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Special love for Tuesday.



Gotta love the WSP. I'm in Olympia, not too far to Shelton and I go that way
a lot. I'm the only brazil brown mk1 around here as far as I know. One day
I'm coming back from Portland. I am down that way a lot (family lives there)
and quite used to the WSP's antics. I come around a curve on I-5, doing 85
in the left lane in the middle of a line of cars all doing the same (limit
70, trucks 60). This is usually ok. If you don't go the speed of the traffic
around here in the left lane, you get run over. If you pass the cops and are
in the middle of the pack, you usually don't get nailed. Klaus (my mk1) hits
70 and wants to go. There were over 20 cops, yanking everybody over for no
real apparent reason. There was another 10 or so on in the southbound lanes.
They have bikes, Crown Vics, Camaros, SUV's, pickups, even saw a Dodge
Intrepid with light bars. Thought I was had, because the last ticket I got
was on the same stretch of I-5, in 1989 in a red Mustang. 

I get down to about 75 when I'm passing the fiasco, now in the middle lane.
Foot off the brake and gas, and I cruise right by. I guess a stock (looking)
mk1 with a 47 year old driving and a mild paint job doesn't attract
attention. Made my heart pound though. I got home and thought "what was that
all about". They were pulling everybody over. Then it hit me...if they even
think you don't have the seat belt on, they can pull you over here. I always
wear it. I remember the same wolf packs of WSP officers in the 80's. You
could always tell the quotas were not met when you say 15 cops in Centralia
running radar. Back then you got a ticket for 60 in a 55. 

As for the trucks, I avoid them. You can't go 50 miles on I-5 in WA without
getting something tossed at the windshield; there is a lot of crap on the
road. Try getting comp insurance on a 79 rocco...cracked windshield just
about totals it according to the insurance companies. Good thing I save
receipts...and know attorneys...

Also...never give any cop in WA any lip at all. Say as little as possible.
Throw the radar detector under the seat before they see it, it almost
guarantees a ticket here. If they give you a ticket, take it to court. I've
done this twice and got out of it, just because I have a clean record and
can explain my way out of things. The judges around here are not heartless
but the cops are...and I've heard more than one story about their speed
detecting equipment being faulty...

On the good side, there are a lot of twisty back roads around here...tons of
fun in a tight handling car...



Chris Bennett <scirocco16vr32@gmail.com> wrote:
  Three extra large heapings of good wholesome pain for the day.

My neice is flying back to Cincy today (she helped me drive across) so
on the way to the airport there is this interesting stretch of highway
(note the sarcasm) between Shelton Washington and Tacoma, Highways 101
and I-5 respectively when thinking of ways to describe this section of
road... terms like taint tweener.. um nevermind.

So anyhow... I am cruising along following the flow of traffic I was
in the R but we had two hours before her flight I REALLY wasn't in a
hurry. All of a sudden there's a set of blue and red blinkies in my
rear view mirror. Now a Honduh blew by me and I was SURE he was going
after him and I was simply in the way. So I go over one lane and the
cop on the BMW motorcycle was pointing for me to go over. Well
shit...

He comes up to my passenger window and he said he pulled me over for
speeding. I told him that I wasn't speeding, and my radar detector
didn't go off. He started getting pissy after that and said that they
have laser in Washington State. It then occured to me that he pinged
on me because of the Ohio plates on the R. I gave him my license (Wa)
and told him that the laser detector on my radar unit didn't go off
either. Then the guy tells me that he was guestimating my speed and
that his laser wasn't on. Sensing that the speeder was slipping away
then he goes I am not going to write you a ticket for speeding but I
am going to write you one for "following too close". I asked him how
they hell you can follow too close in morning traffic. My neice then
tells him that we are from out of town and that we have to make a
flight. I never saw such a smile of satisfaction on a cop before it
was sickening. So he goes back to his bike with my license and
fiddles around for a few. Then he comes back and asks for my
insurance card. I had one handy but not the most current one--that
was in the glove compartment. I start rummaging for it and he finally
tells me not to worry about it. Goes back to his bike for a few more
minutes and then comes back and tells me to slow down.

We get back on our way and I see that there are about a dozen of these
motorcycle fags pulling people left and right. The state academy is
up the street so I am thinking it was training of some kind. It's
$101.00 so I am going to fight it. Especially after what else
happened today.

So closer to Tacoma a rock the size of a marble hits the R's
windsheild and ruined it. I called the insurance and they said if it
all can be covered by a dollar bill then they can fix it. If not the
deductable is $500. Shitty. Well it can be covered by a dollar bill
so there's a little hope, Then I asked them if I can have it replaced
with OEM glass, and they tell me no. I had to explain to about 5
different people that a car with all OEM glass is more desirable than
one without. I offered to pay the difference but they are giving me
grief. WTF Do I have insurance for?

Then the icing on the cake. We get to the airport and there is a 30
minute cutoff to check luggage apparently. So she missed her flight,
I had to pay to rebook it on a later one and I was QUITE sure to get
all the reciepts so when I go to court to fight this I am going to ask
the court to dismiss the charge and reimburse me for the fees
associated with rebooking the flight.

On the bright side it is amazingly simple to get a concealed carry
permit in Washington. I filled out the paperwork and they asked me in
so many words if I am a criminal or if I beat my wife, signed the
affidavit and I will get the permit in 3 weeks or so. I asked about a
class... serial numbers for the pistol and such and I got alot of
laughter.

Dude was like you bought the weapon? Yea. You have fired it? Yea. 
You have enough common sense not to point it at someone? Yea. Ok
class dismissed. Hard to argue with logic like that. I did pick up
the pamphlet on the laws concerning... BTW.

I am leaving Thursday to go and get the Callaway.

What a day.
Chris

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My Fast Has A Problem
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