Raging maniac
I’m calmly bopping east this morning (Saturday, July 18, 2009) on Baker Road, taking my dog to the so-called elitist country-club for a walk.
The speed-limit is 40, I think. I’m doing about that. —I’ve had deer jump in front of me.
Suddenly a dark-green Toyota RAV4 lunges behind me, its driver doing his best glowering-intimidator impersonation.
He’s angrily pounding his steering wheel, with the single hand he had steering it at the 12 o’clock position.
His other hand is fingering a cellphone — probably texting his significant other.
I wick it up a little; maybe 45 or 50.
But obviously that’s not fast enough. He’s all over my bumper.
We approach the intersection with Elton Road, a tee.
I flick on my left-turn signal; so does he.
I have to come to a complete stop; north is partly obscured by trees.
Clear, I proceed; and Mr. Intimidator is right behind me.
Obviously obstructed vision didn’t matter — it was more important to express his macho superiority.
I now drive north on Elton Road, slow slightly for the left sweeper, and enter the tiny village of Ionia (“eye-OWN-ya”).
Mr. Intimidator is still on my bumper, and going catatonic.
I flick on my right-turn signal for County Road 14, and suddenly hear a roar.
Mr. Intimidator has the pedal-to-the-metal as he blasts by on my left.
As he goes by I see bumper-stickers on his tailgate: “I am the NRA” and something about “cold dead hands.”
Also two bumper-stickers about -1) “My wife yes, my dog maybe, my gun never,” and -2) “Bambi makes good hamburger.”
I continue east on County Road 14 past Ferguson’s Garage toward State Route 64.
A LITTLE EXPLANATION
State Route 64 used to go straight south into Ionia, and turn east past Ferguson’s Garage.
But when 64 was rebuilt long ago a bypass was made north of Ionia which bypasses the village and the turn.
To get to 64, it’s now possible to proceed north on Elton, and then turn right onto the bypass.
But I was using County Road 14.
I stopped at the intersection of 14 and 64, and Mr. Intimidator roared past on 64 at about 70 mph.
• “Baker,” “Elton,” and “County Road 14” are all small rural roads near where we live in the town of West Bloomfield in Western N.Y. “Ionia” is a tiny village north of where we live.
• “The so-called elitist country-club” is nearby Boughton (“BOW-tin” as in “ow”) Park, where I run and we walk our dog. It was called that long ago by an editor at the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger newspaper, where I once worked, because it will only allow taxpayers of the three towns that own it to use it. We are residents of one of those towns.
• A “glowering intimidator” is a tailgater, named after Dale Earnhardt, deceased, the so-called “intimidator” of NASCAR fame, who used to tailgate race-leaders and bump them at speed until they let him pass.
The speed-limit is 40, I think. I’m doing about that. —I’ve had deer jump in front of me.
Suddenly a dark-green Toyota RAV4 lunges behind me, its driver doing his best glowering-intimidator impersonation.
He’s angrily pounding his steering wheel, with the single hand he had steering it at the 12 o’clock position.
His other hand is fingering a cellphone — probably texting his significant other.
I wick it up a little; maybe 45 or 50.
But obviously that’s not fast enough. He’s all over my bumper.
We approach the intersection with Elton Road, a tee.
I flick on my left-turn signal; so does he.
I have to come to a complete stop; north is partly obscured by trees.
Clear, I proceed; and Mr. Intimidator is right behind me.
Obviously obstructed vision didn’t matter — it was more important to express his macho superiority.
I now drive north on Elton Road, slow slightly for the left sweeper, and enter the tiny village of Ionia (“eye-OWN-ya”).
Mr. Intimidator is still on my bumper, and going catatonic.
I flick on my right-turn signal for County Road 14, and suddenly hear a roar.
Mr. Intimidator has the pedal-to-the-metal as he blasts by on my left.
As he goes by I see bumper-stickers on his tailgate: “I am the NRA” and something about “cold dead hands.”
Also two bumper-stickers about -1) “My wife yes, my dog maybe, my gun never,” and -2) “Bambi makes good hamburger.”
I continue east on County Road 14 past Ferguson’s Garage toward State Route 64.
A LITTLE EXPLANATION
State Route 64 used to go straight south into Ionia, and turn east past Ferguson’s Garage.
But when 64 was rebuilt long ago a bypass was made north of Ionia which bypasses the village and the turn.
To get to 64, it’s now possible to proceed north on Elton, and then turn right onto the bypass.
But I was using County Road 14.
I stopped at the intersection of 14 and 64, and Mr. Intimidator roared past on 64 at about 70 mph.
• “Baker,” “Elton,” and “County Road 14” are all small rural roads near where we live in the town of West Bloomfield in Western N.Y. “Ionia” is a tiny village north of where we live.
• “The so-called elitist country-club” is nearby Boughton (“BOW-tin” as in “ow”) Park, where I run and we walk our dog. It was called that long ago by an editor at the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger newspaper, where I once worked, because it will only allow taxpayers of the three towns that own it to use it. We are residents of one of those towns.
• A “glowering intimidator” is a tailgater, named after Dale Earnhardt, deceased, the so-called “intimidator” of NASCAR fame, who used to tailgate race-leaders and bump them at speed until they let him pass.
Labels: Driving insanity
posted by BobbaLew at 9:55 AM
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