In the course of dropping nearly 12,000 feet in less than 40 miles, Bolivia's "Road of Death" poses a number of challenging questions to mountain bikers. Here's a sample:

A Nissan pickup unexpectedly rounds a blind curve 20 feet ahead of you. You should:

a) Steer sharply left, toward the 3,000-foot cliff.

b) Hug the mountainside, hoping the hood is softer than it looks.

c) Find God, quickly.

Looking for "None of the above"? So was I in the middle of a wild ride down what is also frequently referred to as the "world's most dangerous road."

I had been hearing about this ride for weeks, usually from other budget travelers who'd passed through La Paz, Bolivia's capital and the jumping-off point for the trip. Without fail, they described never-ending downhills, flips over handle bars and enormous trucks driving inches away from a half-mile of empty air.

They also said it was the sort of thing that I absolutely had to do, and I believed them.

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