Whenever I get a new car I take it on the Parley’s-East-Emigration Canyons Tour. It’s about a 25 mile (40 km) drive on roads ranging from I-80, a 6 lane divided highway with a 65 MPH (105 KPH) speed limit to a winding canyon road past homes tucked away in the trees, requiring one to slow down to 30 MPH (48 KPH). It’s a great way to learn the capabilities of a car.
And yesterday I learned the stopping capability of Lil’Blue. I was in Emigration canyon, the aforementioned winding canyon, travelling about 45 MPH (73 KPH) in an area between the pockets of houses in the canyon. It was dusk and out of nowhere, completely mesmerized by my headlights, appeared a deer. In the middle of the road. Mind you, this is not really rare here in Utah. The mountains are full of deer and it’s common to see them in the subdivisions at the foot of the mountains, especially in the winter when the deer come down to forage for food.
I’ve just never had the pleasure of seeing them right in front of my car when I traveling that fast. But, thanks to laser speed reflexes, good brakes and dry pavement, the front end of my car did not meet the side flank of that deer.
In the words of Holly, the deranged computer on Red Dwarf, “Even with an IQ of 6000, it’s brown trouser time.”
3 comments:
You think YOU were scared -- what about the deer?!
Okay, glad you didn't have a close encounter of the fourth kind (I am one with the deer) there. Good thing the newbie car has good brakes.
Did I ever mention how cool your header photo is? Even though it's a mix between like Get Shorty and Pulp Fiction....it kinda brings back the days when I was little and we would drive through towns on Route 66.....I know I have like 4 books on Route 66 (my dad loved that highway)and searching for motels with AAA only on them! But just looking at your picture says...hey get up and start moving! Love it!
ET - Yeah, the deer was probably pretty scared itself, but if they would just learn to cross at the crosswalks...
Karen - Thanks. I found that picture this summer when I was scanning my old negatives from the 80's. Although it wasn't actually Route 66, the road we were traveling was just like it. I decided to use it, along with the quote, just for the feel you got from it, glad it worked.
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