Sometimes while driving you come across an unusual vehicle or scene. Most of the time it isn’t possible to record it or get a photo. That might be due to the car driving in the opposite direction. Or, the Highway Patrol is on your bumper and the photo isn’t worth the fine. Or, it’s too dangerous to try to take a photo while downshifting and coming around a corner.
Given the conditions are right, I’ll try to take a photo whenever possible. Most of the time it’s a car or truck on the side of the road or in a parking lot. But sometimes I can get one while driving. In the Road Photos you’ll see an example of a VW camper on a flatbed truck, as seen on I-96 East.
This was the case today. I was driving topless down a two-lane road in my MR2 Spyder when I saw this UDO (Unidentified Driving Object) pass me in the opposite direction. It looked like a surfboard on wheels. There was no driver or controls on it that I could see, and it was sandwiched between two mini vans running yellow caution lights.
The minivans were escorting the unmanned surfboard like it was some sort of VIP. There’s a cemetery not too far from where we were so at first, I thought this must be some sort of funeral procession for a big wave surfer. The ashes must be in that board and they’re taking him/her for that final drop in ride to the burial site. No disrespect, but didn’t this person have any friends? Death row inmates have more people in attendance.
Having an enquiring mind, I swung my car around and decided to pay my respects (while getting an action photo at the same time.) 2BukChuk knows famous people hate having the paparazi follow them, but they don’t mind people standing in line for hours to pay respects at their funeral. It was the least I could do to join the procession and pay my respects. Then it hit me, “Why didn’t I wear that Hawaiin shirt today?”
The road dead ended (no pun intended) and I could see the caution lights moving rapidly down the road to my right, away from the cemetery that was 1/2 mile the other direction. I caught up to them but was stuck behind the rear minivan doing 50-60 mph. There was no way to see the UDO in front of it. Taking a picture from the passing lane at 70 mph seemed a bit sketchy so I moved into stealth mode, tracking them like the incompetent TV patrol cop does on a stakeout assignment. You know, you shout at your TV, “You’re right behind the evil doer and he sees you in 3 seconds! Didn’t they teach you anything at the academy!” Maybe you’re not a yeller but you think that, right?
Finally, the procession arrived at a traffic light where the lead van rolled into a left-hand turn. I pulled to the side and got a short video. By then I could read the sign on the car and realized it was a University of Michigan test vehicle (see UMsolar.com). The top of the sled or surfboard was covered with solar panels. There are several automobile research sites near town so it’s common to see cars with racks of antennas and radar looking devices on them. But this is the first time I’ve seen something like this. I checked out the umsolar.com site and it’s a student run organization that’s developing a solar car to compete in a race across the Australian Outback. No big waves but a lot of flat dry land. Go Blue!
Well, I found myself a bit disappointed about not being part of a famous big wave surfer’s funeral, but at least I learned something new. 2BukChuk says “The moral to this story is not to let your imagination run ahead of your headlights when you have bad vision and are driving at night.”
