|
The Friendliest Little Speed Trap in Texas
In the summer of 1981, fresh out of college, my wife-to-be and I were
driving from California to San Antonio. As a newly naturalized Texan, I
had much to learn about the state and its ways. One lesson came the hard
way, when I had my first encounter with a genuine Texas speed trap and
received my first speeding ticket.
We were just west of Sanderson
on Highway 90 and sailing along at about 80 miles an hour; the speed
limit was 65, but, come on, this was West Texas, right? I came around a
sweeping curve and saw a patrolman with his radar gun aimed right at us.
I hit the brakes immediately, but too late. He just crooked a finger at
me and had us follow him into Sanderson, where he took us straight to
the justice of the peace's house.
She turned out to be a very
nice woman who showed us into her kitchen, gave us lemonade, fined me
some trivial amount (ten dollars? twenty?), and sent us on our way with
cheerful warnings about all the remaining speed traps between Sanderson
and San Antonio. I never would have believed that my first speeding
ticket could turn out to be such a pleasant experience, and I've had a
soft spot in my heart for Sanderson ever since.
Martin Kohout
Austin, Texas
Published:
November 14,
2005
Categories
Related Handbook of Texas Online articles
Other My Texas stories by this author
| 
