We drove to Rapid City — last weekend… what a long. boring. drive. But there was one bit of excitement on the way back that really made the trip.
I was driving along I-90 near Murdo, SD, with the cruise control set at about 77-78 mph. I came up behind a tractor trailer rig — pulling two full-size trailers — checked my mirrors, and moved to the left lane to pass. About half way past the truck, I looked in my mirror and saw some bozo approaching at high speed, probably over 100 mph. He slowed in time, thankfully, but sat within a few feet of my bumper — way too close for comfort. I taped the brake pedal a couple of times trying to get him to back off, but he stayed right there. When I finally got past the truck, he floored it, giving me a dirty look and the bird as he passed. What a jerk.
As the guy passed me I breathed a silent prayer, asking that his request be granted — driving that fast on Labor Day weekend, he was just asking to be caught. Sure enough, a short time later we saw a patrol car with lights flashing at the side of the road, with the same Iowa-plated VW pulled over in front of it.
That was so terribly gratifying. Nobody on the road that day deserved a ticket more than that guy, and he got it. I shouldn’t have, but I tapped the horn a couple of times as we passed. That’s probably considered gloating, but it’d take a bigger man than me to resist something that tempting.