Xcudame
Well-Known Member
Snow x2:
This adventure I actually mentioned on another post, but will go into more detail here.
So I made it to college in the last post. Obviously it was the winter time. OIT is really a cool campus. Over in the Klamath Falls area they have a lot of geothermal activity and get their heat that way! In my dorm room, I liked to crank up the steam radiator and keep the window cracked to get that mixture of cold air and heat! To this day, I don't think I every slept better.
Anyway, it was winter break and I wanted to go home for the Holidays. Thinking I was being clever, I timed my trip so I'd be going up the mountain at around noon time. Warmer temperature and perhaps no snow on the road. As I got going, I noticed a lot of Oregon Department of Transportation vehicles at the bottom of the mountain and thought, cool, they've probably salted the road and where taking a break. Nope!
As I was going up the mountain, everything was great. And then I came to a section on the North side that was protected by the mountain from the sun. My first experience with black ice! Kitten just started sliding! No steering or traction! I'm sliding down the highway in the middle of the road! Not good! What's that ahead? A logging truck!! Turn turn turn! Nothing! Then just as an impact seem inevitable, I slid off the black ice, all four wheels got traction and the front wheels where painting hard right! Swish boom bang! Off the road and over a ten foot cliff. The time was just a little after 12 pm. So much for ODT salting the damn road!
I climbed out of the car and didn't realize it was still four feet to the ground! Kitten was actually straddling a run off cannel. The left front of the car was crumpled and the radiator was crammed into the fan and leaking coolant! Hince why the left front fender has fresher paint and the V5X trim is missing.
A semi-truck stopped and asked I needed anything. I asked if he could call a tow truck and let them know which mile marker I was at. He did and then asked if I wanted a lift. No, I said, I'll stay here with my car. I waited and waited. I watched car after car hit that black ice and there where a couple times I thought they'd slide right on top of Kitten, but fortunately they didn't. Trucker after trucker stopped and asked if ai needed anything. I told them I had a tow truck coming and they'd go on their way.
Finally at about 3pm a tow truck showed up! He was actually a great guy. He was very careful pulling Kitten back up onto the road without doing anymore damage than absolutely necessary. Only down side was it took until after 7 pm to get Kitten back on the road! Seven hours standing in the damn snow and at this point freezing and starving half to death!
The tow truck driver took me into Medford. I called my parents, told them I ran off the road and got towed to Medford. Mom said they where on their way. I had (and still have) AAA towing, so that was taken care of. The tow truck driver offered to buy me dinner which was great! And he stayed with me until my folks showed up (I had told them exactly where I was. And even at night, it's not hard to stop a Top Banana car!
So to this day, I think black ice has got to be the worst experience of my life driving. And from then and until now, I get a sick feeling when I see I sigh indicating icy conditions ahead. Luckily, I've not gone off the road again! Knock on wood.
This adventure I actually mentioned on another post, but will go into more detail here.
So I made it to college in the last post. Obviously it was the winter time. OIT is really a cool campus. Over in the Klamath Falls area they have a lot of geothermal activity and get their heat that way! In my dorm room, I liked to crank up the steam radiator and keep the window cracked to get that mixture of cold air and heat! To this day, I don't think I every slept better.
Anyway, it was winter break and I wanted to go home for the Holidays. Thinking I was being clever, I timed my trip so I'd be going up the mountain at around noon time. Warmer temperature and perhaps no snow on the road. As I got going, I noticed a lot of Oregon Department of Transportation vehicles at the bottom of the mountain and thought, cool, they've probably salted the road and where taking a break. Nope!
As I was going up the mountain, everything was great. And then I came to a section on the North side that was protected by the mountain from the sun. My first experience with black ice! Kitten just started sliding! No steering or traction! I'm sliding down the highway in the middle of the road! Not good! What's that ahead? A logging truck!! Turn turn turn! Nothing! Then just as an impact seem inevitable, I slid off the black ice, all four wheels got traction and the front wheels where painting hard right! Swish boom bang! Off the road and over a ten foot cliff. The time was just a little after 12 pm. So much for ODT salting the damn road!
I climbed out of the car and didn't realize it was still four feet to the ground! Kitten was actually straddling a run off cannel. The left front of the car was crumpled and the radiator was crammed into the fan and leaking coolant! Hince why the left front fender has fresher paint and the V5X trim is missing.
A semi-truck stopped and asked I needed anything. I asked if he could call a tow truck and let them know which mile marker I was at. He did and then asked if I wanted a lift. No, I said, I'll stay here with my car. I waited and waited. I watched car after car hit that black ice and there where a couple times I thought they'd slide right on top of Kitten, but fortunately they didn't. Trucker after trucker stopped and asked if ai needed anything. I told them I had a tow truck coming and they'd go on their way.
Finally at about 3pm a tow truck showed up! He was actually a great guy. He was very careful pulling Kitten back up onto the road without doing anymore damage than absolutely necessary. Only down side was it took until after 7 pm to get Kitten back on the road! Seven hours standing in the damn snow and at this point freezing and starving half to death!
The tow truck driver took me into Medford. I called my parents, told them I ran off the road and got towed to Medford. Mom said they where on their way. I had (and still have) AAA towing, so that was taken care of. The tow truck driver offered to buy me dinner which was great! And he stayed with me until my folks showed up (I had told them exactly where I was. And even at night, it's not hard to stop a Top Banana car!
So to this day, I think black ice has got to be the worst experience of my life driving. And from then and until now, I get a sick feeling when I see I sigh indicating icy conditions ahead. Luckily, I've not gone off the road again! Knock on wood.
