When I saw those flashing blue lights I knew they were for me. I wasn't sure what I had done, but I pulled over, got my gear off and waited for the cop. He comes up asking where the emergency was, and why had I been going so fast. I hadn't been paying much attention to my speed, but clearly I had broken the law. I think I missed the slowdown markers for a small town, and was very apologetic. Then he started to interrogate me on where I was from, how long I had lived in Arlington, and on my relationship to Yorktown (whose Lacrosse sticker I have had on my saddle bag for a few years showing my support for Gordon and the team). I explained this to him off-handedly, as I searched for my registration and insurance cards. He goes back to his vehicle to verify all my papers.

The interesting part began when he returned .   First he told me I was old enough to know better than go flying around well over the speed limit. Yes, I agreed. Then instead of telling me I had a huge fine or had to appear before a judge or something, he went on to say that he himself had gone to Nottingham Elementary and Williamsburg Middle School, and had graduated from Yorktown HS. He said he had wanted to get a way so badly he had put a whole country between himself and the school, and here we was being a policeman in the Northern Cascades in Washington State. I replied I had three children graduate from Yorktown, and thought it was actually a pretty good school. He looked like he wanted to go on talking, but he remembered he was a policemen talking to an offender, so came back to earth and said he would let me off -- as a very special exception... Who would have believed it! I was so grateful I shook his hand, but wasn't sure what else I should do except get out of there before he changed his mind. He helped me get back on the highway, and I moved slowly on, well within all speed limits.

The drive on route 20 through the Northern Cascades National Park and down into the rangeland beyond was spectacular.