In the mountain passes in Washington State, it seems like lots of self-righteous good-ol-boy owners of "Power Stroke" Ford or "Cummins 24 Valve Turbo Diesel" Dodge pickups never yield the left lane in uphill, "Slower Traffic Keep Right" passing zones.

I'll blow by them in the right lane (if empty) or, if the right lane is full and I have a clear stretch of road, I'll yank the car into "3", and drop the hammer.

Often, this surprises such owners. However, sometimes they will accelerate to try to prevent you from passing them. This has happened more than once to me, but I emphasize the word "try" in the previous sentance. They have torque, but not too much max HP. I've taken the parent's Volvo Turbo up to 95 going up Blewett Pass on Hwy. 97 in WA losing a brand-new F350 Super Duty, who tailgated me insanely all the way down the pass.

My question is, why do diesel pickup owners tend to have power trips? It's not like the bloody things are fast at all.

I've yet to pass on the left shoulder...W126 is just too big for what WA calls a left shoulder. Maybe if I had a 2.3-16.

-Sam