h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A few years back, my (then) fiancé and I traveled to Hermann, MO via Amtrack. Hermann is a "quaint" little German-esque village chock full of wineries, bed and breakfasts and surly locals. Because of the size and lay-out of the city, it's preferred that visitors rent bicycles to get around, whether or not you have a car handy. As it turns out, there was only one place in town renting out bikes due to it being the "off season" (meaning any time that doesn't involve an "Octoberfest" in some way). The bikes were old, expensive and rented as-is, but much preferred to dragging my butt up the 90 degree inclines they had the audacity to call "gently rolling hills" the old fashioned way.

So it's 8pm, and the town is totally shut down. I think we saw a dog crossing the street, but it was probably a mirage. We're walking our bikes back to the rental house, nattering on about how peaceful it would be to actually live in such a quiet little town, when a cop car appears out of thin air. Next thing I know, we're getting a thirty minute lecture on how dangerous it is to ride bicycles that aren't properly equipped with headlights. It didn't matter that we happened to rent them that way. No, no, we should have known the rules before this happened. She couldn't have all hell breaking loose because we didn't have any regard for the law! I tried to explain that the town would have to truck people in from outlying areas especially for that purpose, and that it would be a big hassle and eventually everyone would just give up on the idea, and she gave us each traffic tickets equalling fourty dollars. We pointed out that we were actually doing her a favor, bringing a little excitement into her doldrum night and all, and she muttered something about "big shot city kids" and drove away.

That was, and still is, the one and only time I've ever been pulled over for a traffic violation. And I wasn't even riding the bicycle. Go figure.

LMAO! That has got to be the most anal excuse for a ticket I've ever heard of in my life! Ever! Even with the elaborate lecture, you still have to wonder if they just weren't a little short on revenue that month.