How to ruin perfectly good curvy roads

[the Ferret]

Get stuck behind tractor trailer

or behind a pick up pulling a big trailer

both going 20-25 mph below the posted speed limit

 

[Inhouse Bob]

They oughta be a law...

 

[Obleo]

Yep happens to me almost on every ride, must be my bad luck!

 

[the Ferret]

lol luckily it doesn't happen on every ride, but when it does, it sure aggravates me. We have some great roads here, but every once in a while you'll be bombing along apexing curves, inside, outside... outside, inside ..curves set up for 55 mph and bam a big truck or piece of farm equipment or an old Buick doing 35 mph at best and hitting the brakes for every curve. No passing zone for miles, nowhere to pullover and let them get a good piece ahead so you can continue riding at a decent pace.

 

[DBXXX_imp]

One time I got stuck behind three different identical white box trucks, one after the other. It was like groundhog day. I feel your pain!

 

[peterbaron]

Was there any road restriction sign for tractor trailers???

 

[the Ferret]

No those are both state highways.

One time I got stuck behind three different identical white box trucks, one after the other. It was like groundhog day. I feel your pain!

:rofl:

 

[Stichill]

What I hate about this situation is that it makes you impatient. And it’s really tempting to do dumb things when you’re impatient.

 

[rboe]

Yup. Impatience can kill you. It's a public road so they have as much right to use it as us.

Some of the guys I follow on YouTube that are riding in England. They seem to get stuck behind white vans a lot; but unlike Arizona (shoot, much of the west!) with in a mile or two there is another road they can peal off on that is just as twistie and bucolic as any other. I get a wee bit envious.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

At least the trucks and vans are a temporary nuisance. Out here, the highway department isn’t ashamed to apply liberal amounts of crack sealer to the road surfaces, almost always on curvy sections and rarely on the straights. These “tar snakes,” once warmed by the sun, are as slippery as ice. Cross a few of them while heeled over and you’ll get a pucker!

 

[the Ferret]

The worst tar snakes I've encountered were over in Indiana when I rode over to eat and ride with Offroad one time. Like you said, slick as ice. 10 times more slippery than the ones here in Ohio. It was spooky and made me wonder what the difference in the tar snake material each state uses.

 

[Inhouse Bob]

We have one really decent road for riding the curves around here, Rt. 211...

I was coming down 211 from Skyline Parkway and got behind a truckload of chicken poop going 15MPH. I just couldn't get around.
I could smell that stuff for a month
I probably smelled like that stuff for a month!:blush:

 

[Cormanus]

At least the trucks and vans are a temporary nuisance. Out here, the highway department isn’t ashamed to apply liberal amounts of crack sealer to the road surfaces, almost always on curvy sections and rarely on the straights. These “tar snakes,” once warmed by the sun, are as slippery as ice. Cross a few of them while heeled over and you’ll get a pucker!

True. I've also had a pucker moment from one on a wet day on a straight road.

We have one really decent road for riding the curves around here, Rt. 211...

I was coming down 211 from Skyline Parkway and got behind a truckload of chicken poop going 15MPH. I just couldn't get around.
I could smell that stuff for a month
I probably smelled like that stuff for a month!:blush:

Was that before you came down under?

I had a similar experience in 2014.

Day2: Dorrigo-Denman

536 kms



It was foggy, drizzly and much, much cooler than the day before when I woke. I breakfasted, put the thermal liner in my jacket, donned the waterproofs and set off up the range. In spite of mist and the cool, it was a lovely ride to Ebor, where I’d had breakfast with Pterodactyl on an earlier ride, I got fuel and then pushed on. The top end of the Waterfall Way is lovely, and would have been lovelier in better weather. I must ride it again from the bottom to the top.

At Armidale I took to the New England Highway until Uralla where I turned left, heading along Thunderbolt's Way to Walcha. Most of the countryside on this road is alpine plain cleared for farming. It was much greener and prettier than last time I was here with Pterodactyl. It stays like that for a good distance past Walcha, but it's good riding and fast as there is little traffic.

The CB1100 in Walcha—first time it was warm enough to fish out the camera

It's all worth it for the descent into Gloucester, where one rides alongside twisting streams, up hills and eventually down a very steep mountain. It's a great road and heaps of fun. I felt I'd earned my late lunch. I was also more cheerful as I'd shed the wet weather kit at Walcha and the temperature was now decidedly warmer.

A view to the west from the mountains leading into Gloucester






This safety device may be common in other countries, but I’ve seen it only in NSW in Australia. The final picture shows a sandy ramp running up the hill into which you can steer if your brakes fail. Occasionally they’re on the opposite side of the road, so I’m not sure what happens to anything in your way as you try to cross.

There is a very steep descent into Gloucester





The pretty river at the bottom of the very steep descent. Of course a bit of a climb follows.

I was looking forward to the road from Gloucester to Singleton. It's got plenty of twists and turns and a few hills—I love hills on the CB as I've yet to find one I can't accelerate up. The surface is occasionally ratty, but it's a great ride. My first post-Gloucester stop would be Dungog. As I climbed the first hill, I realised the odd mark on the road was cow sh*t. It quickly dawned on me that it was very, very fresh. It seemed to be worse on left-hand corners. I quickly realised why as I came around a corner and came upon a cattle truck. As it climbed the hills, the contents of the cows' bowels, deposited on the floor, all surged to the back of the truck; as it rolled on the left handers, said contents found a natural escape from the truck and flowed out onto the road. I figured it would be really slippery which reduced my pace and limited my enjoyment of the corners. I did not want to fall off and end up in the sh*t.

A straight appeared and I shot past the truck. Phew.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zwzS5Q1Lo7Yk.kqunwgtH0rGs

 

[the Ferret]

We have one really decent road for riding the curves around here, Rt. 211...

I was coming down 211 from Skyline Parkway and got behind a truckload of chicken poop going 15MPH. I just couldn't get around.
I could smell that stuff for a month
I probably smelled like that stuff for a month!:blush:

:rofl:

On one of the Men's Fall Trip we were in Va and got stuck behind a truck just stuffed with turkeys. We could smell them first, then we were getting hit by little white feathers, then we caught the truck and had to follow him for a few miles. It is a distinctive smell.

 

[peterbaron]

I bet you, it was before Thanksgiving ?

 

[Inhouse Bob]

At least the trucks and vans are a temporary nuisance. Out here, the highway department isn’t ashamed to apply liberal amounts of crack sealer to the road surfaces, almost always on curvy sections and rarely on the straights. These “tar snakes,” once warmed by the sun, are as slippery as ice. Cross a few of them while heeled over and you’ll get a pucker!

True. I've also had a pucker moment from one on a wet day on a straight road.

We have one really decent road for riding the curves around here, Rt. 211...

I was coming down 211 from Skyline Parkway and got behind a truckload of chicken poop going 15MPH. I just couldn't get around.
I could smell that stuff for a month
I probably smelled like that stuff for a month!:blush:

Was that before you came down under?

I had a similar experience in 2014.

Day2: Dorrigo-Denman

536 kms



It was foggy, drizzly and much, much cooler than the day before when I woke. I breakfasted, put the thermal liner in my jacket, donned the waterproofs and set off up the range. In spite of mist and the cool, it was a lovely ride to Ebor, where I’d had breakfast with Pterodactyl on an earlier ride, I got fuel and then pushed on. The top end of the Waterfall Way is lovely, and would have been lovelier in better weather. I must ride it again from the bottom to the top.

At Armidale I took to the New England Highway until Uralla where I turned left, heading along Thunderbolt's Way to Walcha. Most of the countryside on this road is alpine plain cleared for farming. It was much greener and prettier than last time I was here with Pterodactyl. It stays like that for a good distance past Walcha, but it's good riding and fast as there is little traffic.

The CB1100 in Walcha—first time it was warm enough to fish out the camera

It's all worth it for the descent into Gloucester, where one rides alongside twisting streams, up hills and eventually down a very steep mountain. It's a great road and heaps of fun. I felt I'd earned my late lunch. I was also more cheerful as I'd shed the wet weather kit at Walcha and the temperature was now decidedly warmer.

A view to the west from the mountains leading into Gloucester






This safety device may be common in other countries, but I’ve seen it only in NSW in Australia. The final picture shows a sandy ramp running up the hill into which you can steer if your brakes fail. Occasionally they’re on the opposite side of the road, so I’m not sure what happens to anything in your way as you try to cross.

There is a very steep descent into Gloucester





The pretty river at the bottom of the very steep descent. Of course a bit of a climb follows.

I was looking forward to the road from Gloucester to Singleton. It's got plenty of twists and turns and a few hills—I love hills on the CB as I've yet to find one I can't accelerate up. The surface is occasionally ratty, but it's a great ride. My first post-Gloucester stop would be Dungog. As I climbed the first hill, I realised the odd mark on the road was cow sh*t. It quickly dawned on me that it was very, very fresh. It seemed to be worse on left-hand corners. I quickly realised why as I came around a corner and came upon a cattle truck. As it climbed the hills, the contents of the cows' bowels, deposited on the floor, all surged to the back of the truck; as it rolled on the left handers, said contents found a natural escape from the truck and flowed out onto the road. I figured it would be really slippery which reduced my pace and limited my enjoyment of the corners. I did not want to fall off and end up in the sh*t.

A straight appeared and I shot past the truck. Phew.

Cows smell earthy. Chickens smell like... nothing you ever want to smell like . But cow poop is pretty slick, so you did well to back off. I can't imagine trying to explain that low-side here on the forum :rofl::rofl:

We have one really decent road for riding the curves around here, Rt. 211...
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrqDHjGPTDY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrqDHjGPTDY

I was coming down 211 from Skyline Parkway and got behind a truckload of chicken poop going 15MPH. I just couldn't get around.
I could smell that stuff for a month
I probably smelled like that stuff for a month!:blush:

:rofl:

On one of the Men's Fall Trip we were in Va and got stuck behind a truck just stuffed with turkeys. We could smell them first, then we were getting hit by little white feathers, then we caught the truck and had to follow him for a few miles. It is a distinctive smell.

Dis-STINK-tive :angel:

 

[Bheezy27403_imp]

The ONE good road close to me is called Alamance Church Rd. It wanders east to west south of Interstate 40. Great ride form SE Greensboro to Chapel Hill. Lots of long sweepers and beautiful farmland. It has one decent twisty section but last year they "tarred" it up with an absurd amount of crack sealer. I've never seen more tar snakes on a road. You can still hit the corners ok but there is definitely a pucker factor involved now as the bike is squirrelly from the hot tar. I have come to realize that it's not going to shoot me off the road but it's hard to get that through your head with the bike moving around so much underneath me. Hopefully they repave the whole thing soon.

 

[KiowaEagle_imp]

Or Oil & Chip it. There are some great roads around here that are getting oil & chipped recently. Have to remember not to use them. (Which with my memory isn't easy)

 

[Gone in 60]

Santiago Canyon is 13 miles of very nice twisty two lane, and it was my daily commute for four years. There is one section of dotted yellow line for passing on the entire stretch of two lane. Naturally, people can get impatient when the one passing opportunity comes up. When I got stuck behind a slow dump truck on the way to work, I'd get frustrated if there was too much oncoming traffic to pass safely, and I'd be stuck behind that truck for the rest of my commute. And, I'd wince when I saw someone take a shot with barely enough room to do it.

There are annual fatalities on this road, but last year, a news report headline read "Worst motorcycle accident in Orange County History". One glance at the picture confirmed that it happened at this spot. A Harley with two people pulled out to pass a slow truck, and hit another Harley with two people head-on.

I didn't mind going back to a regular freeway commute when I lost that job.

 

[the Ferret]

today's road blocker was FARM EQUIPMENT lol