What makes Stremnaya Road in Bolivia a popular route for mountain bikers?

[edward]

Stremnaya Road Bolivia.

http://www.driftlive.com/dl/2006/12/11/stremnaya-road-in-bolivia/

 

[Astronuc]

That would make one heck of a bus ride.

Mind if I sit by the window?

 

[Cyrus]

As long as you stay under 10mph, there's no reason that road should be dangerous.

 

[robphy]

http://www.boliviaweb.com/blog/index.php/2006/10/26/worlds-most-dangerous-road/
says "Some photos of the La Paz-Yungas road have been making the rounds around the web lately, with people commenting how incredibly dangerous it must be to travel in such conditions...

One more thing… the road is not named Stremnaya road, like some bloggers claim. I don’t know where Stremnaya is, but it’s definitely not in Bolivia. If you’re interested in the Yungas road, Google for Coroico, La Cumbre, Yungas, Cotapata, Unduavi, etc."

http://www.gravitybolivia.com/view?page=27
http://javimoya.com/blog/pics/200607/bolivia.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yungas_Road
http://www.panoramio.com/map/#lt=-16.434274&ln=-68.050518&z=4&k=2&a=1&tab=1 ?

 

[christianjb]

I'm like a matrix.

I don't have to commute to work.

 

[Pyrrhus]

Well, this is not uncommon to me. I live in a country where some of the rurals areas roads such as those exist. The reason, mainly, because roads are expensive. Not every country in the world can afford to have all land based surface for traffic to be paved, either by asphalt concrete or portland cement concrete.

You people will be suprised how people transit those roads anyway, despite their conditions. Well, just to ease those who might be concerned the most important highways and secondary here are already paved, so only some internal roads and roads connecting towns will be found in such conditions.

 

[Moonbear]

There was one road that was on some documentary show not long ago, and this certainly could be the one from the look of it (maybe that's why it's suddenly going around the internet with such popularity if it is). The natives have a place where they stop and pray before starting the drive on that road. The problem isn't for one car to drive it (though that would be scary enough), but when two vehicles have to pass on it (or because it's so narrow and winding, when two vehicles collide because they didn't see each other before they both came around the same hairpin turn at the same time).

I think we should send some of the drivers from around here to drive on that road...that'll teach them not to drift out of their lane so much!

And, Astronuc, you are more than welcome to have the window seat...I'll be lying flat on the floor with my eyes closed for that trip! I think I'd much rather get out and walk.

 

[edward]

My son and I occasionally drive this road pulling a boat. It is called the "Apache Trail" AZ hwy 88. It has one and one half lanes at best and one lane in the tight places. At one point you can look down and see about a dozen vehicles at the bottom of a 500 foot cliff. They had accumulated there over the years.

They put the tacky wooden guard rails up a few years ago. The guards rails serve a purely a psychological benefit for tourists.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1038742565028798011XfGRgf

 

[Thrice]

I wish there were some statistics on it instead of just pictures appealing to emotions.

 

[edward]

I wish there were some statistics on it instead of just pictures appealing to emotions.

According to Wiki the number of deaths is 200-300 people per year.
The road is actually the Yungas road. As foe the pictures, they are just plain awesome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yungas_Road

 

[Thrice]

some of those 200-300 probably qualify for a darwin award

 

[Evo]

This reminds me of the drive from my aunt's villa outside of Nice, France in Cagnes Sur Mer to Monte Carlo. It was all on the edge of a cliff and looking down out of the car window, there was nothing.

 

[edward]

Mountain bikers have foud the road.

http://www.pbase.com/cerebro/image/68496572