Running From The Cops In Colorado

When my dad died in 2002, I inherited some

money. The first thing I did was buy a new car.

I tested a Volvo convertible, a BMW, and a

Toyota Celica. I decided on a GTS Celica. 

I drove that car all over the place for a couple

of years, loving every minute. The fastest I ever

drove it, the fastest I ever drove a car, was 120

MPH, heading back to Rocky Mountain Dharma

Center, the Buddhist meditation center in 

Colorado, where  I was living. The closest 

town was Red  Feather Lakes, a small mountain  

community about a twenty minute drive from the 

center. The staff of the meditation center would 

go there on days off to the restaurant to eat 

hamburgers,  play pool, and have a few drinks. 

I usually had  more than a few. There was a side 

road that teed  off the main road that was about  

a mile and a half long that led to the town. 

Driving out from Red Feather lakes, on two 

different occasions, I passed a police car 

coming into town. On both occasions, I

looked in the rearview mirror and saw the 

cop turn on  his lights. On both occasions, I hit 

the gas...one time there was a car stopped at the 

tee intersection, and I blew past him, making a 

left turn, I sped, doing 90, down the curvy, well 

paved road, back to the dharma center. The cops, 

in their little pick ups, had no chance to catch me. 

There was a dirt road teeing off the main road 

that led to the dharma center....I did good time 

down that one too. 

One afternoon, I was driving back from Fort

Collins, having a nice drive. I was sober that 

afternoon.  I teed off the main road onto the 

dirt road. I had a habit  of doing good time on the 

dirt road, drunk or sober, because I was quite 

familiar with the road. So, I was doing about the 

twice the speed limit...maybe more, when a cop 

car passed me going the other way. I looked in 

the rearview mirror, and he had stopped, so, I 

knew he was coming after me, but, since I had 

not  been drinking, instead of running, I quickly 

pulled over, and waited by the side of the road for 

him to drive up  to me.  It wasn't just a regular cop, 

it turned out to be the sheriff!  He checked my 

license on his radio and  came back to the car. He 

asked me why I had been  going so fast. I told him 

that I knew I was going too fast, but that I traveled 

the road almost every day, and knew  it quite well. 

I told him I lived at the dharma center, and he told 

me he had just left a meeting there! He told me

that I could be in a lot of trouble, and I was duly 

humble. He let me off with a stern warning, and I 

drove off slowly.  He was an older man, and I think 

he appreciated that he didn't have to chase me 

down that curvy dirt road. Had he caught me, I'm 

certain he would have thrown the book at me. 

I beat  the cops, running and not running! I think
Sun Tzu would have been proud of me! I loved 

that damned car.