Michael F Ballard is the author and administrator of the Southern California Regional Rocks and Roads website, https://socalregion.com, since 1995. I have been studying the geology and highway history throughout southern California for most of my life. I am also the President of the Ridge Route Preservation Organization. Founder of the Historic Highway 99 Association of California, https://historic99.org .
On Thursday, November 14, 2013, I had the opportunity to travel Jackrabbit Trail for this first time in many years. I took my new motorcycle, a 2014 Kawasaki KLR 650, which was well suited for the trip. Jackrabbit Trail is a roadway through the Badlands near Moreno Valley that has an interesting history. It was originally built in 1915 as a part of the Riverside to Beaumont Highway, later US 60/70. In 1923-24, the roadway was paved with asphalt. Some of this still exists today. In 1936, the roadway was bypassed by the current route of Hwy 60. However, in 1956, the roadway was rehabilitated for use as US 60 again, albeit temporarily, while the current route was being widened to a four lane expressway. Following this brief use, the old Jackrabbit Trail fell into disuse and eventually was abandoned. The County no longer maintains the road and just posts “Road Closed” signs at either end. It is, however, still a through route, with some landslide and washout problems.
1953 USGS topographical map showing Jackrabbit Trail between US 60 and Gilman Springs Road.
Looking north from Gilman Springs Road
My journey took me over the entire route in both directions, as the southern roadway was closed for reconstruction. I was rather amazed to see how much old railing still exists along the roadway, most of which is from the 1920’s. In many ways, this road is similar to the Ridge Route north of Los Angeles on old US 99. It was built around the same time and bypassed around the same time. The only major difference is that the Ridge Route was not reused by the highway department after it was bypassed. The roadway also offers some rather scenic views of the area. Mt San Gorgonio stays in view when heading north and the lake bed of Mystic Lake is quite visible to the south. I highly recommend this road as an alternative to SR-60 and is good for bicycling as well.
Before the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension was opened, I was contacted by Nobuho Nagasawa. She was commissioned to create the artwork for the 1st St and Soto St Metro Gold Line station. She was looking for maps of the area surrounding the 1st / Soto station and found my website on the East Los Angeles Interchange. After searching my collection, I did find two maps that covered that area. The Los Angeles and Alhambra 6′ map sheets from the late 1920’s covered the area she needed with the right resolution. They were then scanned in at high resolution and sent along to her for use. As they were USGS maps, they were within the public domain and easy to transfer.
As I had obtained the maps from a geologist that had marked them up, cleaning them up prior to scanning was essential. I got most of the marks off, but some still remained. It seems they were just enough to “watermark” the maps as indeed from my collection. While not intentional, it did help me identify the maps when I saw them in a video on the opening of the line. In December 2009, I was finally able to see the station in person. The sheer size of the artwork created from these maps was astounding. A portion of a 6′ USGS quad sheet had been transformed into a 30′ x 60′ map going from one side of the station to the other.
The original and the artwork. Map sheet being held is the Los Angeles 6′ map.
Overview of part of the artwork display. Stairs lead to the platform level.
Western half of the map showing the Los Angeles River and part of downtown.
Central portion of the artwork.
Closeup showing some of the marks left on the map. Note the “36” circled in pencil.
Markings for Pliocene Rock (PLIO) and a fault line.
I wish to thank Nobuho Nagasawa for allowing me the privilege of contributing to the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It gives me great pleasure to know that something I have in my collection is seeing use in a way I never expected.
On Sunday, June 16, I went on a motorcycle ride out toward Palm Springs. On Hwy 74 just east of Hemet, I stopped to inspect an abandoned concrete arch bridge to the side of the current bridge. The “new” span, where Hwy 74 crosses today, was built in 1929. This makes the abandoned span most likely from the 1910’s. It appears to have been longer, though the rest is long since washed away. I originally saw this bridge on a previous motorcycle ride, having missed it on every driving trip through here. It just goes to show that you see more on two wheels – be they motorcycle or bicycle wheels.
Last remaining arch
Evidence the bridge continued west. It looks like there may have been an additional arch span.
Looking east across the bridge deck toward current Hwy 74.
Current 1929 bridge across the river. Abandoned span is about 50 feet to the left.
Detail of the railing on the bridge. Note the 90 degree end to the railing instead of the curved ends used later.
After leaving the bridge, I headed east on Hwy 74 up into the mountains. The roadway was recently repaved, which was badly needed. The new pavement was quite fun to ride, even with the extra twisty passing areas. The tires seemed to grip the road better allowing me to ride faster than I did before. I didn’t originally plan to go all the way to Palm Springs, but somehow I decided “Why Not?” and did it anyway. It was rather hot while I was there, so I didn’t stay long. Leaving town was almost as difficult as dealing with the heat. Strong west winds, typical for the area, were blowing and made riding somewhat unnerving at times. The winds finally subsided once I got to the Beaumont area and temperatures decreased quite a bit as well.
Seven Level Hill on Hwy 74 heading into Palm Desert.
On April 4, 2010, a 7.2 earthquake struck the northern Baja California and Southern California region. I was in Oceanside at a friends house at the time. Initially, I didn’t feel it and thought the others at the party were joking. We had been talking about the Northridge Earthquake earlier in the day. Once I stepped out onto the patio, I felt the ground moving. I knew it was large but farther away. My first thought was – What just happened to Los Angeles? Instead of Los Angeles, it was the Mexicali/Calexico area that got hit the worst as it was much closer to the epicenter.
Map showing the earthquake and affected area.
Wanting to survey the damage to the roadways in that area and see if any of the old bridges were damaged, I headed out the following weekend. As it was also springtime, parts of the desert were in bloom. The ocotillo in particular had a beautiful display of flowers. To get out there, I followed Hwy 80 out to the Desert View Tower. After talking with Ben, the owner, I headed out to Calexico following Hwy 80 and Hwy 98. I was hoping to see cracks in Hwy 98 from any fault movement but did not find any.
Blooming ocotillo along Hwy 98 in the Yuha Desert.
Closeup of the blooms.
In Calexico, many buildings were damaged with a large portion of the older downtown area closed off until the buildings could be stabilized. The biggest damage I saw was at a hotel in the northwestern end of downtown. Parts of the walls and roof had collapsed.
An empty and closed off downtown Calexico.
Partially collapsed roof and wall in Calexico.
Damaged Hotel De Anza in Calexico.
Front of Hotel De Anza showing some damage.
Partially collapsed facade of the Hotel De Anza.
Returning from Calexico, I stopped at a few bridges to see the fill on each side had settled, causing some cracking in the pavement. Additional cracks were spotted at the New River crossing on old US 80. Overall, the highways were lightly damaged with some concrete broken at some bridges.
Typical settlement repair at the Westside Canal bridge on State 98.
Settled dirt at the edge of the Westside Canal at State 98.
Both sides of the New River trench show settlement on US 80.
Cracked pavement on old US 80 at the New River.
Cracking in pavement and soil from settling at the edge of the New River trench.
I took a trip out to the beach today (May 2). It has been a while since I’ve gone and I wanted to test out my new zipperless wetsuit. I decided on the beach between La Jolla Shores and Black’s Beach. The scenery is great and the beach is far less crowded. So, I put on my wetsuit, grabbed my bag, and headed out on the motorcycle to La Jolla. Parking is so much easier there when you don’t have to worry about a car. It seems every time I go out there I am left wondering why I don’t go more often.
Scripps Pier
Small Sea Arch with muscles
Tide Pools
One of the Starfish I found.
A Sea Slug? This little creature was quite colorful too.
Another Starfish, this one out of water.
The tide was out when I got there, allowing for a very exposed and wide beach. The waves were pretty decent in spots, with the surfers getting plenty of use out of them. Just north of Scripps Pier, there is a rocky area with some tide pools. I stopped by and checked them out on my way. Today was about exploring and having fun, so why not? I found a small sea arch with quite a few muscles clinging to it. I also found a few starfish and some sort of sea slug. Once past the rocks, it was time to find a spot to go swimming. I’ve been wanting to get in the water with my new wetsuit. I’ve heard that zipperless suits are warmer in the water. This style of wetsuit is quite popular with the surfers around here as well. I found a spot to leave my gear, and I headed out to the water. Initially cold, it ended up being quite comfortable in my suit. I didn’t get the cold rush of water into the suit through the rear zipper, this one not having a rear zipper. It felt great to be out in the water. The ocean is cold here, but fairly clear. I think next time I’ll bring my fins and play around some more in the water.
My swim spot. A very wide, yet nearly empty beach in San Diego… this is the life!
Heading north along the cliffs.
After my swim, I wanted to explore the beach some more. I headed a bit further north until I reached a canyon that had running water coming from it. I stopped to check out the stream and ended up seeing some surfers with their boards coming out of the canyon. Upon closer investigation, I saw they were using a rope to climb the steep entrance from the beach into the canyon. I decided to explore this canyon a bit. Heading into it was pretty easy, though muddy in places. I was glad to be wearing my wetsuit booties. Much easier to walk in than bare feet. The trail was fairly well worn, though very narrow in places. About 100 yards into the canyon, there was a sizable waterfall. I wondered how I would get past it until I saw a surfer with a long board make it through rather easily. It turns out there was a very well worn series of “steps” in a narrow passage through the sandstone. Once I made my way up these, I got a better view of the upper reaches of the canyon. I decided to head back down, not wanting to end my beach time just yet. Heading down was a little easier than going up.
Surfer on his way down the trail.
Inside the canyon, deep and narrow.
A seemingly impenetrable sandstone wall.
“Surfers Steps”. Somehow they manage this carrying their boards.
Almost back to the beach.
At the bottom of the canyon, I headed back toward the motorcycle. I stopped for another swim at the same spot I did heading up. I just needed another soak in the ocean. After my swim, I headed over to the rocks where I saw the tide pools earlier. The tide was already coming up, so the outer reaches were flooded. As I got closer to the pier, the beach was a lot busier. It seems like the rocky area is a barrier to some. It sure didn’t stop me today. Overall, it was an enjoyable swim, a fun hike, and I definitely will return sooner. As I live in San Diego, I should at least take advantage of the beautiful beaches we have here in “America’s Finest City”. On my way home I stopped for a burger at the In-n-Out in Mission Valley, where the guy at the counter was rather inquisitive as to why I was wearing a wetsuit. He definitely enjoyed seeing me in my wetsuit. After getting home and doing a bit more research, the canyon I walked up ends at the parking area for the Torrey Pines Glider Port.
