Okay. So.

I don't really post here much... I probably should, but I'm a rather freelance cyclist. But I have a question for those who are used to the area; I'm from the Eastern Shore, but I'm currently living in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Baltimore, specifically, but that's not important for my question, which involves US 301.

On Tuesday, I took the B30-bus down to Greenbelt Station and rode south through DC and out of there on MD 210. No problems yet... but because I wanted to be brave and take the shortest route eastward, I took a few back roads which were mercilessly hilly. No problems yet, except for pollen, which were making it rather difficult to breathe well. So eventually I pop out on US 301 (just north of MD 5: Branch Avenue), and head north. And, oh my goodness... motorists are just horrible.

My goal was Annapolis, which was bad because inhaling all that exhaust, namely that of all the people intentionally revving their engines at me and the occasional person blowing their cigarette smoke over my head, severely slowed me down. Add people honking you off the road, yelling at you in hopes of scaring you off your bike, and otherwise... on a completely legal highway with a friggin' shoulder, and I have to wonder:

Are motorists just LIKE this on this side of Maryland? Is this childish antagony just normal for cyclists to get?
Because I seriously never got this on the Eastern Shore. But then again, most of the tri-county knew who I was, anyway.

Honestly, I stop at all signs and signals that tell me to, I obey all rules of the road, I stay off on the shoulder if there is one, and I try to ride as predictably as possible. I'm never obstructing traffic and try to get out of motorists' way whenever possible, whenever there's no room for the two of us in that lane. So it's not even like I'm in anyone's way. That said, the trip was 68 miles long. Could have easily done more, and faster, if I could breathe.