Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
Getting back to the towing thing: Yesterday the bus drove past someone who was loading up a trailer attached to a small two-seat convertible sports car.
In the sort of situation you're talking about, having a vehicle rated at those conditions is the only way to go, but for all intents and purposes, that is not something 95% of of America has even *thought* of doing. [/B][/QUOTE]
See thats the mistake of generalizing from your own experiences, I hate to tell you a healtier portion of americans DO have to do something like that, the entire west is rugged
Even people who live in So-cal if they want to tow things on their trips to say Nevada or Northern california have to deal with very rugged terrain, Shasta Mountain is 14,000 some odd feet tall, and the lake is at like 6,000 or something if I rember right. I could be wrong, but I believe the passes in the Sierra Nevadas are all in the 5000 feet range. This is why most people out west DO own trucks, or honest to god "SUVs" like suburbans, which do have off road capability, and were talking over 30% of the population of the US living in that kind of environment
Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
You guys should come to NZ. This place is nothing but rugged terrain.
my sisters 96 taurus was having trouble getting up MT Wilson outside of LA the last time i went and visited her.
And i remember driving a Ford Aspire around San Fran and having to lean forward because it felt like the car was going to collapse and roll back down the hill.
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Biggles [/i]
[B]You guys should come to NZ. This place is nothing but rugged terrain. [/B][/QUOTE]
Most of the western US is New Zealand writ at large, and us wacky americans instead of just sticking to the low lands, decided to put stuff up there... We call it Colorado and Idaho :D
Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
We pretty much don't have anywhere else to put anything. :D
Neither do most of the folks living in The Sierras or in Colorado from the Rockies west to Utah.:D
Tyvar: Actually, the major passes in the Sierras are all well [I]above[/I] the 5,000 ft range. I-5 over Tejon Pass (a.k.a. "The Grapevine" to native Californians) is also a real bitch to travel through with a trailer (or even without one); the gradient itself isn't too bad (about 2.5% or so, IIRC) but it begins just south of Bakersfield and continues for nearly twenty [I]miles[/I] to the summit. (Needless to say, even the "big rigs" have a hard time heading south over that pass.:) ) What's really trippy is going north towards Bakersfield; it literally seems like you're in an airliner on final approach to an airport (or like a fighter coming in to land on an aircraft carrier) only it seems to take [I]forever[/I]. ([I]Very[/I] few things can give me a case of vertigo; heading north out of Tejon Pass is definitely one of 'em.:p )
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by An ex-Squid [/i]
[B][I]forever[/I]. ([I]Very[/I] few things can give me a case of vertigo; heading north out of Tejon Pass is definitely one of 'em.:p ) [/B][/QUOTE]
The north road in and out of crater lake is this insanely long, completely straight road on a gentle grade that makes the road look like its climinging to heaven, its a kinda freaky sight.
And I was low balling the Sierra pass levels just to be safe, I was hoping you would say they were higher :D
Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
State Highway 1 south out of Auckland at one point climbs up a very long hill and a reasonable grade, but because the road is perfectly even, it doesn't feel like you're climbing at all until you look behind you. It's quite trippy. :)
Comments
[B]
In the sort of situation you're talking about, having a vehicle rated at those conditions is the only way to go, but for all intents and purposes, that is not something 95% of of America has even *thought* of doing. [/B][/QUOTE]
See thats the mistake of generalizing from your own experiences, I hate to tell you a healtier portion of americans DO have to do something like that, the entire west is rugged
Even people who live in So-cal if they want to tow things on their trips to say Nevada or Northern california have to deal with very rugged terrain, Shasta Mountain is 14,000 some odd feet tall, and the lake is at like 6,000 or something if I rember right. I could be wrong, but I believe the passes in the Sierra Nevadas are all in the 5000 feet range. This is why most people out west DO own trucks, or honest to god "SUVs" like suburbans, which do have off road capability, and were talking over 30% of the population of the US living in that kind of environment
And i remember driving a Ford Aspire around San Fran and having to lean forward because it felt like the car was going to collapse and roll back down the hill.
just saying.
[B]You guys should come to NZ. This place is nothing but rugged terrain. [/B][/QUOTE]
Most of the western US is New Zealand writ at large, and us wacky americans instead of just sticking to the low lands, decided to put stuff up there... We call it Colorado and Idaho :D
Tyvar: Actually, the major passes in the Sierras are all well [I]above[/I] the 5,000 ft range. I-5 over Tejon Pass (a.k.a. "The Grapevine" to native Californians) is also a real bitch to travel through with a trailer (or even without one); the gradient itself isn't too bad (about 2.5% or so, IIRC) but it begins just south of Bakersfield and continues for nearly twenty [I]miles[/I] to the summit. (Needless to say, even the "big rigs" have a hard time heading south over that pass.:) ) What's really trippy is going north towards Bakersfield; it literally seems like you're in an airliner on final approach to an airport (or like a fighter coming in to land on an aircraft carrier) only it seems to take [I]forever[/I]. ([I]Very[/I] few things can give me a case of vertigo; heading north out of Tejon Pass is definitely one of 'em.:p )
[B][I]forever[/I]. ([I]Very[/I] few things can give me a case of vertigo; heading north out of Tejon Pass is definitely one of 'em.:p ) [/B][/QUOTE]
The north road in and out of crater lake is this insanely long, completely straight road on a gentle grade that makes the road look like its climinging to heaven, its a kinda freaky sight.
And I was low balling the Sierra pass levels just to be safe, I was hoping you would say they were higher :D