The twisting roads of the USA

[Geoffc]

OK this is one for my US friends, There's a bit of a standing joke in the UK and probably Europe in general about US cars handling like oil tankers going round bends As we tend to mainly have bends with a few straight bits our cars are designed to handle differently. My drive through Yosemite did confirm that most people had probably never previously encountered a bend as it was just a dazzling array of break lights on anything but the slightest twist. OK I know automatics are useless for twisty roads unless you put them in manual mode.

Anyway, during my drive through Death Valley I stopped to take the following picture as we have very few roads over here that just seem to go on forever. Only afterwards when reviewing my photos did I see the sign in the cropped version and it seemed to confirm everything I'd heard and seen. Is this normal or do you think it was put here as a joke for the tourists







I did like the way the locals responded to signs that they didn't like.



Joking aside, we saw some great places on the trip and really enjoyed it.

 

[Eyelight]

If you didn't notice the curve immediately after the sign, it means you were driving to slow.

 

[Eyelight]

I couldn't resist letting that thought stand by itself for a moment, before adding, it's probably a joke set there by a thoughtful road worker that realized we all need something to smile about.

Nice pics. Glad you enjoyed, survived, etc.

 

[ShaggyRS6]

As an English man living in New Jersey I. Can confirm we have bends here. I can also confirm the driving skills of people in new Jersey rate alongside chimps.

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[Horoscope Fish]

Dear gawd don't get me started on people braking in turns... Or, for that matter, how to *properly* use an on-ramp when entering the freeway. GAH! Okay, see? I'm already steamed up and I'm still on my first cup of coffee!

As for the twisty-road sign, yeah... That was put up by the park as a little joke. I can tell, just by looking at the sign itself, it's not an official Department of Transportation sign. Desert dwellers are an odd lot, I can tell you that.

I've always wanted to head up to Death Valley but there's a LOT of places still on my "Must See and Photograph" list. Yosemite, the Channel Islands, Point Lobos, Muir Woods... So many places so little time.

....

 

[Sandpatch]

Many areas of Illinois (USA) are very flat, roads are straight and intersections are at perfectly square angles. I grew up in Illinois and there was one local road with a curve in it. You can guess where all of the crashes happened.

When I took my bride to mountainous western North Carolina (USA) for the first time, she absolutely freaked out (behind the wheel of her automatic transmission car) at all of the curves.

So, yep -- Geoffc's appraisal is spot on. I love automobiles and drive a 6-Speed Manual Transmission ...... as does my wife these days. I often think of all of the wasted suspension and drivetrain technology in today's cars, as owners plod along yammering on the phone completely separated from the task of driving.

 

[Browncoat]

Do you guys have your tea and crumpets while navigating all those curves?

 

[Blacktop]

As an English man living in New Jersey I. Can confirm we have bends here. I can also confirm the driving skills of people in new Jersey rate alongside chimps.

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You must not get out of Jersey much.

 

[ShaggyRS6]

Nope, but when I have its like a different world. Went to Texas last month. Completely different. And people actually talk to you!!

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[Blacktop]

Nope, but when I have its like a different world. Went to Texas last month. Completely different. And people actually talk to you!!

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You should try driving through Columbus Ohio. You think Jersey drivers are bad? (No offense to anyone living in Columbus Ohio)

Two things I miss about living in Jersey.
1. The food.
2. People minding their own business.
3. The food.

 

[Roy1961]

you want to see california's at a roundabout, they think first come has the right of way, cant read the yield sign as they dive into it.

 

[Geoffc]

Do you guys have your tea and crumpets while navigating all those curves?


View attachment 101734

Only if the butler is available to serve it


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[Geoffc]

Thanks for all the great replies guys. I was thinking of suggesting that the sign was ironic but ....... No I'd better no go there




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[Sandpatch]

... things I miss about living in Jersey. ... The food ...

Man, yes! I lived in NJ in the early '80s and upon then moving to Alabama, I so missed the food and the excellent breads. However, I was able to quickly adapt to Alabama's cost of living.