...and she was reading this!
...and she was reading this!

Yesterday morning I was driving to the San Jose Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board along 680 in the midst of some pretty gnarly traffic.  A woman followed me in her black Infiniti from roughly Danville to Dublin, tailgating. ((Photo courtesy of BillyPalooza))

She was following me so closely, I could literally read her lips as she was chanting, “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.”

I kid you not.

A Road Warrior is prepared for bad weather
A Road Warrior is prepared for bad weather

Here’s what my fortune cookie on Saturday night said:

My fortune

I rather enjoy putting my imaginative skills to work with these little doodles.  ANYhow, now that that’s out of the way…

The last few days I’ve had several appearances in less than ideal weather.  With no further ado, my Road Warrior Checklist for traveling in bad weather:

  • Timing. My rule of thumb is to leave 15 minutes earlier for every hour of a planned trip in bad weather.
  • Speed. Speeding will make you feel good about your pace, but will never save you a significant amount of time.
  • Pick the correct lane. There are a lot of factors involved in choosing the correct traveling lane.  Driving in the path of other vehicles ensures your tires are touching more of the road and less of the water.  Stay out of the fast lane if possible.  Get out of other people’s way when they want to pass.
  • Stay in the correct lane. Try not to change lanes.   There is a lot more water between lanes and more chances to hydroplane.
  • No Cruise Control! There is an urban myth that if your car is on cruise control and you start to hydroplane your vehicle will accelerate to make up for the loss in traction.  The reason the highway patrol recommends against the use of cruise control in wet weather is that you only have moments to react to hydroplaning by reducing speed and maintaining control of your vehicle.  Cruise control in these situations will deprive you of a few moments of a potential speed decrease (where you would take your foot off the gas) by maintaining your current speed.
  • Following distance. Other people are going to be driving like maniacs.  Always make sure you have plenty of following distance.
  • Brakes. If your brakes are squeaking, they’re already in bad shape.  Get them checked out and replaced regularly.
  • Tires. Get your tires rotated regularly, make sure they have plenty of tread, and make sure they are properly inflated.  Remember the penny test: if you stick a penny into the tread and can see the top of Lincoln’s head you need to replace your tires.
  • Windshield wiper blades. Worn blades will just smudge.  Just plan on replacing your windshield blades every year.  Don’t forget your rear windshield wipers!

Prior “Road Warrior Checklists

1955 Packard 400
1955 Packard 400

February has been a wacky month.  And, on Friday February 13th the 400th user registered for this website.  ((Photo courtesy of atxbill)) Since the 300th registered user, quite a lot has happened:

Road Warrior
Road Warrior

I used to really dislike driving long distances.  However, in the last few months I’ve done a few things to completely change my mind.

  1. Use a GPS. I no longer have to worry about leaving directions at home, taking a wrong turn, finding food or fuel, or needing a detour.  I just hop in the car, hit the road, head in the general direction of my destination, and plug in the address on the way.
  2. Buy prescription sunglasses. Sunglasses have made a world of difference.  Yesterday I drove out to Auburn in the morning and back to the East Bay in the afternoon, driving into the sun both ways.  Having the sunglasses has completely eliminated squinting and strain on my eyes.
  3. Take Music. Loading up the GPS with music has really helped pass the time.  I even added a few hours of MCLE, just in case!
  4. Drive slower. I’ve made a point of obeying the speed limit, even when I’m running late.  Driving fast saves a negligible amount of time and can be very stressful.

These four things have transformed my long drives from stressful events into fairly enjoyable trips.

Tonight, we dine in HELL!
He's really excited about so many users!

Just this last Saturday we reached 300 registered users – and King Leonidas couldn’t be happier. ((You know, King Leonidas from the movie 300.  The really happy looking guy to the right.))

On August 20, 2008 the 100th person registered for this site since its re-launch on July 6, 2008.  On October 20, 2008 the 200th person registered.  In the time since this website’s relaunch, I’ve: