Gladys and I took our chances on headwinds today and headed out in the Valley about noon. Construction work was in full swing in front of the house, and we had to slalom our way in and out of traffic cones, barrels, and oncoming traffic.
Not the bluster we encountered yesterday: wind calm to the point that a pair of young duffers were teeing it up at the Sky Valley Driving Range. Judging by the white spots dotting the green, business is on the upswing (no pun intended). 
Gladys and I turn right off Tualco and head for home. At this point Gladys became confused. On SR 203 she steered clear of the cone-line southbound lane to avoid the southbound traffic and chose the safety of the shoulder INSIDE the traffic barrels. Oh, Gladys—big mistake. Two hundred feet or so closer to home and we encounter Mari, a pintsize littler gofer for Tri-State International, DOT’s contractor for the turn lane project. Mari is waving us off the shoulder and into traffic. She blocks our progress and delivers an ultimatum: WE CAN’T RIDE ON THE SHOULDER; WE MUST USE THE CAR LANE. Now Gladys probably has ten pounds on Mari and is nearly as tall, and I feel a fracas brewing. Fortunately I am there to intercede and a “chick fight” is averted. I direct her slowly out into traffic at “OUR OWN RISK.” My high-spirited mount and I arrive safely at the driveway. But I couldn’t help but notice as I rolled Gladys into the garage, her reflector was glowing a bright red!
I would have said, "As soon as you guys paint the lines for the bike lane, I'll use it. Until then, I'll use the shoulder." Sounds like you've been surrounded not only by DOT, but also a dictatorial mini-woman employed by said department. It's too bad you've already spoken with them so much otherwise you could just play the deaf/mute card (sorry to offend any PC peeps...'cause I'm not one). It worked for Chief Bromden. :)
ReplyDelete