[Jeff Higgins]

My two sons and I celebrated Fathers' Day today by heading up to our favorite gravel pit to do some plinking and shoot some clay birds. The route there takes us out on our Hwy 530, between the towns of Arlington and Darrington. We've driven that road a hundred times if we've driven it once.

On the way home, with Chris (the older) riding shotgun in my '93 80 series Land Cruiser, a softball sized rock fell off of the bed of an oncoming lowboy semi hauling a bulldozer. Smacked the windshield right in front of his mug, spraying glass all over him. The safety glass did its job, though, and the rock did not actually come through. Thank God he was wearing sun glasses, though. And, as an aside, I did turn around, caught up, and Chris phoned in the license plate number, location, direction of travel, etc. to the State Patrol. I don't expect anything to come of that, but we did our duty, turned around, and went home.

Now for the freaky coincidence - I had a '71 FJ40 Land Cruiser when I first got married, and for 20 years thereafter. When Chris was about eight or so, we were driving on that very same highway. He was in the front seat between my wife and I, Alex and the dog were in the back. We were heading to the cabin for a weekend of hanging out.

You've probably guessed by now - an oncoming semi truck (a dump truck that time) bounced a rock right into our windshield, this time centering it, and spraying glass all over Chris. Exact same road, close to the same milepost. What are the chances?

Chris doesn't get to ride in front anymore.