Text 36582, 128 rader
Skriven 2006-08-12 08:59:31 av Carol Shenkenberger (6:757/1)
  Kommentar till text 36495 av Roy Witt (1:397/22)
Ärende: Re: Massive European Guilt!
===================================
*** Quoting Roy Witt from a message to Carol Shenkenberger ***

 CS> Only time I came close to trouble was guiding a lady and her car back
 CS> from the LA facility when it was shipped from Guam.  She'd been there
 CS> 5 years and they had (at that time, not sure now) only one road
 CS> stretch that allowed for 50MPH and the rest were 35 or less.

RW> You traveled down I-5, right? Speed limit on that road was 65mph, 15 y
RW> ago and min was still 45mph.

Not sure.  It was something like late 1989, early 1990?  BTW, will revise the
car used.  Sorry, got stupid and forgot the date.  This predates the Ford
Escort so would have been the Dodge Colt (1980 car model I think?  Bought in
1987 and i seem to recall was at least 6 years, may have been 7 years old). 
Didnt get the same gas milage as the escort but did go 'fast'.  Got stolen
about a year later and was replaced withthe Ford Escort.  (long story, tell ya
later if you want).

 CS> Try getting someonew like that to San Diego?  Got stopped by the cops
 CS> because i couldnt get her to go faster than 55 and she didnt know how
 CS> to get to SD yet.  Average speed was 70. We got stopped for 'not
 CS> driving the speed of the traffic' (posted was 55).

RW> Yeup. Driving the posted speed limit when everyone else is doing 70
RW> violates the 'basic speed law', which basically says you must keep up
RW> traffic so as not to be an obstruction to the flow.

Correct, and for good reason.  The only problem was some of the earlier 'gas
efficient models' just couldnt go that fast.  They were built with the '55 is
all thats allowed' and while all could do better than that, some didnt do it
for long distances (or would break down if you tried after overheating).  Now,
70 was doable, but not very much more.

The problem wasnt really obvious to many until they changed to 65-70 posted
limits.

 CS> was very cool about it all and took us to a side road then put a car
 CS> in front and behind us the rest of the way.  (CHIPS dont get much
 CS> credit as they seldom earn it but they did that day).

RW> And they wouldn't do that for an ordinary citizen. Service people get
RW> considerably more courtesy, especially female.

Grin, a little side bennie.  Probably didnt hurt that my friend was as cute as
a button.  Both in whites (had to be in uniform to pickup the car).

 CS> couldnt get her to speed up (she was in front at that bit of the
 CS> road).  He literally almost bumped me off the road with a 6 inch
 CS> distance swipe.  Finally though, the other truckers boxed him in and
 CS> taught him a lesson.  CHIPS came along some 5 mins later to help us
 CS> out.

RW> A lot of truckers seem to think they own the road...probably because
RW> they're on it more and pay higher road use taxes. Unlike California,

I've always had good luck with them though.  That was a rare exception.  My mom
dated a trucker many years ago and he used to tell us tall tales about the
road and take us all to 'little hole in the wall diners' sometimes.  Polite
trucker places for Saturday morning breakfasts (first encounter with grits and
been a fan of them ever since).  Red eye gravy, grits, sunny up eggs, sausage,
southern biscuits, OJ.  Anyways, learned 'trucker code of driving' (old style)
at Momma's knees before I was 9.  How and when to 'flip the lights when
passing or being passed' and why.  On long stretches driving across country, I
normally opt to do the driving at night and it's mostly them by 2am-5am.

RW> It's unfortunate, but there's not a very easy way to get from LA to SD
RW> without using the freeway. However, there are roads that would have ma
RW> that trek much safer, although it would have taken all day. I never li

Thats pretty much what the CHIPS fellow showed us.

RW> traveling the I-5 freeway. I always prefered to use I-15, which takes
RW> into the middle of the LA area rather than the coastal area, but it's
RW> less traffic on it and it's a wider road.

Been too long to recall the specific road we were on.  LA to SD.  LA was were
the cars were shipped to and you had to drive them down yourself.

 CS> was pretty young and knew just the one while she didnt know any.
 CS> We'd worked out onluy that I would be 'in front if we had to turn'
 CS> and behind the rest of the time so if she got lost, I could follow
 CS> and get her back on track.

RW> You shoulda stayed out front all of the time, doing 60 or more. Maybe
RW> would have gotten the idea.

Nope.  The few times I was in front, she wouldnt get the hint.  She'd just fall
behind til I pulled over and let her catch up.  Instead, riding her bumper
almost sorta worked better.  If I got in front, she'd drop to 45mph....

 CS> No tire balance issues.  I do not recal the rated specs, but I know I
 CS> got 35MPH city, and 45MPH (or better sometimes) long range.  The
 CS> early ones just didnt have the shere horsepower to do 'fast'.

RW> Later model with rack and pinion steering? No power steering required
RW> light compact car such as the Escort.

That was the Ford probably.  Pretty sure a search on the internet would show
what a relatively standard Ford Escort had for 1989 (almost sure I have the
right year for that car).  The Dodge Colt was the basic model 4 door.  Umm,
hatchback sorta?

RW> Deal. I hardly ever travel the fast lane...too easy for law enforcemen
RW> pace you and you won't see them in your right side blind spot until it
RW> too late, if ever. They're tricky that way and I compensate by staying
RW> the right as much as possible. You'd be surprised how many cars in the
RW> fast lane can be passed while you're traveling the right lanes at a
RW> steady speed.

Yup.  I notice the same thing.  Like most, I go about 8-10 MPH over the posted
limits but most of my driving was when everything was 55 and only recall a few
times where 65 was posted.  In city traffic, I do 'speed of the traffic'.  In
Hawaii, do posted speed or slightly under it for safety as thats how the
locals drive.  (If posted is 45, you'll find 'speed of traffic' there is
generally 40 so you get the reverse driving habits and have to adapt or you
will cause an accident which is a big hurdle mainland drivers had to learn).

I learned to drive, out in the back country SC along the mountains and you
range habits there depending.  Lets just say when in the mountains it says
15mph, they MEAN IT and you might want to drop to 10.  'Single lane' means
really just that.  Pray another car wasnt trying to use it at the same time
headed at'ya <g>.  Hope you've been shrived recently enough if that happens
and the other car isnt a local driver.  If not catholic, well, beg Thor for
revenge (grin).
                                       xxcarol

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