Those of you that think driving school is too expensive...consider the alternative...
03-18-2003, 02:07 PM
#25
Member
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 17,322
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I had a close one while pulling a 21 foot boat behind a Pathfinder.
I was coming back from a salmon fishing trip on the west side of Vancouver Island. I was driving an '87 Pathfinder with a 21 foot Campion cuddy cabin fishing boat on a trailer with tongue applied hydraulic trailer brakes. The boat trailer combination weighed about 4600 lbs.
There was a car in front of me and a friend driving his diesel Rabbit behind me. We were going down a long straight when I spotted a Black Bear coming down a side hill toward the highway from my left. I slowed as did my friend behind me. The car in front was oblivious.
As the car and bear approached conjunction, the bear spun and ran back up the hillside. I let off the brakes and stepped on the gas thinking he was headed 'home' to the woods.
Just as we approached the area he had tried to cross, he spun again and ran for the road. Bears can run damn fast! I jumped on the brakes and with the adrenelin locked up not only all 4 on the Pathfinder but managed to lock up the trailer wheels as well (hard to do with those kind of trailer brakes).
The bear disappeared from my field of view below the hood and I figured 'Here we go!' The bumper must have hit him a glancing blow on his a$$ because he re-appeared cartwheeling down the embankment to our right. Had we hit him squarely with that boat and trailer behind us, we likely would have ended up flipping the rig. Had it been on a corner I would surely have hit him.
I let off the brakes and slowed to a stop on the side of the road for a damage and underwear check. My buddy pulled in behind me. There was no damage to the bumper .. just a bit of black fur.
My friend said he didn't see the bear come cartwheeling out from the right side of my rig because of all the smoke I laid down. He said he saw the trailer's brake lights and then the world vanished in white smoke. He allowed as to having an appreciation of what goes thru a race car drivers mind as they barrel thru the white smoke of a shunt.
There was a car in front of me and a friend driving his diesel Rabbit behind me. We were going down a long straight when I spotted a Black Bear coming down a side hill toward the highway from my left. I slowed as did my friend behind me. The car in front was oblivious.
As the car and bear approached conjunction, the bear spun and ran back up the hillside. I let off the brakes and stepped on the gas thinking he was headed 'home' to the woods.
Just as we approached the area he had tried to cross, he spun again and ran for the road. Bears can run damn fast! I jumped on the brakes and with the adrenelin locked up not only all 4 on the Pathfinder but managed to lock up the trailer wheels as well (hard to do with those kind of trailer brakes).
The bear disappeared from my field of view below the hood and I figured 'Here we go!' The bumper must have hit him a glancing blow on his a$$ because he re-appeared cartwheeling down the embankment to our right. Had we hit him squarely with that boat and trailer behind us, we likely would have ended up flipping the rig. Had it been on a corner I would surely have hit him.
I let off the brakes and slowed to a stop on the side of the road for a damage and underwear check. My buddy pulled in behind me. There was no damage to the bumper .. just a bit of black fur.
My friend said he didn't see the bear come cartwheeling out from the right side of my rig because of all the smoke I laid down. He said he saw the trailer's brake lights and then the world vanished in white smoke. He allowed as to having an appreciation of what goes thru a race car drivers mind as they barrel thru the white smoke of a shunt.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
2.8man
A4 (B5 Platform) Discussion
6
06-09-2002 10:27 AM
