Just read your harrowing tale of the Panhandle experience. It reminded me of our little brush with danger that night in May of 2001 outside of Childress with David Patrick and Luke from Amarillo. Very similar circumstances with a road option that was denied by wrong info on a map and a cone-shaped object coming out of the dark. Your solo experience, however, sounds like it was 10 times worse.

I can well believe the relief you felt afterwards and it’s tremendously important to get those emotions out as quickly as you can. Crying is the best way to do this and I can attest to that.

As for the lack of a damage path around where your vehicle was - you know, there are many aspects of life and the human existence that we don’t understand, and in many cases don’t even know about. It could have been pure luck that you came out of it unscathed, but don’t under-estimate your own powers of self survival. I firmly believe that we are able to throw a protective shield around ourselves; we just have to believe that we can and in times of extreme danger when all other emotions and every-day thoughts are stripped away who knows what “assets” we have to be able to call upon and which suddenly become apparent to us.

Life is a learning experience and the more we learn the better we become as individuals. Try not to repeat this one, though. One of these particular “Been there, done that” t-shirts is enough!