retail stores, every fast food joint on the planet, banks to provide the debt for the spending at these palaces of consumer consumption, and medical facilities to treat the maladies incurred during their trek towards obesity and beyond. I’m constantly amazed by how many people can be spending money at these retailers and eating out when they have no jobs or low paying service jobs. The beauty of easy credit. Thank you Janet Yellen.
We had completed the move-in by 4:00 pm and headed to the Comfort Inn to rest and prepare for today. Jimmy drove over the couple items we couldn’t fit in the Civic and we met at 11:00 am at Mike’s apartment. We met his three roommates and they all seemed like good kids. That made my wife very happy and relieved. She worries about her baby. We then drove Jimmy back to his house on West College Avenue and met a number of his roommates. They were all friendly and outgoing. His room was nice and the place was in good shape, for now.
I love the feel and atmosphere of State College. It’s a beautiful town and is bustling with activity. We took him out to lunch at The Corner and enjoyed walking around campus. It has a great college vibe. Classes start tomorrow. After my wife made her tearful goodbye we hopped into the car for what we thought would be a nice 3 hour and 15 minute drive home. The weather was perfect and we decided to take I-80 East home because it would be about 30 minutes quicker than the Turnpike. The only drawback to I-80 is the heavy usage by trucks. Don’t I know that now.
We were about one hour into our journey home. Traffic was fine. We were on one of the few portions of the road where it expands to three lanes. There was an 18 wheeler in the center lane. A car with a trailer and an SUV were in front of me in the left lane trying to pass the truck. The car with the trailer passed the truck and moved into the center lane. The SUV passed the truck but moved in front of the truck with very little room to spare. I thought to myself – that was a dumb move. At that point I was in the left lane just behind the cab portion of the truck. The truck driver must have been pissed off by the SUV and put his left turn signal on and began to move into the left lane.
One problem. I was right next to him in the left lane and he did not know it. We were about to die a fiery death unless I did something. I swerved completely off the roadway while jamming on my brakes at 75 mph. The car went into a grassy ditch below the road level and we began to fishtail as I tried desperately to maintain some semblance of control. Meanwhile we were just inches from the back end of the big rig. During this terrifying few seconds (that seemed like an eternity) my wife was screaming OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD as she saw the truck inches away. The odds were extremely high that this was going to be our fate.
I was somehow able to maintain control without the car flipping over or swerving back into the traffic which was coming from behind at 75 mph. Trying to keep a car under control while in a grassy crevice at high speeds and trying to avoid a massive truck is no fun. We came to a standstill on the side of the road. Somehow the car ended up in neutral even though I never touched the gear shift. The 18 wheeler just kept on trucking like nothing had ever happened. Cars kept flying by. After about 30 seconds to regain my composure, I put it back in drive and hoped nothing had been damaged. I pulled back into the left lane and proceeded onward. The car drove fine, but I was a little shaken up for awhile.
It just so happened that there was a huge traffic jam up ahead due to construction and all the 18 wheelers were in the center lane, while we stayed in the left lane. We surely passed the trucker who almost killed us, but all the trucks looked alike, so we had no idea which one it was. So my wife gave the stink eye to all of them as we passed. In retrospect, we probably got lucky. Much of I-80 has guardrails on the left side, or much steeper embankments, or trees, or rocks. If it hadn’t been a relatively flat grassy swale, we would probably have died. There was no choice but to leave the roadway.
Our conversation during the rest of the tedious drive home (just over 4 hours due to accidents all over the place) was fairly dark. We wondered what the three boys would have done with the $1 million of life insurance proceeds. We joked that Jimmy and Mike would immediately drop out of college and live it up. My wife hoped they would pool the money and go into business together. But they’ll have to wait. I saved our lives to fight another day. With this Fourth Turning about to get nasty, I found out first hand I handle pressure pretty damn well. Bring it on you bastards. I’m ready. And so concludes another uneventful trip to Penn State.
I always enjoy your stories about traveling to and from PSU and State College, since I have lived there for the 33 years, and still do (moved here from Provo, Utah).
Hi,
That is a horrifying story that all of us can relate to. Glad it ended well.
My wife and I drove 11,000 miles across country this summer and have another 2,000 mile trip planned.
Thanks for the wakeup call, we all need to be reminded.
Best personal regards,
Dennis Miller
Be vewy vewy careful.
I was about 20 when a friend and I were on the highway to meet more friends at Great Adventure in NJ. An SUV in front of us drifted onto the grass at 60+ mph on the right hand side. I believe the driver fell asleep. He yanked the wheel too far and went into the grass on the left. Yanked again and went back off the right. Still out of control, the SUV slammed into the divider on the left and flipped on its top. We stopped and all 4 family members were able to get out and walk it off. Damn scary.
You have no idea the condition drivers on the road are in.
Driving nowadays, you’ve got to be quick. Modern cars are great, a Honda today has better brakes and handling than a BMW did 25 years ago. But there is no substitute for honed, instinctive driving skills. It was test day, Jim. You passed.
Thank God.
Good ending to a not-so-good event. May all your good endeavors be successful and protected.
Awesome job Jim. I’m glad you are still alive and unharmed!
Driven that road many times. Glad you and the wife are safe. Keep up the great work!
Great story. I have a few like that but they all involve drugs and alcohol and occurred when I was in college. I really shouldn’t have survived. The big guy looks out for guys like us. Really.
. You do realize you were in his blind spot ? He probably couldn’t see you .As you learned it’s not a good idea to run beside any Truck no matter the road. Good recovery though.I bet it put the fear of God in you for a little while.
BB, you’re right about the blind spot. I was almost hit by a semi that was moving into my lane, the right lane, and was nearly killed. I hit the gas and shot out of there quick while driving into the extra bit of roadway on the side of the road. I got ahead of the truck and stayed there. Rather get a ticket than dead. Whenever a truck is near me, no matter which side, I get nervous, but especially if I’m on the right side. I either speed up and get far, far ahead, or I slow down and let the truck get far, far ahead. Big problem when there’s lots of trucks though, which is probably one reason I avoid the interstate highways.
Everyone knows about blind spots. That’s why I turn my head and check when moving into the left lane. Is that too much fucking trouble for truck drivers? I don’t accept that as an excuse for almost killing me. Fuck that guy.
The only thing I assume about all drivers around me is that they learned to drive from Hellen Keller. I give truckers an even bigger buffer zone having grown up around that industry. Some outstanding driver’s, but most are not the brightest and definintely not the most vigilant…unless they are are in the throes of a speed run.
Yup, can’t agree more. My spouse does recruiting and “truckers” are one of the jobs she has to hire for. The good drivers are all old and retiring. She’s lucky today to get anyone that can pass a drug test, let alone get a CDL. They are not the cream of the crop.
When passing an 18 wheeler I always hang back behind his trailer long enough so all those in front of me have cleared his front bumper so I can shoot the gap at mach speed should it be necessary. Been in the same predicament before and found out just how fast my car can go 70-100 mph. Pretty dang quick too. A Civic probably not so quick but if you have room to run even an econobox can kick it down faster than most big rigs.
I never ‘pass’ a semi unless I have enough room to just blow by him. I’ll risk a speeding ticket rather than be in their blind spot for more than a second. Those warning signs on the rear of some trailers that advise you the driver can’t see you if you can read the warning should be mandatory.
Mandatory too for trucks should be the system on new cars that alert you if someone is in your blind spot or behind you. It can be a pain in the ass if you are backing out of parking lot and it confuses ‘street traffic’ with parking lot traffic but its better to have a momentary false alarm than a trip to the ER.
Pretty inconsiderate of you to deny us our inheritance like that.
Are you cutting the Colorado son out of the inheritance?
Hell yes! He would just waste it on investments and such – what a lost opportunity that would be. We would put it to good use on hookers, booze, and good times.
Glad you survived.
I’ve been considering getting one of those dash cams, to document the idiocy I see regularly.
I figure you need 2 dash cams – the second one is to record the copfuk when he’s tearing out the first one.
I just today caught a uber from Burbank airport to Oxnard, Cal. Its a little over an hour drive. The driver has a dash cam and I was curious about it. It turns out that the guy is a recent Russian emigrant. Here I was thinking that maybe it was a stereotype that only Russians have dashcams but it might be true after all.
Glad you’re OK.
When shit like this happens to me, I tell my wife, “They’re Trying To Kill Me!”
Big trucks have big blind spots, so I always give them a wide berth and pass them fast. It is amazing how quickly things can unravel, yet in retrospect, it seems as if they transpired in slow motion. Glad you both survived.
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That’s true and some drivers are crazy like this one was. Just because he can see you doesn’t mean he’s looking when he goes into road rage mode. You’re very fortunate, Jim, to be alive. Take another look at Jesus.
My ex is one great driver, the best I’ve ever met. He’s also driven semis. He told me, if you can’t see the truck driver in his side mirror, he can’t see you. Slow down until you can see the driver in the mirror. But as I said previously, I don’t plan on staying beside a semi that long. I’ll either end up way ahead of it or far behind it.
That is the exact position I was in on the left side blind spot.
If my wife’s Nissan has sensors to warn if you are too near another vehicle, why can’t these semis have them as well? Should be mandatory.
As to dashcams, I got one about a year ago for the “just in case” moment. Well worth the $99 price if you have to contest a ticket or are involved in an accident.
Admin, don’t ever trust the other driver–always drive defensively!
(Glad you and Avalon came through unscathed.)
Before one of us croaks, turns veggie or goes senile thanks for giving us a forum to compare notes with the last remaining sane people left in (what use to be) America.
Delighted you and your wife are OK.
Very glad you both made it, Jim. What would we do without you?
“Bring it on you bastards. I’m ready.” Loved it.
Damn it, Jim – I’m glad you both made it.
Admin,
You are likely correct…the driver was angry
about the Suv passing too close. My husband
taught me to drive and to never do that.
Your swerve off and recovering (neutral) is
really a miracle. You were SO lucky and skilled,
fantastic for you. God wants you around,
and he proved it by fixing the gears for you.
Admin, so glad everything turned out OK for you and your wife. That is a horrifying experience. I’m just glad it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
Apparently, your mission in life isn’t finished yet. Many years of TBP are in the making.
My advice, always stay away from big trucks! Take a couple of days off and take the scenic route, it’s more relaxing.
I get to go back on the “safe” Schuylkill Expressway this morning.
Glad you’re still around Admin.
One thing I’ve learned, by degrees mind you, is not to mess around with 18+ wheelers. Especially on freeways. That said, the driver of that truck was an arsehole, plain and simple.
Something that I’ve noticed is that there is a vast difference between driving on a 4 lane freeway and driving on an 8 lane freeway. Something about those extra two lanes just freaks me out. And it seems like other have the same issue, esp. if they are in the inside lane and realise they’re about to miss their exit. Cutting across three lanes to the outside lanes is quite common.
My friend from Pennsylvania told me there is a lot of uproar about the damage someone made to the grass beside I-80. They are reviewing camera footing to identify the culprit and send them the landscaping bill.
No one rides for free.
BTW: edit- I skipped my spinning around in the median between Dallas and Gainesville on 75N story but I will tell you that was the day I discovered I knew the 23rd Psalm stored in memory somewhere.
I saw the title and then scrolled through and saw the pic and thought “Wow, how’d he walk away from that?”
Glad it was nothing worse than a close call story.
Way back when I was on the road my future wife agreed to come out for a week to see what it was like, we driving on 80 headed east from Ohio. It was snowing and the roads were icy and as we came down into the Allegheny River Valley around Emlenton just as we got onto the bridge the car hit black ice and we started doing 360’s at 70 mph. The gorge is probably four or five hundred feet deep at that point and all we could see in rapid succession was guardrail/roadway/guardrail/roadway and the spread of open sky through the snow. All of a sudden the tires caught and there we were, still doing 70 mph headed east as if nothing happened. Neither of us said anything for a long time and finally she said in a very disappointed voice “I’ve never heard a man whimper before.”
She loves to tell that story.
Glad you lived to tell another tale.
If this was Stuckey’s story, HSF, I might be tempted to make a snide remark about making one’s husband (Nick) whimper, but since it is you, I will be nice and shut up.
I remember seeing the world spinning, closing my eyes and starting “the Lord is my Shepherd…” followed closely by “Holy Shit” when my husband got the Jeep stopped.
Wow Jim! Glad you guys are OK!
Glad you survived the test….It sounded like one of those Russian driving vids on You Tube. I wouldn’t be caught dead driving in Russia without an M1A1 Abrams tank……..with an M829 DU coated SABOT round in the main gun……
Looks like I logged out too soon last night.
I’ve been afraid of such a post for some time. Travel an interstate over a long enough period of time, then statistically speaking shit will hit the fan, at least once.
I’ve traveled I80 many times over two decades going back and forth between IN/MI and NJ. No problems. Except once. When I wound up in a ditch with my brand new Taurus on its side.
Glad you’re OK!!! Obviously, duh.
Since my autobiography, if I wrote one, would be titled “How To Fuck Up A Wet Dream” — you obviously wouldn’t dare put me in charge of anything. Except maybe shit stirring — have you seen the Yellowstone post where some dumbfuk newbie is arguing with my “facts” that the Earth’s core is Cool? I finally got him to call me a bad name on his last post. Success! ?
Stuck. – I already made that point. You get profit sharing rights, and can be editor in chief. But no way I let you anywhere near the moolah. You would just spend it on cheap booze. Gotta grow the moolah, so then we all get expensive booze.
I’ve been driving 52 years. I drive lots of ‘in-town’ and the ‘outer-ring’ freeways.
At one time truckers were the most safety conscious, polite drivers out there. Everything has changed: I doubt many are ‘professionals’, and some drive those big rigs like a sports car. They will only drive in the center or leftmost lane, this way they don’t have to worry about people merging.
I remember NJ where trucks were 55, cars 65. Probably the only good thing about NJ.
I go out to get in my car this morning and I notice a piece of paper on the windshield of our other Civic. We’ve had to park that car on the street because only two fit in our driveway. I go down and pull off the soaking wet notice. It’s a warning from the Towamencin police for parking my car against traffic. We’ve lived there for 22 years and always parked this way and now we get a warning from our local heroes. I’m glad to see the popo are focused on serving and protecting, collecting fines for going 45 in a 35 zone, and protecting the local Dunkin Donuts. What would we do without them?
I left the notice on the kitchen counter for my wife to see, with a note saying “fucking police”.
I’ll agree with the authorities on this one. Park in the correct direction.
Stunning to read that from you, of all people.
What fucken difference does it make regarding which direction a car is parked IN FRONT OF YOUR OWN HOUSE?
I guess you can’t completely purge Big Government from your bowels?
One reason it’s illegal is that in order to park that way you usually have to drive on the wrong side of the street, as ADMIN did.
Also at night, the red reflectors from your tail lights, are visible to on-coming traffic.
Just sayin’.
If the BMW woman hits it while it’s parked wrong, it’s your fault, not hers.
Huh! Your “reflector” explanation actually makes sense.
Admin!! You damned illegal parker!!!
I feel so ashamed. I’m going to turn myself in at the Towamencin police station. Maybe that cop read my article about them.
Stuck, while Dutchman kids a lot, he is damn serious about cars and car safety features. You know how engineers are.
Separate post so all you Holy Rollers can vote it DOWN.
Hey … What about the about ONE HUNDRED people who died yesterday in car accidents? Where was your God for them? Taking a break? Too busy answering prayers from the faithful asking da Lawd for a good parking space? Working in Mysterious Ways?
Rationalize away!!!!
Odin, OTOH, doesn’t give a flyingfuk about cars, trucks, truckers, or accidents. But, I know that going in, which is why I like him.
Blessings ?
So did Jesus take the wheel or was that me saving our lives?
Maybe you really had better assign YoBo as vice-admin.
“The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’ 31″While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you,
I’m still trying to figure out who put the car in neutral.
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This thread is what I love about TBP.
The regulars are like “Yeah yeah yeah. Whatever. Get over it. Stop whining you pussy”.
They want to know how they are going to get their daily dose of vitriol if I’m dead.
Well guess what. TBP dies with me you rat bastards. Once the monthly fee stops getting paid, the plug gets pulled.
If Llpoh took over he’d move it to Australia and outsource the administration to some bloke cooking shrimp on the barbie. There would be 3 posts per week and he’d charge a monthly fee of $500 per person.
Fee: $500 monthly.
Discounts Available: Yes.
—– $499 discount if you enter “Llpoh-is-the-smartest-person-on-the-internet” in the Promo Code area.
TBP needs to be treated as a public utility-this private property garbage needs to end now.
Any of you guys want to volunteer to be on the oversight board?
To hell w/who the best writers are,we want the best flame throwers.
It’s only $10,000 to be on the TBP oversight board. I accept personal checks, credit cards or Paypal.
Well, if we look at ONLY what the Good Book says — an absolute requirement for these kind of deep philosophical questions — well, one can quickly ascertain that Jesus did not even have a valid drivers licence. Pure fact, baby. Although He did ride a (stolen) donkey once, I don’t see how that helps in this case.
Bottom Line? YOU and your quick reflexes, first rate driving skills, and borderline psychological disorder … you alone saved your family. Take a bow!
a borrowed donkey–
ronald reagan did not believe in driver’s licenses either–
Jesus’ Authority Challenged
…28“By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You the authority to do them?” 29“I will ask you one question, Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30The baptism of John, was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me!”…
It’s spelled license, but I’m a grammar Nazi.
I would be disappointed if something happened to Admin. now that I’m commenting, and even if I were still a lazy, lurking deadbeat. It’s the only place I can find a bit of sanity on the net. Now I have to contribute.
glad to see you here, Mary. some of us are intentionally lurking sometimes. Is safer that way, perhaps.
cut stuckey some slack mary,he’s from poland–he does have good pecan logs though–
Get a will if you do not have one already and set up a trust for the kids if you both die. You can have the trust set up so that your kids will get enough money to finish college, and then more at a certain age, and then more after that. My wife and I had the same fear with our kids. My son would spend every dollar on pot and video games.
Life insurance, will and trust documents have been in place for 20 years.
Wow! Holy SHIT!!!
Unvisible has some good advise. Remember the biggest truck has the right of way.
God does intervene. He wants you to help get us through the 4T. Don’t push your luck though.
Highest point on 80 east of the Mississippi..
I must past that that sign 200 times. 1/2 mile east of the Rt 153 Parker Dam/ SB Elliot park exit.
I80 W between Milesburg and Snow Shoe exits is even more fun. Dickhead truckers trying to race up the long grade thinking they can pass each other 2 abreast, backing up traffic for miles.
In the winter, the semi tucks present even more fun for the intrepid traveler. Frequent snow squalls and slow PENNDOT response west of Snow Shoe exit can make a normal 2 hour trip into a 10 hour ordeal until they close I 80 in both lanes.
I Don’t miss that drive at all…
Fucking wow Jim. Sometimes it is truly better to be lucky than good. Don’t ever move to Florida as fucktard driver’s like that rig rager is the norm here. When I used to work at FLL airport the amount of accidents going into and out of weekly was nuts. I have a hyper-vigilant driving mode from the military that I know is going to fail me at some point down here.
As far as Altoona, you are spot the fuck on with description. In spite of having never been there I did have a couple of soldiers that hailed from there and they were specimens indeed. I recommended them to donate their brains in case of any bad shit happening to them. Even head shots as they only used their limbic system as it were.
Driving nowadays is a microcosm of society en masse: herd instinct.
Glad all is well, Jim. The Fourth Turning plays no favorites. Write that down!
Man going down that way would totally blow your dead pool. No one picked traffic accident.
Suicide with 3 to the back of the head is 1/3 of the pool. Stucky picked Autoerotic asphyxiation. I picked alcohol poisoning.
Yeah, truck drivers are assholes, but it seems to be a habit of some people to pull right in front of them. I once saw this idiot pull right in front of a truck. Traffic was pretty dense, so truck driver knew he couldn’t move over, so he just jammed on his brakes, smoke and all. Almost hit the car too. Fucking stupid bitch in her nissan sedan…of course a child in the back seat.
In Dallas, I saw this idiot change lanes right into the blind spot of a tanker truck. The tanker truck then signaled and started to move over. Guy had to get out of there quick. Then he gave the trucker the finger out the window. Little shit…obviously had never seen the movie Duel.
I’ve seen people pull into the merge lanes with tiny little cars at 40 mph, in front of semis, out on the open Interstate, where everyone is doing 70 mph at minimum including those in the right lane.
I was pulling 80k thru Detroit and had a driver whip out in front of me and proceed to slam on his brakes. I locked it up to keep from running him over. I followed him off the interstate and blocked him in at red light. I got out and while tempted to drag him out and beat the living shit out of him, managed to keep my cool. Semi calmly I asked him what the hell he was thinking.
His reply…”well you have 18 brakes!”
3 million miles without an accident and this asshat entered my world. SMH.
Glad you lived to fight another day.
DB, that is a tried and true tactic for insurance fraud/scam.
Turned out to be a teenager. To his credit him listened politely as I tried to explain speed, weight and stopping distance. Harder to explain the force required to remove the truck seat from my rear end. I hope he took it to heart, but I doubt I would have at his age. Hopefully, live and learn.
Never ride in the blind side and as we said back in the day… “Keep the shiny side up and the dirty side down” 10-4
My dad skippered a large shrimp boat for a time. Putting in at a dock, a couple young men had their legs dangling over the side as the boat inched toward the dock. He yelled to them to mive their legs or they would get cut off. The boat was barely moving. They just laughed at him. They tried to push the boat away with their legs. It slowed not an iota. They got shoved across the dock slowly but surely. He told them even as slow as,it was moving it would have cut their legs off if they had not got their legs up. They believed him the second time he said it. Great mass plus even a little speed can do great damage.
And this is why I drive a giant gas guzzling pickup. It is a small price to pay when dealing with these monkeys on the road. Literal. Monkeys. Bonobos…
Many years ago I had a front row seat to the stupidest monkey on the planet doing something so stupid it still baffles me to this day. The guy tries to drive around the cars sitting in the right turn lane at a RED LIGHT by going up onto the curb, at 20 mph, right out into an intersection of a 6 lane divided roadway in rush hour. And instantly gets smacked and knocked right into the air and spins 3 times and lands 40 feet away.[img
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Back in the day, those little trees were not there. He actually drove over where those 3 trees are in an attempt to get past the 4 or 5 people that were sitting in the right turn lane. This was a literal suicide run given the amount of oncoming traffic.
I cannot believe that not a single person here has revealed the real story behind the truck incident.
An attempt on a marked man.
Admin
If you had doubts, it is not your time to leave yet. Many more hours of exertion crafting articles await you, (she says selfishly).
As I enjoy your ongoing saga of survival on Pennsylvania roads, I’m beginning to feel thankful for SoCal freeways, although I usually cast a lot of expletives at my fellow drivers.
I appreciate the reminders from everyone about avoiding the big trucks.
Damn, Jim. So glad you and your beautiful wife made it out in one piece. What a fucking cluster our interstates have turned into…
Exact reason I now try to stay off the Interstate system and take the old federal highways. At 61 I don’t give a crap about getting there fast, only getting there in 1 piece.
Some drivers of all kinds are asshole and idiots. One thing I know for sure, semis are big and heavy. They will kill you. Even if you have the right of way you might be dead right. Always give yourself an out and a little extra room.
There is no greater feeling than looking death in the eye and beating him to live another day, except for the stains in the pants.
So happy you are looking back at a terrible situation and that you overcame it by the grace of God and your superior driving skills!
Take your experience and be a better man, knowing you have been given more time on this earth to accomplish greater things in your life. Well played, Sir.
I just want you to know, Admin and family, that if you had perished on I-80 I would have tried to toss a yellow, red, green, magenta, etc., ribbon out for you next trip to Maryland. There would probably have been a pile of multicolored ribbons there, along with a mountain of banana peelings and monkey turds.
Really glad to hear you made it, one thing I would suggest is getting a real horn put on the car.
I put an air horn on my bike years ago, because the little piss-ass thing that came from the manufacturer, wouldn’t scare a mouse.
The air horn, will wake the ass-holes up at least.
Once again, glad you and misses made out.