Pickup and Toy Hauler Take the "Leap of Faith"

Here's one of those things you always hear about, but very few have actually seen happen.

It was at precisely 2:05 pm today when I saw it. As it unfolded in front of me, I said to myself, no - it couldn't be.

It was a newer tan GMC Yukon. It was tooling down the 405 freeway SB near the Santa Monica Blvd in the number 2 lane, or the lane directly to the right of the fast lane. It was towing a pretty big enclosed motorcycle trailer, or what most people know as a "toy hauler". The truck/trailer combo was traveling pretty much with the flow of traffic. The guy driving the combo wasn't driving fast, weaving in/out of traffic or otherwise being a nuisance. No, this guy's problem was instigated by a slight oversight on his part, even before he pulled out of his driveway that morning.

The 405 freeway is known for it's choppy characteristic when driving on the 50 year old concrete square panels laid end to end to create most of the massive black ribbon that is the 405. The panel cause a constant modulation effect that travels from the road itself, up through a vehicle's tires, suspension and chassis until it reaches the driver's bones, which get rattled to high Heaven. This constant pulsing effect can cause another effect as well.. a much more destructive effect.

As I passed the truck/trailer, I noticed the front of the trailer was bumping up and down much more than the rear of the truck it was supposed to be attached to. Just as I glanced over, I saw the tongue of the trailer pop off it's hitch. It bobbed up and down 2-3 times before it finally hit the road and threw off a shower of sparks. The safety chain was doing it's job, but it didn't keep the trailer to yaw back and forth as the truck driver tried to quickly pull over to the side of the road. As I passed him and continued on, I saw him signalling and merging to the right as fast as possible.

Lesson to the world; It doesn't take a Highway A-hole to forget to tighten down your trailer ball hitch before leaving on a Memorial Day Weekend vacation at Glamis.

AUGUST 1, 2007 @ 2:49 pm – NB 710 FWY to NB 405 Interchange

Some people just can seem to figure things out on the fly. When they can't, everyone else around them is fucking fried.

OK now try to follow along. It's going to get complicated for a bit.

There is a rather tricky intersection going from the 710 NB to the 405 NB in Long Beach. If involves merging into a double exit collector and then utilizing one of those circular off-ramp lanes to yet another set of merge lanes combining the NB 710 to NB 405 traffic with the 710 SB merging... all trying to get into NB 405 traffic. It sounds confusing I know, but if you have ever been in this interchange and done the described path, I'm sure you can relate to this A-hole story.

It's a 50 yd stretch of merging lanes that require cars and tractor trailers have to use for the double merge. To get from the collecting NB and SB 710 FWY, and the NB 405 merging traffic into the 710 ramps, you must negotiate this area in quick fashion. If you do this merge right no one is delayed and no one gets pissed. However, if you lolly-gag or try to force your way through and don't pay attention to the rest of the traffic trying to merge at the same time, you not only fuck yourself, but you fuck everyone else as well. This usually results in all traffic having to stop while the A-hole who caused the whole mess is allowed to safely and slowly merge, by himself, across the two lanes into the NB 405 entry lane as it approaches the Santa Fe Ave overpass. Most drivers are patient with this kind of bullshit. However, the tractor-trailer rigs are not so compassionate... to them time is money and waiting for an A-hole is something they refuse to do.

There she was - an Asian woman in her late 50's. Short cropped black hair wearing some kind of office dress-blouse. She looked like she could have been Korean but I'm not positive. She was puttering in a 1990 4 door silver Toyota Camry, last five license plate numbers DT110. I was 4 cars behind her. As she entered the merging lanes described above, she decided that traffic was moving way to fast for her to merge so decided to stop cold in the middle of the merging traffic. EVERYONE behind her came to a stop as well.

OK, no problem. She will be back on her way in a few seconds as traffic thins a bit. Nothing doing, she just sat there. Two minutes go by and she is still waiting for her chance to go. Traffic is now starting to back-up on the NB and SB 710 off-ramps. Big truck horns are now starting to toot.

Finally se starts to creep into the merge lanes towards the NB 405 on-ramp. As she slithers into the lanes, the other lane she was in opens up like a flood gate to let the rest of us pass her - of course on the right.

2 miles after I was able to get onto the NB 405, I suddenly see the silver Camry speeding up on me in my rear view mirror. She changes lanes and passes me on the left. She had to be going 70 mph plus. Wow, I guess she does have balls after all... that little A-hole bitch.