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[MechAndy]

I live on a very long dead end rural road that really doesn’t get much traffic and has no street lights.
It has numerous blind crests and the speed limit is 35 but lots of people go 55 -60.
Most of the people speeding are the service contractors.

It’s too scary for me to ride a bike or walk on.
We keep bright construction reflector vests as part of our safety kit in the cars.

It’s a beautiful area but it’s a shame that I need to drive 4-5 miles to go hiking or biking.
It would be cool if we had a bike or walking path but I don’t want to pay any more in taxes or give up any of my land, so “it is what it is”.

One of my wife’s clients is very famous in the business world his wife was killed last year on a bike right next to their home.
Cars scare me .

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by MechAndy

I live on a very long dead end rural road that really doesn’t get much traffic and has no street lights.
It has numerous blind crests and the speed limit is 35 but lots of people go 55 -60.
Most of the people speeding are the service contractors.

It’s too scary for me to ride a bike or walk on.
We keep bright construction reflector vests as part of our safety kit in the cars.

It’s a beautiful area but it’s a shame that I need to drive 4-5 miles to go hiking or biking.
It would be cool if we had a bike or walking path but I don’t want to pay any more in taxes or give up any of my land, so “it is what it is”.

One of my wife’s clients is very famous in the business world his wife was killed last year on a bike right next to their home.
Cars scare me .

Yeah, that sounds a bit too sketchy for riding a bike. Sorry to hear about what happened to your wife's client's family. These roads are serious business. Some people are afraid of earthquakes, tsunamis, the next volcanic eruption or other natural disasters. To me, cars the real killers and far more likely to cause injury to yourself or your family. Driving around here is no joke especially in the dark on a country road. Not everyone is all there either and many are driving way too fast. I think they want to just get it over with while barreling through these roads.

Derek

[Diana Holbrook]

People riding bikes on country roads used to be big complaint of mine when I pulled a horse trailer more often, because they would ride down the center of the lane even when there was a shoulder. And I couldn't get around them unless I had a LOT of visible clear lane ahead. So I'd get stuck following them for miles, angering the cars behind me, and the bikers KNEW I was there and wouldn't give an inch. I asked a biker I know about it, and most serious bikers refuse to use the shoulder even when there is one (and there frequently is on most *major* country roads around here) because they're often not swept, so they have sand and gravel on them, and cars don't swerve out enough for comfort so bikers intentionally use the car lane so cars can't pass. That tends to tick people off! I wouldn't ride a bike on country roads here either, but shoulders are apparently a waste, at least for them.

It's the hills and trees that make our roads seem narrow and dark and give us our blind corners. I think we had a thread here awhile back complaining that they hated this area because the roads were too curvy, they liked the midwest where everything was laid out on a grid. I think it would feel curvy and narrow no matter what. It's not Kansas around here... And the dark-sky people hate street lights nowadays, though I miss them too.

[MechAndy]

I think bike riders and pedestrians should use the shoulder or a bike lane/path.
They cause accidents.
The ones in California get all militant about their “rights” and seem to push the limits.

The laws of science trumps the other laws.
Meaning a car or truck truck is bigger than you and can kill you so don’t go in front of them.
Some refuse to understand this.

[mayfair]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Diana, I get that country roads will be different than urban/suburban. That's obvious to most, I think. And I have driven many country roads all over the nation. The ones I've driven in WA are some of the worst which could definitely use improvements for safety reasons at the very least. When you drive these skimpy, narrow roads with absolutely no shoulders, ask yourself one question. If there was ever a way to construct these the cheapest way possible, would this have been it? I mean down to the least amount of pavement to barely fit two vehicles going both directions and nothing more. You can have thousands of acres of land and nothing but these sliver roads separating them. Many can be improved for safety reasons even without sidewalks or bike lanes.

I agree with you 100%. The ones in Western WA are bad. On some of them, two cars can barely pass driving opposite directions. And with deep drop off ditches, there is no shoulder to ease onto. Plus, blackberries and brush often creep into the roads, making them narrower.

I understand it's so wet here that it's hard to build a road in a soggy wet place where everything is basically sinking into a marsh, or having to cut through rock to even get a road. But the road should have a shoulder for safety and then a couple of ditches next to that. That's not an urban thing, because rural roads have shoulders in many other places.

[MtnSurfer]

We had a beautiful winter day today as the snow and ice melted. Here are a few pics from a paddle I took today at a local lake.

















Derek

[tpatrick]

Is that Lacamas lake? Your brave to be out in the water with these cold temps.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by tpatrick

Is that Lacamas lake? Your brave to be out in the water with these cold temps.

It's Lake Merwin. There is a pretty large paddle community in the greater Portland metro which includes Vancouver, WA. We paddle year round. It's not as bad as it looks if you wear the proper gear. What's more surprising to me are all the folks that are surfing year round in the PNW when the ocean temps drop way down. They are wet the entire time as opposed to paddleboarders or kayakers. We get wet maybe a few times a season when paddling flat water. There are kayaker who ride rapids during winter and jump waterfalls. They are definitely getting wet often. Most wear drysuits.

Derek

[Diana Holbrook]

Haven't taken a picture today but it's rainy/drizzly. Warming up, I do think our cold snap is over.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

Haven't taken a picture today but it's rainy/drizzly. Warming up, I do think our cold snap is over.

We have the same as likely does most of WA except for out east. They're special - more sun, less rain.

We've actually got rain on tap for the next week off and on which is needed. Though temps are rising. So, it's gonna start feeling a bit more like spring.

Derek