I’ve got to turn in my mancard. Visiting the wife’s family in Commiefornia and we drove from San Diego to Palm Desert. Holy crap I almost lost my shit on some of the curves coming down the mountain with nothing but air to my right. Practically had vertigo.

I finally had enough and turned the car over to my wife, only to find out it was only one more curve and we were past the scary shit. Mancard gone.

I have to say it’s beautiful here. If it weren’t California I’d want to retire here. The poor guy in the corvette behind me must have been pissed at going 25 mph for those curvy areas.

About 25 years ago we rented an RV and drove the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado. Damn near scared the chit out of me. I made it a personal goal to go back and do it again…this time with my wife not screaming! It was much easier the second time!

https://youtu.be/GzvteMTSxTA

Skip to about the 6 minute mark to start seeing the fun stuff!

Sorry to hear about your fears but I do hope that you were prudent enough to pull over occasionally and safely let backed-up traffic through.

I've driven those mountains. All I can say is, if those scared you, best stay out of the mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
About 25 years ago we rented an RV and drove the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado. Damn near scared the chit out of me. I made it a personal goal to go back and do it again…this time with my wife not screaming! It was much easier the second time!

https://youtu.be/GzvteMTSxTA

Skip to about the 6 minute mark to start seeing the fun stuff!

Oh hell no. Not even a guard rail. Nope nope nope. I found the worst parts when the road curves left and I was looking straight out to the valley while trying to maneuver the curve. It’s disorienting.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:
Sorry to hear about your fears but I do hope that you were prudent enough to pull over occasionally and safely let backed-up traffic through.

Yeah the hairy part isn’t all that long and I pulled over as soon as there was a spot. Wife just said I was going about 35 for most of it, which is the speed limit. I just felt like the corvette guy probably wanted to play a bit more. However wife said he actually dropped back a bit on those scary spots. I certainly wasn’t looking in the rear view at those times.

I’ve driven that stretch of road dozens of times traveling to CA on business or heading over for a SF lunch.

It’s an interesting road and the geology for that small stretch is very interesting.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
I’ve driven that stretch of road dozens of times traveling to CA on business or heading over for a SF lunch.

It’s an interesting road and the geology for that small stretch is very interesting.

It’s absolutely beautiful. I’ve never seen landscape like this. We stopped a few times at the viewing areas and I was in awe. The white knuckle part was probably only 15 minutes of our 2+ hour drive.

You wouldn't like our driveway.

Palm Desert is indeed beautiful. I spent many a weekend down there partying on libo from 29.

I love the high desert. I agree, if it weren't in CA I would probably retire out there. The desert air, the sunsets, absolutely awesome. For me, life in the desert is fast enough to be interesting but slow enough to enjoy.

Beautiful area.

If you think that was bad, you should have seen the Northern Part of the Alcan Highway in the 50s and 60s and even 70s.

Oh I’m sure there are way way worse places. If I were to do it again I’d just need one of my propanolol pills I take for public speaking. It’s exactly the same Adrenalin rush/panic attack feeling.

On roads like that I just look over the hood and pay attention to what's in front of me.
Leave the sight seeing to the passengers.

One stretch of road is 11 miles of switchbacks and a cliff.
I was in a log truck being towed with a single bar with another log truck on that one.
I thought for sure we were going to be at the bottom.
We got to the shop with all brakes smoking and stinking up the lot.
I got out of the cab and my legs wouldn't work, I just sat there with them spazzing out for a bit.

The owner of the outfit finally got out of the cab and we got them unhooked.
Only thing he said was take the rest of the day off.

My Land Cruiser hates that run uphill.
I have to put it in low range to keep the RPM's reasonable, about 25 MPH.
Can't do much faster going down in that rig either, it's not hard to get air under one side taking corners to fast.
Which freaks my wife out.

I can't even imagine driving that road in the winter with snow and ice in the equation.

Jim

What route specifically?

quote:

Holy crap I almost lost my shit on some of the curves coming down the mountain with nothing but air to my right. Practically had vertigo.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It has nothing to do with masculinity. Anxiety is the issue. All of us have fears.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:
What route specifically?

Can’t say exactly as using navigation causes me to pay less attention. But we were on Temecula highway and then something called palms to pines or something like that. Coming out of the mountain there was a big visitor center for palm desert.

quote:

Originally posted by mbinky:
Palm Desert is indeed beautiful. I spent many a weekend down there partying on libo from 29.

I love the high desert. I agree, if it weren't in CA I would probably retire out there. The desert air, the sunsets, absolutely awesome. For me, life in the desert is fast enough to be interesting but slow enough to enjoy.

Beautiful area.

Same here. I’ve often said that if I could live anywhere in the world, minus the politics, it would be Palm Springs. I was at 29 Palms for school for almost a year and then back for a CAX a couple years later and loved it.

smisig, Memories. I've driven that road a couple times from Durango north. Been a more than a few years. Told the wife I didn't think I could do it now, certainly not towing our trailer or a 5th wheel we hope to get for retirement.

That stretch of road is the 74 which runs from Anza in the woods down to
Bighorn Golf Course.It's a good drive going up but a little hairy coming down.
Lots of road bikes bombing through there on the weekends.
Palm Desert is considered low desert with Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree,29 Palms
as high desert.Truly a magic place!