When Turkey Vultures Attack: Staying Calm and Safe on the Road
Facebook memories can pop up out of nowhere—and the other day, one from eight years ago hit hard. A family road trip down to Scottsdale, followed by a detour through the Grand Canyon and northern Utah, turned into one of our most unforgettable adventures.
The Grand Canyon is breathtaking—but after exploring Utah’s parks, it didn’t quite compare. Little did we know, the real adventure wasn’t in the scenery—it was coming straight at us, wings first.
I was driving north on Highway 89, kids asleep, music low, when a massive turkey vulture launched from a ditch. Its six-foot wingspan barely cleared our car—but it obliterated the windshield. No one was hurt, but the chaos was immediate: shards of glass everywhere, no cell service, and four hours from Salt Lake City.
Here’s how we handled it—and what you can take away:
Stay Calm First: Pull over safely, check on passengers. Panic only makes things worse.
Improvise: Towels, blankets, and a makeshift partition kept the kids safe from flying glass.
Prioritize: Our goal was clear: get to Salt Lake City for a replacement windshield. Everything else was secondary.
Keep Moving: Even with no cell service, we pressed on, finding signal to call for help.
Adapt to Conditions: Cautious driving let us finish the trip safely.
By the end of the weekend, we’d navigated a remote highway with a shattered windshield, improvised protection for the kids, coordinated repairs on a Sunday, and continued our journey safely. Eight years later, the details blur—but the lesson is clear: preparation, calm decision-making, and adaptability turn chaos into a story worth telling.
"One road trip, one kamikaze turkey vulture, and a smashed windshield. Here’s what we did to keep the family safe—and what every traveler should know."
→ Full details here.
