We did both Diamondback and Whip.
Since no one has mentioned it, I might as well 'fess up. After we finished the run, said goodbye to Daryl and Greg, we headed back toward Asheville. Nice brand new 4 lane divided highway, cruising along chatting on the radio about the day. We came upon a Monte Carlo and slid over to the left lane and eased on by him at about 73 mph.
At the bottom of the hill, there was a car on the other side, sitting in the left turn lane. North Carolina State Trooper. Did I say cruising at 73 mph? The speed limit is 55 and he's going to let us know it. As all of us pass, he comes around with blue lights flashing. Everyone slides over to the right lane and he passes them by. That is, all except me who is leading the pack. In behind me and starts calling on his PA system to "Pull Over!!!"
So, without a good place, I wave an acknowledgement and ease on down the highway looking for a place. Well, the StateTrooper gets a little impatient and yells a little louder. I pull over with 2 wheels on the paved shoulder and 2 on the dirt. Again the Trooper yells out but this time it's "Move on down the road!" What?
By this time some of the other guys have passed us and as we search for a place, they find a small side road. The Trooper is yelling at me again, so into the side road and I pull into a dirt drive while the rest stop on the side of the little road. The Trooper comes up behind me, gets out and approaches. He had a very red face.
He wanted to know why I didn't pull over when he told me to, then why did I stop in an unsafe location. Then he wanted to know why my buddies stopped, saying that since he had them there he could write all of them a speeding ticket. "Tell them to get out of here!" So I did, and they did.
"License and registration, please." As I opened my wallet for my license, I exposed my Concealed Carry Permit. Now, he is really getting red faced. He wanted to know why I didn't tell him I had a Concealed Carry Permit. "Well, Sir, I didn't know I had to since I don't have my weapon on me."
After a lecture about advising an officer about the permit during any stop, he returned to his car. Shortly, he's back with a sheet of paper with all my personal information printed out. He's not so red faced any more. "Sir, this box is checked because I registered you at 73 in a 55 speed zone. This box includes 2 Hazardous Violations. One for stopping in an unsafe location, and the other is for not advising me of the Concealed Carry License. This box is checked because you have failed to sign your vehicle registration card in the designated space. I've circled it on your registration card." "Please slow down and have a safe trip back home. You don't have to do anything with this notice. THIS IS A WARNING!"
After a day of such wonderful, wild and twisty roads and getting away with a warning from a North Carolina State Trooper, what could be better? And then he shook my hand.
