Near Head-on, all I saw was splash and a car

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

Traveling from Minneapolis to Kansas City for the first leg of the trip to Branson/Wilderness club at Big Cedar, was 'exciting' to say the least.

After filling up the tank at Des Moines, we are traveling on 35 headed south and driving at about 72MPH, we are moving along just fine.

Suddenly, a mist or fog in the median caught my attention, and coming out of that mist is a car. That car came from the north bound lane, bounced into water in the median, and now is swerving around on the south bound lanes but headed in a north direction AT ME in my lane. I yelled out something, not sure what it was, but don't think it could be repeated here. I aimed for the right shoulder and hit the brakes. Thankfully, the wrong way car got under control, kept to his right as we passed, I could see in my mirror that he was making efforts to get back onto the north bound lanes again.

It was a long time and a half bottle of wine before my hands stopped shaking.

I thought a lot about the 'What if':
If he had not gotten control as quickly as he did, we could have crashed.
If I had been in the left lane and not the right lane, we would have crashed.
If I had not seen the splash, I may have missed the car and not braked and headed to the shoulder and we may have crashed.
Any of those IFs and I may not be writing this.

[ace2000 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ace2000]

My daughter had one of those 'what if' moments a few months ago. Totalled our car by swerving on both sides of the road and ended up being saved by a tree stump from flipping right into a river. Pretty scary, but we're very thankful at the same time.

For you, you're probably just thankful that you get the opportunity to take part in a real-time genuine Ozarks heat-wave! Hoping for some relief towards the end of the week.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Pretty scary situation, and it's good that you came though it ok.

*****

Many years ago we were going from the San Francisco Bay area to Ventura on a family vacation. We traveling south on the 101, in an area of rolling hills between San Jose and Salinas. We were in the left lane, passing some slower traffic.

As we were nearing the top of one hill I saw a cloud of dust suddenly rise in the air above the median and over the crest. I thought to myself that was strange, then it dawned on me that an accident had just occurred.

I said out loud to the family, there's an accident ahead as I slowed down and fell in behind the car I had been passing.

Sure enough, just over the top of the hill, there was a spun-out car sitting in the left lane, completely stopped and pointed the wrong direction on the road. Had I not seen the dust cloud, we would have been bearing right down on the vehicle at full highway speed, with no place to go on either side.

*****

My oldest boy, then about 12 years old, was totally awed about how I had known there was an accident. It was a "teachable moment".

[longtimer Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close longtimer]

Traveling from Minneapolis to Kansas City for the first leg of the trip to Branson/Wilderness club at Big Cedar, was 'exciting' to say the least.

After filling up the tank at Des Moines, we are traveling on 35 headed south and driving at about 72MPH, we are moving along just fine.

Suddenly, a mist or fog in the median caught my attention, and coming out of that mist is a car. That car came from the north bound lane, bounced into water in the median, and now is swerving around on the south bound lanes but headed in a north direction AT ME in my lane. I yelled out something, not sure what it was, but don't think it could be repeated here. I aimed for the right shoulder and hit the brakes. Thankfully, the wrong way car got under control, kept to his right as we passed, I could see in my mirror that he was making efforts to get back onto the north bound lanes again.

It was a long time and a half bottle of wine before my hands stopped shaking.

I thought a lot about the 'What if':
If he had not gotten control as quickly as he did, we could have crashed.
If I had been in the left lane and not the right lane, we would have crashed.
If I had not seen the splash, I may have missed the car and not braked and headed to the shoulder and we may have crashed.
Any of those IFs and I may not be writing this.

Thank goodness you are safe! I've had a few near misses like that. I made sure to count my blessings. Now that my children are driving, I think about my close encounters and pray they will never get into those situations.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Good news!!!

It is only spose to be 104 today, and not a dry heat.

A couple times on the golf course yesterday my thermometer got over 106, but I would hold it out in the breeze of the moving golf cart and get it down to 103. When I ran out of sweat sweat, I sweated Dr. Pepper.

Shoji played early.

Lake temp last night at 8, with no sun on it, was 93.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

It was nice grilling yesterday, didn't even need to turn on the the propane, just set the pork on the deck and let the sun cook it.

We haven't done much outside, walked around by the lazy river. Enough bodies in there you could walk on the water and never get wet.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

you could walk on the water and never get wet.

Like MN lakes most of the year.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Don, so glad u r okay.
You just never know.....

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

Like MN lakes most of the year.

you get points for that one. Very good.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Water temp this afternoon is 93 again.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

I wonder what the driver of the other car was doing that caused him to lose control and cross the median? I wonder where his cell phone ended up after all the excitement?

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

I wonder what the driver of the other car was doing that caused him to lose control and cross the median? I wonder where his cell phone ended up after all the excitement?

Yes, I was thinking it was a good thing that Don doesn't have to look at his Blackberry

Seriously, sounds like a scary close call - very glad it was only that.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

Yes, I was thinking it was a good thing that Don doesn't have to look at his Blackberry

Seriously, sounds like a scary close call - very glad it was only that.

At least once per week, often once every-other-day, I have a driving issue with someone who's paying to much attention to their cell phone and not enough attention to their driving. Sometimes it's someone who's paying to much attention to what they're eating, putting on makeup, adjusting their hair or even shaving while driving but, most of the time it's that darn cell phone either up to their ear or while their looking down at their stearing wheel while trying to text.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

I am so glad you are ok. Sounds like you will have lots of tale to tell. I hope it cools off for you. shaggy

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

At least once per week, often once every-other-day, I have a driving issue with someone who's paying to much attention to their cell phone and not enough attention to their driving. Sometimes it's someone who's paying to much attention to what they're eating, putting on makeup, adjusting their hair or even shaving while driving but, most of the time it's that darn cell phone either up to their ear or while their looking down at their stearing wheel while trying to text.

When I used to commute into the city at rush hour, I was astounded at the number of people driving while reading the newspaper. That was before the days of the iPad, Blackberry/iPhone and rampant texting. There are kids around here who not only text while driving (an adult offense as well), but set up there iPods with movies plugged in on the dashboard.

We had two texting related accidents among our high school seniors this year, one serious.