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Dangerous Roads

Vardoger said:
Meanwhile, in India...

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This reminds me of when i was visiting the Colca Canyon in Peru, our coach driver executed a 3 point turn on a narrow mountain road similar to the one below, at one point, as i was sat at the back, i was looking out of the window and the 1000 ft drop directly beneath me, as the rear axle sat about 10ft back from the rear of the coach.

Colca-Canyon-winding-paths.jpg
 
Vardoger said:
Meanwhile, in India...

Click to expand...
Souleater said:
This reminds me of when i was visiting the Colca Canyon in Peru, our coach driver executed a 3 point turn on a narrow mountain road similar to the one below, at one point, as i was sat at the back, i was looking out of the window and the 1000 ft drop directly beneath me, as the rear axle sat about 10ft back from the rear of the coach.

View attachment 38414
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When my friend and I visited Ireland, we decided on our first day to drive around the the Dingle Peninsula rather than the recommended - and larger - Ring of Kerry due to the weather. Part of the trip was much like the roads in these pictures. At one point we approached a huge rent in the side of the mountain, as if Godzilla had scraped his claw against it. As we drove closer we saw that water was trickling down this opening, across the VERY narrow road - making it look weak and fragmented where the water flowed through cracks - and down on the other side. We crept over the cracked road and continued on our way, assuming this was fairly recent damage that needed to be addressed. A week later, discussing the incident with our b&b hostess in Cork, she said it was always like that, and she once had to back up at that point because a bus was coming the other way.
 
This relatively new Chinese road is a challenging series of twists and turns.

PanlongAncientRoad-2206.jpg
Road in China with jaw-dropping hairpins is now a tourist attraction: Highway reaches an altitude of over 13,000ft and has over 200 bends in total

The recently built Panlong Ancient Road in West China contains so many bends – over 200 – that it has rapidly become a tourist attraction.

The most photogenic section contains a jaw-dropping series of steep hairpin bends, rising sharply from a plateau into snowcapped mountains. Heaven for driving enthusiasts, hell for anyone who suffers from car sickness. ...

The 75km-long (46-mile) road - dubbed the Plateau Sky Road by locals - is in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, Xinjiang Province.

Its original purpose was to provide passage through the Kunlun Mountains for local farmers and herdsmen. ...

The road reaches a height of 4,200 metres (13,780ft), with a maximum elevation gain of 1,000 metres (3,280ft). ...

However, www.dangerousroads.org, while calling the road a 'driving enthusiast's dream', warned drivers to be careful during rain and snow - and to be aware that mudslides are possible. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/...jaw-dropping-hairpins-tourist-attraction.html
 
I haven't seen 'Lombard Street' in San Francisco, California, mentioned, so I thought I would. It's supposed to be one of the most treacherous streets to drive, and as you know, San Francisco is also very steep in places, which adds to the danger:

1656416984347.png


However, Pat Montandon, a tv personality here, lived on that street in a haunted house, back in the 1960's and 1970's. She wrote a book about the experience, "The Intruders", which is really harrowing:

1656417070546.png


I couldn't put the book down, now I have to see if I can find my copy. If not, it's always available on ebay or abebooks.com.
This is one you really want to read, it involves death and is creepy!
 
I have seen Lombard Street from a distance.

This is a photo of Nob Hill in San Fransisco from when we there a few years ago.

A couple of friends of ours stayed in accommodation on Nob Hill. He described starting his hire car as a mixture between thrill and sheer terror:


07_ Knob Hill from bus_1000.jpg
 
Spudrick68 said:
I have seen Lombard Street from a distance.

This is a photo of Nob Hill in San Fransisco from when we there a few years ago.

A couple of friends of ours stayed in accommodation on Nob Hill. He described starting his hire car as a mixture between thrill and sheer terror:


View attachment 56728
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Just looking at that photo makes me dizzy, I can't stand heights, could never live there.
Even though it is so beautiful.
Do hippies / bohemian types still live there??
 
Ronnie Jersey said:
Just looking at that photo makes me dizzy, I can't stand heights, could never live there.
Even though it is so beautiful.
Do hippies / bohemian types still live there??
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We were lucky enough to travel up both the East and West coasts. San Fransisco was our favourite place. I can't imagine being g in a pub which had business men and young multi pierced punks all chilled out together.

It had a lovely feeling. Even the homeless were polite. We ordered too much food in a pubs we took one course away and gave it to a homeless man down the street. He was so grateful, surprised and polite.

The only gritty side was that the street behind were we were staying was a different place all together. I've never seen such contrasts between one street and the next.
 
Spudrick68 said:
We were lucky enough to travel up both the East and West coasts. San Fransisco was our favourite place. I can't imagine being g in a pub which had business men and young multi pierced punks all chilled out together.

It had a lovely feeling. Even the homeless were polite. We ordered too much food in a pubs we took one course away and gave it to a homeless man down the street. He was so grateful, surprised and polite.

The only gritty side was that the street behind were we were staying was a different place all together. I've never seen such contrasts between one street and the next.
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Did you get to the corner of 'Haight and Ashbury'? I want to have my photo taken there, in my best tie dye!
 
No we didn't unfortunately. After our trip, which took in New York, philadelphia, Washington, Niagra Falls, Scotsdale, Yosemite, Las Vegas,Grand Canyon and San Francisco we asked each other our favourite single moment.

We were told that you won't see a sunset in San Francisco as8t woll be misty. We had a meal right at the end of Pier 39. The sky was clear and we watched the sun set over Alcatraz. That was both our best moment, over clam chowder.

We passed within 30 miles of Roswell. I was desperate to have my photos taken at that postbox but never mentioned it as no one else would have wanted the detour.
 
Spudrick68 said:
No we didn't unfortunately. After our trip, which took in New York, philadelphia, Washington, Niagra Falls, Scotsdale, Yosemite, Las Vegas,Grand Canyon and San Francisco we asked each other our favourite single moment.

We were told that you won't see a sunset in San Francisco as8t woll be misty. We had a meal right at the end of Pier 39. The sky was clear and we watched the sun set over Alcatraz. That was both our best moment, over clam chowder.

We passed within 30 miles of Roswell. I was desperate to have my photos taken at that postbox but never mentioned it as no one else would have wanted the detour.
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OMG, Roswell? That would have been awesome! And to see where the UFO actually crashed, I would have to see that!!
And talk to the townspeople, they probably have all the gossip about what actually happened back in 1947.
But as long as you didn't experience any earthquakes!
 
Spudrick68 said:
We passed within 30 miles of Roswell. I was desperate to have my photos taken at that postbox but never mentioned it as no one else would have wanted the detour.
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That's a shame. :(

Years ago in California we drove near the Coalinga Mental Hospital as visited by Louis Theroux for his documentary series.
Theroux mentions the road signs warning drivers not to pick up hitch-hikers in case they are escaped prisoners.

I was pleased to notice a couple of these signs and pointed them out to my fellow passengers. :)
 
Bet some of those roads are fun to re surface, and it must have been exciting
in the days of horse n cart and steam.
 
Phillack Hill, in Hayle (Cornwall), is quite steep but, when walking up from Copperhouse Pool, at least the Bucket O' Blood pub is there to recover in. :)
 
Ronnie Jersey said:
OMG, Roswell? That would have been awesome! And to see where the UFO actually crashed, I would have to see that!!
And talk to the townspeople, they probably have all the gossip about what actually happened back in 1947.
But as long as you didn't experience any earthquakes!
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Roswell isn’t all that awesome to visit.

Every business has a flying saucer on the sign, so that’s kind of funky.

The museum is OK .

The purported crash location was something like 75 miles north of town and I’m sure it’s somebody’s private ranch land. So no going there.
 
From 20 years ago, about a road I know well -
escargot said:
On the A530 nearby, one stretch of hedge has been wrecked so many times that the farmer has stuck a flimsy fence up now and planted brightly-coloured flowers along its length.
This is within sight of the area's main hospital A & E!
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Since I posted that there have been more crashes and deaths on the A530.
One afternoon Techy and I were on the bike path - separated from the road by a tall hedge so we couldn't see what was going on - when a motorcyclist was killed in a collision. Right beside us. :(

Over the last 10 years, the road has been extensively improved.
A formerly pants-ruining staggered crossroads along there now has traffic lights.
A bypass is being built to improve access to the hospital.
Further south, the lovely offload cycle path that Techy and I now use was installed about nine years ago.

This work hasn't stopped all the carnage but it's certainly safer along there.
 
ChasFink said:
When my friend and I visited Ireland, we decided on our first day to drive around the the Dingle Peninsula rather than the recommended - and larger - Ring of Kerry due to the weather. Part of the trip was much like the roads in these pictures. At one point we approached a huge rent in the side of the mountain, as if Godzilla had scraped his claw against it. As we drove closer we saw that water was trickling down this opening, across the VERY narrow road - making it look weak and fragmented where the water flowed through cracks - and down on the other side. We crept over the cracked road and continued on our way, assuming this was fairly recent damage that needed to be addressed. A week later, discussing the incident with our b&b hostess in Cork, she said it was always like that, and she once had to back up at that point because a bus was coming the other way.
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Oh yes, the Connar Pass. I was driving a rental minibus filled with family having recently learned to drive. It was labelled as the scenic route and was fine until it became a one lane road clinging to a mountain with traffic coming the other way! Went down to first gear and crawled up praying. I remember that section with the water. Had to stop at the top and recover. Road down to Dingle was fine - 2 lane and no drop-offs to plunge down.
 
escargot said:
From 20 years ago, about a road I know well -

Over the last 10 years, the road has been extensively improved.
A formerly pants-ruining staggered crossroads along there now has traffic lights.
Click to expand...
Flowers lane/Eardswick Lane junction?
escargot said:
A bypass is being built to improve access to the hospital.
Further south, the lovely offload cycle path that Techy and I now use was installed about nine years ago.

This work hasn't stopped all the carnage but it's certainly safer along there.
Click to expand...
I see there's also a new roundabout being planned/built just off Minshull New Road (above Badger Av).
Looks like it will all be built on there going east to join up with Middlewich road. ?
 
Floyd1 said:
Flowers lane/Eardswick Lane junction?

I see there's also a new roundabout being planned/built just off Minshull New Road (above Badger Av).
Looks like it will all be built on there going east to join up with Middlewich road. ?
Click to expand...
All 100% correct. :bthumbup:

Back in the summer when the hospital parking entrance was being remodelled, Flowers Lane was closed to traffic. Only pedestrian and bikes could get through. It was bliss. :cool:

That's finished now but you can't turn right out of Smithy Lane onto the A530. It's sharp left to the new roundabout and a quick spin back.
I'm not trying that on a pushbike.
 
escargot said:
All 100% correct. :bthumbup:

Back in the summer when the hospital parking entrance was being remodelled, Flowers Lane was closed to traffic. Only pedestrian and bikes could get through. It was bliss. :cool:
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Why did Flowers need to be closed then?
 
Floyd1 said:
Ah, I see.
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A longish stretch of the A530 was closed off several times for month over a couple of years. We've lost Badger Avenue to the new Bentley campus so there are huge detours round the town. Frustrated commuters are finding new ratruns. Someone will be killed. :nods:
 
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