Suiattle followup

Thanks to all who have taken the time to comment (well, at least those of you with civility and some sense of a shared reality). I certainly don't treat the blog with as much scrutiny as I do my articles for publication, but I do feel the need to address a couple of points.
Okay, I get it, we didn't WIN the lawsuit, the USFS walked away from the project. In every field of competition I've entered, when a team walks off the field during the game, it's called forfeit.
In such cases, the other team is credited with a win, as in W.

I said a preferred alternative would be to end the road "just before Downey". Allow me to clarify--to me that means a mile or two before Downey, not AT Downey.

I don't remember any of the commentors being with Kevin and I when we walked the proposed job site with the USFS in (2005?). It was a cordial, professional meeting, and I respect the foresters in Darrington, and indeed, across the state. We were disappointed when many of the items we discussed did not come to pass with this project (like a narrow single-lane road prism through the repair corridor, or ending the road around Green Mtn turnoff, and NO rip rap and bank armoring!).

What's all of this about lack of access? I'll say it again and again: access is still there! Ride a bike--I've done it with a full pack and it's not that bad. Or enjoy a lovely extra hour of lush valley hiking. There's a reason these roads keep failing, and throwing money at it doesn't work except to waste money year after year. The USFS actually had heavy equipment stranded above the MP12-14 washout in 2006 when those floods hit--they/we can't repair this stuff fast enough. Look no further than Tenas Creek for the same story. The $850,000 per mile may be "Federal Highway monies", but that means OUR money. All the hew and cry to cut the budget should apply here as equally as anywhere else...

Oh, and access for the infirmed and elderly? valley hikes along the spectacular Suiattle sound like just the ticket. I should know, my right foot was torn off 10 years ago. Should we build a tram so I can accomplish one of my life goals to stand at the summit of Shuksan?
Through life we go through changes, and we get old, and suffer accidents, and inevitably slow down. That's how it works.