Bravado & Adrenalin

Several years ago driving back from the farm to Minneapolis I found myself climbing the long grade west of Menomonie next to a semi. It was growing dark and snow seemed to be falling faster by the minute. Both the truck and the pickup I was driving had to shift down as we got the top of the grade, and after I did I shifted back up and I noticed a vehicle about to pass me on the shoulder, inside lane. Whaaat? & he kept coming. As he got along side of me and started to hear some stupid words (in the neighborhood of "holy shit") go through my mind, I shifted back down and applied my brake pedal just enough to warn the vehicle behind me.

Next the vehicle shot across my bow on a diagonal, seemingly flat out, a little white sports car, and my adrenalin went into action as I fond myself gripping the wheel and wondering what next (?). Fortunately the semi had fallen a little further behind and the car shot into the lane he was about to occupy. I floored it and then realized that fortunately for everyone concerned the sports car went off the highway, through the shoulder on the far side; because when I looked in my side view mirror the truck had not hit him, and the headlights behind the truck were seemingly continuous.

No one in their right mind could even think of stopping, my hope was that five or ten cars back someone was able to pull off on the shoulder and see to the driver. Perhaps one of them had a cell phone (?). The drive on to Minnesota and Minneapolis was indeed strange, full of those ghostly white phantoms that appear in blizzards, and seeing several cars and trucks in the ditch. When I finally got to the rest stop just inside the Minnesota line I was extremely relieved to stop and go inside, to feel confident enough to rest and let myself come down. But I forgot to call the Highway Patrol, and then was unhappy about that after I got on the road again.