What's Your Favorite Road?

billc83 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-09-09, 12:57 PM

Yesterday was my day off, so I spent some time engaging in one of my most favorite past times - Driving with no specific destination. Living in the suburbs of Seattle, going West takes you into the city while heading East takes you into a more rural setting. Some areas provide a nicer driving experience than others.

That being said: What Is Your Favorite Road?

For me, not too much can beat a drive along SR-202 (Redmond-Fall City Road). Heading East along this two-way freeway takes you to Fall City, where you can either:
1) Follow SR-202 to North Bend, which has some nice twisties before Snoqualmie.
2) Follow SR-203, which will take you on a longer route to Monroe. If you're REALLY up to it, once you're in Monroe, you can follow Highway 2 through Steven's Pass and pop out in Leavenworth (a Bavarian-themed villiage!).

There's mine. How about yours?

joee5 · #2 (**permalink**) 03-09-09, 01:41 PM

The one that's less traveled. Dont care for traffic much. God Bless,Joe

gary88 · #3 (**permalink**) 03-09-09, 02:04 PM

The stretch of Bluff road between Lemont rd and 355.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...,0.022767&z=16

An awesome relatively curvy road in a forest. The s-curve in the middle of the road is glorious, it's a decline or incline depending on which way you're driving. It's the road I use to judge the performance of whichever car I'm driving at the time. '07 CTS rental was the best so far.

MauiV · #4 (**permalink**) 03-09-09, 03:42 PM

#1 The Road to Hana. The road is very winding and narrow and passes over 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one-lane bridges, requiring oncoming traffic to yield and occasionally causing brief traffic jams if two vehicles meet head-on. There are approximately 620 curves along Highway 360 from just east of Kahului to Hana, virtually all of it through lush, tropical rainforest and possiblly the most scenic drive in the world.

#2 Deals Gap (Tail of the Dragon).

Other than that I like roads with no cops on them.

dirt_cheap_fleetwood · #5 (**permalink**) 03-09-09, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gary88

The stretch of Bluff road between Lemont rd and 355.

I think Lemont road is better. I love coming down that hill and screaming over the "Nascar Bridge" as my friends call it.

My favorite roads where in the Smokey Mountains National Park and the area around it. Tons of curves, amazing views, scenic pull offs and its all in the forest. When I went there with my Mom a few years ago I convinced her to let me take her Blazer down one of the off road trails in the park. We were really high up on a mountain when we came around a corner and there was a black bear and her two cubs standing in the middle of the road. Very cool.

thebigjimsho · #6 (**permalink**) 03-09-09, 08:15 PM

Any coastal CA road.

Bear Notch Rd in NH.

Blue Ridge Parkway.

Hurricane Mountain Rd in North Conway, NH.

Sunset Locust Rd in Fleming County, KY.

Rt 113 E of Gorham, NH on the ME, NH line.

There are thousands I could rummage up in my memory but those are the ones that stick clear in my mind...

Aron9000 · #7 (**permalink**) 03-10-09, 03:01 AM

If you live in Nashville:

Old Hickory Blvd in Antioch, narrow, twisting two lane road.
Murfeesboro Pike- the tunnel under the airport runway is glorious with a loud V8

Williamson county:
Lieper's creek rd
Old Hillsboro rd
Bear Creek Rd
Holly Tree Gap road(hilliest road in middle tn)

ewill3rd · #8 (**permalink**) 03-10-09, 07:23 AM

Trinity road/Oakville grade just north of Napa CA.
Don't do it in a car, you have to have a motorcycle.

orconn · #9 (**permalink**) 03-10-09, 12:49 PM

My favorite road is the Angeles Crest Highway which goes from suburban La Canada, California up into the San Gabriel Mountains which are the ones you see behind Pasadena when watching the Rose Bowl or Rose Parade on TV. This road takes you from the suburbs into mountain wildnerness in literally in minutes. The road is well paved and banked and usually not heavily trafficked. Good during all seasons the road provides a good ride whether you are just out for a change of pace or wanting to stretch your cars capabilities and your skills. This is the road that Road & Track has used over the years as part of their test of new cars.

Angeles Crest allows you to experience the different mountain fauna anf flora as you climb from 1000 feet above sea level on up to above the 6000 feet. On a clear day the view is spectacular. On a cloudy day you climb up through the clouds and into the sunshine. If you are in a convertible with the top down and go up in the evening you will experience the mountains alive with nocturnal hunters .... hawks and owls, coyotes and others and be in a new world of sounds and sights totally different from the daytime experience. Over my lifetime the Angeles Crest Highway has always been a surefire way to get away from the frustrations of flat land L.A. and within a relativelly short time. If you are in L.A. be sure to take your rental car up this road you'll get a whole new perspective on the city and at least one of the great drives that make California a great place for a car guy.

gdwriter · #10 (**permalink**) 03-10-09, 01:33 PM

I have what I call my roller-coaster road, the route I usually drive from Independence to Salem. It goes up and down a ridge with lots of turns and a few hairpins. Traffic is usually light, so I can have a good time, but if I'm stuck behind a slow-poke, there are no real opportunities to pass.

A couple of years ago, I strapped a video camera on a tripod to Betty's seat belt anchors and shot a video driving over the route. For a big, early Sixties car designed for a smooth ride, she handles the road extremely well. Wider tires, premium shocks and a rear stabilizer bar make a big difference, but you can see the power steering is very low geared, so I twirl the wheel a lot. But road feel is surprisingly good:

YouTube - 64 Impala Over Roller Coaster Road

Last weekend, I shot video with Sabrina over the same route. This video shows the route heading in the opposite direction:

YouTube - 2001 Seville over roller-coaster road...

Here's a map of the route: River Rd. to Orville Rd. to Vitae Springs Rd. to Skyline Dr.:

While I had the camera set up, I also shot a video in Sabrina over some of the back roads south of Independence. The road where I veer left off Oregon 99W used to be the state highway before the route was straightened out. It's not in the best of shape, with a washboard surface over a good part of the road. But all the twisties make it a fun drive: