Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Yesterday I was returning home from Dryden. Traffic had bunched up due to

construction but had resumed highway speed. I was third in line and the lead car

indicated a left turn, A west bound vehicle came into view and the turning car

had to stop as did the next car. As the third vehicle I was almost stopped when

the car made the turn and the secound car started to move. Starting to regain

speed, checked my mirrows (riding my motorcycle), and observed the chaos behind

me. The car directly behind me was skewed partially in west bound lane. The semi

behind him was partially on shoulder and brakes smoking. But no collision. I know

the people in the vehicle directly in front of me and I later spoke to him and

his two passengers. None of them had and idea of how close they had come to

disaster! If not for checking my mirrows I too would have been unaware of the

near accident.

All of this happened in the space of a few secounds. You know, see a situation,

respond and go about your business.

I just wonder how often, as we go about our daily chores, we miss disaster by the

narrowest of margines and are never aware!

I suspect it happens often.

We do the best we can by being aware and usually avoiding situations. But some things can happen when you least expect it.

Hopefully we will never KNOW!!!! I remember in the summers of 1984 and 85 I was stationed in Germany. I was in a Nuke unit Pershing missiles medium range Nukes one summer night the klaxtons went off which happened often. But we never pulled the pins on the G&C systems it turns on the actual battery that controls the warheads or something like that I never really knew what it did except make the candles light in other words we had 6 NUKES locked and loaded and in firing position or weapons free!!! I wonder if the world ever knew how close we were to the BIG BANG or like I said Hopefully we will never know how often we get to escape catastrophe.
just my .02 worth cool topic!!!!

I was in Berlin the summer of 1990. The wall had come down the previous Nov and the atmosphere was electric. It was at Checkpoint Charlie that my wife and I met a elderly couple, the man was in genuine difficulty. We asked if we could help, but the woman thanked us and declined, explaining that on Oct 25 1961, her husband was in a missile silo, in I believe, West Germany. As you said, they were weapons free, waiting for the last step before Armageddon... At Checkpoint Charlie that day, four tanks, two US and two USSR, were faced off 150 yards apart. Thanks to Kennedy's backline brokering, the stand off at Checkpoint Charlie was backed down.

The gentleman we had just met, had never been to that site and was immediately taken back to that day, when the fate of the world was placed within his reach. After he had settled down, they quietly went on their way. Yesterday was the 53rd anniversary of that mans ordeal in a silo that we were all in the dark about...

Yes, sometimes, things come close when no one has a clue...

Our fears are based in catastrophy's randomness...