My car ‘thing’ came kinda late --- after high-school. I’d had a lotta things that I ‘wanted to be’ . . . but they’d never turned-out. Did a year of college, then left, got a job, put some money in my pocket . . . shopped for a car. And that started it
Bought a little BMW 320i coupe --- brand new . . . cosmically different from my Grampa’s hand-me-down Plymouth wagon. Had to learn how to drive a stick. But I loved the way my BMW handled bumps, cornered, how smooth + light + lively it was --- easy on gas, too. Fun
After a few months driving to work, then doing some highway drives ‘just-for-the-hell-of-it,’ I’d started searching-out some of the quieter + twistier + funner roads to play on. Like The Ortega. And Black Star + Santiago Canyon/Old El Toro Road. Friday nights, after work, or any week-end morning . . . I’d go out --- for a drive. Had a lot o’ fun in that 320i, buzzing around on those roads. Thought I was a pretty good driver, too --- nothing crazy . . . but fast, smooth
My Best Friend had come down one Spring Break, and I’d offered to take him for A Ride. So, late on Friday night . . . . Black Star + Santiago + Old El Toro
Done that drive more than a few times, by then --- so? . . . I was comfortable. No traffic, no homes/civilization --- just two lanes of Old School Country Road. Hauling a$$. Faster + smoother w/ every mile. I’m sure My Best Friend was impressed. I know I was
At one point, we blew past this Big Ford Sedan --- lights on the roof, shields on the doors, sitting at the verge . . . . poised for launch. As it turned-out? . . . he never bothered w/ us. Too fast . . . too smooth
The Last Corner of Our Little Drive was a sneaky one . . . . a blind-apex + decreasing radius + off-camber + left-hander. I hadn’t paid much attention to it before --- but that night . . . driving w/ My Best Friend in the my shiny little BMW . . . and driving smoother and faster than I’d ever driven before . . . I did
I took us into that corner at just about full-chat, in 4th. The 320i’s suspension soaked-up/smoothed-over anything it rolled-over so I was pretty comfortable/under control. Got into the corner, car leaned-over a LOT --- as any softly-sprung car would. Done that before --- no surprise. But --- as that corner tightened + the car leaned more + started sliding . . . the tires got to the edge of the asphalt, started licking + nibbling at the dry-dirt shoulder . . . about 6-feet-worth . . .
No problem --- need to slow my progress ---- juuuuuuuuuust a bit, so? . . . .
I did the one thing one should never ever EVER do on a softly-spring + swing-axled anything
I brushed the brakes
W/ the car cornering at full-Kamikaze, I had two back tires balanced against two front tires . . . w/ the whole car sliding slowly out of the corner. When I ‘brushed’ those brakes? --- the car pitched forward juuuuuuuuuust a little bit . . . but enough to un-load + get my inside rear tire off the ground
W/ one less rear tire to balance against? . . . . those two front tires took over/off. Now, instead of going off the road on the right? . . . . my 320i instantly darted over to the left . . . . + into on-coming traffic
I caught it --- got everything settled/pointed straight . . . . + right at/into some headlights in front o’ us, coming at us --- couple sets
I had two choices --- both real bad
I could take my/our chances --- stay on the road . . . hope that the drivers in front of us could react correctly/quickly enough to save my sorry dumb a$$ . . . . or? . . . .
. . . I could take the car 'off'
EL Toro Rd is a 6-lane suburban feeder road, these days. Back then --- they were just starting to build all the neighborhoods that line it now. There was a built-up/pushed-up berm, on the left side of the road, maybe 10-12 feet high, 45-degree incline, soft dirt --- fresh
Done
So I took us 'off' . . . . and we hit that berm, at about a 60-degree offset, at just under 100 MpH. I remember seeing a wall o' dirt rush up --- bright + brown-grey, in my headlights . . . then suddenly seeing stars --- like, the up in the sky-type . . . . as the car contacted/deflected/ricocheted + went airborne --- motor zinging waaaay up, to/past redline as the back tires came off the ground . . . . until? ---
BOOM!
Dust --- everywhere . . . . in the lights, in the car . . . in my stupid . . . . open . . . . mouth
We'd flown about 30 yards . . . . landed right-side up . . . . in the still-soft dirt of the construction site, beyond the berm . . . . dumb-effing-lucky
I was 19
When I see an 'off' . . . in a canyon . . . or a little country road . . . . or anywhere . . . I remember
Didn't see a Meat Wagon --- or a helo . . . so I'm hoping everybody walked away from this one. It's late in our fire season, so all the Fire Guys are prolly there making sure nothing catches
Except for the Emergency Vehicles --- and the smoke . . . .
. . . . this is me . . .
Dumb-effing lucky
Thankful
+ Lazy fast
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