Last month Bo Crane chronicled his favorite roads, alphabetically from A to M. This month, he continues from N to Z.
N: Niles Canyon Rd. is no one’s favorite due to fast cars and disappearing shoulders. 24 ½-mile long Nacimiento-Ferguson is said to be breath-taking but a little beyond the Bay Area. However, the East Bay’s North Gate Rd. is one of the longest unimpeded descents, dropping down 8 miles into the town of Walnut Creek from Mt. Diablo’s Summit-South Gate intersection.