Unfortunate Encounter

It was just after Christmas we were called again to Michigan, and we went as always. It seemed to go well as we went through Canada this time, which takes a few hours off the journey. Before we know it, we are in Ohio and turn northward to get to Michigan. 

The interstates and turnpikes in this area are 70mph. We don't like it at all, and I have commented on this subject of higher speeds on major roads before. We drive 65 on these higher speed roads, and it seems each time we are in Ohio or Michigan, we see even more off-road signs marking yet another accident scene investigation site. I am always commenting that when the top speed permitted is 70, nobody goes 70 but at a higher speed. There are always those news reports of a massive accident scene with many cars involved.

Of course!! Who can stop quickly and safely when you are speeding down the road at such a high speed? When you are trying to keep up with everyone else, and they are all going 80mph or even higher, YOU tell me who will stop in time to avoid an accident if the car ahead of them stops suddenly?

Well, on the day after Christmas 2019 somewhere on the Ohio turnpike, we were rear-ended by a huge GMC pickup hauling two propellers in the cargo bed. It was a heavy-duty pickup traveling at a higher speed than posted. Fortunately we nor the other driver were not injured, but it could have been worse. Luckily Sheila was driving, and after the initial shock of the noise and the minivan being struck from behind, she had and maintained good control of the van and got us safely to the side of the road. Except for the pickup that struck us, not one vehicle when we were rear-ended, stopped to see if there were any injured or if anyone needed assistance.

It took over four hours for the state trooper to arrive to take all the personal and vehicle information from us. All that time we were on the side of the road, trucks, rigs, RVs of every size, and cars zipped by us at the speed of hurry-up. 

Our broken Mazda5 minivan somewhere on the Ohio turnpike!

Initially the other driver stated he didn't see us. I had already snapped pixs of the damage to our car, which was substantial. The whole back window of our beloved Mazda5 was shattered with glass fragments all over the interior of the minivan, all the way up to the front seats! Where his pickup front bumper had impacted on the driver's side of our van rear showed he had hit us while in a turn. Hours later I asked if he was turning when he hit us. He simply replied YES, and explained as he started to pass us, he said he looked in his side mirrors to check for oncoming traffic, and in that second of looking away from the front view, his pickup had impacted with our minivan. I maintain throughout that time and still do, that he was going faster than 80mph, though the state trooper wrote in the crash report that the pickup driver was driving only at an estimated speed of 71mph!

His front bumper wasn't even dented much by the impact

We were okayed by the trooper for our continuing on our way since the car looked to be without any serious structural damage, and the rear brake and backup lights still functioned. During the first hour driving, it seemed the front alignment had been affected as the steering wheel was vibrating heavily, but the further we drove, the vibration seemed to fade slowly, until finally it disappeared completely. 

This dented impact point hides even more damage!

We stayed three days in Michigan, and during that time, our hosts were kind and lucky enough to find some frosted plastic wide enough to cover the hole left by the shattered back window, and I spent an hour or so cleaning the back of the minivan, then taping the plastic to the back of the van. The only difference while driving was the perception of a window - many windows - being wide open with all the noises we were hearing! Other than that and being a bit colder, it was okay. The plastic was pulled tight so it didn't vibrate while on the road, and the ride home was quick returning through Canada again, and uneventful. Even when stopped for the border crossing, nobody at the borders even noticed nor commented on our missing back window!

Back in WNY our minivan waits for a doctor and estimate

I had wanted to write this earlier but never was in the mood, or had the time since Sheila thought the insurance company would total the minivan, and indeed as we discovered later, they did deem the van as not worthy of being repaired. We weren't happy of course, with their decision since we have gone a lot of places in our Mazda5 minivan, enjoying the smooth ride and creature comforts very much! That was only later after Michigan Frankenmuth insurance company wanted to see if the chassis of the minivan was further damaged by the driver's side rear impact, and indeed it was, boosting the repair costs over initial estimates to over a thousand dollars more!

Just sitting on the Ohio turnpike. What if there were injuries?

We sadly began our search for a new vehicle. A week later, we found ourselves a very nice looking 2011 (one year younger than our beloved 2010 minivan) Ford Escape XLT.

Looking back, I wonder...  WE wonder, if that guy who rear-ended us that day, knows how much he ruined our lives by going too fast and hitting us. Granted, none of us were injured, but it could've ended much worst than it actually did. For over two weeks, we had to drop everything so that we could figure out what our actions would take us once we heard from his insurance company. Once we were given the ultimatum by Frankenmuth, we went into serious search mode and quickly decided on a vehicle that would meet our needs into the future. 

This is what happens when you drive fast and hit a deer!

This all goes in hand with what I have been discussing for many years online before I quit social media in mid-2015: in general, people drive too fast, and having a speed limit on highways and interstates of 70mph or faster, encourages yet higher speeds than the posted speed limits. If you are an experienced racetrack driver, perhaps then you might be able to drive safely, but when you see on national and international news of how people are involved in multi-vehicle crashes, I'll bet you someone was driving too fast, and was unable to stop in time to avoid the crash scene. 

If you value your life, the life of your children and friends, you will write or call your states' highway division and senator/congressman and TELL them to fight for LOWER and not for a faster speed limit, so people will quit dying on the roads, and slow the rate in which people's lives will be changed forever by being hit but not killed. Can you or anyone else on your block or in your neighborhood, afford to go out to buy a new car? Not only does that take time and money, but if you are still working, who is going to get off enough time necessary to look for a new vehicle? Imagine the time you will require if you were injured in a car accident and need time to recuperate?

Please SLOW down. Look around and be aware of your surroundings. Drive slower on city streets and watch out for other people and vehicles. If you feel sleepy or tired while driving, pull over, take a walk, get something to eat, and drink some water. Splash some water on your face, just do something so you will not drive feeling LESS than your normal 100%! 

What should be in your mind is looking down at your speedometer when necessary, being aware of your present speed, and thinking: if a kid, a car, or a dog suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of me and my car, will my speed and road conditions permit me to stop in time?

Please stay safe and stay alive out there!!

Enjoying Michigan's Upper Peninsular

So we have been back in Michigan again, and even took a few days off from our babysitting duties to visit the desolate area of Michigan's Upper Peninsular, also simply known as the UP (pronounced as U - P).

It's about a four-hour drive from Grand Rapids to the north of the  lower portion of the state, and due to its shape, is called the "Mitten". Well, we were at the mitten for a few days and enjoyed it. Then we continued our travels to the UP by crossing the long Mackinac Bridge, then heading north. We met people while visiting Whitefish Point, and discovered we were there during a big birding event. We have never been to a birding meet before, but if there's a way to ID birds easily while snapping away, then why not?

The Mighty Mackinac Bridge connects the U P with the southern areas of Michigan

We had arrived on a Thursday, and while we were seeing a few early bird arrivals, it was still quite early for what was predicted as a big event with bigger amounts of birds due to recent wind storms. While we were there Thursday and Friday, we saw over 15 hawks and over 50 Sandhill Cranes! To make it even sweeter, there were at least five Bald Eagles in the air too!

To be honest, since we arrived at "The Mitten" and crossed the bridge to the UP, we'd seen already an eagle each day, and sometimes even more, and it's always an awesome sight!

One thing we did notice about the UP is that we both had NO cell or data coverage! Almost a week later, we asked a local about  this problem, and were told that only one phone provider services the UP right now. We are both under a different company other than this company, which explains WHY we had NO service! Even after returning to the southern area of Michigan across the bridge, we still had NO service! We actually had NO cell service till after three hours on the road heading south toward Grand Rapids.

Otherwise, we really enjoyed the area! The vistas are fabulous, the people are friendly, and amazingly, the roads are fairly better than in most of Michigan, and MUCH better than the roadways in western New York (WNY)!

While in southern Michigan (south of the Mackinac Bridge) we already have already visited the International Dark Sky Park, and seen some of their area lighthouses. Did you know that Michigan is the one state of the Union with the most lighthouses? I never knew that!

Poor Sheila had to drive through a surprise snow storm that turned to white-out conditions at times while we were in the UP! We got through okay and stopped at a rest area to sit it out, as it continued to snow for a few more hours into the night! Smaller amounts of snow fell during the same week!

As a wrap-up to our UP portion of this trip, we stayed in a lakeside rustic cabin in the southern areas of the UP. For those not knowing the meaning of a "rustic" cabin, that means no TV or phone, wifi or water, no stove, no shower nor sink, and NO indoor toilets. The cabin DID have a tiny refrigerator and a smaller microwave. BUT We had the time of our lives then, and hoping to return once again when most of the hotels, campgrounds, and attractions and landmarks are open; we were told to forget visiting the Pictured Rocks area of the UP, since there may still be NO access to the area due to snow.

Within 3 days of arriving in Michigan, it snowed. Within minutes, this scene was completely white!

As of 29 April, we have now seen the lakes of Michigan, Superior and Huron within a two-day period (they all look alike - very watery). We have seen about five lighthouses during our trip thus far. We have (typically) walked in rain/snow and high winds yet again, though in a new different location, and we have spun yet another few numbers of the first three digits in the odometer of our spiffy minivan camper!

What's the highlight thus far of our yet-to-be-completed travels?

While camping at the UP area near the Tahquamenon Falls, we saw the Northern Lights!!! Even before starting our trip, we knew about a possible sun storm that would give us a great night lightshow during the early days of our UP trip. Though it was cloudy/overcast when we drove up, the overcast sky continued when we drove up to Whitefish Point, but took a detour to camp out under the stars. That night, I woke and looked straight up out the back window of the van. I started to see what I thought looked to be colorless swirling waves in the sky, and Sheila saw the same thing. I would also see what I thought to be a star, then that "star" would begin to bounce all over like a ping-pong ball, all the while the black sky growing lighter with those sky-waves splashing around and around over and over in the sky. After a bit of sleep, I woke again to see the same thing, but this time painted in a bright flaming red color BUT sunrise wasn't for a few more hours. It was so intense that it lit up the leaves of the trees over our van, and again, Sheila saw this too, though it lasted a few minutes only!

No pixs of the aurora BUT I was able to catch a meteor while in the U P

It was all just so amazing! My first probable Aurora sighting!! No pictures unfortunately and it was freeeeeezing and windy!!

Last leg of our trip, the clouds were gorgeous!

While camping, I built a fire then noticed the awesome sparks. This was snapped with my S5 handheld in auto-mode

More awesome clouds along the drive

This has become a familiar sight in our drives West to Michigan

Dramatic skies were not lacking during the drives

A look backwards to the sunset through the rear window

One of the sunsets viewed while at a rest stop

ESCAPE!!

Yes, you have read correctly; ESCAPE!!

We are up to the highest point we've ever been in Michigan, though there is still a lot of Michigan to see!! Earlier today we braved high winds coming from the SSE, to snap a few pixs of the Ludington Breakwater Lighthouse. It's an interesting design, plus the rivets holding the metal sheets can be seen easily on the exterior walls. It was so freezing cold, I think my fingers fell off and I still haven't found them!!  ;)

Ludington Breakwater Lighthouse

I have no idea what we will do tomorrow, but it'll be cooold!!!

Framed!!

Just wanted to share this image snapped with my Samsung S5 just a few minutes ago. It's amazing how far phones in general, and smartphones have progressed. Who needs a camera these days when one is carried in your purse or pocket practically every minute?

This is looking out a panel of a window, showing the Fall colors still very apparent in my little area of SW Michigan, though we have had two snowfalls within the past three days, and temps are in the 30s and lower during the night!!

Naturally framed by the window frame
and roof overhang, those yellows really pop out!