Cheating Death - Episode 16

Summary

The Musers The Podcast: "Cheating Death" – Episode 16

Release Date: October 8, 2025
Hosts: George Dunham, Craig “Junior” Miller, Gordon Keith
Podcast: The Musers The Podcast (Cumulus Podcast Network)

---

Overview

In Episode 16, "Cheating Death," the Musers share personal stories and reflections about their closest brushes with death. The trio—George, Craig ("Junior"), and Gordo—use their trademark wit, banter, and a dose of earnestness to discuss bike accidents, plane emergencies, near-misses in traffic, choking mishaps, and more. The conversation moves from comic to contemplative and back again as they muse over fate, luck, and the ways people survive mortal danger—sometimes knowingly, often obliviously.

---

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Podcast Sweet 16 & Listener Letter of the Week

Timestamps: 01:06–06:31

• The Musers celebrate their 16th episode.
• Listener Mark, a retired Minuteman III ICBM launch officer, shares insights from his job—including the infamous “turn the key” launch process and the dark humor among missile crews.
  • Quote: “We had T-shirts made that said, ‘You can run, you’ll just die tired.’” – Mark, via Junior (03:00)
• The trio reflect on the moral burden of such work, referencing the “War Games” movie and Harry Truman's supposed lack of remorse after ordering the atomic bombings.

2. Brushing with Death: Fate, Luck, or Plan?

Timestamps: 06:31–09:18

• Junior introduces the topic: “cheating death.”
• The trio discuss the notion that people sometimes dodge death without ever knowing it.
  • Quote: “That time you went back to get your wallet or something and left two minutes later… did that save you?” – George (07:34)
• They delve into fate vs. randomness, questioning whether there’s a grand plan or just chaos.
  • Gordo muses: “Is this man’s greatest superpower? Imposing meaning and order on sort of orderless things—the chaos of the universe?” (08:51)

3. Childhood Near-Death Experiences

Timestamps: 09:32–13:01

• George recounts being hit by a motorcycle at age 13 while riding his bike but walking away with scrapes, highlighting kids’ resilience.
  • Quote: “Man, that is a sweet pool. He’s got nice bikinis wearing too.” – Gordo, riffing on the listener’s pool photo (02:24)
  • “I just went back to my bike and I picked it up and said, I’m sorry, I’m sorry I cut in front of you… like it was my fault. I guess it was.” – George (11:00)
• The guys marvel at how children rebound from accidents that would hospitalize adults.

4. Junior's Collection of Life-Threatening Bike Stories

Timestamps: 12:15–25:36, 36:36–48:09

- Luxembourg, 2001: Nearly Hit by a Car Going 120 MPH

• Junior recalls a car getting airborne on a rural road in Luxembourg; he and his friend are missed by inches.
  • Quote: “He missed Dave by three inches… And if he had drifted a little further, he takes both of us out.” – Junior (14:43)

- Colorado, 2015: Brakes Fail in a Downpour

• Junior’s wet rim brakes barely save him from careening into a turning car at speed; only the driver’s last-minute sighting averts disaster: “I miss her front bumper by a foot.” (41:23)

- Race Across America, 2017: Truck and Gravel

• At 25 MPH, Junior’s bike nearly tosses him into traffic when the shoulder disappears into gravel; an 18-wheeler passes just feet away (44:44).

- Seagoville, Texas, 2018: The Game Changer

• A jacked-up truck squeezes between him and a passing car at 70 MPH, missing him by two inches. After this, Junior rethinks solo rides and starts sticking to bike paths and safer routes. “That incident changed the way I plan my rides.” (48:09)

5. Brushes with Death in the Air

Timestamps: 16:21–28:35

• Junior relives a harrowing private plane descent in 1999, just months after golfer Payne Stewart’s fatal crash.

  • The cabin loses pressure; oxygen masks deploy (placebo, according to FAA!), and the plane nose-dives from 25,000 to 10,000 feet. Junior experiences a preternatural calm.
  • Quote: “All I could think of was, wow, all these years I’ve watched news stories about plane crashes… I can’t believe I’m going to die in a plane crash. This is really crazy.” – Junior (20:43)
  • FAA interviews reveal that masks would not have been enough if descent hadn’t already started: “If you had not already been starting your descent, you all would have been dead just like Payne Stewart.” (23:52)

• Gordo recalls stunt and small plane turbulence making him so sick he “wished one of those stalls had taken me.” (29:29)

6. Silly but Deadly: Food and Childhood Antics

Timestamps: 30:59–39:34

• George nearly chokes on a hot dog at age ten while ice skating, self-administers a rudimentary Heimlich with no help from adults or child bystanders.

  • Quote: “Why do we make them in kid throat plugging shape, right? We need triangular hot dogs. Build them like a Toblerone.” – Gordo (33:36)

• Gordo shares a classic “kids are idiots” moment: Getting dragged behind his mom’s car at 30 MPH on roller skates, letting go just before she exits the neighborhood, and surviving with nothing but gnarly road rash.

• Gordo also describes crashing into a parked car face-first while riding his bike, again emerging with only bruises and a battered ego.

7. Traffic, Motorcycles, and Adult Close Calls

Timestamps: 49:58–57:36

• Gordo dodges disaster when a car re-joins the highway directly in front of him at 90 MPH, forcing him onto the shoulder (51:15).
• Two terrifying motorcycle moments: once wiping out on wet leaves after a car pulled in front of him, and once using a parking garage ramp to avoid a left-turning car (53:50).
  • Gordo: “Had to do some NASCAR driving. And this was right before that right shoulder disappeared…” (51:52)
• Gordo’s scooter accident on Dallas trolley tracks leads to a head-bashing fall; only his helmet (cracked!) saves him from the delivery truck behind. (54:23)
  • Quote: “I guess I have cheated death more than I think.” – Gordo (56:29)

8. George’s Traffic Near-Misses

Timestamps: 57:36–61:36

• George narrowly avoids a police chase U-Haul truck that flies over a Dallas median—just five seconds’ difference would have changed everything.
  • Quote: “If we had left five seconds earlier, that U-Haul would have hit us head on.” (59:35)
• Recalls a childhood story: When his sister had to ditch a car at 70 MPH to avoid a head-on with a tractor and car he was standing (!) in the back seat.

---

Notable Quotes

• On fate and randomness:
  “Or could this just be man's greatest superpower, which is imposing meaning and order on sort of orderless things?” – Gordo (08:51)

• On surreal calm in the face of death:
  “I just had this odd sense of calm, because I had time to process that where the close calls on my bike, I haven't. But this was… It was almost like I was being told you're going to die in four minutes.” – Junior (25:18)

• On childhood invincibility:
  “Isn't it amazing all these falls you can take as a kid? As an adult, you'd have all these broken bones. But kids are so malleable and flexible.” – Junior (39:14)

• On motorcycle safety:
  “This is the one that sold me on helmets… when I used to ride that scooter, I would say half the time I'd wear helmets… my head hit the pavement so hard… (the helmet) was all scuffed up and was cracked in the back.” – Gordo (54:28, 56:32)

• On Dallas highways:
  “We have to lead the nation in car accidents, don't we?” – Junior (61:36)

---

Memorable Moments & Humor

• Banter about the “documentary” War Games, Harry Truman, and existential fate.
• Gordo’s deadpan: “Could you be a missile launch guy?” / “No, I couldn’t do anything really important. Made for radio and podcasting.” (06:22)
• Junior’s friend’s post-near-accident wish for the reckless driver: “If that had rolled that car and burst into flames, I would have been so happy.” (15:10)
• Gordo’s crusade for Toblerone-shaped hot dogs.
• The guys’ realization of how many people—especially kids—escape serious injury through luck or sheer flexibility.

---

Reflection: Why This Topic Resonates

“Cheating death”—whether through quick-thinking, resilience, or dumb luck—sparks anxious laughter, self-examination, and appreciation for the randomness of survival. The episode closes with the Musers acknowledging their good fortune in living to tell the tale—each story a blend of incredulity, humor, and “what if?”

---

Key Segment Timestamps

• Letter of the Week (ICBM Launch Officer): 02:24–06:31
• Musings on fate, luck, and divine plans: 07:05–09:18
• George’s childhood motorcycle accident: 09:32–13:01
• Junior’s near-death bike experience in Europe: 12:15–15:40
• Junior’s plane emergency: 16:21–25:36
• Biking close calls – Colorado & Texas: 36:36–48:09
• Motorcycle/scooter wipes outs: 49:58–57:36
• Traffic near-misses – U-Haul police chase: 57:36–61:36

---

Conclusion

Episode 16 is a masterclass in blending dark comedy, nostalgia, and insight. The Musers prove, once again, that the mundane and the mortal can both be material for unforgettable radio.

---

For more Musers:
New episodes drop every Wednesday. Listener stories (Letter of the Week) can be sent to [e-mail] or via their social channels.

Transcript

[A]

This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. It's Cybersecurity awareness month and Lifelock has.

[B]

Tips to protect your identity.

[A]

Use strong passwords, set up multi factor authentication, report phishing, and update the software on your devices. And for comprehensive identity protection, let LifeLock alert you to suspicious uses of your personal information.

[B]

Lifelock also fixes identity theft, guaranteed or your money back.

[A]

Stay smart, safe and protected with the.

[B]

30 day free [e-mail] podcast terms apply.

[C]

This should be Gordo's favorite topic.

[A]

What?

[C]

Since you like talking about death so much.

[A]

Yeah, I. I don't know that. I. I'm trying to think. I. I don't like to cheat, so I don't want to cheat death. I just want to welcome it.

[C]

I'm kind of getting to that phase of life too lovingly to welcome it.

[B]

This is already taking a weird direction.

[A]

I want to make it a nice dinner and invite it in. That's too creepy.

[C]

Yeah, it is creepy.

[A]

The Musers the podcast episode 16, Cheating Death.

[B]

Welcome to the Musers the Podcast. I'm Craig.

[C]

I'm George.

[A]

And I'm Non. Craig and Non George, also known as Gordo.

[C]

Oh, that's right.

[A]

AKA is it you say AKA or.

[C]

AKKA or also known as AKA.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, this is episode 16. It's our Sweet 16 edition. We can drive now. Okay, how about that? We are entering our fifth month as podcasters. Feels like we're starting to find our footing, I think.

[C]

I don't know about me.

[B]

Not sure. Over here, across the table.

[C]

Yeah, I'm not too sure.

[B]

Gordo, how's it feeling to you?

[A]

Feeling good, sorry, Having a sip of whiskey there.

[C]

Yeah, there you go.

[A]

Yeah, it's feeling great, Craig.

[C]

Great.

[A]

Great.

[B]

Well, good. Sixteen episodes in and we appreciate all the nice feedback that we've been getting via social media and email. And speaking of email, let's kick things off with our letter of the week. And this comes to us from Mark. And he says, as I sit poolside listening to episode 15, enjoying retirement. And he attaches a photo of him sitting poolside.

[C]

Man, that is a sweet pool.

[A]

He's got nice bikinis wearing too.

[B]

And by the way, episode 15, our last episode, is where we talked about the times we live in, things we live with, like the threat of nuclear war. And Mark says, as a former missile launch officer of the Minuteman III icbm, I just thought you should know that it's not a button one pushes, but instead a turn of the. That launches the nuclear missile.

[A]

Ah, yeah, I remember in War Games Remember, turn your key, sir. Yeah, that whole scene, that tense scene. Yeah, they were key Turners.

[C]

Boy, you love that movie.

[A]

I do.

[B]

He said another fun fact is that an ICBM can travel to any spot in the world in 30 minutes or less. We had T shirts made that said, you can run, you'll just die tired.

[A]

It's pretty dark for a missile key Turner.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Again, both in the ticket radio station and the podcast, your work is a plus much. Thanks. Thank you, Mark.

[C]

Wow.

[A]

Could you imagine being the guy that had that responsibility? Like you're actually turning the key knowing that you're launching a weapon that's going to kill, I don't know, 100,000 people, millions of people. I don't know where his.

[C]

How do you vetros people? Wouldn't you have to put them through? I mean, you're supposed to wait for an order. But what if some rogue dude got in there?

[A]

No, I think there's some fail safe like in the movie War Games, which is my only reference.

[C]

Not a documentary.

[A]

It's a beautiful documentary. You know, both of the guys had to turn their keys at the same time and they were separated far enough apart where one person couldn't reach across and turn two keys at once.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

There was all kinds of things that keep one person from being able to launch.

[B]

Doesn't the President carry the football? And that's a little case where. Or his team carries your football. Yeah, but what if he has the.

[A]

What if Putin, like punches it out? Like they coach Putin to punch out nuclear football. Football.

[B]

But let's say the President decides, okay, we're launching and he gets his football and he turns the key. What does that then do? Are there then three other guys that also have to turn their key?

[A]

Oh, there's more than that. I think there's a thousand guys have to turn keys in the silos, I think. What did you say, George?

[C]

Fried cheese.

[B]

George doesn't know the answer.

[A]

Checked out.

[B]

Fried cheese.

[A]

Went to more pleasant topics in his head.

[B]

Placeholder. Well, yeah. That is an interesting job to have for your career. The guy who turns the key. But you go to work most days thinking, I'm just going to play solitaire on the computer because nothing's going to happen.

[A]

Yeah, I'm going to play solitaire until the moment when I do the thing that's going to send me to hell.

[B]

Yeah. Do you live with that guilt if you turn the key?

[C]

Oh, my gosh, yes.

[A]

You absolutely know that you were. I mean, you're killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Order to get at their government.

[B]

Right.

[C]

I mean, Harry Truman was tortured, wasn't he?

[A]

No, he wasn't.

[B]

Oh, he wasn't?

[A]

No. That was the crazy thing about Harry Truman. He said that he never lost a minute of sleep. Okay, that does sound familiar now, and I don't understand that. I think even if you think your decision was right, even if you're convinced of the. You have moral clarity on it, how do you not still be tortured by that decision?

[C]

All those people? Yeah. I don't know. Wow.

[A]

That's Harry Truman. Excuse me. Big Harry Truman.

[B]

It was LBJ that was tortured in retirement. Right. Where he grew his hair long and smoked pot.

[A]

That's an inference that you made because he grew his hair long, he went.

[B]

Crazy, and he drove his amphicar on Lake lbj.

[A]

Yeah. That's the only post presidential footage we had of him.

[C]

I think it was on the pond on his ranch.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

He was like lbj, but yeah.

[A]

Could you be a key Turner? Could you be a missile launch guy?

[C]

No, I couldn't do anything really important. Made for radio and podcasting.

[B]

Well, thank you to Mark for our letter of the week and this week on the Musers the podcast. Our topic is cheating death. And I think I'm probably the right guy to lead this episode because I've got a lot of stories and most of them involve my bicycle, which makes me wonder if my hobby is a smart one.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

What am I doing out there?

[C]

Danger.

[A]

Yeah. When you were reviewing for getting ready for this episode, it probably should have called into question. You should have said, huh, maybe I am doing the wrong thing by riding the bike all the time.

[B]

It really did. And I have kind of come to that conclusion over the last couple. Couple of years. And we'll lead to that. I'll tell you why I reached a specific conclusion about my hobby. But before we get to our stories of cheating death, one thing occurred to me as I was thinking about this topic. We all have our stories where we know we've cheated death, but what also fascinates me is how many times all of us have cheated death and had no idea.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah. That time you went back to get your wallet or something and left two minutes later.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Did that save you from being in that car accident or. Yeah, something along those lines to where it all.

[A]

That's why I just think it all evens out. You know, you're saved from death as many times as you cheated death. You're saved from death probably a lot more.

[C]

Maybe you've had someone protecting you okay.

[A]

All right. Who is protecting you? The ghost of Harry Truman?

[C]

No, he left of Harry Carrey.

[A]

He hid your wallet from you. You'd leave the house late.

[C]

Yeah, I don't know. I don't know if I've been protected, but yeah, you're probably right. It's. It's all about timing. And maybe luck is involved, but maybe there is some grand planned out there that you're. You're not supposed to go then. I don't know if I believe that or not, but I think it's a possibility.

[A]

But then if you, if you think that, then you think that everybody, when it is time for them to go, it's always planned.

[C]

Right. And that's what short circuits me not to get into a religious discussion, but I don't think God is a zapper that, you know, okay, it's in the cards. This is.

[A]

But is he a saver?

[C]

Yes, I think that's a possibility. Yes.

[A]

Or could this just be man's greatest superpower, which is imposing meaning and order on sort of orderless things? The chaos of the universe. We like to come up with a narrative of that God is picking and choosing people and killing some people and saving others and doing that. Or is God just an observer? He watches and hopes for the best for us, but he is a non intervener.

[C]

Yeah, I think there's a lot to that in that. A lot of it is up to us with what hobbies we choose or our behavior or just whatever.

[A]

Flipping off God, for how long now he's been taunting a bike rider.

[C]

And that's one of mine is riding a bike. I think I've told you this one before. I was 13 and we were about to move from Chicago back to Texas and my good friend CB Erickson said he wanted to buy me a train engine. H2O scale. H2O. HO scale. Not H2O, it's water. HO scale.

[B]

And we were a toy train engine.

[C]

Yeah, toy train engine. And we went to the hobby shop. And that involved going down this bike trail and crossing a farm to market road that there was very little traffic on. And I was trying to catch up with him. After we got the engine and had this train engine, I was holding onto it and one hand on my handlebars and I was trying to catch up to my buddy and did not even look left or right and got hit by a motorcycle. And I just remember him like downshifting and braking and hitting me. And he hit me with such force that it bent the frame of my bike. And I Was thrown a good 30ft. But back then I was so wiry and skinny that I just rolled and I never hit my head. I was skinned up, knees, elbows, shoulder, ripped my shirt. And I was. I think I was in shock because I just went back to my bike and I picked it up and said, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I cut in front of you.

[B]

Like it was your fault.

[C]

Like it was my fault. I guess it was. But the guy in the motorcycle was flipping out. He said, sit down, sit down. You need to go to the hospital. No, no, no, no. I'm fine, I'm fine. And I limped all the way home with my friend helping me get home. And the thing I was worried about was my parents were going to absolutely ground me for life because I wasn't supposed to go down that path because we had to cross that road, which I didn't think was dangerous, but it turns out it was very dangerous. And I don't know how I didn't hit my head because I hit my head. There's no telling what would have happened to me.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And your bike was mangled.

[C]

And then we took it to his house and we took a sledgehammer to it to try to straighten it out so it wouldn't look like it was severe an accident. I told my parents what happened eventually and they weren't happy, but I didn't want them to see my bike that was bent at an angle right in the middle of the frame.

[A]

Did you still ride that bike afterwards?

[C]

Yeah, I never rode the same.

[A]

Well, it should.

[C]

It just wasn't quite in alignment. But yeah. And I think about that from time to time. I certainly thought about it then that I almost die right there on that road.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Wow. Yeah.

[B]

You got actually hit now. I've got a few bike related where I was never actually hit, but they were all ridiculously close calls. And the first one happened back in 2001 and I talked to my buddy Dave to get the details of this because it's a little foggy, it's been 25 years or so. But he and I used to take bike trips to Europe. We go over there to see the tour and talked about those in some past episodes. Well, this particular trip, we were in Europe in 2001 and he and I were riding in the Luxembourg countryside. Just a little bitty country in the middle of Europe. Beautiful country road. There are no cars.

[C]

Oh, I bet.

[B]

And as we're riding next to each other, I'm on the inside by the edge of the Road. And he's on my left. We hear a car, but we don't see a car. But it sounds like it's got a big engine. And suddenly we see the car as it's coming over this hill and it gets airborne as it comes over the hill.

[A]

Airborne?

[B]

Airborne. He estimated it was going somewhere between 100 and 120 miles an hour on this side two lane country road. And he remembers the car specifically and he said, make sure you tell Gordon because he'll know because he's a car guy. It was a Subaru WRX four door with a big rear wing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Dark blue with gold wheels. He said it was a. It's a wannabe car for rally drivers.

[A]

Yeah, I think they're all four door. WRX is all four door.

[C]

Got me.

[A]

They have the. The hood intake, the scoop hood and.

[C]

Yeah, it's a high performance car.

[A]

Subie boys love those.

[B]

So as this car gets airborne over this little hill, the road then gently turns to the right. So we're riding towards him. So we see it coming toward us. And he is going so fast and has lost a little traction on the road that when he comes down, he's drifting towards us because he can't make this little right turn because it caught him by surprise. And he missed Dave by three inches.

[C]

Oh, my God.

[B]

And I was just to his inside. So if he hits Dave, he's taken me down too. And if he had drifted a little further, more to the left, he takes both of us out and then he keeps on going down this highway and we stop because we're in shock at this close call we just had. And I remember Dave said, and should I cuss for the first time on this podcast, Bring it.

[A]

I think we already have.

[B]

Well, I haven't.

[A]

You did last week. That's right.

[B]

As we're standing there in shock, Dave turns to me and goes, if that had rolled that car and burst into flames, I would have been so happy. Like, he almost took us out.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So did y' all have to like stop writing for like 30 minutes and just kind of refocus and think about what just happened?

[B]

Yeah, we did. For, you know, it wasn't 30 minutes, but we. We sat there for five minutes or so just processing it.

[C]

Golly.

[A]

So it wasn't one of those cases of. And I'm sure some of our stories will have this, but it doesn't sound like this one did, which is that when you get close to death and death is imminent, the amazing peace that washes over one and you Feel just completely.

[B]

Oh, this.

[A]

So this is it.

[B]

So one of mine does, but this one didn't. This one did not. The bike ones didn't because the bike ones were so instant and shocking and like that. Yeah. I didn't have time to process it. Do you want the story where I did process it?

[A]

I think I know which one this is. This involved an aircraft.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right.

[B]

So I believe this was 1999.

[A]

Ah, yes.

[B]

And at our radio station, we had something called a ticket flyaway, a Cowboys flyaway, where each week we would pick several listeners to go with us on a flight to a Cowboys road game, if there was a road game that week. So we did eight of these a year. And the show hosts would take turns hosting the flight. Well, my turn came up that fall. I was going to host the flight to Indianapolis to see the Cowboys and Colts.

[A]

This is where you serve the drinks and peanuts and things like that.

[B]

So it's me. And I took my girlfriend at the time, her name was Rhonda, and we went with four P1s. These are big listeners to our radio station that won the contest.

[C]

By the way, did you fly day of.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Do you know what date that was?

[B]

What?

[C]

According to this schedule of the Cowboys 1999 season, it was Halloween.

[B]

Oh, wow. I don't remember that.

[C]

Yeah, scary. A little spooky.

[B]

This was also, keep in mind, just a couple of months, I believe, after Payne Stewart died in the plane crash where he was cruising at altitude 35,000ft in a private jet and they lost cabin pressure and everybody in the cabin was knocked out. And the jet just eventually crashed in South Dakota or somewhere.

[A]

They'd, like, track that plane for four hours as it was a ghost plane in the sky flown by no one.

[C]

Okay, so details.

[B]

We're on a private jet for this flight, and it's a six seater, and me and Rhonda have our backs to the cockpit and we're facing the four listeners in the four seats facing us, two pilots, pilot and co pilot, behind us. So we're flying along, we're all having a good time. And then we start our descent. We're getting close to Indianapolis. And then not long after we start our descent, something weird starts to happen. And I can hear a commotion in the cockpit. And I turn around and I see a red light flashing. We heard a big pop in the. In the cabin.

[A]

Hey, guys.

[B]

Didn't really know what it was.

[C]

Hey, big pop, you got a chair?

[A]

Big enough for me.

[C]

Hang on a second.

[B]

Craig's telling the story like a Loud pop. And I turn around and I hear this commotion. I see a red light on the dash. And I said, is everything okay? And I could only see the co pilot. I couldn't see the pilot from my seat. And he said, yeah, everything's fine. So I turn back around. Seconds later, the oxygen masks deploy from above. Now I'm thinking something's not fine. I turned around, I said, are you sure everything's okay? And he goes, everybody put your masks on. So everybody starts putting their questions. I struggle to get my mask on. And Rhonda, who had worked for American Airlines, comes over to me, pulls it down, puts it on properly. I'm like a three year old. I can't get my mask on backward.

[A]

Spilled your crayon box all over the place trying to get your mask on.

[B]

And then as we all get our masks on, the plane goes into a nose dive. I mean, straight down nose dive. And we were probably, I think I was told we were at around 25,000ft and we did a dive to 10,000ft. So that's a 15,000 foot dive. And that took a couple of minutes, as I recall. And this is where what happened? Or you were talking about Gordo? That peace washed over me and all I could think of. I wasn't scared. We were all convinced that we were crashing. And it didn't bother me. I just remember I kept thinking, wow, all these years I've watched news stories about plane crashes and movies about plane crashes, and I can't believe I'm going to die in a plane crash. This is really crazy.

[A]

Almost as a little bit of a curiosity.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's your thought, huh? That's odd.

[C]

Was anyone else in the plane freaking out, like yelling or crying or anything?

[B]

No.

[A]

In fact, one confessing to weird stuff.

[C]

I didn't mean to do it.

[A]

I'm wearing panties right now.

[B]

Oh, God. In fact, one of the listeners who was with us took out a camera and snapped pictures of us all.

[A]

Oh, yeah, didn't you get those? Years later, somebody.

[B]

Yeah, I still got him. He sent them to us. One of the listeners was Lord Byron. He may have been the one that took the pictures. He wrote our theme song for our radio show. So here we are, two, three minutes in this just nose dive down to 10,000ft. But we think we're all nose diving to the earth. And then the plane levels out at 10,000ft. And now we're really close to Indianapolis and we go about our normal descent. And when we land, there are fire trucks and police cars and ambulances lining the Runway for us. We land, there's a car there to take us to the game. And now we're thinking, how are we going to get home? And they said, well, we're going to take this plane, we have to fly it to Chicago to get it fixed, and then we'll fly it back and it'll be ready to take you all home. My thought was, well, it'll be in perfect condition, so I don't have any fear about getting on this plane and flying it home. But we had one listener that said, there is no way. And he flew commercial back.

[C]

See, I don't blame him. I would have had a hard time getting back on that plane.

[A]

Same. Yeah.

[C]

And we's pretty brave that you think, oh, yeah, it would be fine. Now we're all checked out now. I could see that part too, I guess.

[B]

So fast forward a few days. We're back in Dallas at work at the radio station, and our show is over one morning, and I walk out of the studio and I go through the main entrance, the lobby of our building, and there are two men there in suits, and they say they need to talk to me. So we go into a small room, and they're from the FAA and they wanted to interview me about the incident.

[A]

Did they cuff you or did they take them off for the interview?

[B]

They didn't cuff me. Oh, they did a cavity search, but they didn't cuff me. Then they start asking me questions, this and that, and yeah, I heard a loud pop and then we went into a nosedive. I said, so what exactly happened? And they said, well, you all had been cruising at 35,000, you had started your descent. So around 28,000 or 27,000, your cabin seal around the door, the seal around the door broke and your cabin lost pressure and was losing pressure very, very quickly. And he said, that's why the pilot, he did the right thing. He dove down to where you could breathe. Okay. Wow. And I said, but we could have. We would have been fine anyway because we had oxygen masks. And they both got real uncomfortable and looked at each other. And I said, right. And they said, have you ever heard of a placebo, Mr. Miller? And I said, yes. And I said, that's basically what an oxygen mask is. Over 30,000ft, you have no chance. You have no chance. Really.

[A]

I don't know about that.

[B]

That's what they said.

[A]

I think he was just trying to scare you.

[B]

Well, he did. And so basically he told me, if you had not already been starting your descent, you all would have been dead just like Payne Stewart?

[A]

Well, I would think it would have something to do with. You would have passed out in the time that it would have taken you to get to the oxygen mask. Maybe.

[B]

Yeah, maybe.

[A]

But, yeah, that is. I mean, that is what happened with the Payne Stewart deal. They had that blown seal and then they lost pressure in the cabin. And I remember in the Payne Stewart thing, didn't they have they scrambled jets to fly alongside it? And I remember getting the reports of, yeah, we can see inside the windows. They're frosted over, but we can see a few people sitting in there. And they were just sitting in there frozen.

[B]

That would have been me.

[A]

That would have been you frozen. You would have been that good at golf right before death.

[C]

Were they the jets flying by it in case it was headed towards something and they were gonna.

[A]

I think so, yeah. Because there were talk about shooting the thing down if it was heading towards a populated area or something. I can't remember. But how creepy was that story? And here Junior's going through it just months after it for a while.

[C]

Did that affect your flying or.

[B]

No.

[C]

Even on a smaller plane later that.

[B]

Day, I got back on that same plane and flew home. So, no, I. I kind of looked at it as, that's my one close call on a plane, and so it's probably not going to happen to me again.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

But, yeah, like you were talking about, Gordo, I just had this odd sense of calm because I had time to process that where the close calls on my bike, I haven't. But this was. It was. It was almost like I was being told, you're going to die in four minutes, and you just have this calm come over you.

[A]

It's too creepy. So think your last thoughts. You have four minutes, sir.

[C]

Oh, gosh. This college football season, porkrines.com, the nation's premier hub for pork rind lovers everywhere, is the crunch time hero of the snack aisle. Pork rinds are low carb, collagen packed and high in protein, so you can keep your energy high without the guilt. Each week, a college football player who made an impactful play will be named crunch time hero of the week and will be posted on Instagram for each repost or share. Porkrines.com and Rudolph Foods will donate $1, up to a maximum donation of $1,000 per player to the Archer Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping families dealing with dipg, DMG pediatric brain cancer. Learn more about the Archer foundation at archer-foundation.org Giving back with a perfect snack to celebrate those big crunch time plays, find your [e-mail] or find Southern Recipe Small Batch Pork Rinds at H E B today. Find your [e-mail] Be a crunch time hero and visit orkrinds.com on Instagram to learn how you can make a difference for children diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer. Support our charity [e-mail] Football season is in full swing and underdog is the best place to get in on all the action. And it's really easy to play. Just pick your favorite player and then you go either higher or lower on stats like rushing yards, receptions, touchdowns and more. Get your picks right and you could win up to 5,000 times your cash. My Thursday night pick this week I'm going lower on Saquon Barkley's 79.5 rushing yards. Let's see how I do Download the app today Sign up with the promo code musers to score $100 in bonus funds and bonus entries when you play your first $5. That's promo code Musers. Underdog make picks win money must be 18 or older, 19 or older in Alabama and Nebraska, 19 or older in Colorado for some games 21 or older in Arizona, Massachusetts and Virginia and present in a state where underdog fantasy operates. Terms apply. See assets.underdogfantasy.com web play and getterms dfs.HTML for details. Offer not in Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Concerned with your play? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit www.NCPCambling.org. in New York, call the 24 7, Hope Line at 1-877-HOPE-NY or text Hope NY 2467369. So have you not had a big brush with Porto?

[A]

I was thinking about this and I've never had anything certainly not as dramatic as Junior's airplane story. Any airplanes that I've been on, I've been in bad turbulence before. I've been in hard landings where it's like the guy put it down so like that last 10ft he decided screw it, let's get it down immediately.

[B]

I bet that happened too. Why do they do that?

[A]

No, I don't know what happens in those cases. You know, I I did go up in a stunt plane one time in Addison, Texas at Addison Airport and I would never. And it was this two seater plane, you know, like one in front, one in behind kind of plane.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And at least in my memory it was that. That may be me conflating it with something, but yeah. And that was. It felt like cheating death then. But this old grizzled veteran who was an old stunt pilot, he was doing loop de loops up there and barrel rolls. The stall out, go straight up to the sky and the stall out and then you fall backwards and he's doing all this crap. And I felt. Felt like death after that was over with because I was so sick. I was so motion sick afterwards.

[B]

I.

[A]

Wished I was dead. I wish that one of those stalls had taken.

[C]

Don't people pass out doing that sometimes?

[A]

Yeah. And he told me how many GS we were pulling at one particular point. You know, I mean, it wasn't incredibly high or anything, but that was one of the more disturbing experiences of my life. And it was all part of this experience. Hey, this stunt pilot's willing to take you up to do all these maneuvers. You're interested? And I was thinking, you only live once. Yolo it, and I'll go up there and do it.

[C]

No way.

[A]

And I remember when he landed that thing, and I had never been in a small plane before. This is the only small plane trip I've ever taken. And after he'd done all this crazy stuff. So clearly he was a competent pilot. He could execute these moves. But when we were landing, I guess the wind was so strong, and I didn't know that planes do this the way that they'll. I don't even know what you call it. They'll cant the plane over. They'll, you know. So they're basically landing sideways until the very last second. They'll right the plane and turn it straight. But the whole time we're coming down towards the Runway, we're basically pointed, you know, like 70 degrees off. One last trick and I'm like, what the hell is this guy doing? Is he incompetent?

[B]

You think you were crashing?

[A]

Yeah, I thought he was crashing. I don't know what was happening, but he was just accounting for the wind and slowing the plane down and doing all his stuff. But that was scary. So I'd never been that close, like Junior has in an airplane to dying.

[C]

I was almost killed by a hot dog.

[A]

What?

[C]

Okay. I was 9 or 10. I don't remember the exact age, but lived in Illinois, just outside Chicago. And every December they would have this party when the pond would freeze over in this community where we lived, Bessler's Pond, that actually exists. Bessler's Pond still does. And it would freeze over and they'd have this party and they'd invite people to come out and skate Play ice hockey. And they would grill hot dogs and hamburgers. So I went and I skated around a little bit with my friends and then took a hot dog break, Went over to have a hot dog. And as kids will do, just not a smart thing, I decided to skate around while eating a hot dog. And then I hit a chipped piece of ice, like a little bump in the ice, and the hot dog went down my throat. And I was choking, and I had. At that age, I'd never heard of the Heimlich. And I ask you guys, when do you think the Heimlich sounds weird to say? When was it invented? Apparently, Dr. Heimlich wrote about it in a medical journal in 1974. Well, this may have been, like, 1974. I'd never heard of it, but I started trying to cough the hot dog up, and my face, I could feel it turning red. I could not breathe. And I remember I started pounding my chest. And finally, in victory.

[A]

Like, you felt like.

[C]

No, like I was trying to dislodge the hot dog. And finally I did, and I was bent over.

[B]

That did it. You did it to yourself?

[C]

Yeah, I did it to myself. And I looked down and I had ketchup on it. So there's ketchup all over the snow.

[A]

Gross.

[B]

Looked like blood.

[C]

I'm, like, gagging and coughing, and everyone's looking at me. But no one came over to offer any sort of help. And finally one adult came over, you know, are you okay? And I said, yeah, I think so. And I don't think he knew exactly what was going on because he probably thought it was blood in the snow and it was ketchup. But, I mean, everyone was just, you know, continued skating or grilling or whatever they were doing. No one came over and tell this guy. After I was able to give myself the Heimlich and get rid of the hot dog, I could have died right there. And I wonder how long they before they would come over to check on me. Hey, what's wrong with you? Why is this kid just laying on the snow?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And aren't hot dogs notoriously dangerous? They're supposed to be dangerous. Why do we make them in kid throat plugging shape, right?

[C]

I don't know.

[A]

We need to change the shape of hot dog.

[C]

You think we need hot dog patties?

[A]

We need, like, triangular hot dogs. Build them like a Toblerone.

[B]

Bingo. Toblerone is a good one for you.

[A]

You know, speaking of skates, you know, I did have one close call that involved roller skates, not ice skates. Like yours. Because I'm assuming you're talking about.

[C]

Yeah, I was ice skating.

[A]

Yeah, you're ice skating. So yeah, I was on roller skates probably fourth grade. And we would always skate around my neighborhood, me and my sister, we had roller skates. You talk about incredible. When we got our own roller skates for Christmas one year. Professional grade equipment that I'd only seen at the roller rink and now I'm allowed to own some at home. It's amazing. And we had this nice circle that we lived on and you know, it was like a perfect size for a skating surface. It was black topped too, so it was real smooth. And so we were always out skating. Well, my mom, we were out playing skating and my mom was leaving to go run errands or something. So she backs out of the driveway and I see this, that she's backing out of the driveway. And as she's putting it in drive after reversing, I sneak up behind her car on my skates and grab onto the back bumper and squat down.

[C]

Oh my gosh.

[A]

So this is a great plan of mine, right?

[C]

Oh yeah. What could go wrong?

[A]

Yeah. So I'm gonna hold on to the back of this car and just skate. So she takes off and you know, it's fun for the first 5, 10 seconds. Then I notice get a little fast. It's going, it's going to shake leg and we're really cruising. I'm holding on to this bumper.

[C]

No helmet.

[A]

It's going so fast.

[B]

And she has no idea.

[A]

She has no idea I'm back there. No, no helmet, no pads, no protective gear whatsoever. I was wearing jeans and I was wearing like a, like a polo shirt. And so I'm holding on and then as I'm getting shake leg and she's probably up to like 30 miles an hour.

[C]

Oh my gosh.

[A]

And my. One of my skates hits a rock and it kicks my leg out back behind me. So now both my legs fall back behind me in reaction to this. And I'm holding on.

[B]

Oh my God.

[A]

And I'm just supermanning on the back of this. My legs, the front of my skates dragging the asphalt.

[C]

No.

[A]

And she's stabilized her speed, but her speed is, you know, 30, 35 miles an hour or something like this. And I realized that I need to let go before she gets out to this main road area.

[C]

And you can't really bang on the trunk.

[A]

No, I got both my hands holding on, so I'm afraid to let go to try to use one to bang on the. So I have to make the decision. I've just got to let go and hope for the best. And I let go of the car and I skid on my chest for a while. And the shirt is just eating at the. You know, I got a few seconds before the shirt wears all the way.

[C]

Through before it catches on fire.

[A]

And then at some point, I dipped my. I think it was my left shoulder. And. And then that sent me tumbling.

[B]

Did she see it in the rearview mirror?

[A]

Never saw it. Did not find out about it until she returned a couple hours later. And I had so much road rash all over my left shoulder and down my back when I spun over and tore the front of my shirt down, you know, back over that again.

[C]

How did you not hit your head just like.

[A]

I don't know.

[C]

By the bike?

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

I bet your mom was horrified to know she was dragging.

[A]

Yes. Oh, and also had it on the side of my face. Had road rash on the side of my face. And I can still remember the smell of this cream that I used to have to put on that road rash on the side of my face. It smelled so good. It's like vitamin E cream or something like this. I don't remember, but. But yeah, that's almost died.

[C]

Wanted you to be a podcaster someday. Yeah, that's why you were spared.

[A]

That's an angel putting its hand on me. Said podcast as I'm letting go of a 1978 Delta 88.

[B]

Tell this one in episode 16.

[A]

You know, and there was that same. It happened almost the same area where I was riding my bike one time in that same neighborhood. And I was following our neighbor who was driving in the car. He was leaving his driveway. Our across the street neighbor leaving his driveway. I'm on my bike and he starts taking off. And I'm gonna draft behind this car for a while. And then I see some neighborhood friends over to the right. And so I'm looking at them going, hey, I'm gonna follow this car. Well, they had stopped in the middle of the road while I'm looking off, and I hit the back of that car going full bore. I mean, I'm pedaling all out but not looking. And I hit the back of the car and I went over the car, and these were those long 1980. Wow. Probably about a 1980 Regency. And went over the car and then landed in front of it. And I mean, I popped up real quick, you know, all scared and everything. Fine, fine. I'm sorry.

[B]

Sorry.

[A]

Because, you know, as your Kid, you're always thinking, I'm in trouble.

[B]

Right, Right.

[A]

This is not.

[C]

That was my same reaction when adults got hit.

[A]

Not gonna be concerned about my well being. They're just gonna be pissed at me.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Because I jeopardize my well being.

[B]

And isn't it amazing all these falls you can take as a kid? As an adult, you'd have all these broken bones. But kids are so mal. And flexible.

[A]

Yes. We bend like rubber bands.

[B]

Pop right up, so.

[A]

And then I walked back around to the back of the car, and my bike was standing up straight with the tire wedged up under the back bumper.

[C]

Man, you were lucky.

[A]

I know it.

[B]

All right, I got a few more bike stories for you where I cheated death. Our topic this week and the Next1 is 2015 on vacation in Colorado. And I did a big bike ride from Boulder up to Estes Park. And it was a beautiful day. You're riding in the Rocky Mountains. Get to Estes Park. I have lunch. And now I gotta head back downhill to Boulder. And a rainstorm, as will happen in the afternoon in the mountains, pops up. And it's raining really, really heavy. This is 2015. This is before I had disc brakes on my road bike, so I had old rim brakes. And as I'm trying to control my speed going down this highway, the highway from Estes park back down to Longmont, I think it is. Or I think that's the town. And then down to Boulder, but it's going downhill. You're going from maybe 8,000ft down to 5,000ft. So I'm really having to ride the brakes, but they're getting less and less effective. And then the rain gets heavier and heavier and heavier. And it's a kind of busy highway, so I'm going downhill. And I come to. It's kind of an intersection, but there's not a stoplight or anything. The highway has the right away, but there is a road to my right that crosses, and there is a car that I see that is turning left. And I always look at the driver to see if they see me. And in this case, I could see she did not see me. Now, keep in mind, it's dark, it's real heavy rain. People have their lights on. So it's a kind of a chaotic situation. And my brakes are not working at this point. Well, I see that she does not see me. And she starts to pull in front of me to take this left. And I'm probably going, you know, downhill in the rain. I may have been going 25 or 30, something like that. And I grab both brakes with all my mighty and nothing happens because the rims are wet, the brake pads are wet. And so my speed does not change. I keep going 25 or 30 and she is pulling right in front of me. And I'm thinking I'm dead. And at the last second, because I'm watching her face the entire time, at the last second she sees me, her eyes get really big, she slams on her brakes and I miss her front bumper by a foot. And that was another one of those moments where I had to find the nearest spot I could once the road leveled out. And I was able to stop and pull over and gather myself because I was sure she was going to kill me.

[C]

Did you have peace or were you? There was no peace, no time to really process anything.

[A]

It was only hatred.

[B]

That's what I thought. There was only hatred for her for not seeing me and for me.

[A]

For REM breaks, for everything.

[B]

For rembreaks. Yeah, no, I didn't have time to process it. I just remember thinking, I'm gone, I'm a goner. I'm dead here. The other close call or two more on the bike and probably many more than I'm forgetting, but the other close call was two years later, 2017. I was part of a relay team that did the Race Across America. There were, were there eight of us? Yeah, there were eight of us on this team. And so we're riding, you know, each of us gets an hour at a time or so and we're riding across America. It was an incredible experience. It was very difficult. You didn't sleep much. It took us seven days to ride from California to Maryland. And doing this relay thing, it was a lot of fun. You're with a bunch of other guys. So one day we're in Colorado and my turn pops up and we're in the eastern part of Colorado where the road is pretty flat and we're going through kind of a congested area. It's a two lane road and I'm riding on the shoulder and all of a sudden I see ahead of me the shoulder disappears and it turns into just gravel. It's nothing but big rock gravel for 200 or 300ft. And I glance over my shoulder quickly because I'm going to pop out onto the road and stay on the pavement if there's no car coming, coming. But as I glance over my shoulder, there's an 18 wheeler coming. But I'm also going, you know, 20 or 25 miles an hour as I hit this Gravel patch. And I just said, hold it straight. And I grabbed my handlebars as tightly as I could trying to hold it straight, but my front wheels being pulled left and right and left and right by this gravel. And I'm thinking I'm going to be thrown into the lane and this semi is going to plow me over. And it plows by me, but it doesn't plow me over, it goes by me and again it's on my left and misses me by, you know, three feet because it's a really small road and a small section of gravel that I'm trying to stay in. And somehow I did not go down. If I had hit that section of gravel at that speed ten other times, I might have crashed nine of those times. But somehow I kept it upright and the truck passed me and I made it through the gravel.

[C]

And somehow it's been. I don't know if it's been easy, but you've been able to leave those moments behind you somehow like, well, it probably won't happen again or I'll just not put myself in that situation again or what is it that gets you back on the bike and thinking, okay, I'm safe, even if I'm in some tough areas?

[B]

Yes, that was the case until the next incident. And this next incident was in 2018. And this is the one that changed my mindset when it comes to riding my bike. There's a ride in Dallas that a lot of guys do, it's called, and gals do, it's called the South Loop. And you go out through Mesquite and you head down south and you go, if you want to extend it, you go down through Seagoville. And I was riding this by myself. I used to do this all the time. I would ride the South Loop by myself all the time while I'm riding on this road down Seagoville. It's a Tuesday afternoon and it's a four lane road with a median in the middle. So you have two lanes going northbound and two lanes going southbound. And I'm going southbound and I'm staying over to the right. And it's kind of a busy road. I think it's called Seagaville Road. And I, I hear that there is a car coming up on my left and I look over the shoulder and I see that it's in the left lane. So I'm in the right lane, it's in the left lane. So it's no threat to me. But as this car is approaching me, I then hear the Loud roar of a truck. And I look back, and it's a big pickup truck jacked up. And it is going to try to thread that gap, that needle between the car that's passing me in the left lane and me in the right lane. It's in the right lane, and it is going 60, 70 miles an hour is my best guess, because that car was probably going 30, and it was going at least twice that. And as I hear the roar of the truck coming up very quickly behind me, I think, get over all the way to the right as far as you can, and you're not going to survive this. This truck is going to hit you. There's not enough room in this lane for a truck to go between a car and you hold on tight because you're about to get hit. And he missed me by 2 inches. I tried to make myself as narrow as possible, and he missed my shoulder by 2 inches as he flew by me at 60 or 70 miles an hour. He did thread that gap. He shot that gap. He did it.

[A]

He won.

[B]

But I immediately had to pull over and gather myself. And then I got so pissed that I started sprinting, like to try to catch him because I knew there was a series of lights coming up, and of course I couldn't catch him. And then I started looking around for a police car because I wanted to report him. I was out of my mind, angry that this guy almost took me out. That is the last time that I ever rode that loop by myself. I rode it again a few more times with a group, but I even got a little skittish about that and. And that incident changed the way I plan my rides. Now I pretty much stick to bike paths and I'll go on real roads, but usually only, like, on weekend mornings or only if I have to. That changed everything for me, that moment.

[C]

Just to try to cut down on the possibility of.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Speed and someone not seeing. You're not caring.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

In that case.

[B]

Because now what have I told you? 5 stories of close calls on the bike.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I just kind of. I got to a point where I was in my 50s, and then I had a kid, and I really started thinking, you know, you've cheated death a lot. And those are the. Just the stories that I know and that I. And there are a lot of others. One time in college, I was riding on the roads outside of Denton, and some guy threw a beer bottle at me, and it was just as I happened to sit up on the bike and the bottle went right in front of me. He was aiming for my head and I wasn't wearing a helmet back then. So I finally came to the conclusion, let's make these rides as safe as you can.

[A]

It's the Smuckers Uncrustables podcast with your host, Uncrustables. Okay, today's guest is rough around the edges. Please welcome crust. Thanks for having me.

[C]

Today's topic, he's round with soft, pillowy bread.

[A]

Hey. Filled with delicious PB and J. Are you talking about yourself? And you can take him anywhere. Why'd you invite. And we are out of time. Are you really cutting me off? Uncrustables are the best part of the sandwich. Sorry, crust. This episode is presented by State Farm. Having insurance isn't the same as having State Farm. It's like expecting the leadership of a team captain on the football field. But getting a sea captain. You wouldn't settle for just anything for your team. Shouldn't it be the same for your insurance? So don't settle for just any insurance.

[B]

When you can go with a leader.

[A]

State Farm. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

[C]

As dangerous as our roads are around where we live in Dallas, Fort Worth, have you guys ever had a close call in a vehicle on our highways?

[A]

I have nothing but close calls with vehicles.

[C]

That's with the way you drive.

[A]

There was, I remember one time this happened recently. This is a couple months ago, I was on highway. I think it was on 35. It's going down Austin way, most dangerous road in Texas. And somebody was pulled off on the right shoulder. Car trouble or I don't know what they had, but they were over there. And because of the way people drive now you have to pass on the right because people will gum up the left lane because they like to get over there and go 65 and check their phone and, you know, do some office work in there, maybe, you know, surf on the laptop. So they're always camping in those lanes. So you have to pass on the right. So they're on the right shoulder. Their car was disabled or they were handling something. And I'm passing people on the right, which is not advisable, but it's the only way to do it now. And this car on the shoulder decides they don't need to check and see if anyone's coming in that right lane.

[C]

Get back on the highway.

[A]

Let's get back on the highway. It's about time. I feel in my soul it's time to get on the highway. I don't need to consult with anything visually to make sure it's clear. I just feel it's clear. And so they pulled out right in front of me. Now I'm going, you know, 90 miles an hour or something. And. And they pull out going three miles an hour right in front of me. And so I had to pass on the right shoulder because there was a car.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I'm passing a car that's in the middle lane.

[C]

So the only place pretty good NASCAR driving right there.

[A]

Yeah. Had to do some NASCAR driving. And this was right before that right shoulder disappeared because it was going over like a creek or bridge. So there was guardrail. I had to get over and pass the slow moving car on the right shoulder and then get back into the lane before I just ramped the guardrail and went up on two wheels and drove like Dukes of Hazard for a while. But that just happened a couple months ago. And then on my motorcycle, I've had two close calls. One was a woman who pulled out right in front of me into my lane, into oncoming traffic. This was on. It was a residential area, so I wasn't going fast. I was probably only going 25 miles an hour. So she pulls out right in front of me, car facing me, and I have to go over and try not to hit the curb because I knew that was going to throw me into a yard if I hit the curb with the front of my motorcycle. But unfortunately I hit wet leaves. The roadway was wet. And then there were leaves on the side of the road as well. And I hit those that were in the gutter there and that washed out my front wheel. And I fell down, like right after this woman had passed me.

[B]

You ate it.

[A]

I ate it. As they say. That was nerve wracking. And then I had another car pull out right in front of me on my motorcycle. I was probably going about 50 at that point. And it looks and sees me. I'm oncoming traffic. It's gonna turn left out of a kind of a T intersection. But it pulls out right in front of me. And I had to divert and go off the road. And there was an entrance to a parking garage that was right there. And I basically had to ride up into the ramp of the parking garage with those Keystone copy comical escape route that I had to take. But so I went into a parking garage. That was a little scary, but I have stayed upright and it was fine.

[B]

You know, you may have this. It may have crossed your mind already on your motorcycle, but I guarantee it will because I've had it cross my mind a million times. On my bike where you think I'm going to have to lay it down? Yeah, I've had that several times on a descent on my bike where corners caught me by surprise or you know, something's happened where you think to yourself, laying it down is going to be the best option. It's going to suck and I'm gonna have road rash for months, but it's gonna be better than staying upright and hitting something. And thankfully I haven't had to make that actual decision yet, but it's crossed my mind a lot and I'm sure it will for you.

[A]

The, the worst one was pre Motorcycle.

[C]

Pre.

[A]

It's when I had a scooter 20 years ago.

[C]

Oh, I remember this.

[A]

You remember this story?

[B]

Oh yeah.

[A]

This is the one that sold me on helmets. Because when I used to ride that scooter, I would say half the time I'd wear helmets. It just depends on what mood I was in that day. And this happened to be that one of the times that I strapped on my helmet and I was just puttering along in the uptown section of Dallas on McKinney Avenue, which is a street that has street tracks, trolley tracks. So you basically have the rails right there embedded into the ground. Well, those are notoriously horrible for two wheels, whether it's a bottle bike or a motorcycle or a scooter, because you hit that groove and you can't get out of it. It alters their front wheel. And, and, and I was riding my scooter and I wasn't paying attention. So it's my fault. I see those up in front of me and I should have evaded them better. I didn't. I hit the front rail. It had been lightly misting earlier that morning and my front wheel washed out and I went down. Well, the problem was right back behind me was a huge delivery box truck that was right on my ass too, going about 35 miles an hour. And I fall down right in front of him and my head hit the pavement so hard. I was wearing a helmet. It was only a three quarter helmet. Now I wear full face helmet all the time. I don't know, I don't know whether I was concussed or not. I could have been because what the hell, this truck locked it up right in front of me and it stopped probably about four feet from me. Four or five feet, I would say. It, it was able to stop and come to a stop. Meanwhile, I feel so bad for those two guys in the delivery truck because I heard everything that was in the back of that Truck hit the front wall of the cargo compartment, so they.

[C]

Really lost the whole.

[A]

I don't know what.

[C]

Yeah, I don't know what.

[A]

They were delivering eggs or some sort of crystal ware.

[B]

So you've cheated death more than you think.

[A]

Yeah, I guess I have.

[C]

And wasn't your helmet cracked?

[A]

Yeah, it was. It was all scuffed up and was cracked in the back.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

See, that could have been your head.

[A]

I know. And, you know, the sad thing is I kept that helmet and kept reusing. You're supposed to get rid of a helmet if it's ever been compromised. I didn't do that. They're expensive. I won't make that mistake.

[C]

I haven't heard as much motorcycle talk. Are you not riding it because it has a flat tire?

[A]

No, no. I rode 55 miles yesterday.

[C]

Oh, boy.

[A]

In fact, yeah, I love riding. Oh, it's so fun.

[C]

Your family's down with this.

[A]

It's so fun. I do want to get a little bit quicker of a bike to get out of situations. And I think I'm going to start lane splitting, too. I know it's not legal here in Texas.

[B]

I see a lot of people do.

[A]

It here and lane. Well, I take it back. I don't know that I'll. I won't lane split, but I will lane filter, which is the stoplight, and you go to the front of the line at stoplights.

[C]

Okay. The only thing with that is, though, you're going to make somebody mad.

[A]

I know.

[C]

What if you make the wrong person mad?

[A]

I know. That's why I need a faster bike.

[B]

George, I remember you had a really close call in traffic with your sister. Was it?

[C]

Yes. And I had this written down because the details are sketchy. I just know the story's always been told that. Oh, you're talking about the one that was recent.

[B]

Yeah. Remember you told that on our radio show? Yeah. Okay.

[C]

That's even a better one because she was driving me to the airport, and I was going to get on a plane and go to training camp with you guys in California. And we were going down the street near Love Field in Dallas, and on the other side, it's a separated street, three lanes on both sides. We noticed this truck was driving erratically and someone was. It was a U Haul truck. And then back behind this truck were two police cars. So it was a chase. And they went. We were going one way, they were going the other. And they went by us, and I went, oh, no. They lost control. And that truck went across the median, went over to the other side somehow didn't hit cars coming the other way in A head on went right across and then I think it flipped or at least turned over in the shoulder and it just messed up. So we would. We would have been there five seconds earlier. I mean it was just a matter of seconds.

[B]

Could have headed on.

[C]

You just would. Yeah, just would hit his head on. And once the news did a story on this, the guy got out of the U Haul and got shot by Dallas police. So that was like right behind us, but it's like five seconds behind him. I remember some. Somebody put the video out.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

You could see our car just going by. And then here comes.

[A]

Take the dash cam footage from the cop cars.

[C]

Okay. That's what it was.

[A]

And I've paused it and gave you the freeze frames of you and your sister and her. Yeah, she had a silver SUV or something like that. Little smaller suv. Yeah. And there y' all were. I mean y' all did. Y' all missed that. I'd forgotten all U Haul hitting you by just seconds.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And that was one of those. What if we had left five seconds earlier? That U haul would have hit us head on. I thought you were talking about when I was really young and this was now my late sister, but I was 4 and my mom and I, I think we're taking her to college. So all the other kids were at school. So I went along with this. And we were on a farm to Market Road going to Ames, Iowa from Minneapolis. And she was passing somebody on a two lane highway. It was clear. But then a farmer pulled out in his tractor and she had no time. Either hit the tractor. We couldn't go to the right because that was the car she was passing. It all happened just really fast. And so she avoided the tractor and put it in the ditch. And we're going, wow, 65 or 70.

[B]

Put it in the ditch on the left side.

[C]

On the left side. And there's no way you were in a car seat. No, I think I was standing up in the back seat watching, you know, with my hands on the front seat. And I think we spun and I mean we were just seconds away from a head on. And I think about that now. Kids are in car seats, thank goodness. And no, I was not in a car seat. I either was standing up or I was sitting on the armrest back then.

[B]

Was the car torn up? Once it hit the ditch it was fine.

[C]

But I do remember the police being there because we had to fill out or my sister did. I didn't at 4 years old, fill out anything. But I remember being upset and I remember my mom being really upset and I remember the lights and being very traumatic as, you know, a young kid. But yeah, we were just seconds away from a head on. And I've been close to some accidents here in Dallas Fort Worth because I drive 40 miles both ways every day, and if I don't get close to an accident, I see one that's just happened. We have to lead the nation in accidents, car accidents, don't we?

[B]

I think so.

[C]

What do you mean now? I think we do.

[B]

Yeah. Imagine all the close calls that we've all had on the road that don't even register with us. Like we've forgotten. But I bet we've all had 50 other close calls where we may have cheated death. But it just. It's so commonplace in a big city like this.

[A]

God, that reminds me, I got to get my car fixed. No airbags. I don't have airbags. The module went out and I got it fixed.

[C]

Did you get rid of that car?

[A]

Well, I've been looking.

[C]

You've hit a raccoon on it.

[A]

I have hit a raccoon. That happened recently and took out my front grill. Thank you for bringing that up.

[C]

Thank you for knowing that.

[A]

But yeah, and it's got me. There's so many ticky tack things going wrong with that car. Although I wouldn't really consider airbags ticky tack. It seems pretty essential.

[C]

Do you have an inch of water in it for like a week?

[A]

I still have that.

[C]

What do you mean you still have that?

[A]

The AC plugs are drained, and I took it in to get the airbag module and the AC plugs unclogged, drains unclogged. And I got it back, paid a thousand dollars. And it still has two things wrong with it. The ac, the AC drains are still plugged, and then the airbag module doesn't work.

[B]

Will you please get your life together?

[A]

So at least they knocked out zero of the two problems.

[C]

At least you paid him $1,000 just to look at it.

[A]

Yeah. I was like, I could have just venmoed you the money. You didn't even need the car.

[B]

Well, luckily, we have all survived. We've survived these close calls with meeting our maker and enough that we were able to do episode 16 and talk about it. This was very therapeutic to be able to talk through all of these close calls with death. All right, thanks to our producer, Peter Welpton, and thank you for listening. A reminder, a new episode drops every Wednesday with the three of us. And a new Football Friends episode drops every Thursday morning with George and Bob talking Cowboys football. And we'll see you next week for episode 17 of the Musers the Podcast.

[C]

See ya.

[A]

If you'd like to submit a letter.

[C]

Of the Week to be considered to.

[A]

Be read during the podcast, you can send it via email the muserspod gmail.com or you can direct messages at any of the major social media platforms. Just search the Musers. Don't forget to followers subscribe wherever you currently are listening the Muse the podcast is a tired head Production.

[C]

Action Next Roll is a groundbreaking podcast created and executive produced by Vernon Davis.

[A]

This is where we talk about Reinvention.

[C]

The series explores the transformative journeys of.

[B]

Athletes, artists, comedians and entrepreneurs.

[A]

First, they don't just stop here, they just keep going.

[C]

Next Role isn't about what's next.

[B]

It's about why they do it, how.

[C]

They overcome fear, and the resilience it.

[B]

Takes to keep evolving at the highest level.

[C]

That's what it's all about.

[B]

Stay tuned.

[C]

Next Role with Vernon Davis.

[B]

Follow and listen on your favorite platform.