Close call

[Alex Kowalski]

Whew!  Thank your lucky stars for quick reaction times, a stable,
forgiving chassis that doesn't like to snap-spin, and a drivetrain that puts
power to the ground effectively.  It was VERY windy in parts of the
Northeast -- I'm in southern MA about 45 miles from Hartford and apparently
a semi blew off the road and went over sideways on I-84 not too far from
here!  BTW a very quick and dirty back of the envelope calculation just told
me that a 70MPH wind gust will exert approximately 4100 pounds of force on
the side of a typical 53 foot container.  If the wind is gusting, the driver
suddenly has to deal with more than two tons of force trying to move his rig
into the next lane.

My '87 5KCSTQ has earned my love and devotion three times so far this winter
in the snow we've had.  Last winter it earned its keep by serving as an
impromptu tow vehicle for a pickup truck that got stuck near my former
residence in Chicago, and this winter esp. on the unimproved roads I
sometimes have to travel on I wouldn't drive anything else.

Very glad you're safe.