[Glenn Bartley]

So my hunting trip was a bust. I rented a car and went off for a hunting trip last Saturday. I had a good time Saturday night in a bar loaded with coolege kids. Then after recuperating on Sunday, I went hunting on Monday. I saw deer, one large buck 10 or 12 pointer but that was at 5AM in the dark crossing a road, and many does. No shots at any bucks though, but I did have two grunting at me simultaneously. One sounded as if it was over my left shoulder in my ear, but I could not find it. Oh well, next time.

On the way home I tried to avoid traffic by taking an alternate route and I wound up driving off the side of a mountain with my rental car - literally. Lucky for me the car stopped just about 15 or 20 feet off the roadway at about a 45 degree angle on the slope - right passenger side facing downhill, and luckily I did not hit the boulder I was heading for with more than a glancing blow. Guys from the car behind me helped me out.

It was raining out, but I could not figure why my car went off road as if I had hit a patch of ice. I was fine on all the curves on this particular road, and I knew enough to be driving very slow on this one road in the rain. I was only going about 15 to 20 mph at the time, lucky for me otherwise I would have wound up in the hospital.

When Fire Department showed up I learned there had been a Diesel Oil Spill there earlier in the day, and that the particular curve I went off claims at least 70 vehicles per year. I guess the rain and the left over diesel fuel oil made it as bad or worse than ice. The thing is that the responders earlier in the day did not sand the roadway. Man it was scary, first seeing a big boulder directly in front of me, then hitting it with just a glancing blow, then seeing or imagining me going down a 45 degree slope side over side. Lucky for me I had been going so slow on this serpentine road in the rain or I would have been in big trouble. I usdually don't brake on turns in the rain, but this road required frequent braking on turns as there were so many of them. I am guessing I applied the brakes right on that oily spot. Man it was slicker than Slick Willie.

Of course the really scary thing was seeing the tow truck driver trying to get it back on the roadway and his literally ripping off the left side of the bumper cover, smashing the fog light, cracking the w/w resevoir and denting the fender. Now I imagine, as the rental company and the insurance comapny will see it, I will be responsible for the damage he did!

As it is I will enjoy Thanksgiving today more so than usaual since I am ok, then tomorrow I'll worry about my insurance rates going up because here in NYS my personal auto insurance is responsible for such things even though it was a rental vehicle. I can't wait to see how much my rates go up because of this. Hopefull the police report wiull indicate the oil spill on the road from earlier in the day, and will also indicate minimal damage due to the accident and lots of damage due to the tow truck (no wonder they call them wreckers).

I hope all of you will have as Happy a Thanksgiving as I plan to have.

 

[Rich Z]

Damn! Would have been a hell of a thing to be eating hospital food during Thanksgiving! Glad you are OK, Glenn.

Hope the rest of Thanksgiving goes without incident. Except for stretching your belt, of course.

 

[krept]

Wow, no kidding. We had a really hairy experience on Red Mountain Pass in CO a couple years back when it was snowing. I'm thanking the lucky stars now!

cheers

 

[andy]

Red Mountain is a beautiful area. I used to drive a truck thru there quite a bit. Lots of CO, you have no choice but to drive the long way around. There's only 3-4 highways running E-W thru the state, and about as many running NS.

 

[SatCong]

I hope your "pucker factor" has regained normalcy with little or no additional grimace. Indeed, be thankful!
SatCong

 

[gripper]

Guardian Angel working some holiday overtime....Glad you're OK.

 

[RIKA]

Glad you made it through.

RIKA

 

[Glenn Bartley]

Thanks for the well wishes. Yes I guess someone or some power was looking out for me, or I was just very fortunate. I have had several close calls in life, many much worse than this one that I walked away from either uninjured or barely injured, but where I believe I should have either been badly injured or maybe even terminated. This was seemingly another one in a long list. Sometimes it makes me wonder if the Fates have ordained that I have some small set task in life to accomplish before my ticket is stamped or, if I am just one hell of a lucky pessimist who winds up too often pleasently surprised when something like this happens. Or maybe there are Guardian Angels after all! Whatever, it made for a fine Thanksgiving for me. I was on good behavior throughout the whole deal at my mother in law's place, and then later at my mother's. I was also very careful driving there and home, especially with all the family in the car. This sort of thing makes you count your lucky stars that is for certain, but more so it makes you count the blessings you have had all along, such as the family and friends. Of course the day would not be complete without me doing something to get the wife mad at me, but that was a little thing, and it is water under the bridge. Just being there to have her get mad at me was kind of a good thing considering that it was a long way down to the bottom of that mountain with a few trees in the way if the car had started rolling. Lucky me, and I really mean that!

Thanks my friends. Hope your day was as good as was mine.

All the best,
GB

 

[Magnum88C]

Hey Glenn, glad you made it through ok.
Closest I came was several years back, trying to get home for Christmas in NE, hit some black ice on the road and went off the side. I managed to steer the car into a tree to keep myself out of the river.

All I can say is the Lord knows how many heartbeats we have, and we've all had circumstances come up where we're still here because our time just wasn't up yet.