Yep - I certainly over-think things! I do appreciate the encouragement.

The interesting thing is my country roads don't scare me at all - even with the farm equipment that spans the entire road drunk red-necks in pickups whizzing by shouting nice things about my butt (selective hearing is a blessing), etc. The point is none of the above come in groups

I will do this again on other lower-traffic days, but for the most part I will just bite the bullet and wait to cross the street to reach the bike path - except when it is flooded.

You know, considering how much I rode last year, and what I am planning to ride this year, it does seem silly to worry about traffic so much. Then again, it is a very different kind of riding than my low-traffic country roads!