Random Wednesday

I'm actually feeling a little too random (and tired since I actually stayed up until someone won that darn baseball game last night) today to put together a Random Wednesday post. How about another rant? This one'll be really short and fairly mild, promise.

Here in Arizona we have what is called (really, I mean it) a "stupid motorist law". Yep, it's a law specifically designed to protect sane drivers and other residents of this fair state from having to foot the bill to rescue stupid people and their cars.

You see, as I've mentioned, it doesn't rain in the desert until it does, and when it does, look out. Rivers and washes flood, water runs over the road in low places, and it gets messy out there very, VERY quickly. And rain does not have to have fallen exactly where you are for driving to become treacherous. The county is peppered with signs warning you "do not enter when flooded" and they mean it. One of the first things we were told about driving here is never, ever to drive into running water, and avoid anywhere with one of those signs when it's raining.

Every time it rains, however, someone (and usually multiple someones) drives into water running across the road at a wash and gets their car washed away. Then the emergency services folk have to get out the helicopters and the special swift water rescue gear, and it gets expensive for the county and/or city. Enter the stupid motorist law -- it allows counties and municipalities to actually charge back the costs of such rescues to the drivers who were stupid enough to need rescuing in the first place, plus charge them rather hefty fines. So there.

I know there has been talk in parts of New England (especially parts with Appalachian Trail running through them) of doing something similar for fools who go mountain climbing in street clothes with no water, no food, no nothin' except a cell phone (yeah, they work at the bottom of a canyon in the middle of nowhere) and need to be rescued. Sounds like a great idea to me.

M personally witnessed such foolishness the day of our first significant rainfall this season -- she was headed for an underpass when she noticed a car was already stuck in the rather significant pool of water under the bridge. As she was waiting for traffic to clear so she could turn around and find an alternate route, she saw multiple cars in both directions trying to get around the car that was stuck. Idiots! And at this underpass there is actually a gauge on the walls (like the one that you have for kids) that shows just how deep the water is (about 2' at this point). Double idiots!

So, if you're ever driving out here in the desert and you see water across the road, especially if it's moving, think twice about whether it's really worth it to try to make it across. It could get very expensive if you don't choose wisely.

Just learned that the garage door people forgot to put us on the schedule and gave someone else our time slot. Grrrrr.

I promise there will be knitting to report on tomorrow.