This weekend adventure came up when I agreed to drive my niece at least half way back from Mobile to Knoxville. I was happy to do it. Her (and her brothers) annual visit is the highlight of the summer for my girls. Half way is somewhere close to Atlanta.
Well, TMan and I were planning a trip to the Ikea in Atlanta to shop for his apartment needs. We were planning this trip for sometime in July, closer to the date he needed the goods, but trips are expensive, so after some quick finagling, we rescheduled our trip to kill two birds with one stone.
So after my niece had visited for a week of swimming, softball and creating movies and other fun things that girls do, Little Lou and I took off toward Auburn to meet up with TMan. We made a quick vehicle switch and loaded into my truck, which is now TMan's main modus tranportus, and headed out of Auburn with the TMan driving. Just after we got on I85 North, the weather turned nasty. REALLY nasty. The winds grabbed the sides of the truck like sail. Lightning was popping everywhere. Rain came in sheets. TMan was driving two handed and white knuckled. I didn't even give him too much grief when ugly words slipped from his lips. He apologized momentarily.
After a few minutes, the winds had calmed, and the rain was fairly intense, but manageable. We were in the far left lane of 3 lanes, driving below the speed limit, but still, pretty fast. We had two lanes of traffic to the right, and a 3.5 - 4 ft. high concrete barrier wall to the left. I'm not sure how to describe the sensation, but I instantly knew we were hydroplaning. The whole "feel" of the road changed. We went from rolling, to floating. In the same instant, a solid wall of water came from the other side of the barrier. It was like the ultimate rooster tail from my water skiing days. Obviously a vehicle on the other side of the barrier had hid the same patch of poorly draining interstate, and their tires had sprayed the water OVER the barrier. It was a solid sheet that completely hid the view of everything in front of us.
The whole thing lasted 3 or 4 seconds, and I have to say, TMan handled it brilliantly, as shown by the fact that we are all still alive. We did not hit the wall, or the other traffic. I am not sure what I would have done.
It was scary. That was the beginning of the adventure.
After a few minutes, the winds had calmed, and the rain was fairly intense, but manageable. We were in the far left lane of 3 lanes, driving below the speed limit, but still, pretty fast. We had two lanes of traffic to the right, and a 3.5 - 4 ft. high concrete barrier wall to the left. I'm not sure how to describe the sensation, but I instantly knew we were hydroplaning. The whole "feel" of the road changed. We went from rolling, to floating. In the same instant, a solid wall of water came from the other side of the barrier. It was like the ultimate rooster tail from my water skiing days. Obviously a vehicle on the other side of the barrier had hid the same patch of poorly draining interstate, and their tires had sprayed the water OVER the barrier. It was a solid sheet that completely hid the view of everything in front of us.
The whole thing lasted 3 or 4 seconds, and I have to say, TMan handled it brilliantly, as shown by the fact that we are all still alive. We did not hit the wall, or the other traffic. I am not sure what I would have done.
It was scary. That was the beginning of the adventure.
woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow
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