27/10: Freeze! Is that a camera?
I was leaving the petrol station on the side of a two lane highway just outside Bussellton in Southwest Australia, pulling into a clearing in the monday morning traffic flow, when i saw the siren lights on the roof of the car behind me. I was totally legal as long as i didn't brake, because it was a day or two before this that a mate pointed out to me that the left brake light was out. I was on my way to Perth, on a mission to sell the van, pack up the bags and head to New Zealand, so i was feeling in a space of trying not to miss a thing.
When the police car pulled up beside me at the next light, where the two lane highway cleared open wide to 4 lanes for 50m on both sides of the intersection, they had been following me for about 12km, or 10 minutes. I was driving the speed limit and being very careful to not get pulled over. I had made it 4 and a half months doing 13,000km without getting pulled over and was thinking it would be a shame to get pulled over now, i nervously rang my fingers around the spongy $5 steering wheel cover.
My nervousness was cooled however with a quick review of the side panels of the Highway Patrol car, with the checkered flag and neon lettering, it more resembled a European rally car than a Highway Patrol car from where i was raised. In California, the Highway Patrol cars are black with the only color being a splash of white on the doors, very clean, orderly, and undercover. So i was inspired to grab my camera, which i always keep handy to the driver's seat for roadside oddities, rainbows, or obscenely large trucks, and take a photo of this cop car cum rally racer.
I adjusted my driving position to hold the wheel in one hand, the camera in the other hand with my arm resting on the window frame, ready to shoot when clear. I planned on lagging at the light, allowing the patrol car to pull a bit ahead and then i would snap a quick shot as they passed by, but the copper was slow off the light and allowed me to gain space. At first i thought i had missed the shot...he had turned right at the light and i had missed it, i would have to leave Australia without a picture of the elusive West Australian Highway Patrol car, most likely rarely seen because they are shipped to Austria seasonally for rally car racing.
Relieved, i saw in my peripheral vision a flash of neon orange as the patrol car gained on the Starwagon, passing me on the slowly on the right, manned with 2 officers. As the officers had just gotten passed me and the shot was getting just right, i lifted the camera just as the driving officer looked over his left shoulder at me to a look at the driver of such a magnificent wagon. He saw the camera and slammed on the brakes. I flinched at the squeal of his tyres and instinctively dropped the hand with the camera, keepng the wheel smoothe and straight, i was looking for a place to pull over before the cop had even gotten in behind me with his siren lights full on. A left turn was quickly available and off of the highway i pulled.
I was suppressing nervous giggles as i dug out my passport, wallet and California driver's license. The officer came to the window and was all business. He asked me what i was doing with the camera to which i explained my thin story about thinking his car looked cool, like a rally car, and how i was sorry i had interrupted his day with such a silly infraction. He quickly explained that they had been having problems with "bikey" types gathering "intelligence" on the highway patrol, thus his concern with my camera and my intentions. He then pulled out a hand held breathalizer and ask me to remove the platic wrapper and blow into the tube until he told me to stop, asking me then to remove the tube and discard of the trash when i got home. When i came up clean, as if he was reading my mind, he said i could now get the shot i was looking for, inviting me to step out of the car and take a pic of the patrol car pulled in behind me. So i got 2 shots, one of the patrol car and another of the Starwagon pulled over with the patrol car in behind.
They gave me back my license and passport and invited me to have a nice day and a safe drive up to Perth. Giggling again, this time with relief and embarrassment, i replaced the camera, passport and license into their respective driving positions, and pulled a U turn to head back to the highway, bidding the officers goodbye with a quick wave and pulling again onto the highway, this time with a bit more concern as to whether or not there was a cop coming.
When the police car pulled up beside me at the next light, where the two lane highway cleared open wide to 4 lanes for 50m on both sides of the intersection, they had been following me for about 12km, or 10 minutes. I was driving the speed limit and being very careful to not get pulled over. I had made it 4 and a half months doing 13,000km without getting pulled over and was thinking it would be a shame to get pulled over now, i nervously rang my fingers around the spongy $5 steering wheel cover.
My nervousness was cooled however with a quick review of the side panels of the Highway Patrol car, with the checkered flag and neon lettering, it more resembled a European rally car than a Highway Patrol car from where i was raised. In California, the Highway Patrol cars are black with the only color being a splash of white on the doors, very clean, orderly, and undercover. So i was inspired to grab my camera, which i always keep handy to the driver's seat for roadside oddities, rainbows, or obscenely large trucks, and take a photo of this cop car cum rally racer.
I adjusted my driving position to hold the wheel in one hand, the camera in the other hand with my arm resting on the window frame, ready to shoot when clear. I planned on lagging at the light, allowing the patrol car to pull a bit ahead and then i would snap a quick shot as they passed by, but the copper was slow off the light and allowed me to gain space. At first i thought i had missed the shot...he had turned right at the light and i had missed it, i would have to leave Australia without a picture of the elusive West Australian Highway Patrol car, most likely rarely seen because they are shipped to Austria seasonally for rally car racing.
Relieved, i saw in my peripheral vision a flash of neon orange as the patrol car gained on the Starwagon, passing me on the slowly on the right, manned with 2 officers. As the officers had just gotten passed me and the shot was getting just right, i lifted the camera just as the driving officer looked over his left shoulder at me to a look at the driver of such a magnificent wagon. He saw the camera and slammed on the brakes. I flinched at the squeal of his tyres and instinctively dropped the hand with the camera, keepng the wheel smoothe and straight, i was looking for a place to pull over before the cop had even gotten in behind me with his siren lights full on. A left turn was quickly available and off of the highway i pulled.
I was suppressing nervous giggles as i dug out my passport, wallet and California driver's license. The officer came to the window and was all business. He asked me what i was doing with the camera to which i explained my thin story about thinking his car looked cool, like a rally car, and how i was sorry i had interrupted his day with such a silly infraction. He quickly explained that they had been having problems with "bikey" types gathering "intelligence" on the highway patrol, thus his concern with my camera and my intentions. He then pulled out a hand held breathalizer and ask me to remove the platic wrapper and blow into the tube until he told me to stop, asking me then to remove the tube and discard of the trash when i got home. When i came up clean, as if he was reading my mind, he said i could now get the shot i was looking for, inviting me to step out of the car and take a pic of the patrol car pulled in behind me. So i got 2 shots, one of the patrol car and another of the Starwagon pulled over with the patrol car in behind.
They gave me back my license and passport and invited me to have a nice day and a safe drive up to Perth. Giggling again, this time with relief and embarrassment, i replaced the camera, passport and license into their respective driving positions, and pulled a U turn to head back to the highway, bidding the officers goodbye with a quick wave and pulling again onto the highway, this time with a bit more concern as to whether or not there was a cop coming.
