Winding Road~This Way Thursday 121709

This is the winding road that I take from my home in the desert to the horse ranch where I board my horses. It's called the "Palms to Pines" Highway, Highway 74. Don't let the nice, scenic name fool you. This is a killer highway. There is an accident on it nearly every week and sometimes they are fatal. Cars just aren't used to the hairpin turns, drivers drive too fast, they cut corners, and the result is...well...it isn't pretty. I've personally seen several accidents myself. The most recent one involved a car full of teenagers which drove over the side, resulting in one fatality and another passenger permanently paralyzed. I am always careful when I drive it, always keeping one eye out on other drivers and I often pull over to let the "speedsters" go by. It does have its beauty, however, as you can see in these photographs. It is an especially beautiful highway in Spring, when the desert wildflowers are in full bloom. This Way Thursday for December 17, 2009.