The Bed and Breakfast where we stayed–never saw a moose

Three years ago my wife and I went to the White Mountains of New Hampshire for a wedding. The hummingbirds were as thick as mosquitos in Houston. The white clouds constantly moved across the mountains changing the visual topography.

We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in the forest of the mountains, and the locals loved to warn us about the dangers of the moose. Every morning I was there I ran the trails of the mountains, heavily wooded and swampy, but I never saw a moose. Pretty disappointed.

On the day of the wedding we were a little afraid that we were running late as we drove through a national forest. A New Hampshire State Police car pulled behind me with his lights on. I watched from my rearview mirror as the Officer was doing something with his mounted computer. He got out of his car, and I saw that he wore a cowboy like hat. I was surprised that patrolmen in the northeast would wear those hats.

As he leaned down to my open window he said, “Sir, do you realize you were speeding?

Of course I was speeding, I was late. “Yes, sir.”

I speak with a Texas accent. Actually, I speak with a West Texas accent. I’ve tried to modify it, but I just don’t have that change-your-accent gene. The Officer said, “Sir, are you visiting from out of state?”

“Yes sir. We’re from Texas.”

“What are you doing here?”

“We’re on our way to a wedding.”

“Sir, I stopped you because you were speeding, and this is a national forest. You’ve endangered animals because of your carelessness, and the ticket will cost you $1,541.00.”

My wife and I sat stunned in our car. I thought he must be kidding, joking, but he didn’t break a smile. He just looked at me. I turned to my wife as I felt a panic build in the bottom of my stomach. Her face was blank.

I turned back to the Officer as he laughed and said, “I’m just kidding. You folks slow down and have a good time at the wedding.”

As he walked away, I called out, “You should come with us. You’d make the party.”

“No. I have to work.” He said as he got into his patrol car and then drove away.

I may have had too much to drink at the reception I was so relieved from his joke. I love the people of New Hampshire.

At the national forest the day before the wedding. Great Fall weather.

Where we were. The officer stopped me along this road.