MY EPISODE OF "COPS-TUCSON"

LAST ROUND OF GOLF IN TUCSON REMINDED ME OF PLAYING IN NEW JERSEY... (EXCEPT THE COURSE AND WEATHER WERE NICER)... TOOK ALMOST 5 1/2 HOURS TO PLAY... PLAYED WITH A THREESOME OF OLDER PEOPLE FROM THE PITTSBURGH AREA...(ONE OF THEM HAS A WINTER HOME IN THE TUCSON AREA)... SHOT 38 ON THE FRONT NINE WITH A 35 FOOT BIRDIE PUTT ON THE 3RD HOLE AND 40 ON THE BACK NINE... FINISHED THE DAY AROUND 4:30 TIRED, BUT PHYSICALLY IN ONE PIECE...

SO OFF I WENT FROM TUCSON ON THE LAST LONG LEG OF THE "INCREDIBLE JOURNEY"TO THE CITY I HAVE CHOSEN AS MY NEW HOME (CHANDLER, AZ)... PARIS SAID IT WAS ABOUT 97 MILES (A "BAG OF SHELLS" COMPARED TO SOME OF THE LENGTHS I'VE BEEN DRIVING)... GOT ON "THE 10" (PEOPLE DON'T SAY ROUTE OR HIGHWAY OUT HERE JUST "THE") AND HEADED WEST... LOTS OF CONSTRUCTION AND A LOT OF POLICE PRESENCE AS THE SPEED LIMITS CONTINUALLY CHANGED FROM 75 TO 65 TO 55 IN SOME AREAS... I NOTICED A HIGHWAY PATROL CAR GET ON BEHIND ME, BUT I WAS DOING THE SPEED LIMIT AND ADJUSTING THROUGH ALL THE CHANGES...

NEXT THING I KNOW, THE LIGHTS ARE ON AND I'M PULLED OVER!! ALMOST 3,000 MILES OF DRIVING AND I'M 60 MILES FROM "HOME" AND I'M YANKED OFF THE HIGHWAY BY TUCSON'S FINEST... I ROLL DOWN THE DRIVER'S WINDOW AND HE COMES TO THE PASSENGER SIDE! I ROLL DOWN THAT WINDOW AND HE ASKS IF NEW JERSEY HAS THE STICKERS YOU PUT ON LICENSE PLATES TO SHOW THE EXPIRATION DATE. I EXPLAIN ABOUT THE WINDOW STICKER AND GIVE HIM MY LICENSE, REGISTRATION AND INSURANCE CARD... HE PULLED ME OVER FOR FOLLOWING A VEHICLE TOO CLOSELY AND WAS GOING TO ISSUE A WARNING... SO, OUT OF THE CAR I GO AND STAND NEXT TO HIS CRUISER WHILE HE WRITES THE WARNING... ALL THE WHILE, HE'S ASKING ME WHERE I'M HEADED, WHERE I'M COMING FROM, DID I GO OVER THE BORDER, DID ANYONE APPROACH ME TO CARRY ANYTHING, WHAT'S MY NEW ADDRESS, ETC... VERY PROFESSIONAL AND COURTEOUS... WHILE HE WAS WRITING, I WAS WATCHING ONE OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR SUNSETS OVER THE MOUNTAINS I HAVE EVER SEEN!

SO HE FINISHED THE WARNING (NO NEED TO DO ANYTHING, JUST FILE IT) AND HE ASKED ME IF I WOULD MIND IF HE SEARCHED THE CAR (BECAUSE WE ARE SO CLOSE TO THE BORDER AND "THE 10" IS A KNOWN DRUG TRAFFICKING HIGHWAY)... TOLD HIM NO PROBLEM, JUST GOT A BUNCH OF JUNK FROM JERSEY IN THERE... HE SAID HE WASN'T GOING TO, BUT FOR TRAINING PURPOSES WAS IT OKAY IF HE RAN HIS DOG AROUND THE CAR... HE HAD A DRUG SNIFFING DOG IN THE BACKSEAT! I SAID SURE, GO AHEAD AND THE DOG SNIFFED AROUND THE CAR TWICE AND HE RETURNED HIM TO THE BACKSEAT... THEN THE OFFICER HANDED ME MY PAPERWORK AND SHOOK MY HAND AND TOLD ME TO BE CAREFUL... THAT WAS THE COOLEST TRAFFIC STOP (AND ONE I CAN ACTUALLY REMEMBER) I HAVE EVER BEEN INVOLVED IN...

THE REST OF THE RIDE WAS PRETTY CALM AFTER THAT... ARRIVED IN CHANDLER AROUND 8:00 AND CRAWLED INTO BED EXHAUSTED...