Monday, November 01, 2004

posted by: copernicus on 11/01/2004 11:20:00 AM
I'm back from Colorado. Got in last night after and 8 & 1/2 hour straight shot down I-70. Grandma's still with us, but we don't know for how much longer. She had all of her children and all of her children and all but 1 of her grandchildren in town this week to see her and say goodbye.

In other news, I almost got a very expensive ticket on the drive back to K.C. Once Mom fell asleep I got behind a truck with California tags who was doing 90 m.p.h. and we flew across the Front Range and into the prarie. After about an hour and a half of zooming past everyone else on the road, we were in the fast lane passing two 18-wheelers as we crested a hill AND RIGHT INTO A SPEED TRAP. Like a spider waiting for flies to hit it's web, Mr. State Trooper and his silver Camaro pulled out of his hiding spot and hit the gas to pounce on us.

My only hope was that he'd seen the truck first, clocked him first, and put down his radar gun in preparation to pounce before he saw me coming over the hill at high speed, too. I jammed on the brakes and slowed to about 80 (in a 70 zone) by the time I passed him. The sudden deceleration woke up Mom who said, "What's going on?".

"Nothing Mom, just some idiot. Go back to sleep." I slowed to 72 as I got back into the slow lane and reset the cruise control. Eyes glued to the rear-view and side mirror, I watched as the Trooper.....merged with traffic and didn't try to catch up???

Huh?! He had us dead-to-rights and was still way back ther and not going any faster than the cars behind us. The truck from Cali slowed down too, but must have been doing about 75 'cause he was still pulling away from me. It took about 5 miles for the Trooper to catch up to me, pulled along side and looked at me (I didn't look at him, just faked a yawn and tapped my fingers on the wheel as he passed) and pulled away towards the other speeder.

He then hit the gas and closed on the truck quickly. I could see them about half a mile ahead and knew the truck was fucked. Just as the Trooper was closing in for the kill and the guy in the truck was preparing himself for a heavy fine, the cop zoomed off of the highway down an exit ramp and was never seen again.

I took that as having used up my Cop-Karma for the trip and didn't do more than 7 m.p.h. over the rest of the way.

Anyway, now I'm home and have 3 weeks to get a shitload of stuff done before I can hit the road the day before Thanksgiving for a new life in Massachusetts. I have SO much left to do that's it's a bit overwhelming, but it's that time again.....once again I see my life as an untouched bottle of Italian dressing that needs to be shaken up.