Originally Posted by Steve Dallas
So, I was headed down Whidbey Island here in Washington State towards the Clinton ferry today. As you drive south on the island, traffic splits off and lightens as you get closer to the ferry. It's a two lane road, with a few passing zones. To a point, there no reason to pass because there's enough traffic to make that pointless.
I did get to a point where 3 cars & a truck were ahead of me, and for about 15 miles, the first car was varying speed from 53 down to 45 (in a 55 zone). There were some 45 & 50 zones as well, and this lead car still was not really going the speed limit and usually well under.
I passed one car in a passing zone, ending up behind the truck. Shortly after that the truck and one of the cars ahead of me split off on side roads leaving the final car that was doing such a poor job maintaining the speed limit (a Prius). I was able to pass that car in a passing zone and proceeded to continue down the highway to the ferry at the speed limit +3mph, using the cruise control. I pulled away at that speed quite quickly from the car that had been causing the backup.
I get to the ferry and start reading a book while waiting for the ferry to arrive. I get a knock on the window, and this older lady identifies herself as a judge and proceeds to tell me I was driving erratically and that she didn't want people driving like that on her island. I explain about the person going under the speed limit causing everyone to brake constantly behind it because of how it was driving. I had no idea which car she was driving, and explained that I passed safely in passing zones, etc.
She continues to say that she doesn't want people like me driving on "her island" that way, even going so far as to ask me if I lived on the island (I had lived there in the past). I didn't answer, and continued to maintain that the only erratic driver was the one that was causing such problems to the cars behind it.
Finally, she says she has a .357 in her car, to which I don't respond because...well, why would that matter.
We load on to the ferry finally, and spend the 1/2 hour getting to the other ferry terminal, where we depart the ferry. While we're driving off the ferry, which is two lanes going off the ferry, the Prius proceeds to change lanes in the middle of the intersection while I'm next to it forcing me into the oncoming lane. I honk my horn, see "the judge" look up at me in surprise and she jerks her car back in to her proper lane. I look at her, shake my head, and proceed on my way. Had to laugh because I have no idea if she really was a judge or not...
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