Idaho Drivers.

Idaho drivers are a unique breed. The first thing I noticed about them when we moved there is that the whole "right-of-way" concept at stop signs based not on who got to the stop sign first, but who is nicer. I call it the' Idaho Wave'. And it used to drive me crazy. Because I would be sitting there waiting at a stop sign because it was clearly the other guy's turn, only to look over and see the "Wave". What?! So, I eventually got in the habit of just going. Because they always wave. It is so weird.

The 'Idaho Wave', I have decided, is really a symptom of a larger cultural phenomenon. And this, my friends, is where Idaho drivers really set themselves apart from the rest of humanity. Idaho drivers are not in a hurry. All of their quirks really come back to this fact. This holds true for freeway driving, where there are only two lanes-- on the really big freeways-- which consist of a slow lane, and a speed limit lane. If you are hoping to drive the speed limit, stay on the left, but most people poke along in the right lane, completely happy to go 10 below. And that is okay, even encouraged. Because, if you're not in a hurry, why drive all the way up to the speed limit.

And don't even think about passing on a one-lane freeway, unless, of course, you get stuck behind farm equipment, in which case passing is acceptable, but kind of scary, because farm equipment tends to take up a lane and a half. On the bright side, you usually get a friendly wave from the farmer as you pass.

You know how sometimes at stoplights there are two lanes, but one is about to end a few meters down the road? And you know how people always get in the lane that is about to end just to shoot past everyone else? Well, they don't do that in Idaho. Yep, they all just pile up in the continuing lane, even if it means not making the light. No rush.

Well, after nearly three years of Idaho living, I kind of miss it. When I get on the freeway here in College Station people go crazy weaving in and out of lanes to be numero uno. Does it really matter how fast you get there, friends? I'm trying to fit in with the crowd, but I have a hard time accelerating in our little four cylinder. I can't compete with all the big pickups that reign supreme here. One day, perhaps we will all reach the zen state of Idaho drivers. Until then, I'll just keep flooring it, or risk being run off the road.