Date:         Sun, 19 Nov 2006 19:28:05 -0700
Reply-To:     vw.bus@MAC.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Warren Lail <vw.bus@MAC.COM>
Subject:      Billy Bones at 100 - dumbest thing I've ever done
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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"