Dichotomy...

I almost died today coming back from Lockheed; but it was kinda fun. I was getting off 66 onto the parkway and it's been snowing all day, but the roads are pretty clear despite that fact. Well, there was a big patch of slush near the shoulder that was right where I started braking and the right wheel caught. I could feel the car start to slide out so I flipped back the other way and then back and back again. I was starting to get it under control, but I could tell I wasn't going to be able to correct in the space I had before the road split off for the exit ramp or continued back onto 66 and still be able to slow down enough to take the exit safely. And I wasn't about to try and correct once I was down to only one lane, that's just asking for Mr. Contour to meet Mr. Retainingwall. So I pulled hard to induce more spin in my current direction and put the brake pedal on the floor. (Yeah, what's up now automatic traction control? Who's better than you? That's right, me. I stopped my deathmobile quicker than you could have.) My tires didn't smell too happy about sliding sideways, but I sure did stop fast. 180 degrees later and 5 feet from a head-on (with my trunk) collision with the guard rail, but stopped none the less. Then I just turned around and drove on my merry way. My favorite part about the whole thing was that I was within 10 feet of hitting a Motorist Assistance vehicle with a person in it that was parked on the side of the road just past the exit ramp. Did said person get out of the car to check on me, a distressed motorist? Nope. I suspect he was sound asleep and never would have known what hit him had I been unable to stop in time. *shrug* Nothing gets your adrenaline going like sliding sideways at 40-50 mph towards a large object (retaining wall, guard rail, tree, or Crown Vic were my options) with more stationary inertia than you have moving inertia. Or something. I'm bad at physics, remember? All I know is that my car (and probably me) would have been all kinds of fucked up. Whee! What did I tell you, fun? Yes, fun. =) No, seriously. It's such a rush to be mildly out of control and be trying to correct as certain injury rushes at you head on. It's why people go sky diving and bungee jumping. Though those are admittedly safer activities than sliding around on the highway at 50 mph, but whatever. I didn't crash, I didn't get hurt, my car is fine, and there's some really cool looking tire tracks in the snow now at the 7100 North exit off of 66 East. Go check them out! As for me, it's now time to get back in my car and head home.

Posted by Rev. Adam on Thursday, February 24, 2005 at 5:45 PM | Permalink