Homer's Travels: Route 66 & California - The Way Home

Monday, January 23, 2012

Route 66 & California - The Way Home

We were going to spend three days in San Francisco but this vacation had gone on long enough.  I'd spent only three days home since 11 May and it was now 20 July.  We decided to head for home in the afternoon but first we had a date.

While I missed meeting with my old work friends I did manage to meet a friend from high school I hadn't seen in ... thirty years.  We met BB at the Broadway Grill in Buringame and had a delightful lunch talking about old times and Spain.  My 30th high school reunion was a week away.  I'd considered going but the idea of traveling more this summer, to Guatemala no less,  was just too much.  I asked  BB  to say hi to everyone as we said our goodbyes.  I had a nice time and the lunch was a nice end to our stay in California.

Back in the car, we headed east.  We had no more scheduled stops on our vacation.  We spent the night in Sparks, NV.  It was my birthday so we went to In-N-Out Burger for dinner and then went in search of a Dairy Queen.  We didn't find one but we did find a Cold Stone Creamery where I indulged in Birthday Cake ice cream with chocolate chip cookie dough mixin's.

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The next day we continued east and entered Utah.  I'd considered stopping in Salt Lake City for the night but my mind was changed.  After driving most of the day through salt flats and desert we were approaching Salt Lake.  I was passing a truck.  I saw a police car in my rear view mirror so I pulled in front of the truck as soon as I safely could to let the police pass me.  The police car pulls behind us and flashes his lights. *sigh*  We pull over and the officer comes over to the passenger window and I ask him why I was pulled over.  He said that I hadn't flashed my turn signal for more than two seconds before pulling in front of the truck.  WTF?!? I told him I had only moved over to let him go by and that if he hadn't been behind me I probably would have waited before I moved over.

Then he started asking weird questions.  "Are you married?"  "How long have you been married?"  When were you married?"  "How long have you been on the road?"  "Where have you been staying?"  Several of these questions he asked multiple times.    Then he asked me to get out of the car and to go with him.  I sat in the front seat of his cruiser as he filled out paperwork.  As he did he continued to ask weird questions.  "How long have you been away from home?"  "Where's your luggage?"  "Are you married?" (Again!?!)  On and on.

The officer then smiled, gave me a warning, and I was free.  WTF?!?  While I was in the cruiser, the Wife was in the car stewing.  The questions he's asked had pissed her off royally.  I'd remained relatively calm but I tend to talk fast when I'm nervous and I think I was talking a mile a minute in the cruiser. I got back in the car and we left.  I tried to calm the Wife who wanted to kill someone at that moment.  I think the officer was looking for drug runners.  While he didn't ask about drugs, surprising since he asked about everything else, I think he was seeing if my story would change ... which it didn't.  I was laughing and relieved, both because it was over with just a warning and that I'd fought the urge to ask the officer how many wives he had.  The Wife was fuming.  We decided not to spend our money in Utah that day and continued on to the first town we found in Wyoming.

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The next two days went without incident.  We stayed in North Platte, NE one night and were home the next.  I was happy to be home.

What a summer to remember.  The best either of us had had in a long, long time.


4 comments:

  1. Yeah my sister had a similar incident a couple of days ago. Well, similar... Those cops did search the car, her boyfriend and every piece of luggage that they had; for half a hour (stupid questions included).

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    1. Gany: I was waiting for the cop to ask to see our luggage but he never did. Guess I was lucky.

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  2. Wow. That's just weird! Glad you made it home safely :)

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    1. Miss McC: It was a little weird at the time. Thanks!

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