I was just in Seattle

So as a reward for finishing a year of school, I treated myself to a mini vacation to visit cousin Lisa in Seattle. The weather was great and the company even better. It was a splendid blend of doing stuff and complete relaxation. Rather then share about the walking we did, or the art museum we went to, or the Mariners-Yankees baseball game we took in, I will describe one of the most heroic and brave acts I have ever seen.

First allow me to set the stage. A friend of Lisa's was having a birthday on Friday in Vancouver, BC, so because I have friends in Vancouver as well, we decided to jaunt up there for the night. It was an uneventfully pleasant trip highlighted by the mandatory Tim Horton's stop once back in the motherland. However, once we got deeper into the Vancouver suburbs (Ladner), traffic seemed to back up to a stand still (at the 17, 99 junction for those familiar with the area). This situation can be best described using my handy work in MSPaint, so please refer to the graphic for visual imagery of the layout.

As illustrated, there were 3 lanes of traffic, however the left hand lane was an express lane that ends and soon would become traffic going the opposite direction. Because of this, there is a lot of adequate signage miles back warning traffic that the lane closes. Like responsible drivers, upon this notification, everyone merged over in preparation, leaving the left hand lane open, but the other two backed up to a stand still. Well, everyone that is, expect idiots who saw this as a great opportunity to pass a mile of stopped traffic to wedge themselves in further up. After maybe a half dozen or more vehicles pulled this selfish jackassery, the driver of the Dodge pickup in front of us pulled out into the other lane to block it off, but continued to trudge along at the same speed as the rest of the traffic. It was pure genius. He was getting thumbs up and smiles from other people stuck in traffic upset with what had been happening. It was hilarious. People behind looking for a leg up had been foiled! Lisa and I laughed about it for probably the next 30 minutes until traffic was back to normal, and then some. This gentleman was courageous under fire, and his quick wit made him a hero among many. I have noticed multiple occasions for pulling such a move down here in Atlanta, but I think I prefer my truck without bullet holes.

Anyway, overall I had a great time, and it was just what I wanted. Thankfully Lisa took a picture, so I have something to show from my trip!