I made it back - Barely, White knuckle suicide run from NorCal |
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I made it back - Barely, White knuckle suicide run from NorCal |
Gint |
Feb 4 2004, 11:26 AM
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#1
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Mike Ginter Group: Admin Posts: 16,071 Joined: 26-December 02 From: Denver CO. Member No.: 20 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
Son of a...
This trip back was a constant battle. It may have taken first place in the "white knuckle ride form hell" category. I don't think words can even describe it. Terror springs to mind. I need to take a nap. I'll tell you the story later. Watch this space... 02/06/2004 - Story posted below This post has been edited by Gint: Feb 6 2004, 05:25 PM |
ArtechnikA |
Feb 4 2004, 11:29 AM
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#2
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rich herzog Group: Members Posts: 7,390 Joined: 4-April 03 From: Salted Roads, PA Member No.: 513 Region Association: None |
BT, DT, glad yr safe !
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Jenny |
Feb 4 2004, 11:34 AM
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#3
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 4,060 Joined: 6-January 03 Member No.: 96 Region Association: None |
Glad you made it back safe, Mike. Thanks for making time to hang out with us on Monday!
Jen |
brant |
Feb 4 2004, 12:06 PM
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#4
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914 Wizard Group: Members Posts: 11,623 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Colorado Member No.: 47 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
VERY... glad you made it.
I was kinda worried about the storm brant |
Joe Bob |
Feb 4 2004, 12:09 PM
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#5
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Retired admin, banned a few times Group: Members Posts: 17,427 Joined: 24-December 02 From: Boulder CO Member No.: 5 Region Association: None |
Glad you made it back....you still owe me money...... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/w00t.gif)
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Dave_Darling |
Feb 4 2004, 12:44 PM
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#6
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914 Idiot Group: Members Posts: 14,984 Joined: 9-January 03 From: Silicon Valley / Kailua-Kona Member No.: 121 Region Association: Northern California |
Well, it may have been a cast-iron bitch to get back to CO, but I'm glad you were able to visit here! Good to see you again, Gint.
--DD |
Eric_Shea |
Feb 4 2004, 01:51 PM
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#7
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PMB Performance Group: Admin Posts: 19,275 Joined: 3-September 03 From: Salt Lake City, UT Member No.: 1,110 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
Glad you made it. I tried calling you again offering lodging in SLC but I couldn't get through.
Sending more snow your way... |
seanery |
Feb 4 2004, 02:26 PM
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#8
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waiting to rebuild whitey! Group: Retired Admin Posts: 15,852 Joined: 7-January 03 From: Indy Member No.: 100 Region Association: None |
Glad yer back safe!
I know the white knuckle on some of those roads, can't wait to hear the story!! |
Gint |
Feb 4 2004, 02:49 PM
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#9
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Mike Ginter Group: Admin Posts: 16,071 Joined: 26-December 02 From: Denver CO. Member No.: 20 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
OK, I got my hour and a half of sleep. TIme to shower, shovel snow, unload the 914/6 suspension out of the van, and return the "flying brick".
It was great to see everyone again. I wish I'd had more time Monday night. But I did pick up the other car and get out by 9:30, so it worked out really well. Jenny - Tell Brian (I hope I spelled that right) that I said he's a very lucky man to have such a sweetheart in you. Thanks for putting the dinner together. Z - What money? JK. Eric - Thanks for the thought. I was so happy to see that the conditions in Utah in general were so much better than Nevada (until I got east of the pass that is), that I would have just kept going anyway. Sean - The story will have to wait until tonight. I'm home but the work needs to be finished. Aside from work Thursday and Friday, I'm not going to do a whole lot through the weekend. |
krk |
Feb 4 2004, 05:23 PM
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#10
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 997 Joined: 27-December 02 From: San Jose Member No.: 22 |
Mike,
It was great to see you and I'm very glad you made it back ok! kim. |
Jenny |
Feb 4 2004, 05:36 PM
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#11
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 4,060 Joined: 6-January 03 Member No.: 96 Region Association: None |
See you in June for the West Coast Classic... speaking of which...
Jen |
Mike9142.0 |
Feb 4 2004, 08:09 PM
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#12
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Member Group: Members Posts: 219 Joined: 29-January 03 From: Phoenix, AZ Member No.: 208 Region Association: Southwest Region |
Glad you made it home safe.
My trip home was just boring. |
Qarl |
Feb 4 2004, 11:07 PM
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#13
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Shriveled member Group: Benefactors Posts: 5,233 Joined: 8-February 03 From: Florida Member No.: 271 Region Association: None |
Enjoy your nap!
THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT A STORY!!!! |
ChrisReale |
Feb 4 2004, 11:11 PM
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#14
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Sleazy Group: Members Posts: 2,665 Joined: 20-January 03 From: San Francisco Member No.: 176 |
Glad you made it back ok. It was great meeting you and doing some work on your tub. Fill us in on the events going home
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Sammy |
Feb 5 2004, 12:03 AM
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#15
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. Group: Members Posts: 1,190 Joined: 21-January 03 From: Orange, Ca Member No.: 178 |
No, I will not sit back patiently and wait for the story. 5 more minutes and I'm going to make something up (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chair.gif)
Sorry I missed you at Dunkel's, by 10:00 am the sleep deprivation and the coors light had me just about to zombie level 3 and I needed to find my pillow. |
campbellcj |
Feb 5 2004, 12:11 AM
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#16
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I can't Re Member Group: Members Posts: 4,544 Joined: 26-December 02 From: Agoura, CA Member No.: 21 Region Association: Southern California |
It was good to see ya Mike, even if it was only a couple minutes. I had to bug out early and head back to the homestead and little stunt-man-in-training (i.e. my maniac 2 1/2 year old son).
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Mountain914 |
Feb 5 2004, 11:50 AM
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#17
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Too much time in thin air! Group: Members Posts: 367 Joined: 22-May 03 From: Conifer, CO Member No.: 725 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
OK - we're all on the edge of our seats listening.
You mentioned the word Jack-Knife. Gee, I didn't know it was so rusty it would fold in half! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Seriously - safety first and all, next time pick better weather !! |
Gint |
Feb 6 2004, 05:05 PM
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#18
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Mike Ginter Group: Admin Posts: 16,071 Joined: 26-December 02 From: Denver CO. Member No.: 20 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
Sorry for the story being late gang. I left my job, house, wife, three kids and
six cars for essentially six days. They demanded all of my attention upon my return. The new boss of three months has decided to change everything. That didn't help. It's a long one... OK, after leaving the Tied House dinner at 7:30 PST, I drove through the rain to Pleasant Hill and picked up Brant's new 914 roller (75 2.0, sans motor). Nice car, well worth the $1500 clams. I left Pleasant Hill at 9:30 Monday night, and headed out into the rain for the east side of Sacramento to spend the night and get a fresh start on Tuesday morning and avoid rush hour traffic. I stayed at a nice hotel in Orangevale (I think) after a nice Jack in the Box dinner. In the morning, more rain on the way up into the hills towards Truckee. They forced me to buy chains for the van and the trailer just past the Baxter exit. I turned around and visited with the "Chain Monkeys" trying to buy used chains with all of $81 cash in my wallet. The 3 or 4 chain monkeys on the Westbound side of 80 only had a set of your standard chains for the van for $60. I drove down to the Baxter exit and stopped at the chain store where I met a VERY strange California mountain dweller. Colorful character to say the least, he cussed and swore more than I do. Whack job (yes, he could be a teener owner) takes me back across the highway and down a side road to sell me a used set of radial chains for the trailer at $20. Not bad at all, relatively speaking. These are the only chains I've ever used before, so I was familiar with them and their use. Heading east again now, I'm waved through with a smile at the chain inspection booth. After 5 miles or so, I'm wondering why I need chains at all. I've lived in Colorado most of my life, am an avid skier, and generally no stranger to mountain passes, snowstorms and icy roads. I travel worse than this to get out of my neighborhood during some local storms. It's also at this point that I notice the trailer lights not working again. The Ford seven lug to standard flat 4 trailer connector has come lose on a couple of occasions on this trip. The chains aren't helping the situation at all. So about 7 miles (give or take) after acquiring chains, I stop at the Immigrant Gap exit to check it out and hit the can. A roll of duct tape fixes the connector problem (never travel without duct tape). While in the store, the guy tells me they just lifted the chain restriction (duh!). I decided to leave them on until I reach the summit, just to be safe. A few miles further on I hear thwack, thwack, thwack. No room to pull over due to snow plow leftovers, I'm half in the right lane and stop to check out the noise. One of the cross chains on the right rear had broken. Brand new chains, haven't gone over 10 miles, and never exceeded 35 MPH. Great. I don't see any sheet metal damage to the rental van, so I move on to a safer spot at 10 MPH. Upon reaching a truck chain pullover, I realize that I don't know how to get the standard chains off of the van. There doesn't seem to be the same type of connector on the inside as there is on the outside. I explain my plight and request assistance from a reluctant trucker. Together we find the inside connector and I get the chain removed from the right wheel. Thanks bud! I yell back at him to return his dropped cell phone. By now, my ass is good and wet, I'm muddy and cold, but the remaining chains come off and get tossed into the back of the van. I drive on to Reno, where it's sunny and clear. It took 3 hours to traverse 40 miles. Nice. So I'm tooling along for the remaining daylight hours through Nevada at the speed limit (plus a few MPH). Life is good, but I can't help but wonder what Utah is going to have in store for me. I didn't have to get that far for my winter road trip paranoia to be realized. Just west of Elko NV, it's snowing and getting dark anyway. In some places, and sometimes miles at a stretch, the visibility absolutely sucks! The next 80-100 miles to the Utah state line are pretty hairy. I drive (white knuckled) in the dark, on snow packed roads, through small mountain passes, and generally become thoroughly stressed, but alive and safe upon arriving at Wendover Utah. Here it's snowing lightly, but the roads are mostly dry, and once again I'm able to drive the speed limit. Salt Lake is rainy, but decent driving conditions exist until I climb up over the pass east of S.L. City. Now it's back to winter conditions just like that which existed in eastern Nevada. Eventually I arrive at Evanston Wyoming. Fill up the gas tank and enjoy a convenience store chili-cheese dog and back on the road. About 20 miles in, I get a call from Brad to check on me. I tell him about Nevada scaring the shit out of me. I didn't even tell him about the California chain story, because it paled in comparison. Not too long after I hang up and telling him that I'm OK and all appears to be well... the trailer jack knifes! The front of the truck and the rear of the trailer are in the left lane; the hitch is in the right lane; the entire rig is sliding sideways down the highway. I've never had this kind of fun before! Instinctively, I let off of the gas and steer into the skid and let the trailer wag me back and forth a few times, less and less each wag, and manage to avoid the side of the highway! Upon trying to move forward again, the rear axle of the van loses grip and the rig jack knifes again. This time at 45 MPH or so instead of 65. It seems as if the first episode may have trip the trailer brake via the safety cable ties to the hitch, so I pull over to verify that the trailer wheels are in fact turning. I'm literally weak in the knees when my legs hit solid ground. Upon returning to the road, I realize that the loss of traction at the rear wheels are what's causing the back end of the van to slide sideways. Must be a limited slip or locker in this van. I proceed slowly to the next truck parking area and gather my wits. A voice mail to Brad tells him to forget what I said about Nevada scaring me. That was mere child's play relatively speaking. (IMG:http://914world.com/members/ginter/MVC-612F.JPG) At this point I can't use the cruise control any more because it downshifts to harshly and causes the ass-end of the van to slide. I don't need to repeat that experience. 20 miles later, the trailer lights are out again. I stop in at "Cruel Jacks" Cafe and enjoy a cup of coffee while I repair the broken ground wire on my trailer harness adapter. The roads are dry here, but that didn't last long. The remainder of the drive through Wyoming is done sans cruise control, at speeds of 45-65 depending on conditions, which were mostly bad. Far worse than I had seen in Nevada. I stopped at a truck stop near Rawlins and try to sleep for an hour and a half. I was only moderately successful. From here to Laramie was down right hairy, with absolutely terrible visibility and road conditions. Fortunately, I fully understand this rig and how to handle it in these conditions. I stopped in Laramie (I'm now 2.5 hours from home) and have a nice T-bone steak and eggs breakfast, waiting for daylight again and listening to truckers "bench race". And I thought teener drivers were braggarts... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/members/ginter/MVC-613F.jpg) 45 miles to I25! I've never been so happy to see the "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign. But the same conditions I've travailed all night still exist, and once I reach Ft. Collins, the traffic starts to get heavy. I'm thinking that I've come too far, through too much crap to end up on the side of the road now. I'll do whatever it takes to arrive home safely. Even if it means driving 20 miles an hour to do it. Cars are flying by me in the left lane. I see a Ford Ranger 4WD pickup traveling north sail into the highway median. The bottom of the 30 feet or so wide grassy strip is approximately 6 feet below the road surface. He starts sliding sideways, and when his front wheels hit the bottom of the dip, he swings around and hits the upside of the median with front and rear wheels and stops - abruptly. I'm in the right lane traveling south, and I began applying the brakes very gently as soon as I saw the Ranger flying through the grass. The lady in the Nissan Exterra in the left lane just passes the front corner of the van before panicking upon seeing the Ranger. She jerks the wheel over to the right and nails the brake. Needless to say, she's fish tailing wildly trying to recover and ends up doing a 180 and finally coming to an abrupt stop herself in the grassy median, backwards. She's luck she didn't end up on her top. And I'm lucky I started carefully slowing when I first saw the events unfold, or she would have pasted the front of the van and caused me to jack knife and probably end up in the ditch on the side of the highway. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/members/ginter/colorado-close.jpg) 24.5 hours after leaving California Tuesday morning, I arrived safe and sound at home with a newfound respect for winter driving like never before. |
Ferg |
Feb 6 2004, 05:17 PM
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#19
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914 Guru Group: Members Posts: 5,948 Joined: 8-January 03 From: Boulder CO Member No.: 116 Region Association: None |
Crap!
Well now you are ready for ice racing on Sunday, you going? Ferg |
Gint |
Feb 6 2004, 05:19 PM
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#20
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Mike Ginter Group: Admin Posts: 16,071 Joined: 26-December 02 From: Denver CO. Member No.: 20 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
I'm not touching a steering wheel, keyboard, mouse or tool all weekend. The closest I'm going to get to a tool is my Tivo remote.
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