Friday, February 10, 2012

Damn Tope!

For the first time this year, a tope jumped out in front of me! I hit the brakes, locked up all eight tires and managed to slow down to maybe 80 KPH when I hit it. I released the brakes just before impact to minimize damage and the vehicle(s) seem to have survived.  No blown tires, bent frames or broken hitches. The inside cupboards are another story! One broken bottle of capers and dozens of cans and bottles tossed around in the food cupboard. The liquor cabinet survived simply because there is not one square inch for anything to gain enough momentum to smash.

Norma's clothes are all in piles at the bottom of the closets so that is what she is most ticked off at. I shall survive.

It took her over an hour to clean up so we are parked in a Pemex about 3/5 of the way to Chetumal. Tomorrow will always be a better day!

Well, I am up the creek now! One of the serving platters Norma bought is broken! Someone throw me a paddle!

Map picture

7 comments:

  1. Can't throw you a line, but thank goodness the liquor cabinet survived!

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  2. Was Norma not doing her job as tope watcher? Guess this wouldn't be a good time to ask her.

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  3. Take her out to dinner and remind her how very very much worse it could have been!

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  4. Open the liquor cabinet, pour a really tall one, and appreciate that there was little damage. S_ _t happens and thankfully, you survived with no damage. Tomorrow will be a better day and we are wishing you one!

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  5. Topes - grrrrr. It seems that it could have been worse - not to minimize Norma's loss.

    Anita is on tope watch whenever we travel to a new area - even in areas where you have experience - new topes pop up - grrrrr.

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  6. Alistair, a tope is a speed bump on steroids! Sometimes they are painted a contrasting color and are easy to spot and slow down for and sometimes not. Sometimes they are marked with a sign and sometimes not,

    They are mostly formed of pavement or cement but some (the worst kind) are lengths of tug boat rope stretched across the road or canon balls half buried in the pavement. Sometimes they are high and wide and double as a crosswalk.

    They all must be crossed at a crawl to avoid losing some teeth or breaking some important part of your RV. Broken hitches or frames are not unheard of as are blown tires and damaged wheels.

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