On January 21, 2020, just a few days after the 26th anniversary of the Mw 6.7 Northridge Earthquake, we had another small jolt strike the San Fernando Valley. This one, while small, was felt over a wide area. If you are among the many that did feel it, the USGS wants to hear from you! These “Did You Feel It?” reports help them to understand earthquakes further.
I-5 between Santa Clarita and the San Joaquin Valley is commonly referred to as “The Grapevine” by locals and traffic reporters. Most assume the name derives from the twisty nature of the original roadway – the Ridge Route. That road was indeed very twisty, much like a grapevine. However, that is still not the reason. The name Grapevine actually comes from Grapevine Canyon, where old US 99 and I-5 come down from the mountains and into the San Joaquin Valley. The canyon is called such as wild grapes grow along the canyon walls. It was formerly known as Canada De Las Uvas which is Spanish for Canyon of the Grapes. The name Tejon Pass is also a “new” addition to the area. The current Tejon Pass was known as Grapevine Pass or Badger Pass until the 1850’s. Old Tejon Pass, much farther to the east, was a very treacherous route. That pass was eventually abandoned in favor of the current Tejon Pass. The name was just shifted to the new route.
After the 1933 bypass of the original road to as late as the 1970’s, the roadway over the mountains was still referred to as “The Ridge Route”. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that the name “The Grapevine” was extended to the entire roadway. Why this was done is still unclear. Even Caltrans called it the “Ridge Route” when I-5 was completed. So, if you want to call it proper – call it Tejon Pass, when being specific to the actual pass, and the Ridge Route when referring to I-5 from Castaic to Grapevine. While you’re passing through Grapevine Canyon, be sure to spot the wild grapevines that still grow in the canyon. Names may change, but the name Ridge Route should live on. It applies to I-5 better than “The Grapevine” ever will.
What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
For more information about the history of the route and current conditions:
It has certainly been interesting in southern California lately. Between fires breaking out on a near daily basis, sometimes hourly, it has been a bit difficult to keep up with things. One of the fires, the Tick Fire, burned very close to where I used to live in Santa Clarita. My father still lives there and did have to evacuate. It was quite tense for a while as the fire was still out-of-control and heading directly for that area. Thankfully, there was no damage there, though some houses nearby did burn. The hills I used to hike as a kid where I studied the spectacular outcrops of the Mint Canyon Formation also burned. Seeing the images on the news and trying to figure out where exactly they were was truly a little too close to home.
The Saddleridge Fire burned the area around the Newhall Pass, closing it for a considerable amount of time. Fires still flare up in the burn area, keeping the crews busy. I haven’t had a chance to go up to the area to assess what burned and if any of the historic roadways in the area were affected. My twitter account has been a bit active lately regarding news about the fires and agencies to contact or follow for more information.
Power outages, resultant from a decision by the utilities to shut down the power in areas of high fire danger, known as Public Safety Power Shutdown, has also negatively affected our region. Really, our whole state. Sadly, many of the major fires seem to have been still caused by power lines. These outages have directly impacted hundreds of thousands in California. Hopefully, either through an agreement between the powers-that-be and the utility companies or something else, these outages can be dealt with in a far better manner. Check with you local power company for details if you may be affected.
Some good news though. Despite all else that has gone on, the Metro A Line (formerly the Metro Blue Line) is now back up and running. It has been mostly shut down over the last year to rehabilitate the track and do some other upgrades. So far the results are mixed, but things do indeed look better. I look forward to riding it soon and seeing what the changes looks like first hand. Construction also continues on the many other rail lines in Los Angeles with live testing finally underway on the new Crenshaw Line.
On a personal front, I’ve been a bit disabled of sorts lately. It would seem I have a sciatica problem which has been quite painful at times. As a result, I haven’t been able to be as mobile as usual, so trips to Los Angeles have been a bit delayed. I will recover and be back at it soon enough. I very much look forward to my next LA trip, as they are usually a lot of fun. So much to see, so much to do.
I also have a backlog of photos to post, including a lot of photos of the fault rupture and some building damage from the Mw7.1 Ridgecrest Earthquake. Those and more will be posted soon.
Thank you all for reading, following, and supporting this site.
On September 5, 1876, the golden spike was driven near Lang, California on the Southern Pacific Railroad line connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles. That line would bring the sleepy town of Los Angeles into a spotlight that persists to this day. A small train station was built near the site, which served as an access to local mines and ranching. For a time, it also served as a transfer point for a small railroad that ran up nearby Tick Canyon that served a borax mine. By the late 1960’s, the railroads were eliminating many smaller stations as technology was making them obsolete. Lang Station was torn down and the debris was unceremoniously pushed into the river bed of the Santa Clara River. Bits of the station can still be seen today. This photo shows the station and surrounding buildings in 1967. Lang Station was located just east of Santa Clarita near the Antelope Valley Freeway (SR-14) and Soledad Canyon Road interchange.
