I wonder how many people in Second Life even know there's a network of Linden-maintained highways across the mainland continents? We've been exploring some of them recently and want to encourage you to do the same! In the picture above, I am standing at one end of Route 8B (- I think I put 88 in the photo, oops). Route 8 (and 8a, 8b, and the Old Wagon Road) make up just one network on one of the land-masses of Second Life.
According to the SL Wiki, The land creation team sets aside "road" parcels in many new Mainland regions; it's the duty of the LDPW (Linden Department of Public Works) to add content to those parcels. Not only roads: walking trails, railways, monorails, bridges, ferryboats, sailing routes, etc.
These highways are all public, and traversable without the worry of private-land-boundaries, security orbs and the like. Like all of Second Life, crossings from one region (sim) to another can be bumpy at times and just as with sailing or any other travel in SL, these can sometimes lead to crashes or freezes or other odd behaviors.
The best part about these highways is that it shows you just how much SL has changed over the years - and in many cases - hasn't changed! The vast majority of things you see roadside as you travel along these trails date back to the first years of SL, mostly from about 2007-2015. Sure, there's people actively updating and creating newer parcels and builds but there is also a lot of what would seem to be abandoned parcels, houses, shops and....well sometimes it's not even obvious what something is supposed to be but that's half the fun of SL, it can be whatever you want it to be.
There are frequent rez-zones along these roads so you can rez a vehicle, horse, etc. to ride along the roads. Also there's a few that are serviced by 'pods', automated little hovering cars that follow set routes and often have text-commentaries as you move along like a Beverly Hills bus-tour.
Spend an hour moving along these highways and if you're anything like me, you will be left a little bit awestruck when you remember that every single object in Second Life, that's right, everything, (with the exception of infrastructure and the land itself) was created by and placed there by a user just like you and me. So next time you stand around at the Lesbian Teahouse and thinking "There's really not that many people in SL these days..." spare a thought that yes, yes there are, they are just spread out more than they ever were and not everyone in SL is hanging around the same places you are! There is literally a whole planet out there to be seen and explored. If you're not having fun in SL, you're doing it wrong!
- Katt.