Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2006 19:56:43 -0800
Reply-To: Jeffrey Schwaia <jeff@VANAGONPARTS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jeffrey Schwaia <jeff@VANAGONPARTS.COM>
Subject: Re: Billy Bones at 100 - dumbest thing I've ever done
In-Reply-To: <C1865B13.18F1%mwmiller@cwnet.com>
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I could not agree more. Wouldn't even make the top 10 (or 20) for me. Not
even in the land speed category, where I'd have to list 140mph on a '75 BMW
R90S down hwy 101 in Carlsbad (long time ago) as the easy #1 stupid speed
related move. My other really stupid actions will usually only be revealed
over a campfire and good beer...
Cheers,
Jeff
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
Of Mike Miller
Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2006 7:04 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Billy Bones at 100 - dumbest thing I've ever done
If that's the dumbest thing you ever did you've led an exceptionally smart
life.
On 11/19/06 6:28 PM, "Warren Lail" <vw.bus@MAC.COM> wrote:
> Sooner or later it was bound to happen. There I was on an open,
> straight section of I-80 in northern Nevada. Not a car in sight
> coming or going and a wide view of the highway in front of me
> (probably could see clear for 5 to 7 miles as the Interstate crossed
> one of those wide desert valleys). No wind. Poor judgment. Promise
> to never do it again.
>
> But ...
>
> The speed limit was 75. Billy Bones has a .77 fourth gear, so I was
> cruising along at 80 (4,000 rpm). Then I see the open road, no
> traffic, flat level ground, no wind, good tires, and before I could
> exercise good judgment, bad judgment took over.
>
> I pressed the pedal down and the Subie 2.2 began to hum. Soon I was
> at 85. At 88 I saw comm-trails streaming from my rear view mirrors.
> At 90 both mirrors gave up and flapped in. At 93 the whole front end
> began to glow a bright orange - eventually becoming white hot. At 95
> my face became distorted. At 96 I almost lost consciousness and
> began to hallucinate. At 97 I cried, but poor judgment caused me to
> press on, and on, and on. At 99 my eyeglasses cracked. And then it
> happened - the GPS displayed the magic number. That one second at
> 100 seemed like an eternity. Good judgment again took over and I
> backed way off. Drove the rest of the way home at the speed limit.
>
> Dumbest thing I've ever done. Poor judgment, to be sure. Promise to
> never do that again as long as I live. It frightens me even now just
> thinking about it.
>
> But I thought I would share the experience. Maybe it will keep
> someone else from making the same mistake.
>
> Warren L.
> 88 Westy "Billy Bones"
>
>
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