Next Stop, Idaho...

I lost about an hours worth of time taking the accidental scenic drive to Wendover, Utah.




No sense my biotching about it, what's done is done.

For all I know that little scenic route saved me a ticket or two. It's not like I've been driving the speed limit and I've been blessed, kissed and hugged by the Traffic Ticket God's THREE times between Elko and Jackpot, NV - including the scenic route that I didn't mean to take.

The FIRST blessing, the cop pulled out about 100 yards ahead of me to pull over some poor guy he spotted before the girly-girl SUV and I hit his radar. Naturally, the minute I spotted him I hit the brakes ... Very Quickly hit the brakes, I might add! I was pushing 100 mph (opps!) and making up for lost road time when I missed my turnoff and tried to take the Utah scenic route. *rolls eyes at self*

The next TWO ticket-less blessings, I'd come up on the officers just as they'd pulled over their speeding victims. I happened upon them just as they were getting out of their cars to write someone ELSE up. (is that a THANK YOU GOD moment or what???)

Oh yeah, and then there were two other times I accidently happened to be going close to OR near the speed limit. *grins*

I stopped in Jackpot, NV to top off the gas tank (I wanted to make Twin Falls, Idaho for the night without having to stop between here and there) and the cop that was ticketing another car outside of Jackpot pulled into the gas station, obvious that he was checking out the girly-girl and myself as I was filling 'er up.

While I was filling the girly-girl SUV up with gas, the officer pulled his dusty white SUV Cop Car up to the front of the station, got out and casually started visiting with the gas station attendant. It was obvious they knew each other well.

While the girly-girl was filling up with gas, I began the window washing chore thingy. I'd ran into a swarm of suicide bomber bugs the size of hummingbirds that had totally spackled my windshield with bug guts. ewwwww...

Mr. Cop seemed to have ended his conversation with the gas station attendant and is pulling out around me. Since I know I'm not looking model perfect, I figure his veryyyy slow, obvious checking me out, drive by was to make sure I didn't look like a criminal or car thief since the girly-girl doesn't yet have license plates.

I'm a little surprised when Mr. Cop stops, rolls down his window and starts to chat with me.

"So how's that handle? Gas mileage any good?" his head motioning toward the girly-girl, "My Mother-In-Law just got one. You like yours?"

He seems friendly enough and harmless, so I relax and answer, "So far the gas mileage seems ok and it handles well on the road." I'm still thinking this whole conversation is about him making sure everything is up and up with my driving a new vehicle and not having plates. I'm thinking he's sticking around long enough to make sure the tag in my front window is valid.

I'm forgetting to think.

He's a male!

*sighs*

He must have had his curiosity about the girly-girl appeased, because now he's going into idle chit chat.

Ok, I can chit chat.

The tank is full and I've gathered the receipt, the windshield washed, and Mr. Cop is STILL chit chatting with me. Now I stop and look at him. (I hadn't actually given him more than a acknowledging glance so far)

Shit!

He's not chit chatting... he's forgetting his WIFE is probably holding dinner for him! Didn't he just mention his MOTHER-IN-LAW has a vehicle like mine???

To segue out of our (HIS) conversation - and AWAY from him, I ask Mr. Cop, "How are the roads between here and Twin Falls?"

He grins at me like I've just become desert and answers, "Paved."

Allrighty then.

The cops in Jackpot, NV sure are friendly...