Well i figured i would share my icy road experience with my fellow bombers that i had yesterday morning.
I was on my way to do my deliveries regular friday thing same roads same stops every friday done this drive in good and bad weather numerous times most of my life. the route that i go on is about 225mi round trip I have to go over two mountain passes down into northern NM and then back up into CO. The first pass is called Cumbres LaManga, the other is one many of you may have heard of Wolf Creek pass (talked about in Diesel power mag nov edition it was#3 for toughest tows in america) Well i was going over the first pass cumbres yesterday morning about 8 it was lightly snowing when i got closer to the top the wind was blowing and was snowing more, wite out cond. slowed down to about 30 bc i couldnt see real well and was kinda slick only not to bad though i came around a corner to drop down about a 1/2mi strait away made the corner fine and a gust of wind cought the side of the delivery van (04 Chevy Express 2500) and pushed it sideways i felt it start to go and was headed for the side of the road at this particular spot of the pass it is up on one side and about 300ft strait down on the other side well i was headed for the drop off cliff side. there was only about 1/2 of snow on the road but the wind had been blowing and made ice on the road and with snow on top of that makes for a bad combo. well we i started sideways i knew that i was going over couldnt get it to straighten back up. Thoughts of my wife and kids rushing through my head. I got it to go back towards the mountain side but felt like it was going to 180 on me corrected back and back to the drop off once again do i bail or stay with it and try to correct it got it back strait again (luckily) at this point about half way down the hill had it strait the road at the bottom makes about a 90 to the left there happend to be a acess road that kept going strait at the bottom but veers to the right, alittle better than the 300ft drop though so i headed for it. i managed to get it to the right some to try and get in the dirt to get traction and stopped here comes a deliniator post and a LH curve sign about 3ft acrooss well so much for the post and the sign gone moved them with the front of the van now leaving the pavement finaly on dirt shot off of the acess road down through the toolies craming the brakes and slid for about another 50ft finaly stopped. what a ride took proly 10 sec total but seemed like a life time from top to bottom. and started out at about 30mph and i think about 45-50mph at the bottom. but everything was ok no injuries just a hood, RH fender and grille for the van. SCARED THE LIVIN S#!% out of me though just sat in van for a few tryin to collect my self I thought i was going over the edge its all over i though but made it ok. Sorry this is so long just had to get it out been buggin me keeps reinactin through my head. thouht share it with you guys here seems you guys always have a way of helpin with all kinds of stuff. Really like friction now

 

 

Good job stayin with it and keeping it together

That tooks some *****, not to mendion a good bit of driving skills

Glad you're ok.

 

Thanks it was nerv racking to say the least i was a mess all day yeterday. I guess all those years in highschool of cuttin kittys around corners in the mud, snow, and dirt really paid off for knowing how to counter steer and not over react just glad i made it out in one piece Thanks guys

 

Reminds me of a time I was coming to a sharp right on a gravel road (some reason there was no sign there to tell me) doing about 50. As soon as I thought I was off in the ditch, there was a gradual turn to the left, so I whipped my truck into it. I'll be damned if I didn't feel a clot start moving after wards.

 

wasnt even me that was there but your description made my butt pucker about half this computerchair glad to here you are alright

 

yea me too still does thinkin bout it thanks man it all happend so quick but an eternity to end.

 

Did your chromium plated, fully illuminated, genuine accessory shift **** come right off in your hand, too?




Just messin'......sounds like you had some fun up there. Good to hear you made it home.

 

You had trouble driving a STRAIGHT TRUCK!?!?!?!?! I was pulling about 30k lbs of empty glass jars up through the back roads about 3am when I felt a little "sqiggle" as I rounded a curve while trying to get a run at a hill I new was coming. Gave 'er hell anyways, and made it about 2/3rd's of the way up, and then slid all 48' of trailer and Peterbilt longnose backwards down the hill! Somehow I kept it straight, or maybe it wasn't me, but it stopped at the bottom, about 1/2" from the guardrail. Figured I was stuck, at least until the roads got salted, so I did paperwork, and watched a couple cars do about the same as I did. Then, in my infinite stupidity, I decided to clean my windows and mirrors. So while I'm hanging off the side of the truck cleaning them, some damn assclown Canuck blows by at about 100mph, and damn near sucks me off the side and under his trailer. That scared me more than sliding backwards down the hill. But he made it all the way over, at least.
Local cop showed up a little after that and said the road crews were on the way.
Either way, icy roads suck!!

 

I'm a firm believer the only way to know how to handle a situation like that is to put yourself in to slides where it's safe so you know how to react when it matters. That's my excuse anyways