The road had a light gray/silver sandy material on it that aligned just right of center. Although the apex of the left turn was also where a dirt road intersected from the right, the material did not look like it was dragged in off the dirt road or shoulder. This road is at fairly high elevation and I think this was just an accumulation of sand used to increase traction on morning ice. We actually encountered more of it on a straight-away farther down the road. The material was less than 1/4 inch sand and chips with a sharp angular cut. I know because someone in front of me was dragging their feet in it and it sprayed all over the front of my bike.
Anyway, it's that time of year when we get persistent moisture on the roads and those areas high enough to freeze get sanded for ice control. Unfortunately, in this case, the color of the material perfectly matched the chip-seal pavement, and was almost invisible.
