road rage p***ing contest

I had an interesting experience this morning. Yesterday I set a few new coon sets out at the two farmsteads that I trapped last year in Jan. and early Feb. On one of the main roads I take to work (the farmsteads are just off of that a mile or two) there were a couple of slick spots as the wind was up and blowing snow across the road in these places. Luckily each one wasn’t very long, only a second or two to go through them but hitting them at 60 I could feel the car slide a bit.

On the way back after doing my thing, a big GM suv like a Yukon or such gets on the highway behind me entering from one of the gravel township roads. There are quite a few “exurban” residences out in the country in this area, non-farming people economically tied to the city but wanting the “country life”, sometimes they may have a horse for the kids but mostly they just like to mow big lots (1-5 acres) of lawns. Some of you that have country places and try to be more self sufficient might be surprised that the majority of these people don’t have a veggie garden or any fruit trees or bushes but mostly just lawns and decorative or maybe wind block trees. These exurban residences tend to range in price from about $300-600+ K in my metro area. So the guy in the Yukon has gained on me but isn’t riding my tail as we head down this 2-lane highway to the bottom of the river valley hills where there is an interstate exchange although I keep going straight past that to get home.

So as I approached the 2 slick spots which were about a half a mile apart, I tapped my brakes to tell the guy behind me that I’m not going to go through these at 60 but I’ll ease up and may do them at 50. I go through the first one and now the guy has gained so he’s closer but not riding my butt. Half a mile further down the road, I do the same thing, tap the brake and slow down slightly. Well, this time slowing down and losing maybe less than 5 seconds of speed is enough for this guy and he decides to pass me. I know it was stupid but for whatever reason something fired in me that this guy should be taught a lesson about how maybe he needs to learn just a twitch more patience. It was wrong but I challenged the pass and punched it.

Now this guy knows this road as well as I do if he lives out there which I’m assuming is correct. He knows he has about a half a mile of usable open passable road before we hit the first river valley hill which makes a blind spot for anyone coming up the hill to see what’s going on. The guy had two choices, fall back in behind me and lose 5 seconds down to the interstate or gun it himself to take me. So for a few seconds both of us are barreling down filling both sides of the road now doing 70 in a 55 zone. I’m alone but I suspect this guy has his family with him being a Sunday morning heading in to have breakfast somewhere, going to church, or maybe starting to shop although it was a little early for that. Anyway, we’re at a point where another second or two and our actions are going to put any oncoming people’s lives at risk and I’m not willing to risk this guy’s family’s lives anymore if they’re in the vehicle even if he is so I back off and he gets back into the proper lane at a very last second before hitting the start of the blind spot of the hill. Nothing else happens, he goes through the first hill and little valley and then down the longer hill, and gets on the interstate heading for the city and as I said about 5-6 seconds ahead of me.

I went to church about an hour later and asked God for forgiveness for my stupidity and change whatever was in my temperament this morning that made me challenge this guy. I hope he reflects on the situation as well, especially if his family was on board and they heard him cursing me out (I was muttering too) and I’m sure making them anxious for that short time. He may think he was “defending” himself (maybe some of you thinks this as well) his “right” not to have to slow down even for a few seconds. But in reality, we both were responding to base human nature of who was the bigger bad ***, who could p*** the furthest. And both of us should have been better than that….

Rog .... straight up okay.... no offense intended.

You're doing the dance but you can't hear the music.

How to handle Road Raging Drivers...

1. Take notice of said person.
2. Wait for them to get close enough.
3. Smile at them.
4. Wave.
5. If they 1 finger salute you...smile more an wave more.
6. Continue on your drive.
7. Smile to yourself at a job well done.

or...

1. Pull over.
2. Let said raging fool pass by.
3. Go back to driving.
4. Hum a happy tune an forget about the pissed off guy.

I personally like to use a variation of the two.

Here's a quote..on anger leads hate to..which can lead to road rage../end yoda talk.

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. -Mark Twain

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
- Buddha

Not being flippant...but feel free to jot down the quotes in my thread or you find on your own, an put them on post it notes, an keep them in the car, or where ever you need them. Not just the anger ones, but all kinds. Quotes can do many things...excite, relax, make thoughtful, questioning, warm, fuzzy, love, etc.

Silly I know but hey..I do it, an it seems to work for me.

Good luck an don't beat yourself up to much..we're all human and NONE OF US ARE PERFECT. Sorry for yelling, but a reminder helps folks to remember their human.

*all yous are general and not directed at anyone in particular. The above suggestion of post it notes, works for remembering to not get angry, to laugh, an many other things. More people need that reminder then I care to admit.

Sirscrapalot - Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you're doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you. - Joel Osteen...not someone I will normally quote, but he does have a point.

Originally Posted by DakotaRog

I went to church about an hour later and asked God for forgiveness for my stupidity and change whatever was in my temperament this morning that made me challenge this guy. I hope he reflects on the situation as well, especially if his family was on board and they heard him cursing me out (I was muttering too) and I’m sure making them anxious for that short time. He may think he was “defending” himself (maybe some of you thinks this as well) his “right” not to have to slow down even for a few seconds. But in reality, we both were responding to base human nature of who was the bigger bad ***, who could p*** the furthest. And both of us should have been better than that….

Amen to that! I went up in the hills yesterday and drove the pass really careful since a tractor trailer rig coming down went sideways and took two folks out the day before. We went up to the ski area and played in the snow then the kid wanted to hike into a frozen waterfall so we talked to the ranger and they said we could drive within a mile of the trail. I'm thinking I got 4 wheel drive I'll drive on up to the trail head. We got to the end of the road and there was a couple rigs blocking the road. On foot hundred yards up this guy in a 4 x 4 Dodge was sideways digging his rig out of a four foot snowbank right above the river. They winched it out and the rig was about totaled, could of been me if the road wasn't blocked.

Scrappah- No offense taken. Had to research your comment a bit. Just tell me flat out you think I'm crazy if that's what you meant. Its ok, I can take it

street_sweeper- I'm glad you're ok. Sometimes things boil down to a fraction or time or distance...

Rog ...the music is love.

All the rest ... the church, the holy books of law, the rituals ... they're just window dressing.

Just listen to your heart in the quiet moments out in the woods. That's all you'll ever need to know. Perhaps you'll find peace of mind and the stupid things that others do will no longer bother you.

If somebody is passing me I am more than happy to slow down and move over. If they are driving like an idiot, then they are eventually going to get into an accident. I don't want to be involved in the accident.

I know when I need to get somewhere, I need to get there.

You never know why someone is in a hurry. Maybe their mother is in the hospital near her last breath...

Thanks nutpie for your observations. I don't think this guy was u=in a super hurry because he had plenty of time to pass me earlier if he needed to get to the hospital or something similar. He followed me 2-3 miles before the areas of the two slicks spots. No, I think he didn't want to be 10 seconds later in getting to Perkins...

Yeah, I'm sure. Not too many Benz's around here, especially out on the gravel roads

I mentioned this wreck earlier postI-90 at Snoqulamie Pass Friday

street-sweeper- If you ever want to visit, just get on I-90 and head east. I live less than 2 miles off of it in way eastern South Dakota. I cross it everyday going to work.

Ive been involved in several bad car accidents. One of them left me, 30 minutes later, in the emergency room having brain surgery and heart surgery at the same time, and in a coma for 3 weeks. Another left me with an 8" scar across my face. So you can see my caution. I'm not sure I would survive another one.