I sorta figured that, Jim.  Drivers in Southern California are not known
for being especially kind, tolerant or patient and when they are on the rare
2-lane, two-way highway, they are downright stupid sometimes.

  It's like Mommy never taught them 'it is ok to just pass slower vehicles
when safe"...and then they eventually figure out the "just pass" part, but
they have no concept of the "when safe" part.

   I have had California drivers sit on my bumper (84 Jetta powered vanagon)
for dozens of miles with perfectly clear passing, me going at 70mph and them
back there, fuming....I finally slow down to about 50 to force them to pass,
to get their bright headlights out of my mirror or get more than 10feet of
bumper space between vehicles...and they give ME a dirty look as they
pass....Like I am at fault because they are too lame to move their wrist a
bit and depress their foot a quarter inch to go around...

  As I said, I had 'limited experience' in a NA 1.6l diesel westie, and it
was pretty scary.... in So Cal..

On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 10:11 AM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:

> Be advised that the temperament of drivers in other parts of the
> country are not the same as the impatient hotheads you have to deal
> with. I've never been yelled at or flipped off in eight years of
> driving an NA diesel westy through the south. I've been saluted, waved
> at, and gotten hundreds of peace signs, though.
>
> Note to self: stay home.
>
> Jim
>
> On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 9:55 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:
> >  Heck...riding in the country in a stock diesel Vanagon is not "calming"
> > either, unless you enjoy being flipped-off and yelled at and having a
> couple
> > of close calls from frustrated impatient unsafe passers every mile or so.
> (I
> > base this on only one day of riding around in the North County of San
> Diego,
> > Ca. in a diesel Westie, so ...)
> >
>