"The Spot" on the Hummingbird Highway

[Downing]

Not really a scuba diving topic, but there's a spot on the Hummingbird Highway where if you stop and put the car in neutral then you'll roll backwards up hill. At least it appears that way. It's near Mile Post 29, if I remember correctly, might be MP 30. One of the locals, Marco, showed it to me years ago.

For those of you not familiar, the Hummingbird Highway is the prettiest highway in Belize as it cuts through the Maya Mountains jungle from Belmopan to Dangriga, where you can then turn onto the Southern Highway for Hopkins, Placencia and Punta Gorda. I make it a point to drive it at least once and usually multiple times when I'm there. Adding to the experience are a number of one-lane bridges along the way, some of which are in such bad shape you wonder if they might collapse beneath you.

I had experienced this phenomenon before when bicycling through the Cascades and Rockie Mountains. I would either have to pedal to ride on what appeared to be a downward slope or suddenly start flying on what appeared to be an upward slope.

I had a theory that the slope was an illusion due to the surrounding landscape. Turns out, I was right according to this video shot in Scotland. Still, it's very cool when it happens.

 

[Hank49]

Not really a scuba diving topic, but there's a spot on the Hummingbird Highway where if you stop and put the car in neutral then you'll roll backwards up hill. At least it appears that way. It's near Mile Post 29, if I remember correctly, might be MP 30. One of the locals, Marco, showed it to me years ago.

For those of you not familiar, the Hummingbird Highway is the prettiest highway in Belize as it cuts through the Maya Mountains jungle from Belmopan to Dangriga, where you can then turn onto the Southern Highway for Hopkins, Placencia and Punta Gorda. I make it a point to drive it at least once and usually multiple times when I'm there. Adding to the experience are a number of one-lane bridges along the way, some of which are in such bad shape you wonder if they might collapse beneath you.

I had experienced this phenomenon before when bicycling through the Cascades and Rockie Mountains. I would either have to pedal to ride on what appeared to be a downward slope or suddenly start flying on what appeared to be an upward slope.

I had a theory that the slope was an illusion due to the surrounding landscape. Turns out, I was right according to this video shot in Scotland. Still, it's very cool when it happens.

That spot in the highway is gone. Major reconstruction of the road there flattened out that rise. It was a bit dangerous for 18 wheelers southbound coming over that hill into that hard right bender at the bottom.
You wouldn't even recognize it now.

 

[Downing]

Aw, that's too bad. A little piece of Belizean folklore gone forever.

That stretch of the Hummingbird is definitely dangerous, though, especially in the rain. Lots of steep hills and sharp curves at the tops and bottoms. Years ago, I was driving south on the Hummingbird in a monsoon when I saw a car on its side in the woods. Two guys were standing next to the road, so I pulled over to check on them. They were ok, and I offered to give them a ride. They said sure and hopped in. Then one of them asked if I could wait for just a minute, hopped out and disappeared into the rain. About a minute later he came back with a pizza, which we shared on the way to Dangriga where I dropped them off.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Less than a month and I will be on that road again. Thanks for giving me a bright moment on a dismal November day.....

 

[Hank49]

Actually, the road is more dangerous right now as they haven't finished the job and added guard rails. They built the road up and the embankments are steep and quite high in spots. If one lost control (on the still dirt surface) it would be bad.
Also same on rebuilding the one lane bridges. Steep, open embankments.