Have you ever seen Backdraft, the movie directed by Ron Howard? Remember the billowing flames looking much like a sea of red waves?

Today spousal and I were in his truck along with Baby Boo Lu driving along. We were in Lynnwood heading under the I-5 freeway overpass. Spousal was driving a little slower than normal. As we're heading under the overpass, on the right side, a wall of flame cascades down the hill in front of us. We're trying to make sense of what we're seeing and that doesn't take long because semi truck tires soon followed along with shards of metal. Our vehicle's windows were closed because we had the A/C on, but I could feel the heat from the flames. I looked up because I was half expecting debri to be falling around us.

Spousal backed up quite a ways and as he's doing this, we heard the first explosion. He backed up enough to park a minute, out of the way. I opened the door of the car because really what I wanted to do was jump out and do something, but I knew that was a stupid idea. I looked up the on ramp to see construction workers standing there briefly, then they were scurrying as fast as they could. I was assuming towards the truck driver, but according to the news they were trying to get away.

We just sat there and I kept of course I could think of nothing else to say aside from "Fuck Me! I can't believe we're seeing this. Shit. Shit. Shit."

If you had felt the heat and had seen the flames and black as night smoke, you would have assumed that the man driving the semi was dead. I thought for sure there was no way the man survived, but he got away. I have no idea how at this point because we saw a part of what we assume to be the cab of the truck down where we were.

The strange thing about all of this is we were under the overpass, protected. No one was crossing the intersection right there at the overpass. We could have been going a little faster and right into the wall of flame. Someone else could have been driving towards us and been hit with the tires or metal piece that we assume was part of the cab. There had been another explosion as we were driving away. No one near the the semi was hurt either. And the driver of the truck got away.

Totally amazing that he got away from it. No one was hurt.

We were on the opposite side of the overpass where this picture was taken. Or rather, under it. Directly under where you see the flames. I sound like a tourist here (like OMIGOD), but it was amazingly strange to see happen.

**Do I have to say I'm really left wing on some issues but I really tend to agree with this. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be PRESIDENT for anything.

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