Over the years, driving to many a highpoint, I have occasionally been pulled over for (usually) speeding. I guess I'm so excited, I just want to get there faster! Below is a list of such encounters, along with the results.
We were driving into Arco for a planned next-day hike up Borah Peak. I crested a ridge, going about 70 - the speed limit was 65 - and sure enough, a cruiser lit up and followed me. The cop's name was Hank, and he was very courteous. However, he was a stickler for speed limits. I was driving back into California after having climbed Mount Hood. In Salem, I ran right into a speed trap, where three or four cops wait and then grab the next three or four fastest vehicles. I was going about 70 on Interstate-5, where the speed limit was 55. Coming back from the Greenlee County highpoint, I crested a ridge on a highway west of Springerville, going a bit quick, and there was the cop, waiting for me. I had no chance. Buckhorn is a tiny settlement along US-180 northwest of Silver City. The speed limits decrease from 60 to 45 for the few hundred feet passing through Buckhorn. I didn't slow down fast enough, and there was a NM State Trooper waiting for me. So I pulled over into a lot, and he stopped. I figured I was a goner and didn't even try to talk my way out of it. As he walked over to my window I could see him craning his neck to look into the back of my truck, where I had all my hiking and camping gear. I also had my Mountain Rescue, EMT and Maricopa County Mountain Rescue Star stickers on my window, plus my Mountain Rescue hat. So he starts writing me a ticket, getting my information. I asked him innocently what percentage of that goes back into the county till. Apparently I hit a nerve because he started giving me a detailed discussion of where the money goes - to the state, who then divvy it up among the agencies, etc, and as he was going on and on, he was absent-mindedly closing up his ticket book! Sensing I might get out of this, I continued to ask him questions until finally he simply said "Slow it down, have a good day." I had gotten out of the ticket, even after he'd written most of it! I think my Mountain Rescue paraphernalia got me out, even though I wasn't trying to exploit it for my own purposes. But hey, I won't argue! I drove down from Animas to check out Animas Peak, then as I was driving north back toward the town of Animas, an Hidalgo County Sheriff unit came rumbling south. He then immediately swung north to tail me. This went on for about 5 miles until we hit the actual town, when he finally turned on his lights and pulled me over. He made sure I wasn't a smuggler then gave me an extensive explanation about the 'trouble' they have down in the New Mexico Bootheel. He let me go. Then, no more than 20 minutes later, a Border Patrol vehicle tailed me for about 20 miles near the town of Rodeo on the AZ-NM line, but I was never pulled over. Bob Martin and I pulled off the Highway TX-349 in the middle of nowhere to catch some sleep in the back of our vehicles. During the night a car rolled up, and a flashlight shone on us. Since I was in my truck's bed with no shell, I sat up and was greeted by a Border Patrol agent, who just wanted to see why we were there. My fiance Beth and I were driving to a highpoint - our wedding in Las Vegas - when I got pulled over near Wickieup along US-93 in northwest Arizona. This is a notorious speed trap, as most people have no clue there's a town just yonder the bend. Anyway, we pulled into a lot and the trooper came up to get our information. We immediately started begging for lenience, given that we were heading off to be married (Beth's wedding dress hanging in the back window helped, I am sure). Turns out the cop's own anniversary fell on July 4th, which was our wedding date! So he let us go with just a warning. Bob Martin and I again camped off a lonely FM road in the middle of nowhere. Soon, a sheriff's cruiser rolled up to see what we were up to. We spoke with deputies Saenz and de la Garza, who were satisfied with our story and let us stay there for the night. They explained that this area was a popular teen hangout. We explained that with us there, the teens might not want to stick around. They liked that logic. While exploring the Cameron County highpoints with Bob, which lie right along the Rio Grande, we passed a Border Patrol vehicle, who, sure enough, followed us to see what was up. Driving with my wife along highway NM-9, which parallels the Mexican border for about 140 miles, we got pulled over by a Luna County Sheriff Deputy. This guy was right out of Hollywood - spoke real slowly and was unintentionally hilarious. He was nice (and probably bored) and let us go, convinced we weren't hauling illegals. Probably our wierdest 'law enforcement' encounter ever. We were hiking along the south ridge from Miller Peak early on and met up with two Mexican Nationals, heading south and obviously up to no good. We went our separate ways. So much later on, after we were on the descent back to our vehicles, we had stopped in a thick glen of trees along the trail when we heard some rumbling and voices. We figured more crossers, but from the brush emerged two fully-armed Border Patrol agents, rifles across their chests, looking for illegals. Talk about a cognitive dissonance! The two agents saw us and talked with us, sitting to rest their weary feet, too. They had really no idea where they were. They asked 'what peak is that?', pointing to Miller, and we told them. They asked 'which way is out of here' and 'is this the Crest trail', and we helped them on both accounts. We asked if we should be concerned, and they said we were fine. Finally, they went hiking ahead of us, essentially doing an armed sweep of the trail for us! Funny, bizarre encounter! I was heading toward Moab, and got caught in one of those endless 'construction' zones where nothing seems to be going on but fines are doubled anyway. So I was going about 50, and got pulled over anyway. The Utah State Trooper was kind of a weenie. I was willing to accept the ticket, but then he wanted to cite me for having 'too dark' shading on my windows. I explained this was factory standard, and typical (and legal) in Arizona. What the hell was I supposed to do? Tear it all off to satisfy the trooper? I actually (gently) argued this point and he relented, giving me a warning. I paid the damn ticket and considered writing to his superior, but never followed through. My wife and I had just spent a day hiking Table Top and we were driving out the dirt road to Interstate-8, about 20 miles, in the dark. All of a sudden two sets of lights come barrelling up to us, so I pull over and it's two Border Patrol guys, who wanted to be sure we weren't part of the illagals or narcotics industries. They were friendly but kept us there awhile, before letting us go. So, then about 5 miles later, on the same road, we get pulled over again! By another Border Patrol vehicle. I told the guy we just spoke with his buddies a while back. He was pretty cool, but tried to scare us with tales of shootings and drug-runner tomfoolery. Nabbed by a Parker cop 'speeding' as we entered town along northbound AZ-95. Utterly spurious! He put us down for at least 10 mph what we were really traveling, so we decided to fight it. I was able to argue with the judge (in a friendly way) that there was much reasonable doubt as to the speed we were traveling, and he agreed. I won't go into detail. Just that the ticket was dismissed. We'll lay low from Parker for awhile. Stopped at a DUI checkpoint on US-60 just outside Magdalena, New Mexico. Our first DUI checkpoint ever! Neither of us drink, so we were sober and good to go. Interesting. Tailed for about 10 minutes on US-54 between Carrizozo and Corona. I had cruise control on at 65 mph. Isn't the speed limit 65? All of a sudden I wasn't so sure. Then the Lincoln County Sheriff cruiser pulled aside me... then back of me again. I thought I was a goner. Then all of a sudden he passed me going about 90, obviously responding to a call somewhere. My thanks to whoever called the law... you saved me a ticket probably.
My Side of the Story