@RojoLoco said in Random Thread - Anything Goes:
@PhlipElder closest call I had in FL was nearly stepping on a HUGE rattlesnake on a golf course... luckily, he was in the process of eating a toad that was the size of a cantaloupe.
I went to one of the last Ignite events in Orlando where there was a hurricane in the Gulf. I don't remember what it was called. Flights were screwy all over. When we eventually landed in Dallas (we were redirected initially to another airport to land and wait due to fuel concerns) there were no more flights to Orlando but one had room to Fort Meyers.
Distance from Fort Meyers to Orlando = Edmonton to Calgary here. I've done that drive a lot so rented a Grand Caravan as I was pretty tired by then and didn't need 400bhp under the saddle.
The GPS unit was too small. I missed the Interstate. I missed the next highway. I ended up taking the last one that would get me there but it went through every Tom, Dick, and Harry little town imagineable.
I got to see Troopers wrestling a big brawl in the street in one town.
In another, a big Ford 3500 dually Super Duty was driving with no lights so I flashed him a few times but he kept going. County Mounty took off from a gas station in front of me, crossed across my path while turning the cherries on, and headed off to stop the SD.
In one town the GPS took me through an area that brought back memories. Heh ... No more comment there.
But, the creme de la creme ...
I'd just left a town with the street lights behind me. It's about 0200Hrs or thereabouts by now. I'm tired but am on the last leg to Orlando. So, clear pavement with a number of lanes in both directions. There's a moon so I can see pretty good plus the Grand Caravan's lights are pretty good.
I see what I think is a Y pipe. Huh?
Someone dropped their Y pipe?
Nothing I could do as I didn't want to swerve to miss as that'd probably be worse than just hitting it.
BANG! BUMP, bump, bump, bump. The van literally jumped around while it went under.
I pulled over to make sure there was no oil pissing down. Nothing. Nada. Zippo. Zilch.
I got back in the van and sat there for a bit playing it over and over. SOaB. The thing MOVED after I hit it heading off to my right and ... it was a freaking huge gator.
The Y was its tail and its legs as I approached. It was sitting perfectly in line on the road.
I LOVE telling that one to my fellow Canucks as it's HILARIOUS. I hit a freaking GATOR! LoL
EDIT: BTW, talking to Floridians at the event they thought I was nuts that I thought it was hilarious but they told me it was fairly common and that gators were very resilient. They also told me to never get out of the vehicle again as the gator could have been right p*ssed waiting to swallow me. :0)