Traveling In Mountainous Regions Can Be Dangerous Without Advanced Knowledge of The Geography

Travelling in mountainous regions without proper knowledge of the area can be dangerous. There are several factors that should be considered. These include the condition of the roads you will have to traverse and the weather.

Road conditions include the grade your vehicle will have to overcome and the lack of pavement. Of course you have to deal with probability of driving down narrow roads with no guard rails that include very steep cliffs and if you miss the turn on a switchback there is no turning back.

This picture was take at over 10,000 feet above sea level, close to the boarder of Chile and Argentina in the Andes Mountains. This was during the warmer months. Imagine doing this during their winter months with no prior knowledge of the road conditions. This is a major trucking route between Chile and Argentina.

Trucking in the USA and Canada can have the same pitfalls (excuse the bad humour). If you have driven through the Rock Mountains during the winter months you will understand.

Consider this, it is illegal to drive a truck through certain mountain passes unless their tires are chained up. Passenger vehicles must have winter tires to legally traverse these mountain passes.

Would it not be a good idea to have advanced knowledge of these mountainous region when having to travel through them. CLICK HERE to learn more. Learn about the locations and descriptions of over 700 mountain passes and steep grades In 22 states. Vital information for anyone driving a large or heavy vehicle.

Even during the warm weather there are certain roads throughout the USA than be rather dangerous if if are prepared to traverse them. This can especial so at night. Imagine this coming upon you without any advanced notice.  

 Imagine yourself descending a mountain grade in your RV delivery vehicle. You didn't know there was such a long, steep grade on this highway. What a surprise!

Many people are under the impression that the grades in the eastern mountains are not as serious as the grades in the western mountains. Apparently this is because the elevations are not as high in the eastern states. But elevation alone is not the problem--it is the change in elevation that makes a grade potentially hazardous.

If all other factors are equal, a grade that descends from 4000' to 1000' over 10 miles is no different than a grade that descends from 10000' to 7000' over 10 miles. Either way you have a 3000' change in elevation spread over 10 miles. (This example would result in an average grade of almost 6% for 10 miles.)

From the author, RW:

When customers find out that I'm from Kansas, they often say, "Kansas?  What can you tell me about mountain passes if you're from Kansas?"  But after they hear my story, they cut me a little slack.  (By the way, did you know that there was once a researcher with too much government grant money who determined that Kansas actually is flatter than a pancake?)

When I was a kid in the early 60's my parents owned a 16 foot Mobil Scout travel trailer.  We pulled that trailer all over the western United States and Canada with a 1962 Chevy with a 283 cubic inch engine and a three speed on the column.  So I learned to love mountains and I learned to love traveling the wide open spaces of our great land.  With that small trailer and the reliable Chevy, we never had any problems climbing or descending grades.

Read more ...

VITAL INFORMATION FOR ANYONE DRIVING A LARGE OR HEAVY VEHICLE

In an attempt to make mountain driving a little safer for truckers and RV'ers, R&R Publishing Inc. has been collecting and publishing information about mountain passes and steep grades since 1993. The MOUNTAIN DIRECTORY gives the locations and descriptions of over 700 mountain passes and steep grades in 22 states.

CLICK HERE to obtain this information.

During the last few years we have heard many stories about very expensive repairs to drive train components. Sometimes rigs are lost entirely. A highway patrol officer in Oregon told us that in the summer an average of one motorhome per week burns to the ground while trying to climb Cabbage Hill on I-84 east of Pendleton.

 If a fire starts, the nearest fire department is likely to be many miles away. By the time they arrive, there is nothing left to do but hose down the ashes.

From the Colorado section of the Mountain Directory West:

VAIL PASS elev. 10603' (on I-70 east of Vail, CO)

The descent on the westbound side of Vail Pass is about 10 miles in length and begins at milepost 189 on I-70. One half mile west of the summit there are warning signs for westbound traffic--"Speed limit 45 mph for vehicles over 30,000 lbs." and "Steep grade next 8 miles--trucks stay in lower gear."  The next mile is rolling hills.  Then there is a sign--"7% grade next 7 miles."

The descent is steady at 7% and there are 3 advisory signs for the first runaway truck ramp which is about milepost 185 or 4 miles down from the summit.  The escape ramp is upsloping on the right.  The second runaway truck ramp is about milepost 182, which is 3¼ miles after the first escape ramp, or about 7¼ miles down from the summit.   There are several advisory signs before reaching it and it is an upsloping ramp on the right.  Don't be fooled when the grade eases after the second escape ramp.  It soon goes back to 7% and doesn't bottom out until 2½ miles after the second escape ramp or about milepost 179.

The eastbound descent from the summit of Vail Pass continues almost to the Frisco exit about 11 miles down the hill but the descent is not steady.  There are short steep sections followed by short sections of lesser grade.  The last half of the descent is 3-4% grade.  There are no escape ramps on the east side of the pass.

The main ingredients involved in overheated brakes are the length of the grade, the steepness of the grade, and the speed and weight of the vehicle. Reducing any of these will improve the chances of getting down the mountain without overheating the brakes. Most of the time, the only one the driver can change is speed. Reducing speed may keep you alive. Remember the old phrase, "You can go down a mountain a thousand times too slowly, but only once too fast."

Best Regards