To continue with Part 1 of my feature on Cagayan Valley Roads, the following photos were taken along the national roads from Nueva Vizcaya to Cagayan (Tuguegarao).

After Dalton Pass, motorists continue on winding mountain sections, often with little protection against flying off the road

Community in a valley in the mountains as seen from the national highway

The hills seem to be silent witnesses to intense logging in the past that has left us with a lot of barren hills and mountains. I could only imagine how these hills could have looked like if there were still trees.

Entering Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya, I was a little disappointed that there was no grand arch like those marking boundaries in other cities or towns along national highways. Instead, there’s this sponsored sign on a gantry. Ahead, some of the chevron signs have been stolen, leaving only a few installed and empty posts.

Reverse curve section with concrete barriers to keep cars from going off-road and into the ravine on the right. These barriers, however, will be unable to stop larger vehicles.

I was both a bit surprised and delighted that tricycles used the shoulder (or is it parked?) and got out of the way of general traffic. I now forget the exact name of the place but this is somewhere in Bambang in Nueva Vizcaya and the tricycles here are not garapal users of the road.

There are many trucks traveling along the Pan-Philippine Highway as this is a major route for a lot of goods. Isabela province, for example, produces rice that is transported mainly to Central Luzon and Metro Manila.

This typical 2-lane concrete bridge is relatively new judging from the 20-ton limit indicated in the sign. Older bridges would have 15-ton limits.

The sign before the bridge allows motorists to assess distances to major towns along the highway: 8 km to Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, 13 km to Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, and 70 km to Santiago, Isabela. The two-lane bridge doesn’t have enough space for pedestrian use or breakdowns.

There are many straight, long sections like this between Bayombong and Bagabag.

I forget now but this section is also likely to be somewhere between Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya and Cordon, Isabela. Bagabag is close to the provincial and regional boundary with Banaue Province (Cordillera Autonomous Region) and there are signs pointing travelers to roads going to Baguio City and Lagawe.

I forget now but this section is also likely to be somewhere between Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya and Cordon, Isabela.

Calao Bridge in Santiago City, Isabela is an example of old school bridgework using steel trusses. It is similar to many other bridges including those still standing in the Visayas and Mindanao.

From Santiago City, we decided to take the alternate route using the Santiago-Tuguegarao Road. Our assessment was that this would be less congested compared to using the Cagayan Valley Road, which passes through more populous towns like Cauayan and Ilagan.

Arch announcing our arrival at Cabatuan, Isabela province along the Santiago-Tuguegarao Road.

Typical two-lane bridge in Isabela along the alternate route to the Cagayan Valley road. Our decision to take this road seemed to be a good one as traffic was very light and we could travel without worrying too much about tricycles or pedestrians.

There were rice fields on both sides of the road. The concrete pavement was satisfactory and allowed us to travel at high speeds. Fortunately, there were few communities and people living along the highway at the time.

I like seeing rice fields with the plants growing and the greenery indicating its is well-irrigated. This was taken in mid-February so I am pretty sure that since it was months before the wet season, the area had an abundant harvest.

Sunset in the Cordilleras

The light from the sunset presents travelers with surreal sights with the rice fields and the mountains often combining for picture-perfect moments. I took this with my Canon Ixy on-board a moving vehicle!

Another shot of the country side along the Santiago-Tuguegarao Road. This highway will actually pass through Kalinga province and there is a junction after Quezon town where travelers can turn left towards Tabuk, the capital town of Kalinga.

Crossing the Buntun Bridge after Enrile town brings the traveler to Tuguegarao. The bridge spans the width of the Cagayan River, the longest and largest river in the Philippines, which deserves to be called by its name during the Spanish period – Rio Grande de Cagayan.

Cagayan River is a wide body of water that is navigable and the source of fresh water for a lot of people in the Cagayan Valley. It stretches from Aparri to Dupax Del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya near the Nueva Ecija province and Pantabangan Dam. The river and its tributaries cover practically the entire valley of 4 provinces (Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya).

Reviewing these photos and trying to remember the places is like reliving the journey. I am sure there has been a lot of changes since I took these photos in February 2007. Perhaps there have been substantial developments along the highways and there are more people living in those communities we passed by. Perhaps, too, there is more vehicular traffic along these roads, a definite sign of progress in these areas. I just hope that there would be more and not less trees in those hills we passed along the way.

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