[lightning]

Originally Posted by Mr Twisty

Here's a good tip... Roads slick? Don't know how fast to drive? You come up on a car driving slower so you decide to follow. Then another car does the same thing. Then another, another, etc. It really does happen exactly like that. You have miles of road with no traffic, then 20 cars go by in a group.

Never pace another vehicle on slick roads unless you're a football field away and no one is near you. If traffic starts piling up, slow down or speed up and get away from them, someone is going to screw up and take you with them in the process.

Next time it's bad and a lot of cars are in the ditch, watch how many times there are more than one vehicle in that area. First car brakes and spins, second car freaks out, brakes and spins right in the ditch with them. Sometimes it's 3 or 4 cars. (Trucks will do the same thing.)

It's almost always the brakes that spin you, car gets a little loose, driver freaks and goes to the fat pedal..... you just screwed the pooch. If you could hear me when the brake lights come on up front...... "GET OFF THE #$%^&*@#$ BRAKES!"

.... and... that's all I have to say about tha-at.

OK Twisty, you’ve forced me into it. Do you remember that I was going to tell you the story of “Sideways in Wyoming” sometime when I got around to it? Looks like now is the time.
So fasten your seatbelts, here we go ---
Easter time 30 years ago we decided to go visit my parents in Colorado Springs. We lived in Salt Lake City proper then. After work on Friday we threw the kids in the car and headed toward I-80. Having checked the weather we had decided that the best route would be I-80 east across southern Wyoming. There were reports of intermittent snow in the higher elevations on the more direct route across the mountains on I-40.
We stopped for dinner in Evanston and noticed that the wind was starting to pick up. Entirely normal for Wyoming. As we progressed east the wind got stronger and stronger. Pretty soon it was blowing really really hard almost directly crosswise to the freeway. It was not snowing but the wind was picking up snow from the miles and miles of open range on the north side of the freeway. Wyoming puts up “snow fences” or barricades for just this reason but they weren’t doing much to prevent the mini blizzard that we were driving in. The road stayed basically dry except for a few spots where a small amount of snow would start to build up in a drift across the road, but the real problem was you couldn’t see anything.
It was after dark now and visibility was very limited. I was driving as fast as I dared considering the conditions and as slow as dared as well. I was afraid if I went too fast I’d drive right off the road and if I drove too slow some fool would plow into me from behind. Fortunately, there weren’t too many vehicles on the road.
I was trying to stay in my lane as best as I could see it and watch for lights coming up behind me and watch for tail-lights ahead of me. Suddenly, without ever having seen his headlights coming an 18-wheeler blared his horn at me and swung into the passing lane. He went around me traveling maybe 30 miles an hour faster than I was going. He must not have seen my tail-lights until he was right on my butt. And following the 18-wheeler, within just a few feet of the back of the trailer was a VW bug.
I told my wife, “That guy is driving way too fast. He’s going to end up driving into someone or driving off the road. And the VW, now there is an idiot!” Sure enough, about 10 miles down the road I came across the hapless 18-wheeler jack-knifed in the soft snow and mud on the right side of the road. The VW had followed him right off the road onto the shoulder and was also stuck there.
This was back in the days before cell phones. The best I could do for them was to call the Highway Patrol at the next payphone.
And that, my friends is “Sideways In Wyoming”.

Originally Posted by dianeokie

Hi Jay

Hi Dianeokra! How r ya?

Originally Posted by RubyCamaro

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I am furious at my sisters. My older sis called me at lunch time to say they made a last minute decision to have a birthday party for my dad tomorrow at 1:00. That would be great except that they didn't bother to ask me before "planning" the day & time. Tomorrow just happens to be the very important planning meeting for my Camaro club of which I am Vice President. It has been planned for that day for months (and it is in the opposite direction). There are very important things I need to be there to discuss & help to make plans for our club events this year. If it were just a regular club meeting, no big deal.

I usually go to visit dad on Sundays and so do they unless something prevents that & we may go on Sat. Yes, my dad is more important, but I had made a committment to this meeting a long time ago. My sisters do this to me frequently. Of course they don't pick a day or time that is inconenient or impossible for them and they don't bother to ask me. Or they don't bother to tell me about events the assisted living facility has planned until the last minute & I can't get off work in time. This time they invited my aunt & uncle before they even told me so I end up looking like the bad daughter if I don't go. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!


I am really glad it is the weekend though. Have a good one everyone.

Jan, go to your car club meeting. Tell your sisters you'll have your own birthday party with your dad and without them!