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Up is Down, East is West
Nov. 13th, 2010 10:24 pmA few years ago I was back in Tulsa for my great grandmother's funeral. My cousin and I were riding with my aunt and uncle down one of the expressways. There was a slight dogleg in the road and my uncle said that was the cause of several accidents. Fast forward to me driving on the Dulles Toll Road to work one morning and I noticed the same sort of dogleg. It made me think how conditioned we are in Northern Virginia to quirks in the road. We think nothing of having to zig or zag down what should be a perfectly straight bit of road. That's how you can tell the people who live here vs. the tourists. They don't know when to zig and zag and usually drive below the speed limit.
The non-highways are even worse. Many years ago, my dad and I were driving down West Ox Road. This is a road that has lots of inexplicable zigs and zags. I asked why were there no straight roads. He said that many of the roads in the area were old ox paths. So if the Ox wandered over here or over there, that's how the road went. Definitely explains a lot. The other bits of weirdness around here?
- A major east/west thoroughfare is really north/south if you look at the map.
- The same road (and several roads) might have 15 different names as it meanders across different counties/towns
- It's impossible to give directions to someone visiting from the Midwest.
This last one happened when my best friend and her husband were visiting from Oklahoma many years ago. My friend's husband, Bill, kept wanting to know if something was east or south. My answer? Both. Oklahoma is laid out on a grid. Virginia is not (see that part about the ox). Most of the time when I'm on that major east/west thoroughfare and I look at the compass in my car, I'm actually heading NE. Rarely is it ever a true east or west.
Today I was on Georgetown Pike, thinking how it's the epitome of a NoVA road. Georgetown Pike is a beautiful drive. The road crosses Difficult Run, a tributary of the Potomac that looks like a miniature version of Mather Gorge. The road has some straight patches but it's tricky because just when you think you can gain some speed, you drive down into a valley and hit several twists and turns. Too much speed and you're toast. At dusk or night it's even worse because of all the wildlife. I remember driving home one night only to put on the brakes for a family of raccoons crossing the road. Driving Georgetown Pike today, I was reminded why I love this area, especially in the Fall. I love all the trees and the leaves covering the roads. I love the old farmhouses that are still clinging to the past while surrounded by some Arab Prince's massive mansion. I love the horses running along side the road and the white fence that lines the Madeira school. I love Great Falls Village and it's one stoplight (hey, they have an Arbys!). I'm glad I live in this area and for the first time in a long time, I remembered why.
A short time later I got onto the George Washington Parkway on my way into DC and hit a massive traffic jam. Then I remembered why I hate this area.
The non-highways are even worse. Many years ago, my dad and I were driving down West Ox Road. This is a road that has lots of inexplicable zigs and zags. I asked why were there no straight roads. He said that many of the roads in the area were old ox paths. So if the Ox wandered over here or over there, that's how the road went. Definitely explains a lot. The other bits of weirdness around here?
- A major east/west thoroughfare is really north/south if you look at the map.
- The same road (and several roads) might have 15 different names as it meanders across different counties/towns
- It's impossible to give directions to someone visiting from the Midwest.
This last one happened when my best friend and her husband were visiting from Oklahoma many years ago. My friend's husband, Bill, kept wanting to know if something was east or south. My answer? Both. Oklahoma is laid out on a grid. Virginia is not (see that part about the ox). Most of the time when I'm on that major east/west thoroughfare and I look at the compass in my car, I'm actually heading NE. Rarely is it ever a true east or west.
Today I was on Georgetown Pike, thinking how it's the epitome of a NoVA road. Georgetown Pike is a beautiful drive. The road crosses Difficult Run, a tributary of the Potomac that looks like a miniature version of Mather Gorge. The road has some straight patches but it's tricky because just when you think you can gain some speed, you drive down into a valley and hit several twists and turns. Too much speed and you're toast. At dusk or night it's even worse because of all the wildlife. I remember driving home one night only to put on the brakes for a family of raccoons crossing the road. Driving Georgetown Pike today, I was reminded why I love this area, especially in the Fall. I love all the trees and the leaves covering the roads. I love the old farmhouses that are still clinging to the past while surrounded by some Arab Prince's massive mansion. I love the horses running along side the road and the white fence that lines the Madeira school. I love Great Falls Village and it's one stoplight (hey, they have an Arbys!). I'm glad I live in this area and for the first time in a long time, I remembered why.
A short time later I got onto the George Washington Parkway on my way into DC and hit a massive traffic jam. Then I remembered why I hate this area.
