Route help: DC to Charles Town, WV

[Kalidurga]

It's been a while since I've driven route 9, but I used to drive Harper's Ferry Rd from my parent's house up to Harper's Ferry every now and again. As I recall, HF Rd is one lane each way with a double line and little to no shoulder. I don't think route 9's much bigger. It wouldn't surprise me if people ride those roads, though, as it's gorgeous out there. The question is, how comfortable are you on two-lane semi-busy rural roads with pickup trucks and the occasional horse trailer?

[Zen]

Rt 9 scares me in a car but I'm old and afraid of everything

Are you the superior vena cava?

[Kalidurga]

Rt 9 scares me in a car but I'm old and afraid of everything

Hey, if you survived Md route 51 (which 9 eventually becomes) with me, you can survive anything.

[venacava]

Are you the superior vena cava?

I like to think so!

[venacava]

The question is, how comfortable are you on two-lane semi-busy rural roads with pickup trucks and the occasional horse trailer?

Thanks for the info.

I'm an urban cyclist; I spend most of my time in Arlington and DC and I bike pretty much everywhere I go. So although biking down M Street in the middle of rush hour doesn't faze me at all, those rural roads are another story. (It doesn't help that someone on Bike Forums who lives in Winchester just characterized Route 9 as a "death road", with no shoulders, high speeds, and lots of blind turns...yikes.)

I have done a couple of century rides in that area around the VA/WV border, so I'm not a complete stranger to those country roads, however those were fully supported rides with 500 or so participants. Riding on those roads solo will be a completely different experience, I'm sure.

[Kalidurga]

It doesn't help that someone on Bike Forums who lives in Winchester just characterized Route 9 as a "death road", with no shoulders, high speeds, and lots of blind turns...yikes.

The speeds on Harpers Ferry Rd might not be as high, but the rest of that description fits much of it as well.