brake failure on 81

Good times were had at Ommegang BCTC 09.
But my fun memories are not as fresh in my
head as brake failure on 81 on the way back.
Luckily- I had just given up driving duty and our friend Jeff took over. Jeff- as hardcore as a hardcore cyclist could get- is used to dodging cars on his two wheels, but this was more of a challenge.

We were coming up on a construction area, where dozens of cars started to slow down to merge...and we couldn't slow down. He had the brake pushed all the way in and we're cruising into an almost unpreventable crash.
His girlfriend is screaming"hit the brakes hit the brakes" and Jeff is screaming, "the brakes aren't working, the brakes aren't working."

Jeff manages to create a new lane for just us between the other two lanes, cars start to move out of the way, and we luckily make it into the right lane by the shoulder and slow down....

It was poor Lance Romance's birthday and we're dodging cars in the rain with a worn brake hose.
Ugh. Just got a new alternator and I had my car inspected 2 weeks prior. What the $%&?

We drive about 5 more miles with our brake issues, then pull over in a town called Lenoxville...

Luckily Chris Fetfatzes of Bella vista beverage (lucky for us, unlucky for him and his ladyfriend) had honked and waved at us in the middle of our tumultuous time.

He would then get my beseeching call for him to get off at the next exit.
This is an emergency perhaps worse than the Christmas opossum.

They waited for us to call AAA, and then carted Lance, Lara and hero Jeff back to Philly while I waited for Tower Ben.
I cracked open a Phoenix Pale Ale and Had some Chips and Corn Salsa. I read the newly released Ale Street News. And thought about how I could make this up to the Birthday Boy.

Ben arrives. He was a Giant. 6 foot 3...red hair, and smoked reds. He had been up till 4 in the morn and was a bit tired, but a nice enough guy and the 2 hour ride home went by with a quickness.

At one point, he even asked me, "Hey have you ever heard of that La Fin Du Monde beer?"

I got home around 8 or so. So tired,bug bites galore and $173 in the hole, but alive.