Before Sunset

I took this photo back in June, while enjoying a leisurely drive home from a customer site through the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.

My favorite story about the BARC is from a few years ago.

Barry & I were hanging out after a workout at the gym, and we jumped in to the ‘vette, dropped the top on the car, and hit the road. I decided to drive through the BARC, and given my mellow mood, I was driving barely above the speed limit.

As we were cruising along, a park police SUV drove past us heading the opposite direction. He then did a complete 180 and then flipped his lights on and pulled us over.

The officer then stood behind his door, and told us to “Keep your hands up!”

He then asked me to get out of the car. Of course, I’m wearing my seatbelt. So I said, “I have my seatbelt on!”

To which he replied, “KEEP YOUR HANDS UP AND GET OUT OF THE CAR!”

At this point, I’m thinking, “Oh my God, I’m going to die because I’m wearing my seatbelt! Shit!”

I wound up saying something to the effect that I was reaching down to unbuckle my belt, and then he told me to walk over, put my hands on the hood, and then he ran my license & registration.

At this point, I asked him what we were pulled over for. He said, “You looked like you were going fast.”

I decided not to argue the point, and since he never actually clocked me, he gave me a “verbal warning” and told me to be careful driving fast because “…Maybe you don’t care about yourself, but what if your friend gets hurt?”

Some points are not worth arguing over… especially with a guy with a badge & a gun!

5 July 2008 | Automotive, Corvette, Nature | Comments