Award Controversy Erupts!

A major upset has occurred! In spite of the early returns giving the award for worst drivers, a new entrant has emerged threatening to take the award from Houston. That's right, it appears that the state of Louisiana's drivers have staged a major slowdown and snarl in an attempt to take the top spot. This is amazing, folks, Interstate 12 (a small bypass that allows sane people to avoid New Orleans, was barely moving today for an hour for no apparent reason!

Yet there was no accident, no mangled cars along the roadway, no overturned tractor-trailer rig, no bodies lying in the highway, nothing, nada, zip! Just a seemingly endless pair of traffic lanes with cars barely moving except at one exit ramp (where people appeared to be bailing out in droves and which your reporter on the scene missed). A check of the local radio stations turned up a rumor of an accident somewhere in the area but, as I have already reported, there was no debris, no damaged cars or trucks, and no accident.

Amazingly, the traffic miraculously began moving again after that hour. Right back up to insane speeds after passing nothing whatsoever.

Yes, I think we have a legitimate contender here with the random Louisiana driver...

Faye says I should give mention of the new technique of slowing to pass trucks. Yes, that right. The overtaking car or pickup, approaching the semi at a rate of 5 or more MPH over the target's speed will slow down to just barely above the target's speed and sometimes even slows to the same exact speed!

I do not call these drivers clusterers anymore, they are now officially called "bitter clingers".

I know I promised a piece on the Carlsbad Caverns, with pictures, but it will have to wait until tomorrow at least. I will, at that time, toss in (at no extra charge) a review of the Petrified Forest.