One of the drawbacks of getting older is that I can’t drive for hours on end the way I used to. I could drive all day and it would not bother me at all. Over the years, I have found a lot of roads that I love to drive.
Old Route 66 from the Texas Panhandle to California is a world of its own. There’s nothing wrong with the eastern half of the road, it’s just too “tame”. It’s changed a lot now (an issue common to most of these roads) as Interstate 40 has replaced it in most areas, but that road still beckons. I bet I’ve driven it a dozen times or more and I would drive it again at the drop of a hat. From the Petrified Forest to the cool, sweet smelling pines around Flagstaff, AZ and on to the flat upper dessert of Arizona and California, it’s a gorgeous stretch of road.
In California, just below Cajon Pass, Route 138 crosses Interstate 15. From there to the Pearblossom Highway, about 20 miles away, the drive west along 138 is terrific. Just off the Interstate are the Mormon Rocks that bring images of old TV westerns to mind. You almost expect to see the Lone Ranger and Tonto at any given moment. A half dozen miles further, the road climbs up to the Angeles Crest Highway (18) and then it’s a long swooping curve down to the valley floor of the high desert. A few miles further along you get to what we used to call the “Washboard” as the road crosses the ups and downs of broad gullies the rains have made coming down off the mountains. This is about 5 miles of roller coaster driving at its best. With any decent speed you car will leave ground.
Next is Highway 1 from Carmel down along the coast to San Luis Obispo. Either direction is a good drive but I prefer driving south because it puts you along the edge of the cliffs. Great drive, great scenery.
Just north of Carmel, Highway 68 turns west off Highway 1 and goes into Monterey and Pacific Grove. It’s a short drive, no more than 5 miles, but I drove it every day for almost 5 years and loved it. It is curvy enough to get your attention and the view out over the woods and ocean is unbeatable.
The next stretch is a little east of there. Highway 156 and 152 from San Juan Batista up over the mountains through Pacheco Pass to Los Banos. A very good road with lots of curves and scenery.
The next one is Interstate 80 from Sacramento, CA to Rawlins, WY. I would mention a highway here instead of an Interstate, but I didn’t get to this one before they completed the interstate. There are mountains, deserts, salt flats --- you name it and it’s here. Some places look so bleak and desolate, but then you’ll see something a few more miles down the road that takes your breath away. The highlight for me is from Salt Lake City up into Wyoming. It feels a little odd to be going over the same road the wagon trains took in the 1800s.
Then there is Interstate 81 through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Very pretty and very green. If you’re going north get off at Winchester and take 522 north into Pennsylvania. When you get near Hancock. MD, you can almost through a rock from Virginia into Pennsylvania, bypassing Maryland altogether.
If you were like me and thought of New York City whenever you heard the mention of New York, you will be very surprised at just how pretty the state really is. The drive from Interstate 88 to Cooperstown is so green and lush that it will make you want to move there.
Next is Highway 61 going up the west side of the Ashley River out of Charleston, SC. There is a stretch of a few where the oak trees overhang the road and it’s almost like driving through a living tunnel. Even on the brightest, hottest days, it is so cool and shady under those trees. Hurricane Hugo did some damage to them in 1989, but they’re still there and still shady.
And last but not least is the road I cut my driving teeth on. I used to love driving old Highway 72, either down toward Stockton Valley or the other direction toward Vonore. There were lots of places where the curves were a bit sharp but not so sharp you couldn’t keep up a good rate of speed. The new 72, which I guess isn’t so new anymore, has nowhere near the character of the old road. I know there are still stretches of it that are used, but it’s not the same.
Okay, that’s enough. I’m going to go drive around awhile.
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