Hobbies on the road

I traded that set of head aches for that of o/o years ago,,now as long as the chrome bug don't bit me with this new to me truck I will be able to take some time off this year and live on a Rifle Range for about a week or so and get data on my savage fp 10 it has been a safe queen for to long and the data book for it is pretty emty.
Watchman

 

Just stay outta the Iowa 80 truck stop and I think you MIGHT miss the chrome bug..

I could (and did) spend hours in that place droolin..LOL

Petey

 

Never had any one get me that mad not likly to happen ,,sadly I allready know what it is to be part of killing some one ( look up name molly collins I-25 CO mile marker 134 dec 5th 2008 3:05 am ) I Really Really did not like that at all,,,funny thing is weather dry fire or live after that it was one thing I could do that while doing it had no other toughts but what I was doing cleared mind of all else so for a long time it was a healthy escape.
Watchman

 

Read the article bud..One thing for sure is it wasn't your fault and you shouldn't blame yourself. Its terrible a life was lost but for your sake you gotta chalk it up as a bad life experience which was senseless and without reason.

if anyone blamed you for being involved with that then I am sure they are probably regretting it now. I've seen one of those happen..a car coming at you doesn't leave you with many options at highway speeds..at 65 mph thats a closure rate of 130 mph...not a lot of time to react...this is why those little safety catch wires in medians are such a necessary road safety device. Thankfully most states are getting on the bandwagon with it and putting those in on divided highways.

Petey

 

I have read it did not need to I was there had 6 sec's to get slowed down she came over the hill in my lane went to hammer lane then back to my lane hammer lane and into me in that time I had my jakes going my brakes going my 4 ways going and the horn going ,,wife woke up outta the sleeper just in time for the 2 word prayer O God she said I needed to check on the driver told her driver of car is dead I need to put out the triangles before this gets worse and I did then check on driver she was indeed dead then put out the fire that had started under the hood of her car that was under my truck.
Yes I know there was nothen else I could have done better but at the time I just felt like crap about it ,,witness to the wreak told me there was nothen I could have done better CO Highway Patrol told me I did a textbook good job and nothen I could have done better ,,at night in that part of the road it looks like a drop off to the right and probable roll over if you try that as an out looks like probable roll over to the center also so only option was controled braking (till the 2 word prayer thats when I left skid marks on pavement ) Her mom ended up calling me about a week later told me she did not blame me in any way and her duaghter had made some very bad choises that night ,,,,O a lighter note My next truck was a what do you meen you did not see me Red,,, Mack with a Kamakizie car cathcer they call em moose guards but I know what they Really are a year later that truck cought on fire ended up in the same area to get another truck talking with a friend of mine there she told me I should buy a house there ,,Why ? I asked , Well you keep spending the holidays here and by the way what kind of truck are you buying next year ?

Watchman

 

A lot of drivers wouldn't have kept going after something like that..I'm glad yo put it behind you and didn't let it stop you...

~pat on the back~ to you driver and I pray that it will be the worst thing that ever happened to you and the rest of your driving days are Peaceful and miles filled.

Petey

 

I sapose part of the resone I am thinking much about it again is that the truck I am in now is an FLD much like the one I had back then and have only had it since Jan this year a classic but its the same kinda winshield and dash and hood that I was looking out of at that time defrant but kinda the same getting over that tho, logic won out for the price its a great truck inframed not to long ago lots of other things replaced front end rebuilt etc,,, .
That witch does not kill me will only make me stronger .


Watchman

 

2 weeks after it had happened it was time to get back on that pony and Ride tried another fld got outta the driveway and right back in as soon as I found a place to turn around ,, tried afew other trucks and they felt better found the Mack and loved that truck till it cought fire (axle bearing froze up cought tire on fire it speard from there ) and I do know afew places that at night it will look like the traffic is in your lane when it is not I know they are not in my lane but some times its spooky none the less it has reinforced my makeing sure all my loads are overly secured .
Watchman

 

Exactly..

Hey..if the first one didn't get some chrome treatment then maybe this one should LOL...I don't know if I could have hopped into a truck that reminded me of it..

I tell you my bad one..

I'm sure you've been up I 20 near tyler tx and know the funky leaned section by the luvs there..all up hill..and coming up from I 10 it leans to the left..well back in winter 04/05 was coming through there..they had a bad ice storm that year that coated from dallas down to midland odessa with ice..I got to the hill and there was this canadian driver in a freightliner coronado tailgating a pick up up that hill..I see em start up and knowing the hill was probably slick as owl snot I slow way down in prep for the curve at the top of the hill and I'm eyeballin this big truck tailgating that 4 wheeler starting up..I'm loaded but only about 30 k of lettuce in the trailer..they were both in the right lane so I took the empty left lane and being light and on ice up the steep grade I knew that I would have to keep moving to make it up the hill..two trucks were already having problems getting traction and were on the shoulder going back to the bottom backwards to try again..it was that frickin slick..

so I'm half way up..the 4 wheeler and the coronado get to the curve and the 4 wheeler starts to slide..the coronado driver panics and slammed on the brakes locked up the tires..instead of letting off to get out of the skid..he holds the brakes..now at the curve the road has a bit of a bank in it..the right side is a good bit higher than the left side in the EB set of lanes..so when the trailer tires locked up..it swapped lanes from the right lane to the left..right into my path..and because he kept the brakes locked up it pulled his drives into the left with his bumper up against the right guardrail..his trailer hits the left guardrail..I ease in brake and steer right thinking that graity would go ahead and pull him on into the left lane..it doesn't..as I get closer an closer..I start stab braking and sliding and stabbing again trying to get stopped..no dice..I hit the right side of his trailer..bounced off of him three times..demolished his right side fuel tank..then hit the right guardrail myself..my KW was n the shop for 2 weeks...Was ruled unpreventable thank god..but nearly scared me out of driving..where I hit the guardrail the other side was a steep drop..if I had gone through she would have rolled...during the two weeks my KW was in the shop I thought long and hard about driving and whether it was worth it..I finally decided to keep going.

The kicker of the whole deal was the coronado driver got out yelling at me..and was still yelling when DPS showed up..the DPS officer told him to..and I quote..."get the ____ back in your truck before I arrest you for pure stupidity" end quote after talking to me and the 4 wheeler driver LOL

Yours..way worse..and like I said..I am sure that if what happened to you happened to me I would have walked away from driving altogether.

Takes a ton of courage to get back behind the wheel of these monsters after things like that..I admire you


Petey

 

So when do you want to meet at a 1000 yard Range so I can show you it Can be done , my little group of fellow instructors are getting togather this year hopefully at the rattlesnake range just outside of yakima Wa would you like to meet there and see more then just me hitting at 1000 yards with m-2 ball .

Watchman