Travels With GF

Katie Bueller: I just picked up Jeannie at the police station! She got a speeding ticket, another speeding ticket, and I lost the Vermont deal because of her!
Tom Bueller: I think we should shoot her.

—Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

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Part of our journey last week involved travel through the Great State of Georgia (motto: "Enough with the Peach jokes, already"). At one point, we ran into a traffic jam that was reportedly caused by an accident about ten miles ahead. What to do?

Fortunately, we had a road atlas in the car and determined that the next exit was a road that appears to easily rejoin our path several miles down the road. We might lose a little time not being on the interstate, but not as much as we'd lose if we stayed where we were. So GF, who was driving at the time, grabbed the exit and off we went on our little tangent.

The problem with taking a detour like this is that you wind up on a road not unlike Route 301, where it's 65 MPH for awhile, then you hit a town and the speed limit changes downward in increments to about 35, then increases again as you leave town until it's back up to 65 MPH. I'm used to doing that when I'm on 301 in Florida; GF is not because she usually does the interstate driving.

So we're passing through a town called Screven. We're in the left lane and I happen to look up in time to see a car in the right lane suddenly do a hard left across our path and into a convenience store. GF has to brake hard to avoid hitting the guy. There's lots of swearing on her part. Something catches my eye, and I see a police car with the lights flashing. We've passed the convenience store by now, so I just say to her, "That one's for you, honey."

And indeed it was. The oh-so-polite officer informed GF that he'd clocked her at 57 MPH in a 35 MPH zone, an infraction which will net a fine of $210. And the guy who'd cut us off? Cop saw nothing of the kind. Go figure.