Report From The American Autobahn

[gregsj@mail.imm.com]

Fellow Audians: many thanks to all those who responded to my O2 Sensor 
replacement questions. I stand enlightened and ready to undertake 
repairs.

We took a little vacation last week. Spent the first 4 days in the 
Idaho pan handle and then took ID Rt 200 east into Montana. Not only 
was it a _beautiful_ drive (do it some day) but the speed limit, as 
advertised, is "reasonable and prudent, 65 night, 65 trucks." The 
weather was great and it was fun to be able to travel at a speed where 
you feel comfortable and well within yourself without worring about 
jumping the brakes everytime the detector bleeps. MT 200 took us down 
to I-90. Our trip east was on a Wed. and the traffic was sparse and it 
was much fun. Our trip west was on a Sat. and there were more cars & 
trucks and it was a bit dicey at times. On the "freeway" I'd say the 
majority was cruising at about 70-80. Saw a few folks doing 90 and the 
occasional Audi, Benz, or BMW doing 100 or so. In our four days in MT, 
I saw but two squad cars. Caveats: closing speeds are the key. There 
are still plenty of idiots out there who don't look before they leap 
into the fast lane where cars may be bearing down on them at 90 to 100 
mph. Take particular care on long uphill, sweepers. Vehicles trying to 
do 50 will suddenly pull out to pass the truck that's doing 45. 
Imagine hitting a brick wall at 40-50mph and you've got the picture. 
Having travelled more than a few kilometers on the German Autobahn, I 
must admit that I wonder if most 'muricans are really ready for these 
kind of speeds. Face it, Average Joe Driver has had _no training_ for 
this kind of stuff and his car is not ready either. You need to keep 
that firmly in mind when you are at speed. In sum, it's a hoot, but 
you really have to be on your toes. Enjoy it, respect it, and be 
careful out there. Greg