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[Note: This is a copy of an update I posted on Facebook just a little bit ago. You'll understand once you read it why I just didn't want to have to retype anything. I apologize if you see it twice.]
Picture it: Labor Day weekend, 2001. I'm driving home to Atlanta from a visit to my mother and friends in Alabama. At around 10:30 PM I get to about the first Oxford exit (185) on I-20 east and some dipshit in a large, gleaming new white truck pulls out of an on-ramp in front of a BMW, which swerves into me. I end up hitting one of those yellow striped signs and sliding along a few feet of one of those concrete barriers on the side of overpasses/bridges. I'm okay, but my Jeep was severely damaged. It never ran right again. The other two cars--the guy who caused the entire incident and the guy whose overreaction led to my involvement had minor scratches and drove off as soon as the cops were done. I "got" to stay in lovely Oxford, Alabama overnight and pay $700 for a local garage to get my car running again the next day.
Flash forward to today, April 11, 2010, just east of Talladega Raceway in Alabama (about 15 miles from Oxford, Alabama). I'm going the exact speed limit, in the left lane, passing some dipshit who's doing about 65 in a 70mph zone.
Suddenly, in front of me is a large, shaggy white dog. Crossing the Interstate very slowly from right to left. I swerve, but it's either hit the dog or hit the guy I'm passing. I choose the dog.
This dog was truly massive. When I hit it going close to 70, it caused me to lose control of the car. I tried to right it twice, but at this point, that ain't happening. I finally ended up flying off the road into the median ditch.
I hit the downslope pretty much airborne, and the upslope slowed me down. I oscillated back and forth a time or two and eventually ended up stopped about 3/4 up the right bank of the median ditch, my car in "drive" but not moving. Smoke was coming out from under the hood and everything that had been on the front seat was now in the floorboard, including under my legs.
I put the car in "park" and cleared the seat enough to allow me to get out of the car to assess the damage. Unfortunately, it was too dark by this point to allow me to see much of anything, but I knew that staying in the median ditch wasn't an option.
I carefully pulled up to the top of the slope and noticed four things:
1. My gas gauge was now reading "Empty."
2. My thermostat was quivering on "H."
3. My oil light was on.
4. When I put the car in "drive," the "D" was blinking.
I don't believe any of those singly are a great sign, but all of them together sound...bad.
I put my hazards on, pulled out into a lull, and made my way to the right shoulder about a half-mile further down the road where I felt safe enough to pull over.
AAA took about 90 minutes to arrive, and he towed me to Oxford, Alabama, to the nearest garage. When he deposited the car in the parking lot of the garage, we noticed that...quite a bit of fluid had leaked out of my car during the few minutes it took for him to tow me.
The place opens at 8 AM. I left my keys in the overnight drop-box and cleaned everything of any immediate value out of it. The driver then dropped me at the Hampton Inn, where I'm.
So. Oxford. No offense, and all, but...I hope never to stay here again.
Picture it: Labor Day weekend, 2001. I'm driving home to Atlanta from a visit to my mother and friends in Alabama. At around 10:30 PM I get to about the first Oxford exit (185) on I-20 east and some dipshit in a large, gleaming new white truck pulls out of an on-ramp in front of a BMW, which swerves into me. I end up hitting one of those yellow striped signs and sliding along a few feet of one of those concrete barriers on the side of overpasses/bridges. I'm okay, but my Jeep was severely damaged. It never ran right again. The other two cars--the guy who caused the entire incident and the guy whose overreaction led to my involvement had minor scratches and drove off as soon as the cops were done. I "got" to stay in lovely Oxford, Alabama overnight and pay $700 for a local garage to get my car running again the next day.
Flash forward to today, April 11, 2010, just east of Talladega Raceway in Alabama (about 15 miles from Oxford, Alabama). I'm going the exact speed limit, in the left lane, passing some dipshit who's doing about 65 in a 70mph zone.
Suddenly, in front of me is a large, shaggy white dog. Crossing the Interstate very slowly from right to left. I swerve, but it's either hit the dog or hit the guy I'm passing. I choose the dog.
This dog was truly massive. When I hit it going close to 70, it caused me to lose control of the car. I tried to right it twice, but at this point, that ain't happening. I finally ended up flying off the road into the median ditch.
I hit the downslope pretty much airborne, and the upslope slowed me down. I oscillated back and forth a time or two and eventually ended up stopped about 3/4 up the right bank of the median ditch, my car in "drive" but not moving. Smoke was coming out from under the hood and everything that had been on the front seat was now in the floorboard, including under my legs.
I put the car in "park" and cleared the seat enough to allow me to get out of the car to assess the damage. Unfortunately, it was too dark by this point to allow me to see much of anything, but I knew that staying in the median ditch wasn't an option.
I carefully pulled up to the top of the slope and noticed four things:
1. My gas gauge was now reading "Empty."
2. My thermostat was quivering on "H."
3. My oil light was on.
4. When I put the car in "drive," the "D" was blinking.
I don't believe any of those singly are a great sign, but all of them together sound...bad.
I put my hazards on, pulled out into a lull, and made my way to the right shoulder about a half-mile further down the road where I felt safe enough to pull over.
AAA took about 90 minutes to arrive, and he towed me to Oxford, Alabama, to the nearest garage. When he deposited the car in the parking lot of the garage, we noticed that...quite a bit of fluid had leaked out of my car during the few minutes it took for him to tow me.
The place opens at 8 AM. I left my keys in the overnight drop-box and cleaned everything of any immediate value out of it. The driver then dropped me at the Hampton Inn, where I'm.
So. Oxford. No offense, and all, but...I hope never to stay here again.
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*hugs*
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A) *pats*
B) If I were you, I would never come near Oxford again.