Longhaulpaul's Chasing the Cure

Brake Dancing in the New Millennium

In the time it takes to suck in half a breath, dozens of antilock braking systems including my own activated and filled the air with an angelic symphony of chirps and abbreviated squeals. Beautiful music, spoiled only by the smell of burning rubber and overheated ceramic brake pads.  Only by the grace of Bosch, Brembo and Bendix, were there were no fatalities, no Med-Flights, no serious injuries, no on-the-scene reporters, no crash reconstruction teams, no embarrassing witness interviews, no ambulances, no tow trucks and no raised insurance premiums. Other than 30 pairs of soiled underwear, no evidence of the event would ever materialize, because the horrific accident never happened.

It took some time to process how close a call it really was, and how much a role new braking systems played in the non-pileup.

I had all intention of kissing the guy in the brand new Mercedes SUV directly behind me and I was pretty sure he shared the same feelings; but after every driver in eyeshot unilateral exhaled in a moment of silence, the traffic started to roll forward, and I settled for a thumbs-up instead.  I never got a clear look at him, but I believe it was Jesus Christ, Mario Andretti, a vehicle equipped with the new collision avoidance system; or quite possibly all of the above.

I was returning from speaking at a luncheon in Brooklyn  New York, and the road was still wet from the morning rain. I, like five million other motorists was joining the daily migration, fighting our way home through Friday afternoon New York City traffic. At one point the congestion subsided a bit and we began to move at a more liberated speed. We came upon a steep hill and as we crested it, traffic came to an absolute dead stop on the other side.  It was a parking lot. I probably had about ten car lengths to stop before catapulting myself over the roof of the BMW 7 series ahead of me. The BMW and the cars in the lanes to my right skid and slid but were able to avoid catastrophic contact.  My ABS activated and I would eventually stop a few feet from the bumper in front of me. As soon as I felt confident I would be stopping my bike in time, I shot the dreaded glance to my side view mirror just in time to see the Mercedes SUV that had been behind me leap over the summit. In that micro- second my brother’s life (because mine is a bit more complex) passed before my eyes. Clearly it was impossible that such a large a vehicle would be able to stop before melding me to my motorcycle. To my left were Jersey Barriers; to my right were cars still zig-zagging and screeching to zero. Not a lot of choices for me as I and Mr. Andretti chirped to our final resting spots. Ferociously if not miraculously, the SUV stuttered to a halt just inches from my bikes rear trunk. I knew it was a brand new Mercedes because when the smoke cleared, I’m pretty sure I remember seeing the date code on it’s headlight!

It is so important to keep our eyes on the road especially during the busy holiday travelling season. We can either leave lots of extra space or just buy an $80,000 car that will do it for us.

So, as the world celebrates Black Friday, the holiday where Columbus came over on the Mayflower, I have something else to be very thankful for.

I am thankful that we did not choose the Turkey as the United States of America’s national bird, because Bald Eagles taste nothing like chicken.

I’m also thankful for technology.

Oh, and my wife.

Oh, and my family, my health, my friends, my supporters, and pizza.

Yes, definitely pizza, and rocks and other stuff.

Now it’s your turn, what are YOU thankful for this season?

Any day you can ride is a good day.

Cheers

Longhaulpaul

P.S.  You can now follow me live on my website, with an interactive map from spotwalla.com. A tracking device installed on my bike allows everyone to see where I have been and where I am going in real time!