The Never Ending Road

By James Donahue

There is a story circulating about a road that existed in years past that was said to have apparently swallowed people up when they dared to drive it.

The story, which is probably untrue, goes like this:

The name was Lester Road and it was located somewhere near Corona, California. It no longer exists but years back, when it existed, the road was unlit and unsigned. People claimed it was a never ending road when driven at night. Many people who made a nightly drive on Lester Road just disappeared, never to be heard of again.

The legend grew to a point where people refused to drive Lester Road even during the day.

Authorities decided to investigate. They found that Lester Road came upon a deep canyon and there it had a sharp turn to the left. There were no signs or guard rails to warn drivers. On the other side of the canyon could be seen another road that lined up with Lester Road, so when viewed by unaware drivers, it appeared as if the road continued on without obstruction.

At the bottom of the canyon were found dozens of wrecked cars that had plunged over the edge of the canyon, sending their drivers and passengers to certain death.

When doing an Internet search we found that residents of Corona say they have no memory of Lester Road, and they say they have never heard of such a legend. They also maintain that the terrain around Corona is relatively flat, and that they know of no canyons like the one described in the story.

One reader said he searched Lester Road on Google Maps and found such a road in Northwest Washington state. "If you look at the terrain it has a depression that appears to be a canyon, and a sharp left turn, and a road that lines up pretty perfectly on the other side."

So is there a degree of truth to the never ending road story? Is it about a road in Washington State instead of California?

Another problem we have with the story. What road crew would build such a road and open it to public traffic without first posting warning signs and guard posts at the edge of a sharp canyon where the road makes a sharp curve?