Escape From the Prison Planet

[DRIVEN]

Too cold to go ride? Probably, but I did it anyway.



We left from Initial Point and rode out along the bombing range then west over to the river, then came out above the Swan Falls dam.











We hit a a little leftover snow and ice in the shady spots but the bikes ran fine and nobody crashed so it was a pretty uneventful 75 ride.
Now, on the way out there the Smell Camino started starving for fuel. I could cruise for about a half mile and it would start to chug. I'd pull over and let it idle for a minute and repeat. I pedaled it about 20 miles to the meeting spot in the morning and expected it would be the same for the 30 miles home. I assume the filter inside the Quadrajet is plugging up but didn't have the tools to take it apart so I just limped, with it getting a little worse all the time. I was about half way home when I got a call from my daughter that my wife needed a ride. So I was greeted with this a mile and a half from home.


She was stopped to make a left turn and got smacked by an F450 auto transport with 3 cars on the gooseneck trailer. The Venza wadded up like it was supposed to but she's really, really stiff and sore.

Dammit.

 

[Texas82GP]

Damn, I hope she's ok. That's petty careless of the truck driver. Couldn't he have just gone off the road to the right?

 

[DRIVEN]

We spent a few hours in the empty ER at the empty hospital last night (don't get me started) and they didn't find anything broken. Her hand is all swollen up and her neck and back are really jacked. It could have been worse. She saw him coming and couldn't do anything about it. The rear of back door overlaps the quarter, the doors are touching at the B-pillar, the roof is buckled, and the spare tire and trunk floor are pushed through the back seat. It broke the driver's seat and bent the headrest back.

But the headlights are shining brighter than ever.

The intersection she was stopped at gets quite a bit of traffic as its on the main route between Sacramento/Reno and Boise. There are no traffic lights through town but the posted speed limit is 25. The driver of the truck was a young Russian guy and the truck was registered in Illinois. Yeah, there was room on the shoulder to go around. There was also plenty of time to stop too but I guess he just wasn't paying attention.

 

[fleming442]

I'm sure she had updated air bags

 

[DRIVEN]

Yeah, she was joking about that last night.

 

[Turbolq4]

Sweet ride next to the dam. I've taken the Jeep down the road that goes to the dam on the less populated side, that was fun on stock suspension and street tires!

Shitty about your wife! Hope she's doing ok. Venzas are disposable anyways 👍

 

[ssn696]

Sorry to read about the accident. Very glad that the Covid hasn’t hit your region so hard so your wife could get attention in the ER. Don’t you have good Vibe going with glossy headlights she can drive for a while? Keep us posted on her recovery. Crappy way to get days off from work...

 

[ck80]

This was the first thread I started reading to catch up after being away again.... Usually its awesome stuff like the views from your bike ride, the steaks on the grill... hearing about the shop coming together...

Now this tidbit.

I'm very sorry to hear about your wife. MY experience, both formerly professional and sadly later personal is that ERs arent the greatest at examining and diagnosing accident trauma as soft tissue, disks, etc go. I hope and wish she is just very sore for now and is quickly back to normal (you listening Santa? Help out!!!) But if she hasnt already, its worth getting on the waiting list to a good orthopedic practice - it sometimes takes a couple weeks to get an opening. Someone else reading an MRI, or a second set of x-rays (sometimes small fractures take a couple days to present themselves according to former clients histories) can get treatment headed in a better direction sooner than later.

Wishing you a merrier christmas season than this took a turn for recently, and all the luck to your wife who hopefully is fine. sorry if the message sounded like giving unwanted advice too, just too much personal and professional experience with those events....

 

[DRIVEN]

Sweet ride next to the dam. I've taken the Jeep down the road that goes to the dam on the less populated side, that was fun on stock suspension and street tires!

Shitty about your wife! Hope she's doing ok. Venzas are disposable anyways 👍

That whole area is new to me. Some of it was scenic but there were miles and miles of deep rutted moon dust between them.

Yes, Venzas are disposable. Were probably getting another one.

 

[DRIVEN]

Sorry to read about the accident. Very glad that the Covid hasn’t hit your region so hard so your wife could get attention in the ER. Don’t you have good Vibe going with glossy headlights she can drive for a while? Keep us posted on her recovery. Crappy way to get days off from work...

Haha, there's actually another red Vibe for sale locally that I've been threatening her with.