The Ridge Route Preservation Organization was cleared by the Angeles National Forest to repair potholes along the north section of the Old Ridge Route from the 138 to the Tumble Inn.
The intent is to preserve the road and make it more accessible to the public as well as emergency services. Filling the potholes can reinforce crumbling sections of the road as well as prevent further damage to the original road surface.
The Ridge Route Pothole Project will begin in spring of 2024.
These improvements don’t only serve to protect the history of the Ridge Route, the repairs will also serve everyone who passes through the area. It’s a large stretch of open land that provides recreation for hikers, cyclists and hunters as well as being a heavy fire danger area. It’s important that emergency vehicles have quick and easy access when mere seconds matter.
A donation of $15 buys a 50 pound bag of asphalt cold patch.
The Cronese Cat from a distance, visible at center on the mountainside.
Driving across the Mojave Desert between Barstow and Las Vegas along the 15 can be a “boring” drive at times for many. The desert is filled with all sorts of unique features to see if you know where to look. In Cronese Valley between Basin Road (Exit 230) and Rasor Road (Exit 233), lies one of those unique features on the mountain to the northwest of the freeway and is visible for many miles. It is called the “Cronese Cat”. The cat isn’t actually a cat but a geological formation composed of sands blown by the winds up a small canyon on Cronese Mountain. The formation looks like a fluffy tan colored cat sleeping on the side of the mountain with its tail laying to the side.
The cat, a little more visible here. Its head is at the top.
Next time you’re traveling along the 15 between Barstow and Las Vegas or coming back, make sure to look out for the Cronese Cat slumbering on Cronese Mountain.
I-10 (Santa Monica Freeway) is closed for an extended period in both directions through Downtown Los Angeles between I-5 and the 110 due to fire damage. To get around, here are some good resources:
10 eastbound at Santa Fe Avenue. Signage here shows both I-5 and I-10 co-signed over the Golden State Freeway.
Oblique aerial view easterly along the mostly-completed I-10 Santa Monica Viaduct. Photo was taken by the Division of Highways on September 16, 1961. Viaduct is still under construction west of Alameda Avenue. Loop ramp visible at center connects eastbound Olympic Blvd to eastbound traffic heading to the East Los Angeles Interchange. Courtesy – Caltrans
A reader sent a link to this site and I thought it would be of interest to all of you. This site, produced by the National Park Service (NPS), has detailed maps showing the routing of various national historic trails. Of interest to California, it shows the National Old Trails Highway (US 66), El Camino Real (US 101 for the most part), Old Spanish Trail, and a few others. Come check it out!
Sort of correct, Santa Monica is the end, just not Santa Monica Blvd and Ocean Ave.
The west end of US 66, at least in popular culture, has always been at the Pacific Ocean, or at least close to it. Santa Monica Pier, at times, touts itself as the western end. The intersection of Ocean Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd also does the same. While both are scenic and somewhat obvious ends, they simply are not correct.
Will Rogers Highway plaque at Santa Monica Blvd and Ocean Ave
As US 66 was by California standards, a State Highway, it falls under a specific standard. All signed routes, be they a State, US, or even Interstate Highway, ran along specified roadways which were all State Highways and maintained by the State. Signage for such routes would not have been on any other roadway, for a multitude of reasons. This may seem confusing to the layperson, but it does make sense. There is, as the saying goes, method to the madness. Think of it from a legal standpoint. If a highway is signed as a State, US, or Interstate route, the layperson (generally the public) would assume it be maintained by an agency above the city it passes through. Liability for such a roadway goes to the State. If the State has no interest in the roadway, there is no reason to push this perceived liability upon it. Therefore, only roadways maintained by the State get signed. Seems simple enough.
Now, how does this pertain to the western end of US 66 you ask? Both the pier and the intersection of Ocean and Santa Monica are not State Highways nor part of a State Highway The true end of the road was at a place that was far less extravagant and scenic. The end of US 66 was at the intersection of Lincoln Blvd and Olympic Blvd, which was the junction of US 66 (Lincoln Blvd north of Olympic), US 101 Alternate (Lincoln Blvd south of Olympic), and State Highway 26 (Olympic Blvd). Today, this intersection is at Lincoln Blvd, Olympic Blvd, and the Santa Monica Freeway. The western end of Olympic was subsumed by the Santa Monica Freeway (originally to be named the Olympic Freeway) in 1965. This western end existed from 1935 until 1964, when US 66 was cut back to Los Angeles.
1935 Los Angeles – US 66 ends at US 99 near Glendale at Fletcher Dr / San Fernando Road
1950 USGS map showing US 66 ending at Olympic Blvd / Lincoln Blvd
Eventually, US 66 was cut back even further. Initially to Downtown Los Angeles, it was further reduced as time passed, and by 1984 the route was entirely gone. Today, the highway is marked by Historic Route signs across most of its journey through the Los Angeles area.
So, when visiting the west end of US 66, do it right. Visit the intersection of Lincoln Blvd and Olympic Blvd. Any other location is incorrect. If you do visit the pier, make sure to check out their exhibit on Bob Waldmire near the west end of Pacific Park, who helped promote old US 66 with his very intricate and detailed artwork.
At Lincoln Blvd and Olympic Blvd, heading north on Lincoln Blvd
BEGIN signage at Olympic Blvd / Lincoln Blvd
Signage at Lincoln Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd showing US 66 heading east on Santa Monica Blvd
Former State 1 / State 2 junction signage. This marks the end of State 2 and US 66.