Fare Evasion.
Upon leaving Millserville after new years I left my jacket in Doug's van (at least it wasn't in a ditch somewhere). I knew it before I left but Doug had already gone and I thought he was coming home on Sunday anyway. Inside my jacket were all the keys that I own including car keys. Well I find out later Doug is coming home on Monday, which is no good since I have work. This left me stuck at my house staring at my car the next day, unable to get in. Pretty annoying feeling. It is a good 1:30 hour drive to Millersville from my house and since I had to then drive all the way back to my house to get in the car and then drive to Baltimore (where I also live), that meant around 5:30 hours of driving (if no traffic).
So, Doug graciously offered to meet me at the Millersville turnpike exit (which is only about 1:00 hour away) and pass the jacket to me there. Seeing that it was the best way to solve the problem I head off to meet him at the PA turnpike exit. I speed all the way down there and make it in about 40 minutes. As I approch the exit I realize I don't want to pay the $3.50 toll just to pay it again going back so I pull a quick U-turn across oncoming traffic into a toll booth headquarters building parking lot. I then get out of my car and walk across the toll booth to the other side and sit there waiting for Doug.
These are pictures I took while sitting on the metal barriers on the side of the road.
It was actually pretty peaceful as well as extremely shady looking to everyone driving by.
Doug arrives, hands me the jacket and I head back off towards home to get my car. So, if you have not figured out the point of this story, I still have a turnpike ticket from home and currently heading home at the same time. Unfazed, I spend awhile on the trip back thinking of an excuse to tell the toll booth operator as to why I am giving him a ticket to his own booth and it being about 2 hours from the timestamp on the ticket. I come up with some explanation involving meeting someone at a service station and then just coming back the other way (I know you can do that at some places). It was either that or express confusion, disorientation and mumble something about alien abduction.
As I come back to home I stop at the toll booth.
Toll Booth Operator: Hello.
Me (as I hand him the ticket): Hey.
I look at the operator and he looks at the ticket a split second and before he can do anything, for whatever reason I still cannot determine, I just drive off. All of my well thought out explanations foiled, by myself.
Now I am really curious as what someone is supposed to do in that situation. I would have definitly found out if I had just stayed and talked to the guy. I wonder if I had to pay something and will I now get a ticket in the mail sometime. Oh well, I guess I will find out in a few weeks.
So, Doug graciously offered to meet me at the Millersville turnpike exit (which is only about 1:00 hour away) and pass the jacket to me there. Seeing that it was the best way to solve the problem I head off to meet him at the PA turnpike exit. I speed all the way down there and make it in about 40 minutes. As I approch the exit I realize I don't want to pay the $3.50 toll just to pay it again going back so I pull a quick U-turn across oncoming traffic into a toll booth headquarters building parking lot. I then get out of my car and walk across the toll booth to the other side and sit there waiting for Doug.
These are pictures I took while sitting on the metal barriers on the side of the road.
It was actually pretty peaceful as well as extremely shady looking to everyone driving by.
Doug arrives, hands me the jacket and I head back off towards home to get my car. So, if you have not figured out the point of this story, I still have a turnpike ticket from home and currently heading home at the same time. Unfazed, I spend awhile on the trip back thinking of an excuse to tell the toll booth operator as to why I am giving him a ticket to his own booth and it being about 2 hours from the timestamp on the ticket. I come up with some explanation involving meeting someone at a service station and then just coming back the other way (I know you can do that at some places). It was either that or express confusion, disorientation and mumble something about alien abduction.
As I come back to home I stop at the toll booth.
Toll Booth Operator: Hello.
Me (as I hand him the ticket): Hey.
I look at the operator and he looks at the ticket a split second and before he can do anything, for whatever reason I still cannot determine, I just drive off. All of my well thought out explanations foiled, by myself.
Now I am really curious as what someone is supposed to do in that situation. I would have definitly found out if I had just stayed and talked to the guy. I wonder if I had to pay something and will I now get a ticket in the mail sometime. Oh well, I guess I will find out in a few weeks.
posted by stuffbox at 4:41 PM
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