My Latest Adventure

[fish]

Friday, on my way to meet the unwashed and gassy Santa Cruz Moutains Chapter of the ADVriders at Alice's, I rode up Old La Honda Road (a 19th century logging road, but now a tight, paved residental road favored by bicyclists). I've ridden this road hundreds of times on and in dozens of vehicles, but never before had I come so close to biting it in a big way.

About half-way up the road, I rounded a blind left-hander (one lane, no markings), and found myself staring into the left headlamp of an Airborne Express one ton van. Glance right, no fogline, only redwood needles. No choice, push hard on the right bar, and slide down off the pavement into a small drainage ditch filled with needles and mud. I was only doing about 35mph at the time. A more prudent speed would probably have been about 20. I consciously tried not to fixate on the headlight, knowing that would have been really ugly, and instead focused directly in front of me, where I saw the lip of more pavement into a driveway.

Obviously I made it. Didn't dump, amazingly. Rims are not blipped, as far as I can tell. If I had been on my GS, it would have been a piece of cake, cuz I routinely run off the road for fun on that thing. But on the RT? jezuss h. christ. I bucked it up for the advrider meeting...didn't want to seem like a pantywaste, cuz this shit happens all the time around here.

[Jean-Luc]

Glad you made it Fish! Close call though: you should only ride your GS in such roads

[fish]

Originally posted by Jean-Luc
Glad you made it Fish! Close call though: you should only ride your GS in such roads

I know.

[Marc]

Fish,

Glad nothing more than adrenaline was pumping after the "incident". So, looking back on what happened, what could you have done differently (other than taking the GS, of course). We've got a few roads like that around here, but with less traffic. However, you never know. So, any chance to learn from others' experiences is welcomed.

Glad you're OK.

Marc

[fish]

Originally posted by Marc

Glad nothing more than adrenaline was pumping after the "incident".

actually, that might have been the smell rubber cow mentioned.

So, looking back on what happened, what could you have done differently

1. Ridden faster. If I had bumped it up maybe 5-10mph both out Sandhill Rd and OLH, I would have been into the newer, wider pavement toward the top, rather than in the tight shit. I'm just glad I wasn't where the two redwoods are. I think it's only about 15' clearance.

2. Ridden slower. Coulda putted along and the Airborne van woulda passed me on Sandhill, rather than OLH.

3. Done nothing. smack.

4. Pushed on the wrong bar. smack.

5. Taken a different road, say 84, where it's wide and safe. Or Page Mill Rd where it's a little less tight, but as dangerous or more than OLH.

[AdventurePoser]

Fish,

Glad you are ok! I've only met you once, and it would have been a shame if that truck got you. After all, you still owe me coffee!

Steve in So Cal

[Rod]

ARR the rush of adrenaline make you glade your alive

happy to hear it was nothing more as one day I want a secound opinion on my HOME brew... Dude