I had occasion to travel to Kingman this past weekend. Twice. The first time was for a wedding, and TMBWitW and I drove her car (1994 Infiniti J30) in spite of it’s history of transmission problems. The second time I was driving a friend’s Dodge Durango with a car transporter behind it.

We paid for ignoring history. Please refer to this post for all the details.

The first trip, on Saturday, we managed to average 70-75 mph, running with traffic for the most part, and passing when it was either a passing lane or a four lane stretch. I don’t feel it is safe to pass on a two lane stretch, unless the vehicle ahead is moving at docking speed and I can see the road ahead for about two miles. That doesn’t happen too much on Highway 93.

The second trip, on Sunday, I was the slower vehicle. I averaged 65-70 on the way there, and I couldn’t believe the number of vehicles in a hurry to get to Kingman. In all fairness, they may have been headed on through to Las Vegas, but still…

I was passed by a lot of people, but the ones who scared me the most were the ones who felt they could force either me or the oncoming traffic to hit the brakes so they could complete the pass in safety. That happened a lot more than you would think, considering that stretch of road’s reputation for accidents.

On the way back, I was moving even slower – averaging 50-55 mph, and playing tag with a thunderstorm for most of the trip. Yes, I got passed by big trucks, little trucks, cars, and even a Mini Cooper (Actual Size sticker in the back window) at one point.

My beef? The MORONS who would pass no matter whether they had the clearance or not! In one instance, I had to hit my brakes hard (with a car transporter? what fun, cary!) in order to let the jerk back in – meanwhile, the big truck coming at us was locking up his trailer tires, blowing his big horn, and flashing his headlights at this racer wannabe. The truck driver and I were both shaking our heads and, I am sure, looking for fresh underwear by the time we were passing each other.

I am just very thankful that I don’t have to make that trip everyday, and my prayers are with those who do.