Went to the Outpost (US395 / I-15) for breakfast with a OTR driver friend of mine. This location was as close as we could get and not have him out of route. Due to slow freight, he had been sitting in Bakersfield for a couple of days and was now heading home (Ohio).
I made the 45 minute drive up Cajon Pass to meet up for some biscuits and gravy. Now I know this menu item is not the best for the heart etc., but it sure tastes good to the stomach - soooo.
After ordering and the usual small talk, we got into eating and discussing driving skills as we looked out the windows. Now being an over the road driver allows you to see / experience a wide variety of shall we say unique maneuvers. My friend went off on a list of the winter skills, or lack there of, that people use on the highways today. Not to be out done, I related all that I had recently observed.
Now my friend HAD to remind me that I was not driving a big truck this winter and being in So. Cal. was absent of many of mother natures special touches. Thus, anything I saw was pale in comparison. I was bested, I had to agree.
As we left the restaurant we saw a very small red car lock up the brakes, slide through the signal light, and end up in the sandy area next to the highway. Several people rushed over to see how the driver was, my friend and I included. The car would need to be towed, and the driver was alright, spilled soda and a bit scared I think. His major concern was not his car, the near miss, or the possible injuries that could have been. He was really upset that the car in front of him had stopped for the red light. As he put it, it was still orange and we could have made it with a little gas !
As we walked back to where my friend's W 9 was parked, he said to no one in particular -
no rain, no snow, no ice, I guess winter driving skills are really just driving skills and everything IS relevant.
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