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MickBrennan · 07-09-2010, 06:04 AM

Our trip home through the outer regions of the civilized word was destined for trouble from the start. There was a part of Georgia we passed through that was very hilly. That road was so steep they had thoughtfully provided a place for slower drivers to pull off and allow braver people to pass. We also drove by HUGE confederate flags flying over single wides elevated on stacked cinderblocks. There were hundreds of Armadillos lying lifeless by the side of the road. We saw at least 50 Florida Citrus Centers, Plantation Peach Outlets and Big Daddy's Fireworks tents.

After the gigantic hill we approached an intersection. It was not a right angle crossing but shaped more like an "X." Having just gone about 100 miles at 25 miles an hour the stop sign really didn't register. P lifted her foot and squirmed in her chair. "Stop..., stop sign..., STOP!" Oh hell that's me. So I jammed on the brakes. All kinds of stuff began moving around in the back of the coach. Beer cans were rolling in the fridge, pet food sliding, parrot wings flapping, waterbowls sloshing over.

This is the sudden stop I was worrying about. Maybe I should just remove my foot from the brake pedal and hurtle right on through the 4-way stop? How bad could it be? We have out of state licence plates. The flat grassy intersection was deserted. I was seriously considering ignoring the stop sign completely. P was bracing for some kind of disaster. Her shoulders were up and she had a very firm grip on both arms of her seat. She was struggling against inertia by bracing both her feet on the floor of the coach. Just then a very distracting thing happened. A siamese cat rapidly came toward the front of the coach accompanied by a strong obnoxious odor. He was sort of leaping as he desperately tried to control his trajectory. He bounced off the CD player with all fours then landed against the windshield glass in a crouch as we screeched to a stop. Siamese had a pained look on his face and his posture was not the best. It soon became obvious that the cat had been in the catbox during the panic braking. Poor little guy was hanging a rope just prior to the application of the brakes which caused his immediate, untimely, ejection from his sandy commode. One little log was still dangling from his chocolate starfish. He was cowering against the glass with a pained expression on his cat face and scuffing his butt from one side of the coach to the other while leaving a pathetic, spotty, beige, turd particle smudged, putrid, skid mark across the top of the dashboard.

"Pull over" she said.

Doc Mark · 07-09-2010, 07:01 AM

Try facing the litter box side-to-side!

The worst that can happen then is the cat rattles around inside the box.

Cat won't like it any better, but it sure beats cleaning skid marks off the pristine dashboard.

Mark

RickO · 07-09-2010, 09:25 AM

I think I need a litter box now!

We just finished 4 months in the south and know what you mean too...

hoppers4 · 07-09-2010, 09:44 AM

Too funny!

Gary RVRoamer · 07-09-2010, 10:05 AM

Hilarious! Our cat had a couple bad experiences like that. Once an overhead cabinet opened up in a turn and dumped a couple of campground guides down on his head as he relaxed in the chair. That's probably why he now chooses to ride under the lounge chair rather than in the seat! Comes out to use litterbox, get a drink or whatever when we stop, but not while in motion.

Ray,IN · 07-10-2010, 08:33 PM

You are re-enforcing exactly why both humans and pets must be seat-belted while traveling. FWIW, I did the same thing today. I was planning how to enter the Flying J in Gillette,WY and failed to note the light changing to red. DW yelled stop - STOP! I locked up the 5er brakes, good thing, it alerted the cross-traffic to my foo-pa; saving the day for everyone.

momoflots21 · 07-10-2010, 10:00 PM

Oh no, lol, that is too funny! This is why I'd rather not bring our pets. Then again with 7 DC I think we have enough going on, LOL!

read & learn · 07-11-2010, 11:46 AM

For those of you that are in the area of I-4 and I-75S the next exit on I-75 is for MLK jr and you can see this flag. It is in a small little pocket park and the people who put it up are a very active group in the Tampa area.

sirpurrcival · 07-15-2010, 10:45 AM

But does it work for hairballs?

Always-RVing · 07-15-2010, 11:19 AM

That's a nice Flag

Here's a better one

wa8yxm · 07-15-2010, 12:11 PM

Many drivers need a new litter box after a sudden stop.. Er. Well new something related

One thing I never have problems with is the beer cans in the fridge.

But I have moved just about everything else.

Good practice is to make sure NOTHING is where it will Slap you up back the head if you stand on the brakes.. (Of course in my rig there is a shield there for me, Wife is not so well protected though)

Gotta_P · 07-15-2010, 12:12 PM

I think we have been on that same steep hill and pulled a very similar manuver at the X intersection! Fortunately, at the time there were no pets on board!