Photos by P.M. Summer
...but there it is. Most of the shoulder is quite nice (as shoulders go). Not this section, and it's not the worst section on this highway shoulder's varying width (ranging from 2' to 10') and condition, either.
The one thing that is continuous is the presence of those 3/4" deep rumble strips (except at the numerous roads and driveway entrances). Is this what you expect a travel lane to look like? No. A shoulder? Yes.
Here are a couple of other locations along this same roadway.
6 comments:
An “auto-equalized” picture, meaning the pixel colors which occur frequently in the your image are stretched further apart than pixel colors which occur only rarely.
Right of the “rumble strips” the debris/dirt pattern and texture varies from a fine powder, slight grit, to a sandy pile. Strewn in this mix are various size small rocks and stones. Debris can hides road defects like the pothole on the far right (approximately halfway up the frame). The dark texture indicates a crating depression and possibly dirt which has not dried. The truck entering the road shows a plume of debris from vehicles tires and possibly additional runoff from the lane. Riding on the far right edge of the shoulder looks no better than level dirt trail.
The travel lanes (roadway) on the left of the edge lane are comparatively clean as any road gets. There is slight acclimation of dirt near the edge line, which is normal given the ground effects of large motor vehicles, sweeping debris out.
Up North there is plenty of road debris from snow piles, sand, salt that accumulates after a long winter. Guess where it starts and stays? It takes several major rain storms to wash most of that stuff off.
Paved shoulders look pretty much the same anywhere, crappy, faux “Share the Road” facility.
Thanks for the enhanced photo link, Dan, and the excellent observations!
Good job on Dan's enhancement.
I was nearly killed when I hit some divots like that on US Hwy 66 in Colorado several years ago. I moved to the left part of the shoulder to avoid some debris then *blam* wheel diversion and a tumble.
Dan & PM - May I post the auto-equalized photo on the Let Him Ride! website?
Eliot Landrum said...
"Dan & PM - May I post the auto-equalized photo on the Let Him Ride! website?"
Certainly OK by me. It's Dan's call.
Elliot (and PM) you are most welcome to re-use the picture.
Look the debris plume from the lane where the truck is entering the road. Where does it stops, the edge line.
The shoulder is like a reverse beach shore, the edge line is a dividing line, then wind and rain moves debris to the edge where it builds up in layers. There is slight wavy pattern in the center.
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