Road Hazards

People often express concern that I have to travel on "that horrible, windy road in the winter." I'll admit, it caused a genuine apprehension in me when we were considering moving to Waterville, but, you know, it really isn't that bad. The road crews do an excellent job of keeping the roadway clear. In fact, Pine Canyon, the road that is most feared by those who don't regularly navigate it, is usually better maintained than Highway 97 below!

My greatest Pine Canyon anxiety, until recently, was not actually the snow and ice, but rather the frequently falling rocks. We learned, very quickly, that we needed to be on high alert during and after a rainshower and when snow was melting. It is really scary to come around a corner and find that a large rock has plopped itself in the middle of your lane of travel. It is even more intensely frightening to be nearly assaulted by a St. Bernard-sized boulder falling directly from the cliffs above! (I hope my grandma isn't reading this one.) I remember seeing the huge rock detach and fall in slow motion as I swerved toward the shoulder. It smashed into the lane beside me, showering my vehicle with gravelly debris. Thankfully, conditions have improved since the rock slope stabilization project in 2009. I honestly didn't think it would make a big difference, but we rarely see rocks on the roadway now.

Now all we really have to be worried about is crazy, late-to-work drivers!