Touring - Great Road Names

One thing I enjoy quite a bit in my riding is the odd road names that crop up. This spring I took a short Credit Card shakedown tour of the San Juan Islands. On Fidalgo Island (where I grew up) I found my favorite road name so far: 'Pull & Be Damned Road' which was off 'Snee-Oosh Road' on the Reservation on the east side of the island. I looped around and got a photo (attached) which I resolved would be a constant in my tours. So I invite all to post their favorite road names (and pics if you got them).

you must know Chuck-a-nut drive in Bellingham, WA
Ragged Ass Road (that's its real name) which runs from Alberta to The North West Territories
That's all I can think of right now...

In June, '02 a friend and I circumnavigate Lake Champlain in 5 days/4 nights and in Vermont we came across this road here (which was aptly named):

http://users.snip.net/~jayhui/files/windswept.jpg


In Orange County, NY, my friend used to also live by a road called "Bloodgood Road" which I sent to the folks at WeirdNJ and they put it in there anyway.. There's a lot of weird roads in NJ but I can't take credit for finding those...

Jay

I don't have a picture but I know in Fort Wayne, Indiana, they have a Harry Baals Road.

In Rhode Island I have been on Peeptoad Road.

roughstuff

Western Canada has the Yellow Head Hwy.

Anyone travelling from southern California to Las Vegas has seen Zzyzx Road.

Here in RI we have Breakneck Hill Rd.

We have Hellfire Pass Road in Lower Beechmont. I'll probably think of a few others later on.

Would Turkey Turd Lane in Camden, Maine qualify? It's not a real road, but the name is.

My favorite is the intersection of Route 69 and Love Lane.

Here's one that most can't pronounce: Zyzzx Road, off I-15 between LA & Las Vegas......in the middle of the desert.

Featherbed Lane is a local one I like

Bambling Road. It's in a locality called Wonglepong.

Seen at the entrance to Seagate Technology near Boulder, Colorado, USA...

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/album01/Disc_Dr.jpg

Somebody once told me that all, or most, of the characters on the Simpsons are taken from street names in Evergreen, WA where Matt Groening either grew up or studied. Any truth to that?

Dunno, but there are A LOT of characters on the Simpsons.. Perhaps it is just Homer's family?

You can try a mapquest search to see if it even pans out, won't prove it but it might disprove it... Or try a google search.

Jay

We have a few interesting ones around here.

STONERS RD. - a favorite with the teenagers
SHAKE RAG RD.
BIG TALL RD.
and
BUT RAM RD. ( Iv'e been told that its supposed to be Buttram and someone removed a t.)

Somebody once told me that all, or most, of the characters on the Simpsons are taken from street names in Evergreen, WA where Matt Groening either grew up or studied. Any truth to that?

I think the Simpson family (Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, and Marge's sisters Patty and Selma, and maybe Grampa (Abe) Simpson) are actually names from Groening's family. Bart is just the letters in brat re-arranged.

Don't know about the non-family characters. Of course, maybe there is an Apu Nahasapetapetolon street somewhere.

Or did you mean the street names were from Evergreen, WA? The Simpsons live on Evergreen Terrace.

you must know Chuck-a-nut drive in Bellingham, WA
Ragged Ass Road (that's its real name) which runs from Alberta to The North West Territories
That's all I can think of right now...

Yeah, I love Chuck-a-Nut drive, very scenic right on the coast. Never biked it though, seems very dangerous what with no shoulder and pretty constant traffic. I do believe thought that the Cascade Cycling Club's annual Seattle to Vancouver ride goes up Chuck-a-nut. I'd be curious how people have found the ride.

I think the Simpson family (Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, and Marge's sisters Patty and Selma, and maybe Grampa (Abe) Simpson) are actually names from Groening's family. Bart is just the letters in brat re-arranged.

Don't know about the non-family characters. Of course, maybe there is an Apu Nahasapetapetolon street somewhere.

Or did you mean the street names were from Evergreen, WA? The Simpsons live on Evergreen Terrace.

Yes, the Simpsons names, except for Bart (who would be Matt of course) are named after Matt's family. Also I believe that Matt grew up in Oregon, but he did go to The Evergreen State College (http://www.evergreen.edu) (as did I) in Olympia, WA. There is an Evergreen Terrace in Olympia...

Thanks for posting all these great road names everybody, something to look out for in future tours.

For some reason I'm not too surprised to see that Australia has such a high quotient of amusing names. ;)

If you look at a map of Newfoundland and Labrador, you won't see too many weird road names, but there are many strange town names. What do you think of:

- Blow Me Down

- Come By Chance

- Carbonear (from French Charbonnière)

- Port au Port

I'm second from the right. This snap comes from the final day of our Perth to Hobart ride.

I should have mentioned that the next two hills were Bust Me Gall and Black Charlies Opening.

That's near Hobart right? I'm just wondering if I'll get a crack at that one later this year.

The 3 of them are 'near' Hobart. They would within 90 or 100 km of Hobart, possibly closer.

In the SF Bay area there's a little dirt road named "Upenuf Rd." near the top of a climb up to Skyline Boulevard. There's also a "Swett Rd." that has a short but steep section.

Of course, I forgot to mention the side street on my regular Thursday night ride through Gilston, "Awful Close"

Someone here posted this pic over a year ago.

Another intersection... Avenue P and Rusholme Street.

Kids are always going to Rusholme and P.

A sign off I-680 through Oakland, CA USA that reads "A Street Downton" as in an exit for downtown via "A Street".

Needmore Road - Dayton, OH USA

Big Beaver Road - Troy, MI USA
http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/roadsigns/SignBigBeaverRd_x69.jpg

And if that's not enough, there's also a sign for Big Bone Lick State Park in Kentucky which is off of Beaver Road.

Seen at the entrance to Seagate Technology near Boulder, Colorado, USA...

Well... the URL to the image in my previous post was invalidated when I moved my albums around in my gallery so here it is again.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/roadsigns/Disc_Dr.jpg.

you must know Chuck-a-nut drive in Bellingham, WA
I rode this today!! It’s a fantastic ride on a fantastically named road.

Yeah, I love Chuck-a-Nut drive, very scenic right on the coast. Never biked it though, seems very dangerous what with no shoulder and pretty constant traffic. I do believe thought that the Cascade Cycling Club's annual Seattle to Vancouver ride goes up Chuck-a-nut. I'd be curious how people have found the ride.


I rode it just once around mid-day on my way to California and found it fine. There wasn't much traffic and cars took it pretty slow anyhow. Lots of great views across the sound, and the descent into the delta at the south end was a real thrill.

We've got one here in NW Ohio (just east of Toledo) named "Lickert-Harder Rd."

Whoa, I didn't notice this thread was two years old...I just looked at the day and month!

Oh well, it's still a good one.

Everybody around here (athens, ga) rides on Nowhere Rd. If you go a little further north, there's Jot-Em-Down Rd.

My favorite in Santa Barbara is "Hubba Hubba Lane."
In San Diego it's Nirvana Ave. in Chula Vista actually.

Arkansas seems to better with town names though, like Toad Suck and Smackover.

Somebody once told me that all, or most, of the characters on the Simpsons are taken from street names in Evergreen, WA where Matt Groening either grew up or studied. Any truth to that?

Some of the characters in the Simpsons have names that are similar or identical to street names in downtown Portland, OR: Burns (Burnside), Flanders, Lovejoy. I commute past them a few times a week.

"Forgotten World Highway" towards Stratford, New Zealand and with Mount Taranaki in front for many Kilometers is probably my favorite.

Go visit New Zealand :)

Per

When working in customer service I once took a call from someone living in Beef Jerky Lane, somewhere in Georgia I think. Rather declasse in comparison to London's very own Haunch of Venison Yard.

There's a Shades of Death Road in NJ and Inbetween Roads in Surrey, UK.

Fiddlers Elbow Road, a challenging climb in NJ. I've always liked Street Road here in SE PA, as if "they" couldn't what to call it.

Somewhere in Montana there's a "Home on the Range" Rd.

I always liked Little Hope Road in Port Hope, Ont.

Itch-A-Bit Drive in Prince Edwards Island

Yes, the Simpsons names, except for Bart (who would be Matt of course) are named after Matt's family. Also I believe that Matt grew up in Oregon, but he did go to The Evergreen State College (http://www.evergreen.edu) (as did I) in Olympia, WA. There is an Evergreen Terrace in Olympia...


Me, too!

Oh-Be-Joyful Rd in Crested Butte, CO.

I have some friends who live in the Mother Lode country in California who live at the end of Almosta Rd.

Sni-A-Bar road kansas city

Somebody once told me that all, or most, of the characters on the Simpsons are taken from street names in Evergreen, WA where Matt Groening either grew up or studied. Any truth to that?

Several Simpsons character names are from streets in Portland (ie Flanders, Lovejoy) where he grew up...