Riding in Fog

[marcmax]

I had the most surreal experience riding today. I live right on the Florida/Georgia border and one of my favorite rides is down the length of Amelia Island. It is actually one large island and several smaller islands connected by bridges that form a barrier between the ocean and the mainland. The entire stretch is connected and can be driven but my favorite ride is going to Jacksonville Beach and taking the ferry (10 minute ride) to the last island and then riding north to the main island, crossing the bridge to the mainland and riding home.

It was a nice day, temps in the low 60*'s and scattered clouds, nice riding weather. I ran my errands, stopped for lunch and headed to the ferry for the ride home. By now it was late afternoon but still nice weather and I was enjoying the change between wooded islands and open bridges.

I came to the crest of the last bridge and couldn't see the biggest island. It was completely shrouded in a fog bank that had rolled in from the ocean. I watched the car in front of me disappear like an airliner descending into a cloud layer and then poof! I was in it. Visibility went from unlimited to about 100 feet in a few seconds. I was more worried about the traffic I knew was behind me that the cars in front. That and the fact that I knew there were several traffic circles ahead at the resort entrances.

It was definitely a white knuckle ride down the island. Once I got to the other end and crossed the bridge to the mainland I popped out into sunshine for the rest of the ride home. Don't want to that again any time soon.

[montmil]

How did that yellow lens tint work for you? Kinda like a fog lamp?

I think I'd probably turn my Airhead into an ADV bike as I got way off the road; fearful of someone running up me arse!

Glad you made it through safely in a dangerous riding situation.



GO SEAHAWKS [smiley=clap.gif]

[Lucky_Lou]

Truth is allot of drivers are stupid.....this happened last September


'Carnage' on new Sheppey crossing bridge on A249 in Kent at 7.15am saw cars and lorries crash into each other

Eight people seriously injured and another 200 with minor injuries - but no fatalities after incident this morning

Scene was full of buckled cars, lorries and car transporter amid reports some motorists were driving 'like idiots'
Stranded motorists sit on road for up to eight hours in 30C heat but left area by 3pm. Bridge reopens at 5.30pm

Local Conservative MP reveals he had concerns about design of bridge's lighting and will talk to the authorities
AA chief says crash may have been caused by 'stupid driving' - specifically tailgating and not using fog lights
Police say it's 'truly miraculous' that no one was killed in today's pile-up, which saw 33 people taken to hospital
Lives probably saved after lorry driver uses truck to block bridge entrance and stop more cars piling into crash
Drivers may have been caught out by irregular nature of fog patches in South East this morning, forecasters say
Institute of Advanced Motorists: 'Biggest single fog accident' in British history - and it's 'amazing' nobody died

[Barry]

We don't get fog all that often in the UK but when it happens the type of motorway pile up Lou described is just waiting to happen and it does every year because drivers really are stupid. Imagine a motor cycle in the middle of that lot, he be dead for sure. I think In that situation I'd do anything including breaking the law to get off the the road  to safety.

Motorcycles don't have the 21W high intensity rear fog light that every other vehicle in the UK is required to have. We'd have to ride with the brake light on or be sitting ducks.

Do other countries have this rear fog light requirement ?  If you don't I wouldn't worry as it's a mixed blessing. Many drivers are too dumb to understand that they shouldn't use it when it's not needed because it competes with the brakes lights and when they do use it in real fog they probably think it makes them invincible.

[Bob_Roller]

I've only ridden in fog twice, both times here in Phoenix .

The first one was uneventful, decent visibility 100 yards, 100 meters all the way to work at 510 AM on a Saturday .

The second on a weekday was a bit unnerving .

Visibility was about the same, 100 yards, 100 meters .

I have to go up an incline to get to the entrance to the expressway, motorway, go up in elevation anout 30 feet, 10 meters .

With that slight increase in elevation, the visibility dropped to 20 feet, 6 meters .

Helmet visor fogged over on the outside, opened it up and my glasses fogged up instantly .

I turned on the hazard flasher and pulled off of the pavement on the entrance ramp .

Took my glasses off and continued on my way to work with the visor open, visibility went back to 100 yards / meters when I came down again .

The exit I use for  still an express and I could not see a thing looking forward, just the edge of the pavement lane marking .

I've ridden / driven this road 5-7 days a week for 20 years and I was ' lost ' literally !!!!

Got off the expressway at the first exit and continued on surface streets the rest of the way to work .

I also had an interesting thing happen it was 38 F, 3 C and high humidity, it was quite hazy, but no fog, the engine started running rough and the throttle locked up, I was just about to turn around and go back home, when I got a loud bang from the exhaust and then the engine ran fine and the throttle was normal again .

A mechanic at work who is a private pilot, told me it sounded like i had carb ice, the high moisture content in the air turns to ice in the carb throat from the drop in temperature from fuel evaporating / vaporizing .

[NC Steve]

The scariest experience I've ever had of any type involved riding in fog. I was headed back to NC from a Moto Guzzi rally in VA, and riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Before I could even react, a fog  thicker than I had ever seen rolled in. I would have pulled over had I been able to see far enough to locate a turnoff or overlook. I could see the center line on the road, and tried to stay just to the right so I would not ride off the road on my right, otherwise the roadside was invisible. And my biggest fear was that as I was wobbling along at 10 mph, a car would come out the fog at 14 and knock me off the mountain. I rode over 10 miles like this, and finally began coming out of the fog as the Parkway began descending toward NC. I was able to pull off the road, get off the bike, and stood shaking for a looong time before I could make myself get back on the bike and continue down the mountain.

[marcmax]

I got lucky and had an intelligent driver in the car ahead of me. Once he hit the fog he turned on his lights so at least I had a set of taillights to follow. I can't believe the number of cars passed in the opposite direction with no lights on at all.

I don't think my yellow headlight helped me see as it was still daylight but I am sure it helped me BE seen. One car coming the opposite direction had yellow fog lights and he was definitely more noticeable.

The worst part was the thought of someone coming up from behind. About half of the island is a state park/nature preserve. The road is a two lane with no shoulder and sand where the asphalt ends. I stayed nearer to the side of the road than the center thinking if someone did come up on me I would rather take my chances dumping my bike in the sand than being dragged down the pavement. I did flash my brake light every few minutes just to warn anyone behind. The only thing I could think of was the old dot-dot-dot-dash-dash-dash-dot-dot-dot. Not that the driver behind could read it but at least he would know it wasn't someone braking or a turn indicator.

[k_enn]

My big fog experience was on Skyline Drive, in the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia.  I was returning to New Jersey from a trip to Great Smokie Mountains, and I ran into a heavy fog condition.  Visibility varied between 10 and 20 yards/meters.  

This is a windy mountain road, two way travel (one lane each way) with no dividers.  Normal speed limit is 45 mph.  In that fog, you rally had to take it slow, maybe 10-15 mph.  My biggest concerns were someone coming the ohter way and being over the line or getting hit from behind because it would be very hard to see the small R65 taillight until you were on top of it.  I figured more lights are better, and not having flashers, I put on a turn signal.  After about five minutes or white-knuckle riding in the fog, I came up on a group of about 10 motorcyclist.  The pack of taillights was a lot move visible than my single one with a turn signal, so I just latched on to the end of their group and rode with them for about a half hour.  The pack mentaility seemd to work well.  A few cars came up on us, but never dangerously close.  

I planned to peel off into a rest area and get dinner there, but they pulled in there too.  As I was walking in, they invited me to sit with them.  I accepted.  I started talking with them, and found out they were from New Jersey too.  They asked where I was staying that night, and I told them I was planning to get a site the national park campground.  They said it was all full, but I could just ride in with them and throw a tent in their area.   I did, and hung out with them.  Turned out they had a support van with them, and three giant coolers of beer, mixers, and liquor, so we partied late into the night in the rain.  The park rangers were none to happy, and were going to kick us out at 2:30 in the morning -- but that is another story.  

So the fog story ended well for me, but I would not like to ride in a fog like that again.

k_enn

[Motu]

I get to ride in fog a lot on my morning commute, it's open road stuff and not a lot of traffic, but one has to be very carefull. I usually wear yellow glasses in fog which helps a bit.