I remember the pass we made that caused the LEO to descend on us. There were about 5 vehicles crawling ahead of us and when the passing zone appeared, we took off like bats out of hell. Midway through the pass, I saw cars come around the bend in our direction and gave the VFR even more juice. Man, we were flying!

We safely completed the pass and I was just starting to unwind and cool down from that incredible rush when over the rise came the LEO. Instantly the car dove for the shoulder, the lights fired up and he sat there waiting for an opening in the traffic so he could turn around. We didn't wait for him and we started looking for a safe place to land. We found a driveway and we pulled over in order. The cop pulled up, hopped out and he looked just like Dudley Dooright! Young guy, square jar, six foot plus and in perfect shape. He made a bee line right past Joe and me over to Vince. Vince was standing next to his CBR1000F and pulled off his racer replica helmet to reveal his grey hair. I saw the trooper do the expected double take as he was expecting a young squid. He and Vince quietly conversed and then he came back to us.

He was very polite and professional. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. I clocked your friend at 78 mph and would you please explain why you were traveling at that rate of speed?" I spoke right up and stated for the record, "We had just completed a pass of quite a few slow moving cars and when we saw oncoming cars, man, we really had to hustle to complete the pass safely!" The officer nodded and said, "Ok. That corroborates what your friend said too and so I have to inform you that you are within your legal rights to temporarily exceed the speed limit in order to complete a pass. When I saw the speed on my radar, I had to stop you and make sure. I'm going to log this incident for the record and then you gentlemen can be on your way. I do advise that in the future as you complete a pass that you return to the speed limit a little quicker." "Yes sir! You bet! Ok!", we eagerly replied.

Dudley headed back to his car with our papers and Vince strolled over with a smoke. We weren't smirking or anything. No sir! But we were definitely feeling a warm glow. After all, how often do you get told that speeding is kosher by a police officer? Vince remarked how he fortuitously didn't get clocked 30 seconds earlier when he was 90 plus and how he felt a tickle, a suggestion, to slow it down.

Vince suggested that I preserve the moment in pictures. I made sure Officer Friendly was busy with paperwork and I snapped a couple off real fast. As I was putting the camera back in my tank bag, Joe said, "Man, I'm glad you spoke up when you did, Scott." "Why?", Vince and I asked in unison. "Well, when he asked why we were speeding, I was just going to tell him that I was caught up in the exuberance of the moment!"

The officer returned with our licenses and explained how a week earlier, a young rider low sided up at Packwood and lost his leg when he hit the guard rail. The kid was still in Harbor View a week later and the LEOs had orders to crack down. Our buzz evaporated real quick! Our LEO ended the encounter by telling us that as older riders, we knew what we were doing and he urged us to keep our wits about us as we enjoyed the rest of the day. I know I inventoried my numerous blessings, large and small, and savored the rest of the ride. */:-)