riverdweller

I heard about this forum and when I read the comments and I just had to register and give my input. I live on the Mt Loop Hwy in Verlot, less than a mile east of the spot where people parked on the road on New Year’s Eve. We got so much snow between Christmas and that day that the snow plows couldn’t keep up most days. It’s typical for people to travel to the end of the road at Deer Creek and park there. However, the roads were hazardous and trees were down at Red bridge, blocking the road there. On Sun. 12/30, a road closure sign was put up at the Verlot Ranger station. On the day in question, a neighbor came to my house and was ranting about people parking right in the roadway. I left with her and was completely shocked to see that it was true. The entire eastbound lane, going around a blind curve, was blocked with a long line of vehicles (heading westbound in the eastbound lane). They were not on the shoulder because no shoulder had been plowed (and never was that day because the plow couldn’t do that side of the road thanks to the cars). I don’t know if the people claiming to be on the shoulder innocently mistook the double yellow line they were parked on as the marking for a shoulder? The road was reduced to one lane around a curve and pretty scary to drive around – I just had to hope that no one was coming around that curve in my lane. We have lived up here for 15 years and I have never seen such an outrageous thing. The people that were towed made a choice to travel beyond a road closure sign and then chose to use an entire lane of travel for parking. They put themselves and those of us who live here at risk. The Deputy who responded is being trashed on this forum because people can’t seem to take personal responsibility for their actions. If you are up here and have an accident or some other problem, it is that Deputy that is likely to respond and help you. He responded to a call I made when there was a very scary person sneaking around my property and was very helpful. When I read all of the comments here I promptly contacted the Sheriff’s office with my story and offered to be a witness and I am asking my neighbors who appreciated his response on that day to call and write in as well. He has a hard job and serves our community up here well, and I do not want to lose that resource because people who made poor choices are angry about the consequence. Aside from this one incident, I also want to add that there were other issues during that snowy week that were annoying. People were having their driveways blocked daily by people trying to get to the snow. Someone said that they should have closed the road at Mt Pilchuk because there’s parking there. People that live up that road need to get in and out, and not just when people coming up to play decide they are done parking there. I do not understand where this sense of entitlement comes from. I can’t imagine coming down into neighborhoods in the cities and just deciding that I will park in or across someone’s driveway and then go off to play. Or that I will just park my car in a lane of travel on someone’s street because I want to get somewhere and there isn’t any parking available. I think that people coming up for recreation see those of us who live here as props, or somehow unworthy of the same respect and consideration that they expect where they live. I don’t think it’s much to ask to not have our roadway or our driveways blocked, even if it is more convenient to do so.