Why did I hit the brakes? Darwin was in full attack...

So I am at Clearwater Beach, its like 1:30AM, I went to Miceky D's, then parked off the road, by the beach overlooking Clearwater Bay and a couple bridges, while I lit up one of my cigars from Hawaii, sat in my car and listened to music..... First time AFAIK the car has been smoked in :).

Anyway, I finish with that (great time) so I head back the way I came, so back over the bridge and to Clearwater Beach...

So I am driving about 25-30mph.... its a nice part of the main drag on the beach, but its late (for Florida) so not too much is going on....

It didn't really dawn on me why there was one small headlight in my lane coming at me... and i didn't see it until I heard it beep.... a moped beep, then swerve... so I slowly hit the brakes... then I realize its a guy on one of those mini-bikes, he cuts off the car he was illegally passing, gets back in his correct lane, then looks at me and goes "ahahahahahhahahahaha".... my windows are down of course, and I got a good look at him. If it wasn't for the on coming car, and the fact that there was about 2.5 lanes of road and the Caddy requires a minimum of 3 to do a U-turn, and no curbs I could easily go over (trust me, I looked) I was unable to whip the Caddy around and give the guy a little laugh of my own...

So I got to thinking... if I wasn't in such a great mood (that was a good cigar, and its a beautiful night) that is really something he woudln't have wanted to do.... because I would have put my foot to the floor on the throttle and play chicken. My Cadillac DeVille vs. his mini-bike. If I hit him, I don't think I would have bothered to let off the gas either.... but... I was in a pretty good mood so I shrugged it off.

So his life has been extended, until he tries to do that to a Peterbilt, who dosn't/can't stop in time. No helmet either.... hopefully he'll be picked off before he has a chance to reproduce, if it hasn't happened already.

doesn't it make you mad when you look back at something and wish you could do it totally different

well, I *did* the right thing by nearly coming to a stop.... but I didn't even have time to flip the birdie! What kind of New Yorker dosn't flip the bird! ugh... I feel unworthy.

I think, if I could have did something differently, it would be to do my best to manage a U-turn, and give the guy a scare he woudln't forget... there were no cops at all in the area.... my 4.9 sounds pretty nice under WOT... especially when you are infront of it :).

some old lady flipped me the bird the othere day, i had no time to react or anyhting i was stunned ( old as in like 28439723847 years old)

Rick you should've just waited for a couple seconds of open space in the oncoming lanes, cranked the wheel and mashed the parking brake. If my Eldo can do a 180 on a residential road not more than 35' wide I'm sure 2.5 lanes would be no problem.

I agree you should have scared him a little bit.

Around here, we get the yuppie bicyclists on their $1000 bikes decked out in $500 worth of spandex riding in groups of 5-25 feeling entitled to take up a whole lane on narrow back roads. Driving home after a hard day at work about 10 years ago, I had one that felt he didn't have to give me any room (on another of those narrow old roads) & with oncoming traffic actually moved further from the side of the road as I approached from behind him. After nearly stopping for the idiot, I passed him but made sure I was REALLY close to him (like, less than 6" away). Evedently, he didn't like that & & proceeded to point a certain finger at me. Well... you really shouldn't do that sort of thing to a tired, pissed blue-collar guy driving a rusty, green, 19 year old Plymouth Volare. I locked the brakes & threw the tranny in reverse even before the car stopped completely. About this time, Mr. Biker realised he may have not made the most intellegent of gestures given the situation. The look on his face was nearly... :eek:

Unfortunately, it's getting to be that time of year again where the biker gangs are starting to hog the back roads around here again. Although MOST have enough sense to share the road, there seems to be one in most every group. :thepan:

My friend was in the car with me last summer when we were cruising right next to one of those "yuppie bikers.' My car was coming dead ahead and this guy wouldn't get out of the way. I managed to get to where he was on my friend's side so that I could safely pass. So during this pass, my friend, all 330 lbs. of him, leans his entire upper body out of the window and screams BLLLLAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! at the top if his lungs. You should have seen this yuppie cream him bike into a trashcan that was sitting right ahead of him...It was the funniest thing I have ever seen...