Speeding Along

After spending last week in San Francisco at the same building all week, moving from place to place this week has been more complicated.

On Monday I had a drainage system installed in my basement and they didn't finish until almost seven in the evening, which meant I didn't head to Ames, Iowa until then. It's a little over a three hour drive. I picked an SUV at the car rental place and that ended up being a bad idea. The wind was terrible and tossed the vehicle (and me) all over the road.

Just north of Des Moines I thought about the speed limit. I looked at the speedometer and it said 68 and about the same time saw a speed limit sign that said 65. I breathed a little sigh of relief and set the cruise control. BUT, moments later the flashing lights appeared in my mirror and I pulled over. A very nice highway patrolman told me I was going too fast. I said, "This is 65, right" He said, "Yes, I clocked you at 74". Obviously that was prior to me thinking about the speed limit and setting the cruise. He nicely invited me into his vehicle. As we were on the highway and cars were whizzing by, I chose to crawl over the console and depart from the passenger door. I had my driver's license and my insurance papers, but no registration as it was a rental, and no paperwork from National. One of the perks of being an Emerald Club Member is that you pick out a car and leave. They check you at the gate into the computer and give you a map and you are on your way. He didn't seem too concerned about the paper work. The stars much have been aligned because he didn't seem in the mood to make a point. He asked me where I was going and I told him to Ames to consult with a nursing home. He was interested in my weekly travel schedule and asked where all I went. After a nice friendly conversation, he gave me a WARNING!!!! Got that......No Ticket!!!

And I nicely and legally drove the last 30 miles and went to bed.