The fickle finger of fate was messing with me again
I felt like Artie Johnson on the Tricycle. The last weekend of 2014 was a doozy
Ruth got invited to ride in a clinic with a trainer that won a bronze medal as a rider at the World Equestrian Games and was an Alternate for the US Olympic Equestrian Team. Quite the honor for her. My job, get the truck and horse trailer ready to go and do all the driving. I had everything loaded up as set to head out first thing Saturday morning for a two hour tow, we would be staying in the lance over night.
Saturday morning, Had it all planned so that we would have a little over two hours to get ready for Ruth's hour with the trainer once we hit the facility. Loaded in the dogs, turned the Key rurr rurr click click click the dang batteries were dead. :S Shifted into high gear, jumped into my car and off to auto zone the closest parts store for two group 65 batteries. Hands down this was the fastest run to the store and back and swap out two batteries on the planet
as I did not want to incur the wrath of my ultra competitive wife if we missed the clinic ride. Turned the key and off we went.
I had the rig, all 55' of it set up perfectly. We went though the rough patches of the Altamont with ease and into the central valley with our route taking us on Interstates 580, 205, 5 then on to state route 4 to 99 north to Sacramento.
Fate decided to mess with me again.
I tow at 55 mph (CA Limit) and I was following a gas tanker in the slow lane with a following distance of about 150'. A white pickup whipped by on my left cut between me and the tanker and jumped into the exit lane to my right nearing the gore point for the exit he jumped back into my lane leaving me about 75'. I got off the gas and covered my brake. Just past the ramp, he hits his brakes hard and goes to the shoulder, only problem was that he did not get completely out of my lane. I was closing fast and there was no way I was stopping in time. Of course I had another truck to my left. No good options so I squeezed left and rode the bots dots figuring a side to side kiss was better than a front to back slam. The driver on my left was on his horn none too pleased as he was doing 70. Looked in my right mirror and I missed the truck on the fog line with my trailer by about 4 inches. Yeah my pulse rate went up a bit. No harm...whew.
we made it
Arrived at the facility with an hour and a half to get ready. Unloaded the horse and tack, dropped off the trailer, parked the truck in the RV lot grabbed the video camera and ran over to help Ruth saddle up then Video her ride. The trainer really pushed them up to ride at the next level and it went well as you can see by her smile.
beautiful place
The Dogs really like the RV area as they have grassy fields to run in and the morning sunrise was beautiful.
The Sunday clinic ride went well and then we loaded up and headed home. We stooped out on I5 in Lathrop to hit the Giradelli Chocolate outlet for hot fudge sundays..mmmmm
Once more up and over the horrible pavement that makes up the Altamont pass. At the crest we could see the hills near the barn where we keep the horse off in the distance.
Fate decided to mess with me again...Brake Lights. all 5 lanes going from 65 to almost a dead stop. There was a Safeway Semitruck in front of me and I saw a big poof of hay come off his front bumper. My first though was someone dropped a hay bale. Then I saw parts of car bumpers, lots and lots of hay, cars limping to the shoulder. I let the semi clear my lane for me. At the bottom of the grade there was a commercial hay hauler on the shoulder with the driver looking at what was left of his load holding what was left of a load strap in his hand...
again we made it home with no damage.
Now I remember why I try to stay off the roads during the holidays
Good combination..well practiced defensive driving skills, 19.5 wheels, well maintained trailer brakes and tires, and a torklift superhitch, super truss and a weight distributing hitch all working together.
Ruth got invited to ride in a clinic with a trainer that won a bronze medal as a rider at the World Equestrian Games and was an Alternate for the US Olympic Equestrian Team. Quite the honor for her. My job, get the truck and horse trailer ready to go and do all the driving. I had everything loaded up as set to head out first thing Saturday morning for a two hour tow, we would be staying in the lance over night.
Saturday morning, Had it all planned so that we would have a little over two hours to get ready for Ruth's hour with the trainer once we hit the facility. Loaded in the dogs, turned the Key rurr rurr click click click the dang batteries were dead. :S Shifted into high gear, jumped into my car and off to auto zone the closest parts store for two group 65 batteries. Hands down this was the fastest run to the store and back and swap out two batteries on the planet
as I did not want to incur the wrath of my ultra competitive wife if we missed the clinic ride. Turned the key and off we went.
I had the rig, all 55' of it set up perfectly. We went though the rough patches of the Altamont with ease and into the central valley with our route taking us on Interstates 580, 205, 5 then on to state route 4 to 99 north to Sacramento.
Fate decided to mess with me again.
I tow at 55 mph (CA Limit) and I was following a gas tanker in the slow lane with a following distance of about 150'. A white pickup whipped by on my left cut between me and the tanker and jumped into the exit lane to my right nearing the gore point for the exit he jumped back into my lane leaving me about 75'. I got off the gas and covered my brake. Just past the ramp, he hits his brakes hard and goes to the shoulder, only problem was that he did not get completely out of my lane. I was closing fast and there was no way I was stopping in time. Of course I had another truck to my left. No good options so I squeezed left and rode the bots dots figuring a side to side kiss was better than a front to back slam. The driver on my left was on his horn none too pleased as he was doing 70. Looked in my right mirror and I missed the truck on the fog line with my trailer by about 4 inches. Yeah my pulse rate went up a bit. No harm...whew.
we made it
Arrived at the facility with an hour and a half to get ready. Unloaded the horse and tack, dropped off the trailer, parked the truck in the RV lot grabbed the video camera and ran over to help Ruth saddle up then Video her ride. The trainer really pushed them up to ride at the next level and it went well as you can see by her smile.
beautiful place
The Dogs really like the RV area as they have grassy fields to run in and the morning sunrise was beautiful.
The Sunday clinic ride went well and then we loaded up and headed home. We stooped out on I5 in Lathrop to hit the Giradelli Chocolate outlet for hot fudge sundays..mmmmm
Once more up and over the horrible pavement that makes up the Altamont pass. At the crest we could see the hills near the barn where we keep the horse off in the distance.
Fate decided to mess with me again...Brake Lights. all 5 lanes going from 65 to almost a dead stop. There was a Safeway Semitruck in front of me and I saw a big poof of hay come off his front bumper. My first though was someone dropped a hay bale. Then I saw parts of car bumpers, lots and lots of hay, cars limping to the shoulder. I let the semi clear my lane for me. At the bottom of the grade there was a commercial hay hauler on the shoulder with the driver looking at what was left of his load holding what was left of a load strap in his hand...
again we made it home with no damage.
Now I remember why I try to stay off the roads during the holidays
Good combination..well practiced defensive driving skills, 19.5 wheels, well maintained trailer brakes and tires, and a torklift superhitch, super truss and a weight distributing hitch all working together.
