Originally Posted by
Bmach
The op is obligated to stay as far to the right as possible I believe.
There is no obligation to stay as far to the right as possible.
The law in most states is to stay as far to the right as
practicable. Practicable means that you must be able to put it into practice.
Staying all the way to the right is not practicable if there are pot holes, for example, or if it allows motorists to pass when it is not safe to do so such as on blind hills or blind curves.
For the OP, it may not have been practicable to stay on the shoulder while descending hairpin turns at the speed limit. In this situation it is permissible to take the lane.
-Tim-