Nov 30, 2007

Highway 99, Tigard, Dundee, Got Time On Your Hands?

We drove out to Tigard and then on to McMinnville for a nice birthday dinner with our daughter. We all had a great time once we got to McMinnville. McMinnville's downtown area was lit up, very shiny, very sparkly. Dressed like a holiday!

However, it had been a few years since we had the pleasure of driving down Highway 99 during rush hour on a Friday night. I wouldn't recommend it.

As many of you have experienced, Hwy. 99 near Greenburg Rd. is a mess any time of day. Lots of opportunities for inner reflection during those stop and go periods. We particularly enjoyed the drivers attempting to turn left across the two gridlocked southbound lanes, blocking two lanes of traffic while inching forward. Lovely drivers. Lovely.

And Dundee. I had forgotten the magic spell Dundee puts on drivers as they make the merge just east of town. Suddenly, people can't see. They drive without looking. The word "merge" disappears from the English language in the Dundee zone. No one wants to. No one wants to let anyone else merge. The machismo games of merge chicken I have witnessed over the years just east off Dundee make the brinkmanship of the Cuban Missile Crisis seem like afternoon tea at Victoria, B.C.'s Empress Hotel.

Our drive back to Troutdale was smooth sailing. Very little traffic. We were able to take our usual route to I-5 via King City and Durham Rd., which allowed us to avoid Tigard. Once on I-84 eastbound, our car seemed to know the way home. It was ready for bed, and so were we.

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