No worries - that was more of a tongue-in-cheek, "show you that it's way more complicated than anyone realizes", post. As I said, I think those signs are a waste of tax dollars, myself.
I don't want to be here anymore...
- Thread starter Zorba
- Start date
No worries - that was more of a tongue-in-cheek, "show you that it's way more complicated than anyone realizes", post. As I said, I think those signs are a waste of tax dollars, myself.
I actually had it happen when I lived in Roseau occasionally. Usually, old farmers (probably not with great vision), driving their old pickups "to town" below the speed limit, would pull over for you - even with gravel shoulders.
In Colorado it's 3 cars stacked up behind you . But virtually nobody follows this .
Same in Commiefornia - but it really depends on the conditions. I've had people behind me when pulling my fiver down a road that is as straight as an arrow with miles of visibility and no on coming traffic. I won't pull over then - if the people behind me are too stupid to pass me under those conditions, they can stay back there. Granted, in California, those conditions are fairly rare, so I'd pull over because I don't want anyone behind me anyway!
When I lived in Texas you could pass on the right shoulder.
I never wait that long. I'll take the first pullout to let people pass even if it's just one car. I don't like feeling rushed.
Clicked on this because I was worried it was a suicide thread! Glad it's just Zorba being Zorba.
As a recent expat, I can tell you, living somewhere is a LOT different than visiting there.
Establishing residency, getting a driver's license, figuring out the damn trash schedule, learning where to buy what and dealing with the language barrier is a lot different than a vacation where everything is curated and arranged for your entertainment.
I'm enjoying Sicily (of course, im the kind of guy that can enjoy filling sandbags in 115 degree heat), but it's got its own issues.
Not a day goes by that I don't wish for some of the conveniences we enjoy in America.
Took nearly two weeks to get a bike part I could have gotten overnighted to me in the U.S., had to fabricate a bolt head after looking at about 6 different hardware stores (chain and private) for a 10 X 100 mm cap head bolt. I could have picked one up at a dozen hardware stores within 20 miles of my home in the U.S. Amazon doesn't overnight here.
The food is good, and its clean of additives and chemicals, but certain things are really tough to come by, especially steak, pork and decent chips...I know, I'm not supposed to eat that stuff, I rarely do, but once a month or so, I want a fat juicy GRAIN FINISHED steak. It's all grass fed and lean over here. Bleh.
It has its pluses and minuses. One plus is dirt cheap travel. We pay about $50 for a commeter flight to Rome or Milan, or Istanbul, or London. Also, the freedom driving and having nobody on the phone or distracted by their big gulp and whopper is nice. Lane splitting and filtering on the bike is encouraged here. I'm ruined for driving in the states.
I can tell you for sure, we're going to be happy to head back after a few years.
Think hard about making the move without an escape route back. It is nice, but when you LIVE here without a tour guide or a planned activity every day, its not so glamorous.
As a recent expat, I can tell you, living somewhere is a LOT different than visiting there.
Establishing residency, getting a driver's license, figuring out the damn trash schedule, learning where to buy what and dealing with the language barrier is a lot different than a vacation where everything is curated and arranged for your entertainment.
I'm enjoying Sicily (of course, im the kind of guy that can enjoy filling sandbags in 115 degree heat), but it's got its own issues.
Not a day goes by that I don't wish for some of the conveniences we enjoy in America.
Took nearly two weeks to get a bike part I could have gotten overnighted to me in the U.S., had to fabricate a bolt head after looking at about 6 different hardware stores (chain and private) for a 10 X 100 mm cap head bolt. I could have picked one up at a dozen hardware stores within 20 miles of my home in the U.S. Amazon doesn't overnight here.
The food is good, and its clean of additives and chemicals, but certain things are really tough to come by, especially steak, pork and decent chips...I know, I'm not supposed to eat that stuff, I rarely do, but once a month or so, I want a fat juicy GRAIN FINISHED steak. It's all grass fed and lean over here. Bleh.
It has its pluses and minuses. One plus is dirt cheap travel. We pay about $50 for a commeter flight to Rome or Milan, or Istanbul, or London. Also, the freedom driving and having nobody on the phone or distracted by their big gulp and whopper is nice. Lane splitting and filtering on the bike is encouraged here. I'm ruined for driving in the states.
I can tell you for sure, we're going to be happy to head back after a few years.
Think hard about making the move without an escape route back. It is nice, but when you LIVE here without a tour guide or a planned activity every day, its not so glamorous.
This is a little off topic, but I started to notice when my kids started driving that there were way too many road signs, at least in my opinion. This proved true even for me driving around areas of our city that I was not familiar with. I missed a sign once and got a ticket, but I was at the point where I needed to watch the road more than I needed to try to read another sign. They are littering many intersections.
I do that all the time. I hate being tailgated and I consistently don't practice it.
A few things I miss about Texas, pulling onto the shoulder to let people pass and everyone putting a finger up (a nice one) just to say hello. Here in Washington, I found a hand signal helps pedestrians know you see them so they can relax at a crosswalk.
That is very true, no question. With that said, we spent months in Greece completely on our own. Want to move on? Go to the port, buy a ferry ticket to the next island. Get off when you get there, and go find a hotel. Get up in the AM, walk down to the open air market and get your food for the day, then decide what you want to do, and go do it. Etc, etc. Yea, living there is a bit different, but we got pretty darn close - and did NOT miss the US in the slightest. That was a quarter of a century ago. Now, even in dirty, dusty Egypt, we didn't want to go home. Life is just more "real" - FAR less regimented, the people are more "real", and the food most definitely is more "real". Better for you, and I don't miss US food at all - but our diet here in the US is mostly Greek and middle eastern anyway. Egyptian food is a bit different from the more readily available Lebanese, but it didn't take us long to get used to it and enjoy it.
We still wave down here, flash our lights if there is a policeman or something to slow down for, and if there is a shoulder pull over and let folks pass.
And yes even pull to the shoulder and stop for a funeral procession, out of respect.
Is that still a law? My daughter lived in Texas for a couple of years a long time ago, and got pulled over one time because she didn't stop for a funeral.
Not sure if it's a law, I've always been told it's a respect thing.
I know it's mostly a Southern thing.
I don't think it was a legal thing where I grew up, but the unwritten rule was that you weren't to interrupt the procession as a matter of common courtesy (something I realize is essentially non-existent these days).
Not sure about now, but back then PA wasn't really big on wasting asphalt for hard shoulders, so depending on the road, you'd have nowhere to go if giving way.
Same here, you just pull as close to the edge and stop till everyone has passed by.