Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride Road

Between Angel’s Camp and Farmington there is a stretch of road that must have been the  inspiration for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. I have driven that road a lot lately, going to my new endocrinologist’s office. On the way home today I had an epiphany and made the connection. No where else but Disneyland is there such a road.

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is exhausting. As is his road.  Most of it is a long ribbon of hills that go sharply up and down. The crew who originally paved the road did not bother to grade or otherwise engineer said road. So.., when you drive on it you feel like an ant going across a piece of ribbon hard candy. Up, Down, Up, Down, Up, Down, Up Down. Sometimes there is a row of small hills close together, these are often in between really big-ass hills.

Picture yourself on a roller-coaster. You know that part where the cars are pulled up and up to the very (horribly high) top? You can’t see what the track is like on the other side, so you are blindly going to plummet down, and you know that there will be a sharp turn very soon, but until you go over the hump and can see the tracks you have no clue what direction the turn takes.

This section of highway 4 is just like that. Over and Over again. Until you come to the wacky part of the ride where the road is flat and curves for no apparent reason. The road does not have to go around trees, or bypass homes. It just randomly turns and continues on. An aerial view would be interesting.

If the road isn’t wild enough for you, it’s because I have not told you about the whoop-tee-do section yet. This part is a calm and deceivingly peaceful, 65-miles per hour stretch, laced with 30-mile an hour curves. If you weren’t already car-sick, you are now. They say the driver doesn’t get car-sick – Ha!  Yours truly was feeling pretty nauseous there, until we got closer to Angel’s Camp.

Anyway, if you happen to be traveling up to the Big Trees, or Murphys area, I dare you to take Highway 4 East from Farmington.

Wait!!  I DOUBLE DARE YOU!

Those of you who decide to accept this mission (or already completed it) – Please send me your ‘take’ on the experience. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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photo credit: Loren Javier via photopin cc