Unpopular Anything Road-Related Opinions

[kirbykart]

It looks modern compared to normal signs, and I don't like it. That's it. End of conversation.

[SEWIGuy]

It looks modern compared to normal signs, and I don't like it. That's it. End of conversation.

LOL what?  You don't like his answer to your question so it's "end of conversation?"  Weak.

[vdeane]

^ Maybe he's a neutral Janet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjVHE2rICGg

[kirbykart]

It looks modern compared to normal signs, and I don't like it. That's it. End of conversation.

LOL what?  You don't like his answer to your question so it's "end of conversation?"  Weak.

No, it's just that it's my personal opinion and there's nothing else to say about it. Therefore, end of conversation.

[Rothman]

It looks modern compared to normal signs, and I don't like it. That's it. End of conversation.

LOL what?  You don't like his answer to your question so it's "end of conversation?"  Weak.

No, it's just that it's my personal opinion and there's nothing else to say about it. Therefore, end of conversation.

Doesn't seem to be.

[kirbykart]

It's called Unpopular Opinions for a reason. I don't like modern things, CalTrans signs look modern IMO, and therefore I don't like CalTrans signs.

[Rothman]

It's called Unpopular Opinions for a reason. I don't like modern things, CalTrans signs look modern IMO, and therefore I don't like CalTrans signs.

Yep, still goin'.

[kirbykart]

^Ok, now I'm confused.

*thinks about it for a minute*

Ohhhhhh, you mean that I keep posting about the topic. Well,
1) I'm just restating what I've already said, and
2) It's not a conversation if the person I'm talking to (Scott) isn't answering

But if you really want it,

End of conversation this time, I mean it!

[Scott5114]

I mean, I could say that Caltrans signs look like chicken fried rice in my opinion, and just adding "in my opinion" doesn't really change the fact that I said something that doesn't make a whole lot of objective sense.

[J N Winkler]

Seriously unpopular opinion:  driving the Autobahn is not what it's cracked up to be and Americans should be grateful for what they have.

[Max Rockatansky]

Seriously unpopular opinion:  driving the Autobahn is not what it's cracked up to be and Americans should be grateful for what they have.

Limited access roadways are totally underrated for "thrilling driving experiences."

[Scott5114]

Unpopular road-related opinion: A driving experience must be thrilling to be worth doing.

I'll keep the thrills in my life separate from my hobby where I'm operating a thousand-pound machine with the capability to kill myself and others, thank you.

[Max Rockatansky]

Unpopular road-related opinion: A driving experience must be thrilling to be worth doing.

I'll keep the thrills in my life separate from my hobby where I'm operating a thousand-pound machine with the capability to kill myself and others, thank you.

For what it's worth in my case doing things like driving weird and super steep one lane mountain roads might not even be in the top five risky behaviors I engage in. For example distance running has almost killed me three times in the last two decades.  So far driving weird mountain roads hasn't come close to killing me even once.

[Scott5114]

Unpopular road-related opinion: A driving experience must be thrilling to be worth doing.

I'll keep the thrills in my life separate from my hobby where I'm operating a thousand-pound machine with the capability to kill myself and others, thank you.

For what it's worth in my case doing things like driving weird and super steep one lane mountain roads might not even be in the top five risky behaviors I engage in. For example distance running has almost killed me three times in the last two decades.  So far driving weird mountain roads hasn't come close to killing me even once.

To me, anything that involves a great deal of risk is stressful, not enjoyable. So if I am going to indulge in risk-taking behavior, I'd rather it be in a context like a game where if I fuck it up the consequences are negligible.

[Max Rockatansky]

Unpopular road-related opinion: A driving experience must be thrilling to be worth doing.

I'll keep the thrills in my life separate from my hobby where I'm operating a thousand-pound machine with the capability to kill myself and others, thank you.

For what it's worth in my case doing things like driving weird and super steep one lane mountain roads might not even be in the top five risky behaviors I engage in. For example distance running has almost killed me three times in the last two decades.  So far driving weird mountain roads hasn't come close to killing me even once.

To me, anything that involves a great deal of risk is stressful, not enjoyable. So if I am going to indulge in risk-taking behavior, I'd rather it be in a context like a game where if I fuck it up the consequences are negligible.

And I can understand that, pushing the envelope on potentially dangerous behaviors isn't for everyone.  For me it isn't really so much about ignoring risk, but rather planning ahead and finding a way to overcome it.  In the context of running, becoming skilled enough to overcome a challenge/a that once hospitalized me is something I found rewarding and even thrilling.  Similarly the more intimidating a road is tends goes hand in hand with how much I enjoy the drive.  There is definitely something of a high to activities that carry risk, at least for me.

Conversely I seem to have an issue where I can't go for more than two/three weeks without some sort of recreational activity that carries risk.  I've never been able to really pinpoint a reason for such discontentment.  The only solution seems to be to go do something like go for a super long run, long/secluded hike or a mountain drive.

[Scott5114]

Right, and I can understand the appeal, but cool mountain roads like the ones you seek out and even things like US-550 are just...not for me. And it does mean that I am probably missing out on a lot of things that would interest me, like scenic views and cool old signs and bridges and stuff. But I'm okay with that.

[J N Winkler]

I don't actually consider driving on paved primary state highways in the mountains to be especially risky, though it does require a specific skill set and a higher level of alertness.  Steep downgrades are perfectly easy to handle as long as you're using the engine to control your speed, not the service brakes.  It is unpaved roads that make me nervous--I've heard a few too many stories of adventurous travelers dying when a road slid away just as they drove on it.

[pderocco]

I don't actually consider driving on paved primary state highways in the mountains to be especially risky, though it does require a specific skill set and a higher level of alertness.  Steep downgrades are perfectly easy to handle as long as you're using the engine to control your speed, not the service brakes.  It is unpaved roads that make me nervous--I've heard a few too many stories of adventurous travelers dying when a road slid away just as they drove on it.

Thanks a lot. I really didn't need that inside my brain...

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't actually consider driving on paved primary state highways in the mountains to be especially risky, though it does require a specific skill set and a higher level of alertness.  Steep downgrades are perfectly easy to handle as long as you're using the engine to control your speed, not the service brakes.  It is unpaved roads that make me nervous--I've heard a few too many stories of adventurous travelers dying when a road slid away just as they drove on it.

What are these people consuming roads and where can I find them?

[algorerhythms]

I don't actually consider driving on paved primary state highways in the mountains to be especially risky, though it does require a specific skill set and a higher level of alertness.  Steep downgrades are perfectly easy to handle as long as you're using the engine to control your speed, not the service brakes.  It is unpaved roads that make me nervous--I've heard a few too many stories of adventurous travelers dying when a road slid away just as they drove on it.

What are these people consuming roads and where can I find them?

If you mean the road that slid away off the mountain, I once encountered something like that on US 219 in Pennsylvania...

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't actually consider driving on paved primary state highways in the mountains to be especially risky, though it does require a specific skill set and a higher level of alertness.  Steep downgrades are perfectly easy to handle as long as you're using the engine to control your speed, not the service brakes.  It is unpaved roads that make me nervous--I've heard a few too many stories of adventurous travelers dying when a road slid away just as they drove on it.

What are these people consuming roads and where can I find them?

If you mean the road that slid away off the mountain, I once encountered something like that on US 219 in Pennsylvania...

I'm always looking for suggestions on roads that might interest me on my travels.  Unsurfaced stuff tends to be high on my list when I can find something that isn't full OHV or high clearance. 

[kurumi]

We visited Queenstown NZ a long time ago. It's known for adventure sports and tours, from bungy (aka bungie) to rock climbing and so on.

We had a tour in the mountains, just the two of us and a driver in a 4WD Jeepish thing, on single-lane dirt roads above canyons. We stopped at one point where there'd been a recent gravel slide. It was certainly driveable unless the gravel was so loose that it would take the Jeep over the side with it/

He took out a shovel and poked at the slide. A moderate amount of gravel started spilling over the edge. "We can try it," he said. He might have been bluffing.

We didn't take the risk.

[Occidental Tourist]

I don't actually consider driving on paved primary state highways in the mountains to be especially risky, though it does require a specific skill set and a higher level of alertness.  Steep downgrades are perfectly easy to handle as long as you're using the engine to control your speed, not the service brakes.  It is unpaved roads that make me nervous--I've heard a few too many stories of adventurous travelers dying when a road slid away just as they drove on it.

What are these people consuming roads and where can I find them?

If you mean the road that slid away off the mountain, I once encountered something like that on US 219 in Pennsylvania...

I'm always looking for suggestions on roads that might interest me on my travels.  Unsurfaced stuff tends to be high on my list when I can find something that isn't full OHV or high clearance. 

If you like poorly-maintained roads, might I suggest Coalinga Road and Los Gatos Creek Road in San Benito and Fresno Counties.  Bonus: if you go in the winter or spring , you get to drive through a creek.

[webny99]

I'm not sure if this is unpopular, but I think it will be:

There should never, under any circumstance, be two consecutive lane merges from the same entrance ramp on the same side of a mainline freeway (interstate or otherwise).
-If an on-ramp is busy enough to warrant two full lanes, at least one lane should continue to at least the next exit.
-If an on-ramp has two lanes but one lane is enough to handle the AADT volumes, such as at many rural interstate junctions, the two ramp lanes should merge into one prior to joining the mainline.
-If the on-ramp is busier than the mainline, but the next exit is too far away to justify widening to that point, one lane should end on each side of the mainline.

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't actually consider driving on paved primary state highways in the mountains to be especially risky, though it does require a specific skill set and a higher level of alertness.  Steep downgrades are perfectly easy to handle as long as you're using the engine to control your speed, not the service brakes.  It is unpaved roads that make me nervous--I've heard a few too many stories of adventurous travelers dying when a road slid away just as they drove on it.

What are these people consuming roads and where can I find them?

If you mean the road that slid away off the mountain, I once encountered something like that on US 219 in Pennsylvania...

I'm always looking for suggestions on roads that might interest me on my travels.  Unsurfaced stuff tends to be high on my list when I can find something that isn't full OHV or high clearance. 

If you like poorly-maintained roads, might I suggest Coalinga Road and Los Gatos Creek Road in San Benito and Fresno Counties.  Bonus: if you go in the winter or spring , you get to drive through a creek.

Fresno County maintains their share pretty well.  San Benito County is where things become epic:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2018/08/los-gatos-creek-roadcoalinga-road.html?m=1

Pertaining to the blog above, the photos were taken during a winter month.  I did encounter ice and a running asphalt ford. 

For those not in the know, San Benito County is the king of poorly maintained local road maintenance in California.  San Benito Route J1 as an example was for a quite time likely one of the five worst asphalt surface roads I had ever driven on.  Everywhere you look outside of incorporated cities has poorly maintained county stock.  San Benito County definitely is a personal favorite of mine, it has never disappointed me in terms of finding something exciting to add to Gribblenation.