Friday traffic from San Diego to LA
I will be the first to defend California from all the bashers who never have and say they never will visit here, but, after driving from Campland on the Bay in San Diego to our home near the Rose Bowl, I am almost ready to say never again. We have taken two extended, one moderately extended trip and many short two day to two week trips and I have never been more nervous than yesterday June 13th.
I like to exceed the speed limit a little and cruise at about 58 to 60 miles an hour on the interstates. Yesterday I tried doing that and found it very stressful. We use I-5 to get home and while it was a Friday, it was also for most out here the last day of school for their kids and get away day. There were so many drivers trying to gain one car length and going bacj and for the from the fast lane to the slow lane that I finally dropped my speed down to about 50 MPH, engaged the cruise control, took a deep breath and told myself that arriving home five minutes earlier wasn't worth dodging all those people who were in a hurry.
I have know for some time that many folks won't give an RV a break when changing lanes or driving the speed limit but yesterday I had to make two panic stop while cruising at the truckers speed limit. One guy for some reason unknown to me, whipped around me, passed and then cut me off causing me to hit the brakes and then hit his brakes so hard, I could feel the ABS working trying to keep from hitting him. I have no idea what I did to p**s him off, maybe it was that I have a Navy Sticker on the towed and he was a jarhead (his license was a Marine Corps Veteran plate number 16685) but he almost had 15,00o lbs of Bounder in the trunk of his Volvo.
The second panic stop occurred about twenty minutes later when I found myself in and exit only lane and turned on my blinkers and started looking for a spot to move into. There was a spot big enough for the Bounder but maybe not for the towed. I edged over just into the through lane as an indication I was coming over. It appeared that the guy was going to let me in so on over I came. No horn, no lights flashing, absolutely no indication he wasn't going to be nice and let me in so over I went slowly but non the less over into his lane. About thirty seconds later he whipped out into the fast lane, zipped almost by me and virtually disappeared from view and he barely missed hitting the front of the rig. He was so close I couldn't see the rear of his vehicle. I slowed way down gave him eight or ten car lengths of space and he slowed down, I slowed down and he slowed down. He was bound and determined to punish me for I guess as he saw it cutting him off.
We returned from six weeks on the road going back to Kentucky and then home and never had a single offensive move made against me. People would open up a space for you to change lanes and ingeneral were very nice. It was great and we have commented to many folks about how nice the middies are but his was pure unadulterated road rage and I can't blame you for going around our metro areas. I still think California is one of the most fantastic states in the Union but our drivers are not courteous or caring.
End of rant and time to get the DW some breakfast.
I like to exceed the speed limit a little and cruise at about 58 to 60 miles an hour on the interstates. Yesterday I tried doing that and found it very stressful. We use I-5 to get home and while it was a Friday, it was also for most out here the last day of school for their kids and get away day. There were so many drivers trying to gain one car length and going bacj and for the from the fast lane to the slow lane that I finally dropped my speed down to about 50 MPH, engaged the cruise control, took a deep breath and told myself that arriving home five minutes earlier wasn't worth dodging all those people who were in a hurry.
I have know for some time that many folks won't give an RV a break when changing lanes or driving the speed limit but yesterday I had to make two panic stop while cruising at the truckers speed limit. One guy for some reason unknown to me, whipped around me, passed and then cut me off causing me to hit the brakes and then hit his brakes so hard, I could feel the ABS working trying to keep from hitting him. I have no idea what I did to p**s him off, maybe it was that I have a Navy Sticker on the towed and he was a jarhead (his license was a Marine Corps Veteran plate number 16685) but he almost had 15,00o lbs of Bounder in the trunk of his Volvo.
The second panic stop occurred about twenty minutes later when I found myself in and exit only lane and turned on my blinkers and started looking for a spot to move into. There was a spot big enough for the Bounder but maybe not for the towed. I edged over just into the through lane as an indication I was coming over. It appeared that the guy was going to let me in so on over I came. No horn, no lights flashing, absolutely no indication he wasn't going to be nice and let me in so over I went slowly but non the less over into his lane. About thirty seconds later he whipped out into the fast lane, zipped almost by me and virtually disappeared from view and he barely missed hitting the front of the rig. He was so close I couldn't see the rear of his vehicle. I slowed way down gave him eight or ten car lengths of space and he slowed down, I slowed down and he slowed down. He was bound and determined to punish me for I guess as he saw it cutting him off.
We returned from six weeks on the road going back to Kentucky and then home and never had a single offensive move made against me. People would open up a space for you to change lanes and ingeneral were very nice. It was great and we have commented to many folks about how nice the middies are but his was pure unadulterated road rage and I can't blame you for going around our metro areas. I still think California is one of the most fantastic states in the Union but our drivers are not courteous or caring.
End of rant and time to get the DW some breakfast.
