Some folks said "Blow me down!" meant to hit me or knock me down; but that might not be correct. The phrase goes back the late 1700s and is a statement that sailors said in a wind storm. A windy place in Nova Scotia was called Cape Blow-me-down, which evolved through time to Cape Blomidon.
"Blow me down!" eventually became a phrase used when someone was surprised. A relatively new version is that "blows my mind!"
Wind is an interesting atmospheric action. It can be gentle for kite flying; moderate for turning wind turbines; strong can blow over trucks and trailers; or powerful such as tornados and hurricanes. The story this week is about the third group: Strong winds.
Carol and I arrived in La Luz, a small town near Alamogordo, N.M., on Sunday to visit friends, and planned to head east on Wednesday. But watching the evening news report, we learned that a tremendous windstorm was heading our way. It would hit on Tuesday and turn violent on Wednesday. We considered leaving on Thursday, but snow was forecast for Thursday night and Friday. Our last option was to leave a day early.
So we toured the space museum in Alamogordo on Monday and toured the Tularosa Museum on Tuesday morning, then headed east up the mountain to Cloudcroft. La Luz is 4,761 feet above sea level and Cloudcroft is 8,668. It was quite a climb, but our car was up to the challenge. Pulling the trailer, I put the 6.2L, 380 HP, 8-speed engine in gear #4 and it was an easy pull up the mountain. Several other cars, pulling no trailers, had stopped beside the road to let their engines cool down, but our engine heat indicator barely moved.
We stopped in Cloudcroft for an early dinner and the winds began picking up. We hugged our friends, bid them adios, and headed east to Hobbs, N.M., which was projected to be on the fringe of the storm. When we had opportunity to watch the news, we learned that our departure was directed by the Lord. Wind blowing through one of the passes going into the Alamogordo basin reached more than 100 mph. Remember: Hurricane winds begin at 70 mph.
When thinking of the danger of driving in windy situations, we need to consider sustained wind and wind gusts. If the wind is blowing around 20-30 mph, gusts may reach 40 or 50 mph; and although it can be a rocky ride, it is normally safe. Wind advisories are put out if the sustained winds surpass 30 mph. But if the sustained wind reaches 50 mph, gusts may easily reach 60-75, and we may be in trouble. The gusts are the worst part of the storm because the intermittent pressure can set up sideways trailer motion called oscillations which can cause a turnover.
Having said all that, the simple statement is: If the sustained wind is 50 mph or higher, park the car and trailer. But if we must drive, here are several ideas to consider.
• Drive slower: Decreased speed decreases the wind pressure.
• Use a lower gear: More power on the drive wheels at a slower speed can compensate for some of the crosswind.
• Whether car, trailer, or truck, secure the cargo -- a movable center of gravity can result in losing balance.
• Keep a safe distance behind the guy ahead: If either one of us goes over, we don't want to hit someone or get hit.
• Back to basics: If possible, stay off the road. Losing time is less expensive than repairing or replacing the car, trailer, and cargo; and a lost life cannot be replaced.
There are other kinds of storms of life. Some of these storms are political, health, weather, financial, and interpersonal; and God sends us storms for our personal growth. Knowing a storm was about to brew, Jesus told his disciples to go to the other side of the sea (Matthew 14:22-24) because they needed to learn how to trust the Master.
Sometimes we are dragged into storms by others and we need wisdom to handle the situation. But many times we generate our own storms by foolishness and disobedience. An example is when Jonah tried to run from God (Jonah 1:1-4).
Whatever kind of storm we encounter, let's stop; assess the situation; and ask God for wisdom. He will guide us if we listen. He guided us back in New Mexico.
-- Gene Linzey is a speaker, author and mentor. Send comments and questions to [email protected]. Visit his website at www.genelinzey.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Religion on 05/01/2019