Yesterday was my lucky day

Riding back from Alice's yesterday I was determined to avoid
the crowds along Skyline for the Arts thing, so I rode down
Woodside Rd to 280. There were a couple of fast cars that
tempted me to open it up a few times, so I tucked behind the
fairing and made some music with the exhaust. Some time
before hitting Daly City I saw a fast bike ahead of me and
worked the lanes, nearly catching him. My spidey sense
tingled, and I slowed and got behind a line of cars. A
B&W CHP car came up beside me and passed me, obviously
timing the bike I'd been following. I suppose that he
didn't get a chance to hit the odometer before I'd slowed,
so he picked another target.

I don't think I was doing more than a couple of mph over
(twice) the speed limit.... Whew.

 

They were lucky the didn't run wide on a turn. Shortly after starting
riding, I helped search for a guy who, it was later discovered, was
stuck at the top of a redwood, dead.

Al Moore
DoD 734

 

I can't help but think of Andy Devine in that scene from Dr. Strangelove,
riding the bomb down and yelling "Yee-haw!" Yes, 105 does seem a wee
bit fast for CA 35, esp. where there are crossroads and blind turns,
no doubt. I dunno, though -- flying through the air into the embrace
of a tall tree doesn't seem a bad finale. Though I have often thought
that being shot while climbing a 12 foot fence by a jealous husband
at the age of 90 is pretty cool, too.

 

Close. Major T.J. "King" Kong.

~S

 

Something like that happened to me years and years ago, just after I
got my first big bike. I was on 280 on Christmas night, around 11:00
or 11:30 PM. The freeway was completely deserted. I must have been
going somehwere in the high 70s or low 80s (this was when the 55 limit
was in effect). I thought I was all alone.

A car snuck up behind me. Had no idea it was there. At some point it
flashed its bright lights at me, which startled me. Immediately it
swung into the next lane and shot past me like I was standing still.
It was a Ford Mustang CHP cruiser. I got the idea they'd been
following me for a while but got a radio call about some emergency
further down the road.

 

Somehow I don't think there are going to be any decorations or
important promotions for successfully negotiating highway 35 at speed.
Apart from the two obvious ones -- promotion to full squidhood and
decoration of the hillside.

Al Moore
DoD 734

 

I agree, I hope my remarks weren't misunderstood. There are too many
driveways and intersections, blind corners, pickup trucks hugging
the double yellow (your wheels are on your side, how about your head?),
etc.

You gotta problem with me going 130mph on I-280 ? ;-)

 

On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 13:33:25 -0700, blazing laser <none> wrote:

Many moons ago, I was caging home (on the Peninsula) from Berkeley in
the wee small hours, heading west across the Bay Bridge. There were
only two other cars in sight, one ahead of me to my right, one behind
me to my left. We all three crossed the bridge more or less in
formation at about 85. On the San Francisco side, just as I'm
beginning to think about changing lanes to be sure of a smooth
transition onto 101 south, the guy ahead of me drifts off his line.
Not far, just enough to touch the Botts dots.

The guy behind me to my left pulled sharp right, turning on the
flashing lights.

I figure he spent the whole length of the bridge watching to see who
would make the first mistake.

Al Moore
DoD 734

 

You'd think so, wouldn't you?

LOL! As I remember he passed on the right!

 

I like your story better! 8^)

 

I was unaware the Bay Bridge had an 85 mph speed limit.

 

55. But he could only get one of us, and he had to make a choice
somehow.

Al Moore
DoD 734

 

On Sun, 04 Sep 2005 12:36:15 -0700, Michael Sierchio CHP car came up
beside me and passed me, obviously

Yah?
Well I just got my reply/disposition/sentence from San Mateo for my
recent "lane splitting at *** over the limit" ticket.
They relented a little, offering to make it a one pointer , with
traffic school, and 160 for the chp relief fund.
I am almost considering an appeal, but they already have the bail, and
it just means I need to pay attention for 18 months.
Not the worst it coulda been.
Jim Stinnett
VTR1000
R1100RS
YZF R1
http://moto-rama.com

 

You were blocking the other driver's view of Porky, so Porky assumed he was unseen.

You had a clear view, but continued along at 85 without slowing with a cop following you. This makes
you either arrogant or oblivious.

If you yourself were some spineless thug looking for an easy score, would you pick a crippled old
lady walking to the bank with her social security check or would you go after some guy with his hand
stuffed into his pocket daring you to take your chances?

 

Oblivious. I was a kid. But of course, at night, there was no way to
tell it was a cop. Until he turned on his lights.

Beats me. I've always found it's easiest to steal money legally.
That's why I'm a multi-millionaire. Few thugs make it that far.

Al Moore
DoD 734

 

Teach me how. I fucked up in my youth and went into academia. Is
there any
redemption for me?

 

I lucked out. There was a civil war and they closed the university, so
I had to go to work for a living. For you, it may be too late. Sorry.

Al Moore
DoD 734

 

Back in January of 1978, we were driving east on I10 east of Indio on a Sunday evening. My dad says
"Cop coming up." Shortly, a CHP cruiser passes us driving on the shoulder with all of the exterior
lights extinguished. He races up behind the car in front, flips on the headlights and starts weaving
all over the road, eventually pulling over and heading across the median.

Then the cop denies it and the DA tries to throw you in jail, at least in Solano and San Diego
counties. Gotta make some examples to keep the peasants in line.

 

San Mateo sheriffs seem to be the least professional of the local
law enforcement officers

I suspect the requirements to be a San Mateo County Sheriff
are less than those to be a CHP or a city police officer.
..