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Yeah, it's not hard to avoid interstates on that route. If anything, you have to go out of your way somewhat in order to stay on "big" roads except for a stretch on 395 between Pasco and Othello (if you went the southerly way).
My initial thought when we missed our exit was to go all the way back there before heading south, but my wife announced that our internet access was working, so she pulled out the computer and looked up a route for us on county road 21, which it took us through to 395.
The real gem turned out to be a little town called Lind, just west of 395 on 21. They had a nice, classic looking downtown area that was, sadly, completely closed. It seemed like there was a fair bit of agricultural and ag. equipment activity going on there, but the downtown was just gone. That's an excellent opportunity for a forward-thinking businessman who's had enough of big city life... if (s)he gets there in time!
I really enjoy being in the Columbia Basin area. Things just feel simpler and more pleasant to me when I'm there (despite the 100-degree temperatures we endured!). We drove for many miles without coming across any inconsiderate drivers. Even those times when I came across drivers going slower or faster, there was no drama. It was either pass or be passed.... no hard feelings either way! Amazingly, I didn't even come across any curve cutters (which tend to plague these areas), for which I am quite thankful.
Finally, I was shocked at how many deer I saw in that area! Deer were always a rare sight when I was growing up. We were like tourists when we would see two or three of them out in the fields! This time, though, we saw a herd of probably more than fifty animals outside Pilot Rock, plus many other times on the way down through Washington when we spotted multiple animals out over the rolling hills. Their population is definitely on the up-swing.
Lind can't be more than an hour from Moses Lake or Tri-Cities (both of which have grown tremendously since I lived in that area in the 80s), and isn't terribly far from the highway. Maybe something will come of it. Many of those small towns could be a nice place to retire.
I like the Columbia Basin too - maybe because I spent much of my formative childhood (through age 11 or so) there. I liked the road from Odessa to Ephrata - low traffic volumes, and the sometimes desolate high desert scenery with rock formations and views, it's soothing to me, and reminds me of being there when I was a kid. I recall only one annoying slowpoke driver on my whole trip, on the highway between Tri-Cities and Waitsburg. It's 65 in many places, and has very long straight sections. There was a motorhome doing 40-45, and although the road was pretty empty, a few other cars got behind it and wouldn't pass. After a couple minutes, I just passed them all at once, and they fell out of the line of sight fast.
Huge deer population down around Dayton, in the hills. Hunting season is a small boom time in the little towns in that area.
I am in the Chicago metro area with over 9 million people, the area has well over 200 square miles of forests. Not city parks but actual forests, some of them are vast areas. Because of this there are large herds of deer running around some areas. Every now and again the debate on what to do with the overpopulation of deer in the area. I see several a year sometimes right up at the road.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
And in a little over a day, I will get to experience the traffic flow of LA, for several days. It will be fun to see if I think their oversalaried overpensioned "traffic engineers" do anything better than the brave committed hard workers here, and maybe if their revenue enforcement officers saving up for huge pensions after collecting healthy salaries handle things different.
I see people make boneheaded moves like this, and wonder, don't they realize it would only take a minute to drive ahead until they can turn around and safely enter the freeway? Is that minute so important to them to risk hurting someone, or hurting themselves, or even just cause damage to their vehicle and others? I think it's this "It's all about me and what I want" attitude that's behind most inconsiderate driving. The rest of it is probably due to sheer incompetence.
about 50000 considerate speeders were observed.
and about 3 inconsiderate speeders.
the 3 inconsiderate speeders were the zigzagging tailgators who stayed on the road for a couple miles, tailgating/cutting-across-multiple-lanes/cutting-off cars, then cutting across all the lanes to exit.
a few LLCs and MLCs were observed and were easily passed by traffic in whichever other lanes. some where above the speed limit, actually, but i'm not counting them as inconsiderate speeders somehow.
most of travel was at anywhere from 10 to 15 mph over the limit.
70 mph limit in the southern states really encourages everyone to be at the speed limit... enforcement was as expected for each state, with less enforcement overall than seen on more "peak" driving seasons.
mpg was a best-ever record 24 mpg, half the tanks 87 octane, half premium. (2005 GTO , manual transmission) ...
Got to honk at a Pilot that slowed from 20 in a 30 to about 3 in a 30, then stopped in the middle of the road, then slowly made its way into a turn lane. Don't plan ahead, nah, get halfway there and then think about where you want to go. I'm thrilled you are able to drive that big heavy thing with no special training required.
And now I am off to LaLaLand - should be some fun driving sights. I bet it will be no worse than here.
Dad had clients there for many years, and before his CPA firm opened a branch office there (or was it in Othello?) (rich farmers need accountants), I used to travel there with him. Not the thriving mini-metropolis that it used to be. Highlights of those trips include him dumping me off the back of a borrowed motorcycle, and windshield vs. goose at highway speeds.
My biggest issue is not missing the 395 exit (@ Ritzville exit 220, for future reference
What I noticed most were middle lane campers - people going 50 in a 65 in the middle lane, too timid to deal with people merging, so traffic would zoom by on both sides. A couple LLCs, nothing worse than Seattle. Speed is much higher out in the SF valley than where I live - I paced a BMW going about 90 on a fairly empty stretch, saw a SL going at least 100, and many others who must have been going 90 or more, sometimes in heavier traffic, weaving around. Nearly zero enforcement where I was.
The [non-permissible content removed] BMW driver stereotype must come from here, too. Along with later model small Audis, always speeding, tailgating, never signaling. The white box truck and cargo van set here can also be overly aggressive for vehicles of their handling limitations. And as always, the cultural universal of the slow oblivious Lexus RX holds true here.
Saw a close call, rental Mustang convertible probably going 85+ in a 65, weaving around, starts moving into a lane a Corolla had already started signaling for and moving into - driver reacts and swerves hard, other cars swerve, close! I might have just avoided the shrapnel.
Unless the speeder is stuck near others, they will soon pass you and not be a problem.
So the only thing I can figure, if speeders are consistently a problem for you, is that you keep them around to remain a problem. In other words, you keep them from passing.
We can always pump up the Traffic Laws & Enforcement Tactics discussion if people want to talk about how "Speed Kills".
Several drivers were tooling along a main campus perimeter road at 20-23 mph--no one in front of her.
Another sat at the 4-way stop sign in the student off-campus housing/fraternity area and waited for the approaching car to completely stop and then for it to proceed.
Another was pulled halfway out into the main drive (used to be a through road) to the Microcenter store and other plazas: she just sat there until someone going into the plazas stopped to let her continue. I won't describe further.
Leaving Microcenter a driver turned onto the main road at 2 mph--don't those toyotas handle well enough to turn at 15-20 at least?
It was refreshing to have a Michigan-plated vehicle tail me down the ramp onto the local freeway so he could pass me at 65, the limit.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I often take a freeway in the morning at rush hour, 3 lanes, left lane is HOV. But it's only HOV during the afternoon rush hour. Other times, it's a regular lane, as denoted by "OPEN" lighted signs above the lane and the signs that post the times it's an HOV lane.
So today as on many mornings, the two rightmost lanes are thick with traffic, which is therefore moving less than the posted (55, then goes to 65). Sometimes slowed to a near crawl at one spot about a mile long. But the left lane is wide open, only a few vehicles in it. So of course as soon as I can, I move into the left lane and sail past all the traffic.
How does this explain inconsiderate driving? I think it's because many drivers are oblivious to the conditions around them. Too busy yakking on a phone, or listening to the radio, or thinking about the day ahead or whatever... but not focused on driving. And not able to follow clear road signs, and/or not understanding the rules of the road.
So they pass up an easy way to speed up their commute, while helping others by spreading out the traffic across 3 lanes vs. 2. So come to think of it, it IS inconsiderate driving!
Another day on the road in LaLaLand. Saw one cop on the highway, a couple in the city - it's a speeders paradise in many areas, and the left lane usually flows at 75-80 in a 65. Can't imagine it in Seattle, where the locals' heads would explode from sensory overload because of so many lanes of traffic.
Also lots of scary neglected looking smoke belching trucks here, with the calm winds in LA right now, I see where the smog comes from.
Saw a couple of lane splitting bikes here, too - perfectly legal of course. Can't imagine doing it in Seattle.
High beams on during the day, DOT vest, maybe the pulsing light as well.. they all help.
High beams are obnoxious and I think are ignored by some too. I like the idea of a pulsating light, and a loud helmet or jacket. And of course, extra attention and realization that a huge amount of "drivers" are wholly incompetent and simply don't see bikes.
They are obnoxious. Usually it's the most aggressive and dangerous of the motorcyclists who have them. They also aim them toward the oncoming traffic.
> I like the idea of a pulsating light,
The pulsating lights are really irritating to me. I started flashing my high beam passing lights at the same rate as the oncoming cyclist's beams. Apparently they don't like being on the receiving end of the pulsing lights because I got a few salutes from some of them.
Somehow it's amusing to me to see the stereotype in my mind of the cyclists here who use both of the techniques above to blind the oncoming driver to be sure they get attention and are "safe", and then those same cyclists are riding with NO HELMET for their safety. Can I say "oxymoron"? Or maybe just say "moron."
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
And I agree, the pulsing lights are annoying. But you have to admit, they get your attention.
http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news--general-news/motorcyclists-23-better-b- ehind-the-wheel-of-a-car/23971.html
Maybe what they are really saying is that claims are less because bikers are driving their car less?
I really wish you wouldn't as different people have different sensitivity to light. While having real good night vision is good it can also mean that bright lights, even during daylight hours, can be an issue. Even in broad daylight highbeams can cause some people some discomfort, me being one of them.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
And I only nibble at Idaho. Here to Coeur d'Alene & back.
I asked my ophthalmologist that question about the extra bright sunlight and bright oncoming lights 3 weeks ago. He said it is not necessarily a sign of something wrong for someone my age. Same for the flashing headlights.
My big concern with the flashing headlights a few use is that some people react to flashing lights with an epileptic seizure. Besides the discomfort to my eyes, there's the chance the cycle ride could cause a seizure and an accident with the strobe effect headlights.
I suggest that normal bright lights aimed properly will be as safe as the extra bright ones and the strobes.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
"The visual trigger for a seizure is generally cyclic, forming a regular pattern in time or space. Flashing lights or rapidly changing or alternating images (as in clubs, around emergency vehicles, in action movies or television programs, etc.) are an example of patterns in time that can trigger seizures, and these are the most common triggers. Static spatial patterns such as stripes and squares may trigger seizures as well, even if they do not move. In some cases, the trigger must be both spatially and temporally cyclic, such as a certain moving pattern of bars."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosensitive_epilepsy
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Oh yeah, cyclists in LA are just as jerky as in Seattle - cutting close to peds, running stop signs - wanting all the rights of both a motorist and a pedestrian with none of the responsibility.
Hot day in LA today, made for lots of traffic and huge speed gaps - some people flying down the endless maze of roads, some going 40 in a 60. Didn't see a single cop.
Hahaha; nice! I think you're spot on, backy. If drivers spent their time driving instead of thinking about all the other things they aren't doing (or doing things they really shouldn't be doing while driving!), the road would be a much more pleasant place to be. I think people may even simply "get" the inherent pleasantness of consideration on the road (both offered and received).
We've had a couple decent snow storms over the last few days, combined yesterday with some very odd "freezing drizzle" at about 15 degrees (way too cold for such a phenomenon) that caused windshields to severely ice up without any reasonable recourse except to pull over and scrape. Sadly, the majority of "drivers" here a fearful of driving in inclement weather, yet they have no concept of consideration while they hold their panic at bay and crawl down the road. It really takes away from the potential enjoyment of driving from those of us who do like to drive.
I'm going to respectfully disagree with you, wes. My wife was born here in Colorado and grew up in Wyoming. While the weather isn't quite as bad here as it can be up your way, we do get our fair share of snow.
Even with an AWD CUV, the wife slows down considerably when the roads get wet / icy / snowy. Why? As she says - "how fast do you want to be going if you lose control?"
For 12 years, she commuted to a small town about 15 miles from home. Part of that drive was down a canyon road - she was comfortable doing 35-45 in bad weather, even though the limit is 55. If folks behind her didn't like it, they could go around her. Was she inconsiderate? Unless you're creating a queue of whatever number of cars the law says you must let pass, she wasn't going to go any faster than she was comfortable with.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
I am absolutely an advocate of driving both within one's own abilities and comfort, and within the capabilities of the vehicle. That's not the problem - in fact, that's a good thing, as it makes the road safer for all users. What I'm talking about is inconsideration. For example, drivers going 25-30 with a queue of 6-10 (or more) cars behind them. Or, someone going 41 and using the left lane to "pass" another car going 40. Or, the driver going 30 deciding that they must speed up when another driver attempts to pass in that snowy left lane that is rarely used *because* it is so snowy only to slow back down if the other driver falls back behind. On the other end of the spectrum, the driver who stays in the snowy lane kicking up a snow blind on a heavily used road when they could be using a clear lane on the right, or the driver who tailgates that 25-30 mph driver mentioned in the first example.
That's the inconsiderate stuff... the stuff that creates conflict on the roadway for the sake of creating conflict.
On my drive this morning, Chena Hot Springs road (4-lane undivided) was not yet plowed. I got out on a mostly empty road and drove 55 in the clear "right" lane (sometimes hard to tell after a heavy snowfall - LOL) until I came upon a pickup going 40. After that, I followed the pickup a few seconds back at 40 until we eventually came to a two-lane plowed area where I could safely pass (Fiesta can't drive, let alone pass, in the deep stuff). The pickup driver wasn't being inconsiderate in any way and neither was I: We were both driving at speeds and in manners dictated by the conditions we faced.
On the other hand, had I been driving my Forester and decided to pass that pickup only to have it speed up when I attempted to do so, that would have been inconsiderate (as would it be inconsiderate had I decided to just drive in left lane the whole way into town with other vehicles on the road).
And yes, we have the same inconsiderate behavior here in Colorado when the weather is bad.
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Also saw my first crash today too, fender bender with a Lexus LS and I think an Accord. Minor damage, 3 tow trucks on scene (?), 2 cops, kind of overkill.
LA traffic really seems no worse than Seattle, so far. Biggest difference is that many drivers are more aggressive, but they really can't be less aggressive than in the PNW. I'm in the Glendale/Burbank border area, and up here the traffic isn't bad at all - some main roads even have fairly well synchronized lights. Much of this area is kind of a hellish pit, but the area I am staying in seems pretty cool.
Not too many bad drivers today, but did see what seemed like an endless stream of LLCs and MLCs. Saw one cop who might have been speedtrapping near an overpass, and another who actually pulled over a Prius. That's a record. Definitely here, the problem isn't speed or recklessness, rather being oblivious, and being slow. On city streets, some, descriptions not to be given, are just aimless and in slow motion. Kind of like home. But to be fair, those from home would be very scared of some roads here.
Some really awful second world quality roads, too.
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Lane discipline and situational awareness were pretty poor though. Kind of like in LA itself, where much of the time there's no need for lane discipline as volumes don't allow for it. Maybe that explains it, LA people heading to Vegas for the weekend.
Lots of slowness, too, Got behind a Juke going maybe 20 in a 30 where most go much faster - thankfully the road widened - I think he slowed down even more once I went past. Saw a few other slowbies, including a couple of old ladies in a Lexus RX going 20 in a 35. California, it aint.