Saw some interesting stuff, but a good trip anyway.

[TDK]

Dear All,

Just got back from a 1,300 or so mile round trip to see out daughter. The Big White Dog did just fine, again, (a LOT of 83-mph which resulted in a 24.4 average mpg).

Leaving Salt Lake (about halfway back home) heading West, I flag down a guy in a Dually towing a big utility trailer with two axles. The rear tire on the driver side of the trailer had only the sidewalls and was on the rim shooting sparks and smoke - and the front one is flat as well. He was passed by several cars, but I pulled up honking and my wife rolls down her window while pointing back and down. He finaly looks down in his mirror and mouths something excitedly...but they pull over slowly OK.

I suppose everyone else going past was just waiting for an interesting crash or something. What would happen in your area?

BTW: a TPS system for trailers is only about $200, after the main unit at about $250 (if you don't have one already).

So we get west of Wendover at speed and a Nevada Highway Patrol was just entering from an on ramp a bit ahead. What great luck that he was in front and not just in back! A goofy guy in a silver Prius was peddling fast alongside to keep up, but then we both backed off to about 76-77 to stay well behind the NHP Trooper. It wasen't long before a nice, new vanilla 300C blew past me - as I pointed my index finger ahead. Oh well I thought, I guess he does not need to heed a Caddy's call. He got closer and closer to the Trooper (on a fine bright sunny day mind you), until he finally passed him topping a slight rise. It was not 3-seconds later that the Troope lit up and both cars pulled over into some loose gravel. The Trooper dang ner went further over the ditch - because there was a guard rail in front. They both jumped out and began to holler at each other as we went by. Wife and I were laughing about that 300C idiot for the next couple of hundred miles.

I dont' t know about your neck of the woods, but around here you DON'T pass aTrooper when he is already slightly above the speed limit. So, would YOU pass a Trooper on your daily drive?

Thanks for reading,

[stsjoe]

not if he's in a marked car, the ones in unmarked cars are USUALLY waiting for somebody really hauling

[Bruce Nunnally]

Thank you for posting the trip report. Good job helping out with the trailer; their day was certainly only going to get worse if they kept driving on the rim.

Passing a trooper going more than the speed limit seems daft. It sounds like he was willing to let the 300 slow down and be a good citizen but then was forced to stop and take time out to ticket him.

[Texas Jim]

I dont' t know about your neck of the woods, but around here you DON'T pass aTrooper when he is already slightly above the speed limit. So, would YOU pass a Trooper on your daily drive?

Thanks for reading,

I will NOT pass one if he is at or above the speed limit.

I WILL pass one that is just poking along and holding up traffic, but it usually irritates them.

Like I really care.

[Patrick7997]

I don't pass Police Officers....

I've written enough checks to various municipalities....

[BodybyFisher]

About a month ago, I was behind a line of cars going below the speed limit. I get to the front and there is a police car doing about 53 in a 55 and NO ONE would pass him. I set my CRUISE CONTROL ON 56 and went by. Only then did others pass him. Ill pass a police car if he is below the speed limit and will not exceed the speed limit to pass him.

I thought to myself, what an ego this guy has to allow all of these cars to bunch up behind him

[Bruce Nunnally]

I remember chatting with someone about State Trooper training in Austin. They said once a month on the 3rd Sat of the month or whatever they would have regular classroom training for troopers from all over the state. So once a month on that day troopers would drive into Austin from every direction, with traffic stacked up behind them in a massive gridlock circling the city.

[JimD]

For more than 20 years I travelled I-45 from Dallas to places south. It was common to encounter Sheriff's patrol vehicles from "other" counties transporting prisoners to Huntsville driving 10 under the limit in the RH lane.

There would be a cluster of cars that refused to pass. But everyone would follow me as I motored on by them.

[Bruce Nunnally]

[TDK]

Now that I think about it,

There was this time a few years ago when we were driving back from Vegas just leaving a tiny town called Beatty, NV on State highway 95. I recall that I had planned to pass a truck with a car close in front as well. There was plenty of sight-room on this 2-lane paved road, so the BRD, Big Red Dog, was well above 100 going past the truck.

Whoops! that's a Sheriff's car in front of the truck! I laid into the brakes hard and the nose went down, as I had to run alongside and just behind of the Sheriff car a bit. That's when I noticed the guy in the back seat was cuffed. I punched it hard again and the BRD lept back to 100+ and resumed the pass.

I figured they were probably busy and there was no good reason to let them read my plate either - so I let the big dog run into the triples until we were nearly out of sight. I suppose they were a bit amazed in any case.

However, I sorta forgot that the Deputy could have simply radioed ahead about the maniac in the red Caddy, (there were not that many red Caddys around). In any case, he either did not radio or they missed me, (there is a lot of Nevada for only a very few Troopers and Deputies.

I did not get off that easy, because "She who must be obeyed" really let me know how stupid I was, again... yes dear, I know and I'll try to be better...

She still starts to squeak and complain whenever the Caddy is into the triples for a while, but it has been like that for about the past 37-years.

Later