Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!chin From: chin@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU (David Chin) Newsgroups: net.auto Subject: Re: Best Roads Message-ID: <10792@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> Date: Thu, 24-Oct-85 22:56:59 EDT Article-I.D.: ucbvax.10792 Posted: Thu Oct 24 22:56:59 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 26-Oct-85 03:48:58 EDT References: <526@phri.UUCP> <3900003@tilt.FUN> Reply-To: chin@ucbvax.UUCP (David Chin) Organization: University of California at Berkeley Lines: 33 In my opinion, the most fun road to drive on in the entire world is Highway 1, the coastal road, in California. This wonderful stretch of highway extends the length of the West Coast from Baja to Washington state. Most of the way, the road hugs the cliffsides with a fantastic view of waves breaking against rocks below. The road is very winding, abounding with posted 10-15 mph hairpin turns. The road is only two lanes wide, but that just adds to the challenge of passing. The sea breeze keeps things fairly comfortable and the sunset over the Pacific ocean is gorgeous. The surface is fairly well upkept with ocassional turn-outs and parking spots for people to stop and admire the view. Also the road has very few cops. For variey, every once in a while, the road goes by beaches, coves, small towns, coastal forests, etc. for variety. Where else in the world can one drive continually at the limits of adhesion (tires squealing all the way) for an entire day without repeating the same section of road? The worst road in the world is much more difficult to state since there are so many junk roads around. My vote would have to go to the road to Sun-Moon Lake in Taiwan. This road (when I was there many years ago) hugged the mountainsides, but was almost completely unpaved. The crushed rock surface was so bad that it could cause seasickness. Also, the road was so narrow that two small cars would have considerable trouble passing one another on parts of the road. Moreover, the people who regularly travel on the road drove rickety cars which looked like they would fall apart any second at speeds that were suicidal. None of the cars had any shocks left and it often looked as if they would just bounce off the road. More than once, I saw tires go off the road and there were signs that at least a few people hadn't made it (burned out hulks down the mountainsides). The key points are that this road in combination with its drivers was not only highly uncomfortable, but also extremely unsafe. Dave Chin chin@BERKELEY.EDU ucbvax!chin