Devil's Spine

[cyclopathic]

Route 191 in AZ. 435 turns in 100 miles. That's not a typo, four hundred thirty five.

we passed through the area on the way to Grand Canyon.. on US 180 from Las Cruces, NM. Too bad haven't had time to check it out.

the nickname of this road is "Devil's Spine", as the hwy used to be designated as US-666 before was renamed to US191 due to religious protests. Still have maps listing it as US-666  

[thatguy]

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Whoa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YEEHAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Looks like fun. And if they'd read the Book of Revelations the only time that number should bother you is if it shows up an your sons head as a birthmark.

[miles]

I love that road.  I've ridden it a half-dozen times now, and I've never seen any LEO presence.  I have ridden it when it was covered in difficult-to-see pea gravel, though, so use some caution.

[JoBu]

I hate Florida...  

[freecatSV]

Is 4.35 curves per mile a lot?

[miles]

Is 4.35 curves per mile a lot?

It's not that evenly distributed.  The south end by Cliffton has about 37 curves per mile.

[cyclopathic]

Is 4.35 curves per mile a lot?

I think it is more.. not sure were the 100mi/435 number came from. Picture was taken btw Clifton and Alpine


Here is the map

Code:

View Larger Map

[freecatSV]

I was thinking maybe it was a typo and it was 435 in 10 miles, but it doesn't look *that* twisty. Anyway, it looks good. I need to look at a larger map to figure out if I've ever been there before. It's been 15 years since I've ridden in AZ.

[blackbuell]

The road is NOTHING like it was before they straightened it. It now takes less than half the amount of time to travel than it did 30 years ago. 666 was truly an appropriate name for the old road; 191 is tame in comparison.

Ask some of the old-timers about it!

[miles]

Here is the worst possible way to ride 191- stuck behind this guy:

[cyclopathic]

Here is the worst possible way to ride 191- stuck behind this guy:

it still beats coming onto him head on..
how many times did he cross double yellow?  

[miles]

how many times did he cross double yellow?  

All of them.

[GilaMonster]

All of them.

It's less scary being behind this than facing it coming from the other way.  

[sagerat]

Love how he ignores the slow-vehicle pullout.  

Too bad you couldn't get close enough to get a plate number then send the video to the county sheriff's office or Dept. of Public Safety (AZ's version of Highway Patrol) and say "feel free to use the enclosed information to issue a citation for any and every motor vehicle code violation you can think of."

Some people should never be allowed to drive an RV...like about 98% of the folks who own them.  Make 'em pass a CDL style driving test, first.

On the happy-happy, joy-joy side of life, when  I was riding 191 a few years back, I actually had a a truck pulling a fifth-wheel trailer slow down and pull over so I could pass.    Only saw three vehicles the entire stretch of the road, which was one less than the number of coyotes encountered.  

[yotes65]

the nickname of this road is "Devil's Spine", as the hwy used to be designated as US-666 before was renamed to US191 due to religious protests. Still have maps listing it as US-666  

Here's a Link to a US Department Transportation Website explaining the History of Route 666

From the above website:

The association with the "beast" earned U.S. 666 the nickname "Devil's Highway." USA Today quoted a State trooper who recalled one drunken-driving suspect on U.S. 666 who told him, "Triple 6 is evil. Everyone dies on that highway" (August 4, 1990). The Wall Street Journal titled an article "Beast of a Highway: Does Asphalt Stretch Have Biblical Curse?" (August 3, 1995). Referring to the highway's dangers, the article quoted a resident who "blames Satan. After all, 'the highway has the devil's name.'" It was also the subject of a cartoon in The New Yorker's issue of February 23/March 2, 1998 (a Corvette-type open top sports car is passing the U.S. 666 sign; the driver and his passenger are depicted as satanic figures).

Route 666 rides the rugged eastern seam of Arizona from the Petrified Forest, south, across the Zuni River, through the Apache National Forest, and into the mountain mining towns of Clifton and Morenci. Unlike the straightforward, gentle passage of retired Route 66 ("America's Highway"), U.S. 666, its descendant, is tortuous, wild, and as strange as its name. In little more than one hundred miles, the surrounding altitude ranges from twenty-nine hundred feet to more than eleven thousand feet. With some four hundred twisting curves in one sixty-mile stretch, the road has sent more than its share of travelers crashing off cliffs. If, as Nat King Cole sang, drivers get their kicks on Route 66, they take their risks on 666.

Funny thing about the above number of 400 twisting curves in one sixty mie stretch works out to be 6.66 per mile...  

[buls4evr]

 There are actually 2 5X8 signs that tell you that vehicles over 40' are not allowed on N191. You always get dummies that try it as a "shortcut". About 6 hrs. later they wish they had stayed on the freeway! You are well within your right to phone police and report them. These 2 signs are huge, day-glo orange signs with turn arounds at them.

[DangerMoney]

... Picture was taken btw Clifton and Alpine

Picture was taken looking south at  33°10'17"N,  109°22'3"W. I know because I took it.

[C 4]

I think this is the same shot when I rode this with a couple buddys. Hannigan Meadow I think was the lookout area. [imghttp://][/img]

[DangerMoney]

Yup, same shot.

That spot is 15 miles north of Morenci, AZ  and 53 miles south of Hannagan Meadow, AZ.

[birdrunner]

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Whoa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YEEHAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Looks like fun. And if they'd read the Book of Revelations the only time that number should bother you is if it shows up an your sons head as a birthmark.

I'm safe,  it reads 999.