Driving to Baguio at Midnight

[funkeemunkee]

and don't take Kennon if it's raining

[Lew_Alcindor]

Derechohin mo lang yung SCTEX sir, wagka mag exit dugtong kasi nun ang TPLEX. We went there parang Panaqui yung current final exit. Tapos yung Mc-Arthur Hiway all the way. First time ko rin mag drive kaya nag Marcos ako bawas kaba, pero nung kababa na kami at nag Kennon, dun ko na realize na kaya ko naman pala paakyan ang Kennon basta walang traffic pero ayaw ko din masyado ma pwersa yung makina.

Balak ko talaga TPLEX hanggang Paniqui. Balak ko talaga Kennon din. Ang reservation ko lang sa Kennon ay baka madaming repair works. Last May pa aksi ako huling napadaan dun. Mabilis naman byahe naminsa Kennon.

Nung byahe mo tuloy tuloy ba sa Kennon?

Eto yung toll na binayad ko. Went up to Baguio last week via NLAX-SCTEX-TPLEX-Kennon. Pauwi just reverse it.

Matindi ang mga one way sa banda pangasinan dahil sa road construction so if you can I suggest you leave during the day kasi sa gabi aside from low visibility, kasabay mo pa mga truck na mabagal kaya mahirap mag overtake.

Took me 4.5hrs paakyat, left QC around lunch time. Pabalik almost 6hrs, left Baguio 5pm.

HTH.

Rem

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tsikot Forums mobile app

Alis kami Laguna ng 2AM so ang estimate ko nasa Tarlac kami early morning.

[vinj]

If you take Kennon road careful also with this steep bend just before the Lion's head. Nag tokyo drift ako dun since I approched the curve relatively faster on the way up and there was a water delivery truck ahead dripping water which made the road slippier. Good thing di ako tumututok sa unahan ko and I was also able yo counter the skid.

Di naman pudpod gulong ko. Me driving a pickup with relatively lighter back end might also be a factor.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tsikot Forums mobile app

A common practice i observed with a lot of drivers I've followed at that steep portion of Kennon is they try to keep momentum and turn too soon at the hairpins and sharp turns (perhaps trying to apex sooner) and end up scrubbing off their excess speed at the turn itself. It's a lot smoother, easier on the passengers, tires, and you scrub off less speed if you allow for a little more space by going a few more meters/feet straight on your lane and get clear vision of where you want to turn towards, before actual turn-in at the sharp turn/curb/apex. This allows you to get the car to the proper gear (if necessary to downshift), set your turning position better, and set your ideal speed before actual turn-in. It keeps the car more balanced and allows you to power out of the turn earlier.

On a side note, I usually travel that road at night and i hate it when i'm following a car who's not going significantly faster than my pace, yet they refuse to let me pass safely when i signal my intentions of getting ahead. Eventually I do get to pass them and leave them well behind. There are times though that when i approach the steep climbs and have to follow a slow vehicle and cannot safely pass, these same guys usually catch up after a few minutes tapos sila ang mag-overtake ng sobrang alangan (blind approach and no clear gap to safely reenter after passing). I always slow down and let them through instead of giving them a dose of their "mangiipit" medicine.

[lowslowbenz]

^

Rally driving tips?



I miss those big Cibie or SEV Marchal driving lights. Are they still available here in Manila?

[vinj]

^ Hehehe. A lot of people actually don't realize that being smooth is quite a big time improver. I first learned this during a karting enduro years ago; i was really aggressive with the late brake and sharp turn-in and it resulted in some good lap times but was I wasting the tires and making errors that made me more inconsistent if i added up everything. In contrast, we had a female teammate who was very smooth and doing the slow down before the turn, balance and power out at the turn method. She had good times and was very consistent so her accumulated lap times were much better.

Looks like ebay is the best bet for those lamps. I still see those Cibie lights around, if you're lucky you can chance upon a good and cheap surplus set even. Those look good indeed, especially on an estate (er... shooting brake? :D).

The trend now though are those LED driving lamps.

[Lew_Alcindor]

Take Marcos highway, easier on a newbie driver.

Can you clarify this statement?

I am not really a newbie driver in terms of experience. I've driven 12 hours to Cam Norte. Driven to Subic several times from Laguna (back and forth).

But this will be my first time to drive to Baguio. My plan is really to take Kennon Road if it will not rain and there are no existing construction which may cause traffic to build up.

My alternative is to take both Marcos and Kennon. Marcos going up. Kennon going down. I just have to show my kid that lion's head.

[kasper]

I'll answer for Benz.

Marcos Highway is wider vs Kennon road. And more stable too during rains. Mas mabilis nga lang sa kennon road. No problem naman going up to Kennon if you are already an experienced driver. There is always a first time sabi nga.

[lowslowbenz]

Can you clarify this statement?

I am not really a newbie driver in terms of experience ..... But this will be my first time to drive to Baguio.

Sorry if you took it the other way. I should've corrected what I said. Anyway yes, Kennon is narrower in some areas than Marcos, though there are parts of road that are being widened. There are sharp turns going up or down (depending on which way you're going). As of last time I was up there, there's construction work between camp 2 and 3, they're fixing a part of the road that collapsed into the ravine below (one way traffic only).

Which ever route you wanna take, before you climb up Baguio, refuel at Rosario (2-3+ Php more expensive ang fuel per litre in Baguio itself). And if you can get a snack, please do. You need to be mentally alert for the road ahead going up.

Happy trip.

[remzam]

When I went up Baguio last week via Kennon there were no one way roads due to construction FYI. Meron roadside maintenance pero it doesnt hamper the two way traffic going up or going down. Dapat lang marunong ka sa timing ng pag overtake kasi marami sobrang mabagal like trucks especially on the way up and minsan mahirap mag overtake pag blind curve.

Yes a stop over is better so you can rest before another long drive.

Enjoy!

[lowslowbenz]

When I went up Baguio last week via Kennon there were no one way roads due to construction FYI. Meron roadside maintenance pero it doesnt hamper the two way traffic going up or going down.

Ayun, almost done na pala road repairs. All green and go.

[Lew_Alcindor]

I'll answer for Benz.

Marcos Highway is wider vs Kennon road. And more stable too during rains. Mas mabilis nga lang sa kennon road. No problem naman going up to Kennon if you are already an experienced driver. There is always a first time sabi nga.

Yes I agree kaya kahit first time ko drive to Baguio, I am still willing to try Kennon road kasi there is always the first time.

Ika nga, kung hindi ngayon, kelan? hehehe

Sorry if you took it the other way. I should've corrected what I said. Anyway yes, Kennon is narrower in some areas than Marcos, though there are parts of road that are being widened. There are sharp turns going up or down (depending on which way you're going). As of last time I was up there, there's construction work between camp 2 and 3, they're fixing a part of the road that collapsed into the ravine below (one way traffic only).

Which ever route you wanna take, before you climb up Baguio, refuel at Rosario (2-3+ Php more expensive ang fuel per litre in Baguio itself). And if you can get a snack, please do. You need to be mentally alert for the road ahead going up.

Happy trip.

I'm not offended in any way by you post. I am just gauging how safe it is for me to try Kennon considering it is my first time to drive to Baguio.

Thanks for the refueling tip.

When I went up Baguio last week via Kennon there were no one way roads due to construction FYI. Meron roadside maintenance pero it doesnt hamper the two way traffic going up or going down. Dapat lang marunong ka sa timing ng pag overtake kasi marami sobrang mabagal like trucks especially on the way up and minsan mahirap mag overtake pag blind curve.

Yes a stop over is better so you can rest before another long drive.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the update.

[kasper]

Medyo OT ng konti. Yung mga paakyat ng Baguio coming from NorthEast part ng Luzon, try aritao-kayapa-ambuklao road. Magsasawa kayo sa akyatan. 100 kilometers of zigzag. Bale wala ang Kennon.

[lowslowbenz]

^

Yan ang galing Nueva Viscaya na route di ba? A friend in Nueva Viscaya is suggesting I come visit his place and take that route going up Baguio.

Parang drive above the clouds daw. Looking at it over google maps, nakakalula nga ...

[vinj]

^ I've been wanting to take that route for the longest time. my tito took that road back in the 80s i think, using my lolo's W123... the roads were bad but the Benz took it in stride. nabangga pa siya sa likod ng ka-convoy niya (buti nalang minor, non crippling damage to the jap car of his friend).

Is it concrete all the way already today?

[lowslowbenz]

^

I wonder kung kaya ng 200D ang route? Baka sumuka ng langis ... :D

[remzam]

Ayun, almost done na pala road repairs. All green and go.

Sa Kennon road lang yun Sir LSB. Ibang usapan yung sa La Union at Pangasinan. Hanep ang road works dun. Kala mo nakalampas ka na sa trapik after a one way road due to construction, pero a few hundred meters after meron na naman. Mga lima o anim na ganun ata nadaanan ko. Haha

[funkeemunkee]

^
Yes, concrete na yang Baguio-Aritao Road end to end, though there is a slip section 20 km from Pacdal. It was rehabilitated thru a JICA-funded project. Twisty lang, nakaka-hilo, but the views are different.

[lowslowbenz]

^

Touge!

[runningback]

good day! guys patulong naman 1st time ko aakyat ng baguio. manggaling kami ng las pinas, kung nakafull tank ang gas ko kaya ba yun hanggang baguio? kung hindi man san banda ako dapat mag stop at magpa gas bago umakyat ng baguio?

[remzam]

good day! guys patulong naman 1st time ko aakyat ng baguio. manggaling kami ng las pinas, kung nakafull tank ang gas ko kaya ba yun hanggang baguio? kung hindi man san banda ako dapat mag stop at magpa gas bago umakyat ng baguio?

Anong kotse ba ser ang gagamitin mo para malaman natin kung ilang litro ang capacity. But to be safe mag fulltank ka na bago umakyat ng kennon or marcos hiway. I remember tabi tabi ang gasolinahan just before the junction up to baguio. Ok na rin yun na stop over maraming kainan rin sa gilid .

Also mahal ang fuel sa baguio by 2 or 3 pesos ata compared sa fuel price sa baba.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tsikot Forums mobile app