The whole story.
So, last weekend I went to Tennessee with Ashley and Katie 'cause Ashley had a family thing, and that's a very long drive to do all by your lonesome. It was fun, got to see the new amazing house, Ashley's Dad's spectacular new cat, old people making moose ears, and even swung by the Stewart homestead for some excellent seafood.
On the way back to Orlando (where Ashley lives and my car was parked) we ran into some nasty weather. So before I decided whether to drive home that night or wait until morning, we looked up a satellite weather map. It was COMPLETELY CLEAR between Saint Pete and Orlando. The only rain on that map was over Orlando and that was letting up. So I decided to drive home last night. It was only about 6pm, still had plenty of daylight to get home with and I am leaving for Savannah on Thursday, so I needed to get home.
I feel that it is important to note that if the weather map we looked at was in any way accurate, I would have not left Ashley's last night. The weather was horrible. Pouring rain, no visibility to speak of.
As we hurtled along I-4 the car in front of me suddenly changes lanes to reveal what is obviously at least a two car accident in the right lane directly in front of me. I can't change lanes, so I slam on the brakes and steer for the break-down lane, where another wrecked car appears out of the gloom. My car does this miraculous 160ish degree spin and I come to a halt with my front bumper about 6inches from the guardrail, my ass hanging out into the right lane, and the driver's side so close to the wreck that I can't open my door all the way. I haven't hit anything, but I'm still sticking out into traffic and the flank of a white car is all but invisible when the water is pounding into the road so hard that there's this white haze thick enough that it almost obscures headlights.
Several cars almost hit before one big truck stopped in the right lane with his flashers to give me a chance to get by. I had to back out slightly into traffic into order to pull completely into the break-down lane. Luckily, we had just passed an exit, so I head down the break-down lane (going the wrong way) back toward the exit. But, oh shit, here comes a semi, speeding along in the break down lane right towards me. So I dive off the road and flounder down this grassy hill until I connect with the mercifully empty exit ramp. I made it to a gas station and camped out there with a cup of coffee until the rain got better and I stopped shaking violently. I called my parents to say I'd be a bit late, but I didn't tell them about the almost accident, because that's not something you tell your parents before you make it home safely. Poor Ashley got the "OH MY GOD I ALMOST DIED" phone call, mostly because I had been considering calling her for the last twenty minutes to tell her what a horrible lie that weather report was.
I got back in the car when the rain looked better (it wasn't) and discovered that my savior exit was the one for Dinosaur World, only 16 miles from Tampa. The first thing I saw getting back on I-4 was a huge T-rex silhouetted by lightening. I'm glad it's not the first thing I saw getting off the interstate, or I probably would have cried.
I didn't get home until almost 9:30. I drove 40mph hour or slower all the way home, didn't get honked at by a soul, which is a mark of how bad the weather was. Traffic slowed to a crawl and voluntarily became one lane only through malfunction junction because the flooding was so bad. I think I saw more lightening last night then I have ever seen, ever. I know for a fact that I have never seen that much standing water on 22nd ave. We NEVER flood, and I seriously thought I have gonna have to sit on the roof of my car with a pole and float it down the street like a gondola to get home. As it was my brakes half failed and I literally 'parked' where I happened to glide to a stop near the house.
But I did get home. And neither my car or I have a scratch. And my brakes have dried out and work again. And I didn't throw up or cry, or freak out at the idea of driving my car again. So, I think we're good.
But I'm not driving home in the rain again. EVER.
And now, I'm gonna pack some more stuff, cause I'm leaving in like 48 hours for Savannah.
On the way back to Orlando (where Ashley lives and my car was parked) we ran into some nasty weather. So before I decided whether to drive home that night or wait until morning, we looked up a satellite weather map. It was COMPLETELY CLEAR between Saint Pete and Orlando. The only rain on that map was over Orlando and that was letting up. So I decided to drive home last night. It was only about 6pm, still had plenty of daylight to get home with and I am leaving for Savannah on Thursday, so I needed to get home.
I feel that it is important to note that if the weather map we looked at was in any way accurate, I would have not left Ashley's last night. The weather was horrible. Pouring rain, no visibility to speak of.
As we hurtled along I-4 the car in front of me suddenly changes lanes to reveal what is obviously at least a two car accident in the right lane directly in front of me. I can't change lanes, so I slam on the brakes and steer for the break-down lane, where another wrecked car appears out of the gloom. My car does this miraculous 160ish degree spin and I come to a halt with my front bumper about 6inches from the guardrail, my ass hanging out into the right lane, and the driver's side so close to the wreck that I can't open my door all the way. I haven't hit anything, but I'm still sticking out into traffic and the flank of a white car is all but invisible when the water is pounding into the road so hard that there's this white haze thick enough that it almost obscures headlights.
Several cars almost hit before one big truck stopped in the right lane with his flashers to give me a chance to get by. I had to back out slightly into traffic into order to pull completely into the break-down lane. Luckily, we had just passed an exit, so I head down the break-down lane (going the wrong way) back toward the exit. But, oh shit, here comes a semi, speeding along in the break down lane right towards me. So I dive off the road and flounder down this grassy hill until I connect with the mercifully empty exit ramp. I made it to a gas station and camped out there with a cup of coffee until the rain got better and I stopped shaking violently. I called my parents to say I'd be a bit late, but I didn't tell them about the almost accident, because that's not something you tell your parents before you make it home safely. Poor Ashley got the "OH MY GOD I ALMOST DIED" phone call, mostly because I had been considering calling her for the last twenty minutes to tell her what a horrible lie that weather report was.
I got back in the car when the rain looked better (it wasn't) and discovered that my savior exit was the one for Dinosaur World, only 16 miles from Tampa. The first thing I saw getting back on I-4 was a huge T-rex silhouetted by lightening. I'm glad it's not the first thing I saw getting off the interstate, or I probably would have cried.
I didn't get home until almost 9:30. I drove 40mph hour or slower all the way home, didn't get honked at by a soul, which is a mark of how bad the weather was. Traffic slowed to a crawl and voluntarily became one lane only through malfunction junction because the flooding was so bad. I think I saw more lightening last night then I have ever seen, ever. I know for a fact that I have never seen that much standing water on 22nd ave. We NEVER flood, and I seriously thought I have gonna have to sit on the roof of my car with a pole and float it down the street like a gondola to get home. As it was my brakes half failed and I literally 'parked' where I happened to glide to a stop near the house.
But I did get home. And neither my car or I have a scratch. And my brakes have dried out and work again. And I didn't throw up or cry, or freak out at the idea of driving my car again. So, I think we're good.
But I'm not driving home in the rain again. EVER.
And now, I'm gonna pack some more stuff, cause I'm leaving in like 48 hours for Savannah.