Had an interesting experience yesterday on the way home from Ft. Wayne.

After spraining my right ankle tripping on the steps coming out of the Chateau Thomas winery tasting room, I was driving rather carefully past Vinncennes. My foot hurt (duh) so I was trying to avoid having to do much accelerator movement, so was paying rather mor attention to the traffic than normal.

As a result I was watching traffic coming on and off the exits (it's a squirrely highway, obviously planned to sneak people off the new highway and down the old one into town), what did I see, but some idoit in a big old Mercury Marqui COMING DOWN THE EXIT RAMP!!!!!

Scared the crap out of me, as whoever it was was dodging cars and pickups on the ramp and STILL COMING ONTO THE HIGHWAY. Right at me, I might add.

Stomped the brakes and dived for what there was of the median -- I remember a guardrail and very little room, but I didn't look to close, I was afraid to take my eyes off Bozo in the Mecury for fear they would turn toward me and I coudn't escape.

Missed me AND the car beside me (three abreast --- idiot in the center, the two of us on the sides, the idiot heads up the road, going North on southbound highway 41. Didn't hit anyone that I saw, thank heavens, and I assume someone promptly called the cops. There was a trooper pulling someone over a mile or two back, so I HOPE idiot didn't kill anyone. Moving at VERY slow speed, anyway.

I'd have stopped right in front of the car and blocked him if I'd had the chance -- I'd rather have the 300D battered some than see someone killed in a head-on, but I was going too fast to stop.

Really weird seeing a car come down an exit ramp! You'd a thought the sight of all those cars coming at you in both lanes, the signs all facing the wrong way, and the traffic 30 ft away on the other side going north would get a person's attention, but I guess it didn't penetrate whatever haze the driver was in!

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Pretty wild!

Oh..... how much wine did you have at the wine tasting? Knowing laws these days, if you had been hit by this idiot you'd probably land yourself in jail for a DUI!

__________________

Current:
2014 VW Tiguan SEL 4Motion 43,000 miles.

2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (wife's).

Past:
2006 Jetta TDI 135,970 miles. Sold Nov. '13.
1995 E-320 Special Edition. 220,200 miles. Sold Sept. '07.
1987 190-E 16 valve. 153,000 miles. Sold Feb. '06.
1980 300-D 225,000 miles. Donated to the National Kidney Foundation.
1980 240-D manual, 297,500 miles. Totaled by inattentive driver.

I'd had about half an ounce, max -- I taste wine the correct way (although I didn't spit in the tasting room!) -- tiny amount rolled around the mouth. To say nothing of the fact that Plainfield, where the winery is, is almost two hours from Vinncennes.

Too bad the only really good wine was way, way too sweet for me! I've still not managed to figure out how I tripped on the step, usually don't do that!

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Hope nobody got hurt.

I was coming home one evening and just went over a hill on a four lane divided road. I was in the far right lane and just as I came over the top of the hill I saw a car going the wrong direction in the left lane. He also had NO lights on! Thank God I wasn't in that lane. I called the Police right away. The worst part is I never knew what happened. He/She could have killed somebody that night. Maybe the police got them...I'll never know.

Glad you weren't hurt though.

__________________
Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.