This weekend I drove to FL. to spend some time with my mom. This weekend was the first year anniversary of my younger sister’s passing so I didn’t want mom to be alone.

When I drive to FL, I usually drive the Mini if I’m going by myself because I can haul azz and get there cheaply.

Instead, I drove my Jeep so I could drive with the top off and enjoy the sun. I’ve never driven the Jeep for a long trip like this, only trips like to the beach which are 3’ish hours long.... not 10-11 hours.

So I drive down Friday... because I can’t get the Jeep to maintain anything higher than 80 mph, it takes me 11 hours to get there. (I’ve made it in the mini in just over 7 hours before) By the time I get there, I’m worn out, sunburned and deaf. (I did take earplugs but for only half the trip)

It was fun but 11 hours in a Jeep with no doors and no top is too much. After spending the morning with mom at my sister’s gravesite, I spent the rest of the day going car shopping for mom. (I’ll make a post about that later)

I drove back today (Sunday) and other than getting stuck in traffic where a semi hit a bridge embankment, the trip was pretty uneventful until this...


On the way back, I was following a semi with trailer load of pallets and a forklift mounted on the back.

As he passed me, I jumped in behind him and got caught up in his draft. He pulled me along for a bit and I was kinda close so I decided to back off.

Damn good thing I did... a piece of metal that looked like the front half of a Jeep fender came BLOWING out from under the semi with shietload of rubber (from a tire).

I hit the brakes to drop some speed and jerked to the right to straddle it. If I had been driving the mini like I wished I had, I would have TRASHED that little car. The Jeep just drove over it and kept on going.

So I guess it’s a good thing I did drive the Jeep...lol. Oscar wouldn’t have faired to well.


Mark

 

Of course, if you had been driving the MINI, you would have been far AHEAD of the truck

 

This is true....

 

Or even home by that time

 

Good one Oldsbear!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Was nearly beside a semi recently when the rear tire closest to us exploded - now that will make you deaf.

Semi's should be given a wide bearth - the nuts that cut in front of them are destined for a Darwin award.

 

After nearly 50 years of driving I'm still paronoid about pulling up beside a
semi. Always fear a tire blowing and big hunks of rubber flying at me. It would be loud and scarey.

 

Ever seen the mythbusters where a motorcycle was put next to a semi tire that blew? Interesting episode.

 

No I haven't and watch them all the time. Must have missed that one.
I ride a Harley also and that's even more scarey.

 

Flying, flailing semi treads, "road gators", while motorcycling. <shudder>

I've avoided all such, so far.

Bad enough running over them at oh-dark-thirty (again: fortunate to have avoided, thus far).

My ex- had an entire mounted semi wheel/tire bound off the road and into the middle of her Nova's hood (and beyond on the rebound). That wouldn't be fun either, pretty solid to be dancing with in any vehicle, let alone a two-wheeled or small one. Yikes.

 

An exploding tire almost did me in on a trip back from Florida too. The semi was a good distance ahead of me but the large rubber piece seemed to roll toward me as I cruised along. I quickly swerved into the next lane to avoid it. Lucky no car was next to me. Had to pull off at the next exit to calm down....

 

I give a alot of room to the vehicle in front of me. It gives the rocks and stuff some time to return to earth before I get there. One morning following a semi I saw someone's spare tire in the middle of my lane, rim and all. The semi passed right over it easily, I was able to swerve around it with no problem. But the quy in the back of me wasn't as lucky. He was following me pretty close and did not see the tire in time and hit it with his passsenger side tire. His front end jump about 2-3 feet, He kept it in control and was driving to the shoulder last I saw. This "really" would have messed up my Mini's day it it I was tailgating the semi. Our Mini's sits so low that any sizable object would do considerable damage. Ugh.... I hate the thought.

 

No a semi, but a pick up truck travelling towards me blew a tire just as he passed by me...LOUD...can't imagine what a semi tire blowing sounds like. Scared the s**t out of me. They careened onto the grass, was able to pull to a stop, but plowed over a road sign. The Dad, Mom and small daughter shaken up, but ok. A bunch of us saw it and I was the only one to turn around and see if they needed assistance...Mini drivers are like that...

 

A little off course but still road hazard: The first time I saw a GoldWing with deer whistles put me in a state of deep reflection upon scenarios that had never before come to mind.

Glad you were able to avoid a cabin's worth of semi debris.

 

'GoldWing with deer whistles'

LMAO on that one. I don't think those things work
anyway.
Yes, one thing I've learned is NOT to follow too closely.
That's the best way to hit something unseen.

 

I used to keep them off of wrecked cars when they hit a deer. It got so many I dislocated my shoulder trying to carry it...



It's alright, with my cat like reflexes , I was able to brake, swerve, swallow my drink, take a bite of my sandwich and open itunes on my phone and still say *** it, and drive right over it with the Jeep. Good thing for lift kits.




Seriously though... definitely a good thing to put some distance between you and the vehicle you're following. Would have been real ugly had I been in the mini (but then of course, I would have swerved even faster... gotta becareful in a Jeep)


Mark

 

That's what I love about this forum. Always something to
lighten up a boring, retired life. LOL Not really, I find plenty
to do.

 

OrangeCrush - thought I'd share my old 1982 Jeep CJ7 with ya.
Sold it 2 years ago, the 12 mpg was killing me as well as the ride.

 

The evidence showing that deer whistles work or don't work is purely anecdotal. The same follows true with: "All Indians walk in single file because the one that I saw, did".

 

One deer whistle study here.

 

Ever see the cage that they put semi truck tires in to deflate or inflate them? The ring on the rim can detach and fly off.
Forget the Firestone hull, it's that metal ring going into a car 5 feet away that scares me. Hits you anywhere and its either a tire or at least one window.

Was riding in a Ford truck one time, not to highjack a thread, and truck kind of vibrated a second, pretty strongly. The driver let off the gas and said "What the...". then a tire went past us real fast. Driver puts on the brake, we get a split second of brake, then it goes to the floor. That little bit of brake shifted the weight forward, then it settled back. And kept going back. The passenger side axle had sheared off at the wield for the hub. Everything attached to the hub, including the brake drum, had left early. Dragging a bumper makes a lot of noise and sparks. And cost a lot.

Glad OP made it home safe. My condolences to you and your family. A year isn't enough to ease the pain of a parent. Plan a trip again nest year. It will be appreciated.

 

Years ago I was driving toward St. Louis after dark along one of the major arteries, and spotted a tire, with wheel, rolling toward me on the inner shoulder ahead, parallel to the concrete center barrier. It wasn't actually in my lane, but was meandering its way toward traffic. I passed it harmlessly, and watched in my mirror to make sure nobody hit it... what I saw was the tire centered for a split second between the headlights of the car behind me. Dead center... and when he hit it, he rolled over it and launched his car kind of like the General Lee in Dukes of Hazzard. Again, it was dark - and all I could really see was a pair of headlights take off for the sky, then come back down with lots of sparks. He made it off the highway safely, but I can only imagine what would have happened if he'd hit that thing off-center. Instant flip...

Spridget

 

I think you win!

 

GigglesMcMini... now that's a cool name.




Just another day in the life of Mark... lol. If anyone has followed my antics, they'd completely understand.





Yeah, this is like my 4th Jeep... they're great for everyday driving around town with the top off but they sure as hell remind you you're not 20 any longer...lol.

 

Thanks! At first I was going to name her Kate, for the new British Princess, but when I drove her off the lot I just couldn't stop grinning and, yes, giggling. And my last name start with Mc....soooo.......Giggles McMini....over a year now, and STILL grinning and giggling.....especially on Club runs!