paulj wrote:
I'm puzzled about the 2 scary segments you have driven so far
Bakersfield to Las Vegas - I thought that was flat desert
Sedona into Phoenix. - if it werre Sedona to Flagstaff I'd understand (esp. 89), but south to Phoenix? What route did you take?
The part from Bakersfield to Mojave on Rte 58 is not flat - it goes through the Tehachapi Mountains, and the road is two NARROW lanes in each direction, and it is a major truck route, with lots of ups and downs. Cars were darting in and out, and trucks going variable speeds in the right lane made it difficult to maintain a consistent speed, and we hit that part in the dark. It was a two plus hour ordeal.
You're right about the Sedona to Phoenix part - we were coming from Flagstaff to Sedona, which we DID know to stay on I-17 (thanks to our Garmin 760LMT (with wireless back-up camera)) rather than 89; we stayed there 3 days recuperating from the drive from the Grand Canyon, and then there were 14 miles more of steep downgrade coming out of Sedona to Phoenix.
The sway bar helps some with the sway/twisty road/passing trucks/wind, but maintaining speed is even more of a problem up and down hill with the gas V10, in particular in traffic.
The Mountain Directory looks very useful - except it doesn't cover Canada, which is half of our concern. Still looking, and have contacted the publisher for further suggestions.
