car salmon heads upstream to spawn

There are three critical 4-way stop signs on my commute.  The third of these is where my two-way road (Bryant Street, aka Bicycle Boulevard) crosses a street that is 1-way for cars.  Generally when I come to this stop I look towards ongoing traffic, in this case to my left.  There was a car approaching.  In fact the car would reach the intersection (and a stop sign) before I did.  Then, from habit, I glanced to the right.  Here was a surprise.  A car was heading up the street from this direction also, and of course that meant this car was driving up a one-way street in the wrong direction.

Salmoning!  It's not just for bikes, kids. 

I look back to car #1 who is at the stop sign staring into the surprising maw of oncoming traffic.  I regally indicate with my head that he may go first.  I shall wait.  

Car #1 doesn't look very excited at the idea of driving down the throat of an oncoming Toyota RAV.  

Meanwhile, Car #2, aforementioned Toyota RAV, has a vague sense that something is wrong and is now crawling up the road at slow speed.  He arrives at the intersection.  

We all contemplate each other for a moment.  This is what is referred to in novels as a "pregnant pause."

Car #2 painfully turns a U in the intersection and returns from whence he came.  Au revoir, monsieur!  A bien tot!

Car #1 eyes me.

I shrug.

Car #1 trails across the intersection following his developmentally challenged sibling at a safe distance.  

I continue on my way to work, an uneventful ride until my front fender explodes into my front wheel temporarily bricking my road bike at a dangerous intersection.