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[xonhulu]

Feeling a bit stir crazy, I took a trip over to central Oregon to do some hiking around a couple of the units of John Day Fossil Beds.  On the way, though, I did see some road-related sights.

First, some bad news: this US 126 shield is now gone, replaced with the correct state route shield while the shot-up US 20 was also replaced.



However, this gem is still in place, one of only two I know left in Oregon:



Still no signage in place for 2002 routes OR 361 and OR 370, despite them showing up on almost every map of the area I saw.  Also, still only one OR 380 shield, and one of the 4 posted OR 293 signs is now gone.  Oddly, 293 isn't mentioned at all at its eastern terminus junction with OR 218 in Antelope, but there is a shield posted for a minor side road that junctions with it 1 mile west of Antelope.  My ongoing question: why did ODOT go to the bother to petition the Transportation Commission for these routes back in 2002, but 8 years later still haven't posted most of the routes in the field?  Is it funding or indifference?  Anyway, here are a 293 shield and the only 380 shield:



Last, I saw this inexplicable mistake in the town of Fossil.  Both shields should be OR 19, but I can't for the life of me even understand why 97 would even get on here:  US 97 doesn't pass through or near Fossil.  If you turn right, go one block, turn left on OR 218, and drive its entire length to Shaniko, you'll get to US 97, but I doubt if that entered anyone's mind.  It just seems like a random mistake.

[agentsteel53]

good news on that 126!  I checked on it in late December.  The other 126, I haven't looked for since May '08.  There is a 217 that is rumored to be around (apparently faded to black?) but I have never been able to find it.

the US-126 on the Sisters/Suttle Lake green sign was not old enough to really refer to US-126; it was an error shield for OR-126.  A correct US-126 in that context would have been a cutout.

[xonhulu]

good news on that 126!  I checked on it in late December.  The other 126, I haven't looked for since May '08.  There is a 217 that is rumored to be around (apparently faded to black?) but I have never been able to find it.

Both 126's are still up, and I've seen them both recently (in the last month).  As for the 217, it's possible it's still there, but I'm pretty sure it's gone.  I'm sure I'll be up there pretty soon, so I'll double-check.  There were actually 3 of them on overpasses, but all were removed 2-3 (?) years ago.  I thought I had a picture of the blackened-out shield, but couldn't find it just now.  However, here's one of the others:

the US-126 on the Sisters/Suttle Lake green sign was not old enough to really refer to US-126; it was an error shield for OR-126.  A correct US-126 in that context would have been a cutout.

Yeah, it was a sign goof and not historic.  It probably lasted as long as it did because the junctioning Forest Service road was pretty obscure.  It looks like they recently replaced all the shields through that stretch of highway.  By the way, while ODOT does a pretty good job of signing the 20-126 duplex, there are a good number of assemblies with only US 20.

[agentsteel53]

I scoured mainline 217 and I thought I got all the overpasses as well on the side streets, and did not find a single 217 in May of 2008.  If it was on some random overpass that I did not spot on the map, then it may have been there.

I am surprised the forest service route got a 20/126 and a guide sign.  Was it ever a state route?  The shields were 18x18 in that photo - are their replacements 18x18 as well?  I do not know if the Oregon MUTCD still allows 18" - I am guessing that when they switched from cutouts around 1974, they went to black squares in all the same sizes (18", 24", 36", possibly 48" as well), but the federal MUTCD has not had an 18" shield since 1970/71. 

[xonhulu]

I scoured mainline 217 and I thought I got all the overpasses as well on the side streets, and did not find a single 217 in May of 2008.  If it was on some random overpass that I did not spot on the map, then it may have been there.

It may have been gone by then; remember, I said it was removed 2-3 years ago.  Not sure why: those overheads weren't harming anything, and they weren't replaced.  Maybe someone just thought they looked tacky.

I am surprised the forest service route got a 20/126 and a guide sign.  Was it ever a state route?  The shields were 18x18 in that photo - are their replacements 18x18 as well?  I do not know if the Oregon MUTCD still allows 18" - I am guessing that when they switched from cutouts around 1974, they went to black squares in all the same sizes (18", 24", 36", possibly 48" as well), but the federal MUTCD has not had an 18" shield since 1970/71. 

I never understand the inconsistency of signing at side roads.  I'm reminded of Lakeview OR, where every street hitting OR 140 on the west side had a 140 shield.  Other locales, where there could be confusion, nothing.

I think the new 20/126 shields were a bit larger, maybe 24".  Remember, though, the new 126 wouldn't be square at all, but one of the "alien heads" you admire so much. 

[agentsteel53]

both narrow and wide Oregon shields are alien heads!  

Michael Summa once sent me this excellent mockup of what the black square abstracted Oregon shield should've looked like.



now that is an attractive sign, and it allows for the exact same size of numerals as the current design.

to make a 28x24/30x24 or other proportionately wide shield, I'd imagine you'd expand the bottom part while leaving the eagle the same.

[xonhulu]

both narrow and wide Oregon shields are alien heads!  

Michael Summa once sent me this excellent mockup of what the black square abstracted Oregon shield should've looked like.

now that is an attractive sign, and it allows for the exact same size of numerals as the current design.

I agree, it's pretty cool.  I think the modernists behind the current design would still find it too complicated.  As for me, I'd just as soon see the classic eagle printed on a square sign.

to make a 28x24/30x24 or other proportionately wide shield, I'd imagine you'd expand the bottom part while leaving the eagle the same.

I've often thought I would try to make a wide eagle shield.  Two things have always stopped me: I'm not that good at graphics on computers, and I'm lazy.  The 2nd is also why I've never made a web page out of my photo collection.

[Bickendan]

I scoured mainline 217 and I thought I got all the overpasses as well on the side streets, and did not find a single 217 in May of 2008.  If it was on some random overpass that I did not spot on the map, then it may have been there.

I know which shield you're talking about and I think it was gone by May 2008. It was hanging off an overpass.