So, where's your favorite drive?

Sounds like Turnbull Canyon should be on my "things to do" list next time I'm in So Cal. Hopefully, the only supernatural thing on the road will be my car!

We have some great drives up here in Nor Cal. My favorite drive (if you've got a few hours) takes you from Cloverdale (on 101) up to Willits. Go left on Hwy 20 to Fort Bragg (lot's of twisties). Once you hit the ocean, go south on Hwy 1 (beautiful ocean scenery) to Hwy 128. Take Hwy 128 all the way back to Hwy 101 at Cloverdale. In this section you'll be following the Navarro river and go through an amazing forest full of redwood tree tunnels. The last time I drove this, I was in my G35 sedan. I can't wait to try my IS350 on that drive!

 

In So Cal, Angeles Crest Highway is my #1. Few nasty surprises (diminishing radius or off-camber) and a decent length. Great for bike or car with a couple of optional loops and branches (e.g. Angeles Forest road). Ortega Highway is a bit tighter but is also way too short (a soundbite compared to ACR). Glendora Mountain Road is MUCH tighter and more fun on a bike.

The Palomar area has fine roads for car or bike but I get down there less.

When I lived in in No. Cal. years ago I used to really like 84 (Woodside Road) starting from the Redwood City-side best.

 

If you're in so cal, and want to practice braking, try the 405.

 

My favorite local drive is a 15 mile stretch of brand new unpoliced pavement connecting a town with a population of 200 to a town with a population of 80. Why anyone ok'ed this project is beyond me. I've affectionately dubbed this the Onslowbahn, named after the town where it starts. It's basically a 1.5 mile straight shot to a 90 degree left and then 13 miles of 50 MPH switchbacks. I figure 50 MPH is the suggested minimum speed. The only other traffic I've ever seen there is a tractor and only once have I seen any law enforcement and that was because a friend of mine in a 1st gen MR2 buzzed through one of the towns at about 3 times the speed limit.

It's all I got but hey, I live in Iowa.

 

Tantalus Drive.... Folks in Hawaii (Oahu) would know exactly where that is.... Just take it easy there....

 

That even has a sexy name... If I had to crash I'd want to do it there.... or a Nerf factory. Whichever.

 

lol seriously


mulholland highway and malibu canyon are nice drives, but for a more challenging road i'd say stunt road or tuna canyon.

 

Haha...good memories on tuna canyon. Almost went off a cliff on a diminishing radius curve (very tight) in my 1998 honda prelude type sh. Instead of flying off...i put myself in an understeer brake slide and hitting a small curb and driving home with a positive camber on the front/left wheel. looked something like this.
\_\___ |_| (use your imagination) One of my best and worst days.

 

NorCal:

Mt. Hamilton (Livermore Side)
Hwy 1 (Pacifica to Santa Cruz)

 

Alice's Woodside, CA ...actually this drive is well known for motorcyclists. Beautiful road that leads to the Pacific coast.

For go fast roads, I would say the San Mateo bridge afterhours. I'm a bit older now, but back in the days I used to hit that stretch to death defying speeds.

 

where is that at? ogdon?

 

I have always felt that the three nicest drives in America were the lovely Skyline Drive / Blue Ridge Parkway in VA / NC, The impressive River Road along the Rio Grande ( TX Route 170 ) through the jagged mountains near Big Bend National Park, TX, and, of course, the beautiful CA Pacific Coast Highway....especially near Big Sur.

Other nice drives of shorter length are the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in CO west of Colorado Springs, the Mt. Washington Climb in NH, and the Summit Climb up and down Chestnut Ridge just east of Uniontown, PA.

Of course none of these places can compare with the beauty of downtown Newark, NJ.

 

Onslow "The only one in the US" - thank god, one bad excuse for a gas station, a bad excuse for a restaurant, and that's about all. I'll try to grab the name of the road for you next time I'm by there so if you want to make an excursion to eastern Iowa for no good reason you can visit.

 

highway 17 from santa cruz heading toward san jose (to the 880? i don't remember the freeways.. been a while since I lived there). That's a fun drive during summer nights... it's scary during the winter since the fog forces you to go at 20 or so lol

 

My favorite drive is Highway 1 between Monterey to Big sur area