Traffic Can Be Fun!

     Hey scientists and engineers what happened to flying cars? Weren’t we supposed to be shooting through the air at incredible speeds in shiny metallic futuristic flying mobiles? What happened? I’ll tell you what, every hour I sit in horrendous traffic on the 405 (Los Angelinos) and or 680 or 880 (Bay Area folk) the more I wish I had one of those flying cars.

 I hate traffic and for me it’s unavoidable because I commute and travel a lot. Never have I encountered worse traffic than in California. I had no problems in New York, Dallas, even Chicago. However, California, particularly Bay Area and Los Angeles traffic make me want to invest in a tank. Luckily I have been doing it for so long that it has become easier for me to deal with. I am going to share with you a few of the ways I deal with traffic.

I sing.

When I am alone in my car or even with company (it’s always better with an audience) it becomes American Idol time. I happen to have a vast knowledge of songs and if I don’t know the words I am a very fast learner. Singing helps to pass the time for me and also makes the car ride a little more enjoyable. I’m not sure what my passengers think but if they don’t want me to sing then maybe they shouldn’t be in a car with me.

I play games.

I like to play games like: Who is Picking Their Nose, and Who Just Doesn’t Care about Other Drivers and is Talking on the Phone Right Now? I also like to play, What is that Driver Thinking, I Wonder if They are Wearing Pants, and if its happens to be night time my personal favorite: Oh Crap, Is That A Cop?

I coast.

I have learned that the DMV handbooks were right and an optimal distance to follow another vehicle is about 2-3 seconds. This is especially true in traffic. Too often have I seen another driver ride the bumper of the person in front of them only to break every half second to avoid rear-ending them. It is ridiculous. If you follow a few seconds behind you can casually coast and never have to put your foot on the brake. This also gives the illusion that it’s not Stop-and-go traffic but –go-very-slow traffic.

I also don’t speed.

There is no logical reason to drive 90mph on the highway. Its unsafe and uses way more fuel than driving a safer speed(usually 85mph). I’m kidding, drive the speed limit and stay alive.

I ponder life.

Some if not most of my best ideas for basically anything have come from one of three of my favorite places to think. The shower, the toilet, and sitting in my car in traffic.The idea to write about surviving traffic came from sitting in my car in traffic. How strange right? I know I’m brilliant.

I hope some of these tips help you the next time you find yourself making awkward eye contact with the person in the car in front of you through their rear-view mirror. If anything I hope you at least remember reading this post and can chuckle about it later; while you’re stuck in traffic. Thanks for reading and safe driving! 

Guardian Angel

      I remember one of the first times I saved someone’s life. I was just a kid then and I didn’t have the experience that I have now. Although, one never really gets used to that sort of thing.

It was a quiet Saturday night and my ex and I had decided to stay in tonight and have a relaxing movie night. We were all settled in nestled on our couch watching the latest action flick when all of the sudden a loud screech followed by a deafening BOOM sounded from outside. It was almost as if the sound came from inside our place it was so loud. I sprang up threw on my shoes, swung open the front door and bounded outside not even thinking twice. “Where are you going? That didn’t sound safe.” She said as I was running towards the sound of the boom. “ I gotta see if everything is okay!” I shouted back. We lived in an apartment complex on the corner of a street just outside of a particularly “bad” area of the town. Our place was just far enough to provide solace from the craziness of the city, but every now and then some of the action would spill over into our part. Tonight was one of those times.

     I leapt over the wall of our apartment complex with ease just in time to witness the perpetrator in what I could now see was a hit-and-run drive away. The car fleeing the scene as hastily as it could considering the damage it had sustained was leaking fluid all over the asphalt that would later provide a trail for the police leading them straight to the offender. I noted the make and model of escaping vehicle and quickly turned my attention to the other car. It was about midnight and luckily there weren’t many people on the road, which made it safer for me to get to the car. It was an eighties era Honda Civic and was wrapped around a light pole twisted and mangled. Smoke was pouring from the engine block and the ground was covered in coolant and gasoline. I grew closer to the vehicle and out of the corner of my eye I noticed another guy fast approaching. “He must have heard the crash too.” I thought to myself.  We stopped in front of the driver side door which was bent horribly out of shape. “Ey man there’s fluid everywhere.” The other guy said pointing at the ground. “Yeah we need to get him out of there.” I replied. The driver was starting to come to. His airbag had not deployed and he had been knocked out upon impact. We grabbed the door and pried it open. I knew that in any other automobile accident you weren’t supposed to remove them from the vehicle because they might have a neck or back injury that required stabilization before you moved them. However, in this situation it was necessary because of the billowing smoke pouring from the engine block and the extremely flammable fluids spewing from the wreckage.

       Bracing his head and neck we gently pulled him from the wreckage and set him down on the curb about 50 feet away. Sirens rang in the distance. Someone must have called 911. A police cruiser screeched to a halt in front of me and I told him to follow the trail from the leaky car to find the other person involved. Shortly three more squad cars an ambulance and a fire truck pulled up to the scene shortly after the first car sped off. The medics shooed us away and began to assess the driver of the mangled car. Right before the firefighters doused the car with water tiny flames began to shoot up from under the car. We had pulled the guy out just in time.

     After some questioning from the police I was free to return to my movie night. The next week at work the mother of the driver of Honda approached me with a news paper clipping in her hand. “Is this you?”

“Yes ma’am that’s me” Apparently she had found out who I was from the police and had come into my work to thank me for saving her son’s life. It turns out he suffered a lot of internal damage but was going to be okay. The driver of the other car was found and arrested that night too. She hugged me and burst into tears. I’ll never forget that feeling. I wasn’t looking for recognition for what I did but knowing that I had saved someone’s life and quite possibly changed the course of history for that family felt good. It felt beyond good. It was then that I knew, that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. 

How to Survive a Road Trip

         Since the title of my blog is AdventureChris I thought that I would start posting some adventure posts. So I have decided to do a weekly “ How to Survive” post, in which I give advice on how to survive various situations involving travel and adventure. Now, these posts are not intended to be humorous so please refrain from laughing.

How to Survive the Road Trip

In 5 Easy Steps

Step 1: Bring snacks.

           

Sure deep fried chicken wings, greasy cheeseburgers and super stuffed-grande-burritos are delicious but let’s face it, you’re going to be sitting in a car for hours and even days and there’s not much room for physical activity. Although, you could make “fit-pit” stops as I like to call them. A fit-pit stop is pulling over at a rest stop or safe location (not the side of the highway) and getting in a quick ten to fifteen minute workout. It should be enough to stretch the muscles, burn some calories and get the blood flowing. This sounds like a good idea but if you’re like me and sweat like a turkey on thanksgiving, no one will appreciate your “aroma” in the car; especially driving through the desert. If you have room in your vehicle pack a cooler with healthy snacks that won’t perish too fast, such as sandwiches without mayo trail mix or beef jerky and granola bars. Make sure to bring plenty of water too. Do yourself a favor and save some time and save your waistline.

Step 2: Sleep.

            So there I was, miles above the Earth’s surface traveling at mach 2 speeds in my F22 stealth fighter. Enemy bogies were fixed on my location and coming in hot! The enemy fighter plane at my six had achieved radar lock and fired one of its missiles. I had no time to think and instinct kicked in. I pointed the nose of my jet straight down and barrel rolled careening towards the mountain range below, when suddenly, a semi-truck appeared directly in front of me! What was a semi-truck doing in the sky? I thought to myself. Oh that’s right, I’m driving in my car so this must be a dream. I shouldn't be sleeping, I should be driving! This terrifying Top-Gun tale was meant to stress the importance of planning rest stops on your trip. Call ahead and book reservations at hotels and lodges along the way. If you feel sleepy while driving, pull over and let someone else man the helm for a while. Even professional truckers aren’t supposed to drive more than eleven hours in one day. Be smart and get ample sleep.

Step 3: Music. Lots of it.

           

       I once spent over ten hours in a car on a road-trip listening to the ENTIRE ( not by choice) Sherlock Holmes Mystery series on audio-book. When we arrived at our destination I found myself unknowingly speaking in a British accent for at least two days! Unless your car has satellite radio, good stations get harder and harder to find, especially as you head into more remote areas. Make sure to bring an ample amount of CD’s or update your playlists to be sure that you don’t get bored on the trip. Be sure to keep the music lively and upbeat to help prevent dozing off at the wheel. Also make sure there is at least one loud classic rock mix available for those moments when someone wants to talk about feelings or the funny thing their cat did the other night.

Step 4: Pimp Your Ride.

           

       Everyone has electronic devices, whether it’s an e-reader, a net-book, or a cellphone and we all bring them with us. Consequently these devices need to be charged and most vehicles only have one or two AC outlets. Furthermore, thanks to a particular fruit based company not everyone’s device uses the same charger anymore, thus leaving the option of sharing chargers out. Don’t be the one with the most LTE coverage anywhere in the United States and a dead phone. I’d urge you to pay a visit to your local electronics store and pick up a multi-port/USB car charger. This will ensure that no one feels the shame of getting left out of the electronic “watering-hole”.

Step 5: Roadside Service.

            It’s a good idea to make sure at least one of the people on the trip has emergency roadside service. Sooner or later, if you take enough road trips, eventually you might find yourself stuck on the side of the road, halfway between the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes; we all know how those situations turned out…

            Now you should have all the tools you need to have a fun, safe and successful road trip. Happy travels!