It seems that vacation adventures can take place just about anywhere when you are driving along. So check this out -- we were on that very long straight-away from the mainland out to the island, Route 64, which looks like you are driving through the Great Dismal Swamp, really minding our own business and pretty much driving the speed limit. We were coming up on a driveway to my left which had several trash cans just off the road. All of a sudden, a few of the trash cans came tumbling over and a black bear came stumbling out of them, running onto the highway.
I hit the brakes and things started to happen really quickly. There were very deep water-filled ditches on either side of the highway and I had decided several miles back that I sure wouldn't want to be a driver who happened to wind up in the water. Who knows what might be living in there. So as I am standing on the brake pedal, I think, for a second, that I might get stopped in time to avoid hitting the bear. I thought that for one time I was glad I was not speeding. But suddenly the bear took a slight turn toward the car as it was running across the road. Why is it that bears and deer and all kinds of other wild critters don't stop when they see cars or why they think they can outrun cars to a certain point.
Well, the bear and I met at the same point on the road. The bear looked to weigh about 300 pounts, and the 2011 Jeep Grand Cheorkee was considerably heavier, and I had already made up my mind that if I couldn't get stopped in time, I was going to hit that bear. And I did.
Didn't really hurt the Jeep much -- check out the pictures -- and the bear rolled a couple of times and hightailed off into the woods on the other side of the road. So I guess maybe it was a "no harm, no foul" situation, although I really didn't see the bear after I hit it (or it hit me ?). I was busy trying to make sure I had control of the Jeep and wasn't going to put it in the ditch. Also I wasn't sure what kind of damage, if any, had been done. So after determining there was no damage and that the bear wasn't really P.O.d and chasing us, we turned around and drove back down the road to see if it was lying off to the side of the road. Nope. No sign ot it. It was long gone.
When we got to the hotel, we asked the desk clerk where we could find a car wash and told him of our adventure. He told us that that sort of thing happens all the time on that highway. Maybe it's like some sort of bear-gang initiation thing. Hmmmm.
So we thanked God for watching out for us and hoped that the bear wasn't in too bad of shape.
Funny thing, though. We noticed at the island end of the highway there were signs up warning drivers of bears crossing the highway. There were no signs on the land side of the highway. Go figure. Also, when I went to trade in the Jeep for the 2019 I now have, it made for an interesting story on the car dealer's lot. They did change out the bumper though. Too bad. It was a good story and showed the Jeep's toughness.
Just so you don't think this spoiled our trip, here is a selfie we took one evening sitting out by the ocean, watching the waves and the full moon.
Oh, yeah, one other thing ... on the way home, the Jeep turned 200,000 miles. That was a great vehicle.
Since this is really a mixed message post -- go to the beach and have an adventure on the way, I think I should close it out with these two observations:
Tans will fade, but memories will last forever. and,
If you did not have a stupid travel story to tell, you did something terribly wrong!
Hooah
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