Wednesday, December 12, 2007

73 degrees in the shade

I had a great ride in this morning. I only needed minor layering. Chilly on the downhills but comfortable the rest of the ride. At the start of my ride the sun was not high enough in the sky to be above the ridges but it's rays were reaching through the gaps in shades of pinkish orange. It was lighting up the east facing mountains, casting shadows from the tall trees. Very Beautiful.

3 of the last 4 miles of my ride is on Old US 70. This is a 2 lane road with a speed limit of 35 mph. It is well patrolled and people are respectful for the most part. There is one school bus driver who is overly respectful. She will not pass me even though we can see that there are no cars coming for a mile up the road. It does not matter how vigorously I wave her around, she won't do it.

My concern is that the people behind her, including the dump truck drivers who are on their way to the quarry, will become irritated and take it out on me as soon as they realize I am the cause of their irritation. So, I usually find a driveway to pull into to let her pass.

The there are the dump trucks. If there is traffic, I generally pull out of the road so that they can pass. Especially if they have a load and we are getting to a hill. My hope is that they will treat me and other cyclists with respect.

Have a great day and love your neighbor,

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