[youtube video=”ZfPYk8BzR-c”] Nice paving job — and wide too! That was my first impression Wednesday of the newly rebuilt segment of Riverside Drive just outside of Albany. On the bike, the wider road really makes a difference, even before the lane markings are installed.
Linn County’s plan to widen Riverside Drive — a long-awaited safety improvement for drivers and bike commuters — is about to take off.
ODOT completed a million-dollar separated bike path along Highway 34 last fall. It’s supposed to be part of a safer bike route between Albany and Corvallis. Linn County had hoped to start this year on its part of the deal — wider shoulders along part of six-mile-long Riverside Drive — but there’s been a delay.
There are lots of ways to observe the first day of summer, I guess. But I figure one of the best is to make use of the county roads in Oregon’s mid-valley for a leisurely ride on my bike. So that’s what I did on Monday morning.
When almost everyone else is watching TV is a great time for getting outside on a bike. Super Bowl Sunday afternoon was ideal.
On a sunny summer’s day, there’s nothing like the wide open secondary roads of the mid-Willamette Valley for a leisurely cruise on a bike. Normally you don’t meet anybody out there. But sometimes you do, as the video demonstrates. And it’s a rare occasion when somebody stops for a chat. (hh)
Being grateful for good cycling roads
In November, sunny days are not routine in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, so you have to grab them when they occur. Which is what I did when I got the chance on Friday afternoon before the fog rolled in.
Tags: Linn county roads, November sunshine, Oregon cycling, Thanksgiving