Highway Mile Markers 101

Sometimes driving along, you may or may not pay much heed to roadside mile markers. Well, I'll tell you that they deserve a bit more attention than you think! I understand it's easy to zone out especially on monotonous flat stretches, but if you have one of those minds that occasionally tends to think in worst case scenarios, an accurate mile marker may be a very good start for getting emergency type personnel on scene, should something go wrong, that much more expeditiously.
So to understand how the number on a mileage marker relates to you, it essentially is telling you how many miles away from where that highway began, or if it runs interstate, where it crossed the state line and started over from Mile 0.
Mileages INCREASE from South to North and also from West to East.

Mileages increase from South to North

US Interstate 5 runs all the way from Mexico to Canada, but the mile marker count "resets" every time you cross the state line going northbound. So, when you hop on I-5 in Portland and cross over that Columbia River heading north, your first mile marker will be MM1.

Mile markers begin low in downtown Seattle and reach nearly 300 by the Idaho state line

Now, say you're heading into Seattle and you decide to hop on I-90 and head over Snoqualmie Pass. You're on different highway now, that runs in a west/east direction. Well, the same rule applies, this highway's MM1 is in Seattle and nears MM 300 by the time you reach the Idaho stateline, where it starts again!

So, it's all relative. Every mile marker signifies how far you are from the beginning of something! It's a neat trick to know exactly how many miles you are from a terminus, say, state line (especially if you're westbound or southbound) and gives you a way of keeping a much more accurate idea of your location, especially in the event of a catastrophe. 

Travel safe, friends. -Tara

Two Favorite Apps: Travel

For all the time spent on the road this winter, I had a decent amount of opportunity, with good cell coverage, to check out some new travel apps.
The first and favoritest, is Waze.
This app is community based, in that it works off the GPS signals of your fellow traveler/commuters. It bases traffic conditions off their (and your) reports as well as shows a visual indicator of slow-downs, collisions, abandoned vehicles on the roadside and where the Law Enforcement types may have set up shop for a speed trap.
I will say it's more of a "set it up before you leave the driveway" than "fumbling with it during the drive" so as to avoid distraction, but it's layout is very similar to what your normal GPS program looks like, following your route with the addition of real time traffic issues.
I encourage taking a look at the computer friendly version at home at www.waze.com to familiarize yourself with the map and what symbols mean what (a busy rush-hour near Bellevue, for instance is pretty impressive).

A blown out view of Seattle and surrounding area. A mild Saturday drive!

Zoomed in to an incident on I-90, just outside of Issaquah.

Number 2 App is: Road Ninja.

Road ninja pulls up information on the highway ahead of you (Interstate specifically) and tells you what options you have at upcoming exits. Information includes: rest stops, restaurants by name, hotels, and gas stations with their prices for Regular Unleaded. It takes the guess work out of which exit you should take to grab a bite and fill up the tank.

Road Ninja example of exit options

Lastly, a bonus for the Washington state peeps, make sure you have the WSDOT app. It's got road conditions, mountain pass reports and ferry schedules. No more searching through your glove box to find out when the Kingston ferry takes off!

Safe travels! -Tara