[Stephen717]

Originally Posted by special-K

I haven't worked in suburban Montgomery County, drive on I-270, I-495, or anywhere near Washington, DC. I used to and I did it in manual trucks. Heavy work trucks. These days you hit bumper to bumper on I-70 east of the US40 split and MD32 heading south. I drive an automatic and I talk back roads to avoid those messes. Coming up I-95 from the south I get off at Fredericksburg, VA and cut cross country up US17 to US15. Now development is congesting in on that. The good thing is I haven't been on that route in a decade. Certainly not a daily concern.

It's true these days I avoid the traffic mess areas as much as possible. Basically it does not exist in my live, now. I am all about the grey areas and find black & white either/or mentality to be amusingly close minded and blind. That's why I had to laugh at "manuals have no place". I would never surrender myself to this pure hell I see described by those who deal with this daily. I would move or find a job at least pay that allowed me to avoid it. I've always avoided it when possible. Manuals quickly find their place in this modern world once snow falls

Beautiful Harpers Ferry, West Virginia where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers meet and cut through the Blue Ridge Mountains and hikers on the Maine to Georgia Appalachian Trail can hike into a restaurant for a warm prepared meal at a table. A place away from the hustle and bustle of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD where people go to get away. A place to camp, kayak, canoe, tube, take a raft trip, or try your hand at small mouth bass fishing.
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See that bridge? That's US340. It crosses the Potomac once and the Shenandoah once where it squeezes down to two lanes carved into the mountainside with the river dropped down on the other side. I call it "The Narrows". It is the 'only' route through that area for many miles around. You go from Maryland to Virginia to West Virginia in a couple miles. On the stretch between the bridges there are two roads to access those areas of VA and WVA. To make matters worse there is a traffic light at one. And, the Charles Town area has seen major housing development. M-F you have terrible backups for many miles through the whole area from commuter traffic and on the weekends it's just as bad from pleasure seekers. I'm looking to buy out that way on the Maryland side where I can get off US340 before approaching the river

It's definitely worse on the weekends, and in the summer if you're trying to get to Frederick MD the best way to do it is either take 340 to 9 into VA and turn left at the light to circle back through neersville. Or take 340 into Martinsburg hop on 81 to 70 and over. Trying to turn onto or off of chestnuts Hill road between the bridges sucks as well. All this being said if you don't mind slowing down and sitting in traffic listening to music the scenery is great and in the fall when all the leaves are changing and the rivers just starting to cool off there's no better time to roll with the windows down and just cruise. As for driving with a manual all the vehicles I've driven that have had them have been fine in stop and go traffic. My favorite though has been my buddies dodge (as I'm looking at an nv4500 and he said I could get a feel for how they shift) where I got stuck on the Maryland side of the bridges. Didn't have a problem with that truck or any other in stop and go traffic.