American heroes of the highway.

The Highway 73 in California, USA is a toll road.
One has to pay for using it.
It is the fastest way to reach Laguna Beach when coming from Los Angeles or San Diego.
And before a driver knows Highway 73 is under the wheels.

Paying the toll takes place at the exits.
Moderate prices: 2 or 3 US Dollars.
There is a pay booth but nobody is in there.
It is all fully automated.
There is a basket in which the driver has to throw the amount to be paid.
In coins.
In the case of 2 US Dollars, 8 coins of 25 cents.

Now, what if a driver has no coins?
Or not sufficient coins?
For these unfortunate travellers a bill-changing machine is available.
However, this bill-changing machine accepts only bills of 1 US Dollar and 5 US Dollars.

Now, what if a driver has no coins and no bills of 1 and 5 US Dollars?

This situation was hard reality for the Fuso Szulc driver temporarily steering this Porsche Carrera.
There were in the wallet bills of 20 US Dollars.
No good for the bill-changing machine.
There were also coins in the wallet, but only 75 cents.

There was a second lane with a basket to pay and over there also a car had come to a stop.
It was a fancy car with two young guys heavily decorated with tattoos.
The guy in the passenger seat called out to the Porsche driver.
“You got any coins for us?”
Obviously they were in exactly the same situation.
No coins to pay the toll of Highway 73.
It was explained that both cars were stuck now.
Because a sign had been seen that if a driver proceeded without paying, a fine was charged of 47,50 US Dollars.

What to do?
In Spain and France toll can be paid with a credit card.
But at Highway 73 the options were rather limited.
Slowly the conclusion was reached that it was impossible to pay and that the Highway 73 had to be exited without donating the toll.
To see later on the credit card statement an amount of 47,50 US Dollars deducted through the rental car agency for traffic violations.

Almost ready to violate and take off, the guy from the other car approached the desperate driver.
In his hands two 1 US Dollar bills.
“Take it”, he said, “We found some bills in the glove compartment of our car”.

Many travels have been made.
Often generosity and friendliness have been experienced.
But what these two tattooed guys did is extraordinary.
Because once they found their US Dollar bills, they contemplated and came up with the idea to share with the other car their good luck.

American heroes of he Highway.




.