If Highway 170 has one little quip against it, its that people often have to cross at least five lines of traffic just to get on or off. California's drivers are very conscientious of this and often allow these passengers the right of way out of courtesy. There aren't any accidents or middle fingers. A quiet moment of chivalry on the open road.
Motorists pass smoke signals there in very creative ways. Recently I was getting off the H-170, which at the time had become heavily congested in the post-rush hour / pre-evening traffic. The divider receded and there was a small pocket of space my car could fit into. I wanted to go but in my blind spot was a giant orange big rig pulling two cement mixer freights and if there was a quick stop it wasn't going to be pretty.
The truck driver saw my left turn blinker and gave two short horn blasts. In my head, all I could think of was Star Wars. That moment when Luke is in the trench and Darth Vader is about to blast him. Han Solo blares away from the Millennium Falcon yelling, "Great Shot Chewie, That was one and a million! You're all clear, kid, now let's blow this thing and go home!"
After seeing why the Big Rig honked, the cars in the other lanes let me into their lane as well. I cleaved across traffic like a hot knife through butter. Since I wasn't driving at night, all the highway construction cones weren't up yet and getting on highway 118 back to Simi was a breeze.
It was a rare moment when driving was a smooth, whole hearted moment. One to be noted, considering driving in California can cause so much stress. I can think of so many times where I sat in my car furiously chewing on my own guts like a rabid baboon. It's nice to have something different happen from time to time.
