Before I moved the bus I got a policy of insurance for it and because the tags were expired, I attempted to get a moving permit from the DMV. Unfortunately the DMV was closed. So I decided to move it without the permit. Naturally I planned out a route from the park to the warehouse. I had a friend follow me in his car just in case I broke down along the way. One of the major considerations in planning the route was the potential of encountering a police officer in route. I don't know about where you live, but in Vegas the police are hungry to give you a ticket to raise money for the cash strapped city I moved the bus on Sunday morning. I figured that the police presence would be the smallest at that time. So I followed my route and was cruising right along feeling fine. I was on a major road at this time heading for a side street that I could take all the way to the warehouse. I look in the rear view mirror and there is a police officer coming up on the inside lane right beside me. He pulls up even with the front of the bus and we stop at a stop light together. That stop light lasted forever. I was sweating bullets. The light finally changes and he heads on down the road. I got very lucky there.
I came to a small side street and turned off the main drag. I felt a lot safer on this street because I figured that the only reason a patrol car would be on this street is if it was on a call in the area. Unfortunately this side street crossed a number of main streets on my route. Yeap, you guessed it, as I crossed a main street there was a patrol car sitting at the light. After passing through the intersection I studied my rear view mirror waiting to see what the officer would do. He turned and was following behind me. My friend was directly behind me in his car and I hoped that this would provide little opportunity for the officer to see that the tags were expired. The office did in fact pass me by and went on ahead. The road was flat and you could see a half mile ahead. The office was up a ways when he was stopped by a traffic light. He was in my lane. So as I am approaching I am praying for the light to change. You and I both know how long side street lights take. As I am getting closer and closer I remember that there is a plate of the front of the bus. The plate in the front of the bus is three feet off the ground and would be in the center of the rear window of the patrol car.
My friend is still behind me and I decide to call him on the cell and get him to get in from of me. I call and it goes to voice mail. I call again and he answers. I start yelling get in front of me, get in front of me. Less that a 100 feet from the stop light he figures it out and speeds around me to get between me and the patrol car as I come to the light. The officer stays in front of me the rest of the way until I turned off to the side street with the warehouse. I really felt like I dodged a bullet. After it was all over, I was emptying my pocket and I happen to look at my insurance card. It turns out the the effective date of the policy was Monday the following day.
The bus is now in its new home for the next couple of months. Time to get going and get it fixed up.
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