Most memorable near death experiences I had came in 2008 when I raced the Vegas to Reno on a motorcycle.
Since it was my first big Desert Race I carried a certain degree of self-preservation in my riding style, and consequently went slower in some places, such as the deep silt beds, like this:
But Vegas To Reno Also has professional Truck and Buggy racers who like to drive like this:
Plow through the Silt like this:
And try to pull passes like this:
I got caught in this one deeply rutted section with lots of silt, I couldn't carry the pace I needed, (I was stuck in a rut!), couldn't see behind, or hear what was coming.
A buggy came past blaring a horn I didn't hear till he was 30 yards past me. So much dust hung in the air I couldn't see my hands on the handlebars, much less front fender or anything else. I slowed a bit more out of caution, then:
I couldn't physically see it but I felt the next trophy Truck come past right beside me like this, and pictured it mentally, as if I was looking down on the whole situation:
They prolly never saw me either. it was a close one. Vivid.
I had already been through several slow motion situations (like people sometimes describe car wrecks) that day and thought I was numbed to all of it, but that pass and a couple more that followed raised the hair on the back of my neck.
What a great fucking day though. So much fun.
After the silt was a section of Dry lake with a twisty road across it, like this:
Went flat out through that and never got passed until I got to the other side and turned back into silt and rocks. So many scenes permanently etched into my memory banks from that day.....
