Roadgeeking the Caribbean

[Brandon]

I brought this up at the end of the recent Flint meet.  The idea (half-baked at this time, mind you) is to use a cruise to a few islands and rent vehicles at each island to roadgeek the Caribbean island.  Of course, this being a cruise, it would be easier on the spouses and significant others who want to come but not roadgeek.  We could even use one of the rooms on the day at sea to have an extended meet like we do at the restaurant.  If anyone has any input go ahead.  Hell, if you think this is a great idea, or the stupidest ever thought of, comment.

[Janko Dialnice]

Being that my other major hobby is the Romance languages, this would be a good idea for me ... especially if Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic or Haiti were involved.

The logistics of such a meet might not work. I know people who have been on cruises, and they said that you are bound by the ship's timetable. Depending on how long the ship is at port, you may not have much time to do much roadgeeking. This is especially true on the more populated islands, where there is bound to be traffic. Then, you have to consider ensuring that the participants have valid passports, and in some cases, visas or international driving permits. Then there are the currency exchange issues. But you do have a good idea, though.

[Janko Dialnice]

This posting reminds me, though, of an idea that I once entertained concerning a Puerto-Rican road meet. One can circle the entire island in about four hours, and clinch the quasi-Interstates and toll roads at the same time. Since they are part of the US, much of the prep work is easier. Your state driver's license is valid; you need no passport or visa to deal with; they use the US dollar for purchases and tolls; they drive on the right side of the road. The only thing is that there needs to be enough Spanish-speakers present to deal with the restaurant, translate signage, or help in an emergency (maybe remembering your HS Spanish classes might be beneficial).

[english si]

Don't forget the US Virgin Islands, where all those pluses of PR are true, save the drive-on-the-right. Plus you don't need Spanish to visit them.

Both are neglected in the US roadgeek community in a way that Hawaii and Alaska aren't.

If you want a more exotic road experience, then there's the places that are neither American, nor try to copy them in signage style (eg Dominican Republic). Pick of the bunch is probably Martinique, though Guadeloupe is going to be similarly good.

[roadman65]

This posting reminds me, though, of an idea that I once entertained concerning a Puerto-Rican road meet. One can circle the entire island in about four hours, and clinch the quasi-Interstates and toll roads at the same time. Since they are part of the US, much of the prep work is easier. Your state driver's license is valid; you need no passport or visa to deal with; they use the US dollar for purchases and tolls; they drive on the right side of the road. The only thing is that there needs to be enough Spanish-speakers present to deal with the restaurant, translate signage, or help in an emergency (maybe remembering your HS Spanish classes might be beneficial).

Are you sure you can do it within 4 hours?  When I visited there back in 09, it took me a half a day to do the eastern side, but then again I stopped at El Yuniqe (the rainforest) for a while.  However, many local arterials are loaded with traffic lights.  PR 3 from the east end of PR 66 to the north end of PR 53 is loaded with signals.  Then PR 53 is incomplete in the SE corner so you have to use PR 3, that is a very windy lane and a half (that's right one lane and a half with no center line and just inches to pass another vehicle)road and then in Guayamba there are no shields directing you on the route of PR 3, so you will get lost unless you have a detailed map handy.

[Janko Dialnice]

Regarding PR, I was going by a Google Maps itinerary for a trip that I was planning back in May. I did not want to get multiple hotel rooms, so I wanted to see how much I could do as a day trip from San Juan. Going clockwise, I was able to get around the island in about 4 hours, 15 minutes. I will have to try that exercise again, and post my results here. Also, for actually planning a meet, we could focus on one particular part of the island that has the most to check out regarding roads (San Juan, with all its urban freeways, or some area with a lot of construction).

And English SI, the US Virgin Islands sounds like a good idea, too. Thanks for the recommendation.

[english si]

I-PR2 and I-PR1 (in that order) as a loop is 3h41 on google.

[Duke87]

Cruise ships are a scourge on humanity. They ruin small towns that they call for port at by dumping thousands of people into them all at once. And if voluntarily imprisoning yourself in a crowded floating box is your idea of a vacation, something is seriously wrong with you.

As for roadgeeking in the Caribbean, most of the islands seem too small to be worth bothering with. If I can clinch every numbered highway on an island in an afternoon, spending more time there than that is kind of a waste. If I am going to expend the effort to fly to some distant destination, I want there to be enough there to make a full trip out of.

[Janko Dialnice]

I would not make a trip to a Carribean island *only* for roadgeeking. If I travel there, I will fly in (I am not a fan of cruise ships, either), and stay there an entire week. Yes, I will take some time to clinch the numbered routes and explore the roads, but I will use the rest of the time to enjoy the rest of what the island offers (beaches, shopping, the local culture, music and cuisine, language practice, etc).

[oscar]

Some of the freeway-type Caribbean highways (I think just on Puerto Rico, Martinique, and Jamaica at this point) are covered in the Clinched Highway Mapping project.  So a modest objective might be to clinch all the handful of CHM-mapped highways, and you can claim public credit for having done so.

I've done so for Puerto Rico, and concur in the comments about (a) taking forever to round the southeastern corner of the island, (b) taking almost as long to take PR 3 round the northeast corner, even though it's a (paper) Interstate, and (c) the multitude of lane-and-a-half roads, especially along the Ruta Panoramica along the west-east spine of the island.

[Brian556]

Cruise ships are a scourge on humanity. They ruin small towns that they call for port at by dumping thousands of people into them all at once. And if voluntarily imprisoning yourself in a crowded floating box is your idea of a vacation, something is seriously wrong with you.

Well said. I have had the opportunity to go on cruises when I was younger, but always refused. It just seems like a bad idea. You have no control, and you are stuck on a ship with thousands of people, and, of course, you have no access to roads. Therefore, to me, that is not a good vacation.

[Molandfreak]

Heck yes. I'll go in a heartbeat if I could save the money in time.

[Alps]

Cruise ships are a scourge on humanity. They ruin small towns that they call for port at by dumping thousands of people into them all at once. And if voluntarily imprisoning yourself in a crowded floating box is your idea of a vacation, something is seriously wrong with you.

Well said. I have had the opportunity to go on cruises when I was younger, but always refused. It just seems like a bad idea. You have no control, and you are stuck on a ship with thousands of people, and, of course, you have no access to roads. Therefore, to me, that is not a good vacation.

A cruise got me my AK 7 and 98 photos, and brought me to Seward for my remaining AK photos. Though not a cruise, the long NL ferries got me all of those photos. Cruises can indeed lead to roads.