Wind Turbines
The afternoon sun was fading and we were anxious to reach our next rest stop. About 18 miles (30 kilometers) from Tehauntepec, we came upon a large group of wind turbines. We felt the stiff winds blowing down the canyon and agreed it was a good place to “catch the wind”. As we passed through the area, we came upon a new Cuota. Great! We will have an easy sailing into Tehauntepec. Perhaps “easy sailing” was not a good choice of words. Once upon the Cuota, high cross winds repeatedly pushed our RV over into the opposite lane. I slowed the RV to about 15 miles/hour and hoped we would not topple over. The winds became stronger and stronger – I estimate the wind velocity at 70 to 80 miles/hr, maybe more.
It was almost like being in an Alfred Hitchcock movie. A loud knock was heard on the passenger side, near the door. I finally decided to pull over and see was making the noise. As I was opening the door to step outside, it took all of my strength to keep from having the door blown out of my hands. By this time I was sure that the Maya spirits had emerged from the canyon walls and had attacked our home on wheels. Upon inspection, the winds had unhinged the forward arm of the awning. I reattached the arm of the awning as the hurricane force winds sandblasted my body. I climbed back into the RV and as we sat there on the side of the road, our RV rocked back and forth – threatening to roll over any moment.
I reached for the ignition switch and hoped the engine would start on the first crank. Luck was on our side. The engine started and we slowly pulled away from the shoulder and proceeded to fight the winds until they subsided. A few more miles down the road, the winds decreased and we “sailed” on into Tehauntepec.
It was almost like being in an Alfred Hitchcock movie. A loud knock was heard on the passenger side, near the door. I finally decided to pull over and see was making the noise. As I was opening the door to step outside, it took all of my strength to keep from having the door blown out of my hands. By this time I was sure that the Maya spirits had emerged from the canyon walls and had attacked our home on wheels. Upon inspection, the winds had unhinged the forward arm of the awning. I reattached the arm of the awning as the hurricane force winds sandblasted my body. I climbed back into the RV and as we sat there on the side of the road, our RV rocked back and forth – threatening to roll over any moment.
I reached for the ignition switch and hoped the engine would start on the first crank. Luck was on our side. The engine started and we slowly pulled away from the shoulder and proceeded to fight the winds until they subsided. A few more miles down the road, the winds decreased and we “sailed” on into Tehauntepec.
1 comment:
Well that sounds like an adventure! Not one you would like to repeat soon.
The roads look pretty good. Have you had any other harrowing experiences
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