lucky I was NOT in the Alfa!

[Pottree@domain.elided]

In a message dated 03/08/2002 11:47:48 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:


> Its a little out of the way, but Utah 12 between Brice National Park and
> Capitol Reef National Momument has got to be among the most spectacular
> roads I have been on, and lots of twisties and steep climbs.
> Jim

As it happens, I was on that road, and it is spectacular, conditions 
willing...

I was driving Another Make (Honda Accord).  We managed to hit the most 
incredible downpour anyone has ever seen!  Noah would have been right at 
home.  Parts of the road were flooded, parts washed away.  The rain was so 
heavy that it was impossible to see all the way to the end of the hood.  The 
Assistant Driver* (my BW in this case), rolled down a side window and stuck 
her head out to see what she could of the way ahead because the wipers 
couldn't wipe fast enough.  We were afraid to pull off the road (couldn't see 
where it ended) and we passed a few cars and trucks sinking fast into 
accumulating swaps and one getting smashed into by a driver who couldn't see 
it pulled over until it was too late.  Might, mighty scary!  Scary to 
continue, more frightening to stop!  And the cloudburst continued...

Suddenly, we found ourselves in a flyspeck of a "town" and secured the last 
bed in the last little motel so we could come in out of the storm (another 
story, but one of the worst hotel experiences ever ever ever, this place was 
the nastiest and most evil place imaginable, didn't even want to lay down on 
the bed; and we were not the room's only occupants).

Comes the dawn and a beautiful day to continue.  The water is draining and 
drying in most places and the scenery is breathtaking.  Breezing along on the 
drying pavement, which was still streaked with patches of mud and such that 
had washed down in the storm, when BANG!!! a sound like an elephant gun fired 
inside the car!  What the hell was THAT?

Turns out it was a stone, thrown up by a truck waaaay ahead of us, hitting 
and breaking the windshield.  I knew flying stones could do this, but never 
guessed it could be so LOUD!  At least it was only the Honda!

YMMV (with luck)

* once upon a time we bought a Japanese car, back in the days when the 
translations of instructions and manuals from Japanese to English wasn't 
University level.  This Owner's Manual called out parts of the car, among 
them the 2 front seats, referred to as the Driver's Seat and the Assistant's 
Seat.  So charming, that's what we've called that place, in any vehicle, ever 
since.

Charlie
LA, CA, USA

--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided