Road Hazards

Today was a great day for a ride, so I took two. The temperature was 60° by 10 AM but the maximum it got was about 67° by 3 PM; now that the temperature is going up I’ll have to start hoping for the wind to go down!
The first ride was rather mundane—took a long-cut to Safeway to pick up some groceries; total of 6 ½ miles. On the second trip I thought I’d take some pictures of potential hazards I see every day. Most could be hazardous regardless of the vehicle you’re driving; however, some are definitely more perilous if you’re on a cycle.
The first is large trucks; whether they’re coming from the front

or rear,

they are intimidating. I am passed by numerous rigs like this on nearly every ride and I must say that the drivers are very courteous and have never given me a fright.
One of the roads on which I ride has a thick rope laid across it as a speed bump. Although the speed limit is 20 mph, I ease across this barrier as it can be quite jarring.

Of course the granddaddy of hazards must be a pothole;

there’s nothing quite like a pothole to test your reactions and swerving abilities, especially when they are camouflaged by shadows on the road!

Railroad tracks seem insignificant in an automobile; however, if they are slightly wet or cross the road at an angle, they can be extremely dangerous.

Oftentimes, you will see a cyclist riding to the right of the white line on the side of the road. I will ride there when it’s been cleaned but with the financial difficulties of many road departments today, quite often the shoulder of the road looks like this:

not good for riding!
And finally, there is organic material; wet leaves or grass on the roadway is a definite hazard. A more pungent problem appears on rural roads and multi-use paths such as the coal Miners’ Trail.