So we got to talking about Truman's Fla. ride Mar. 2. Can we get the
guys ready for a 50? They've been relegated to small pasture space due
to high mounds of snow & ice--riding has been an occasional ice-skating
affair on the hardtop in front of the barn. Thought about the steep hill
behind the barn--real good climb with some sharp S-curves--the gravel road
looks clear now. Wonder how far it really is to the top from the barn?
Maybe we could bore the guys to death but go up and down that hill
several times to get a smattering of condition on them. Worth a try--but
let's drive it & see just how many tenths of a mile we're looking at.
Switch to last night, that just-about-dark time. We're in my
Caravan and we drive up the gravel road to the top - .9 mile, not bad.
Then we clear the crest and start down the other side (it leads to another
hardtop road, should be about the same mileage). I could see some ice
sheets ahead, but some gravel too. Made the committment and just as I said
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea", it was way too late. This side had
NOT BEEN PLOWED and what I was looking at was a one mile drop straight
down over melted snow, sheeted ice after the heavy rains, deep
ruts--it looked just like pictures you've seen of Antartica. Glare ice over
jagged chunks, deep ditches alongside, not quite a car width. I knew better
than to hit the brakes (no ABS anyway), just geared down to "1", no use.
We went totally out of control. Slide sideways into a snow/ice bank, up
the side of it & almost tipped over. The ice was so slick we just slid
sideways back down the face. All I could do was try to stay centered. We made
it--but the adrenalin rush was something I NEVER want to experience again.
Kevin says look on the bright side--at least we still have that .9 mile
to train on. Are there any laws about strangling your own kid?
Could have been worse... Shoes go on tomorrow, nasty storm forecast for
Fri. But we still have that .9 mile.
Diane (still twitching)