After seeing a few vehicles with the new “Legacy” license plates that DMV is issuing, I thought I might convert my personalized plates to them as well. While both my motorcycles aren’t old at all (both are post-2000), they both carry plates with old highways on them. Yesterday, my Highway 99 plates came in. In about a month or so, my Highway 6 plates should be here as well. I think they look pretty cool and give US 99 a new (and fitting) look. Yes, my rear tire will be replaced soon.
While still not in its final form, I have added a Site Map to this website. The site is large and, while at least somewhat organized, it can be tough to find certain pages. This new feature will allow for an easier look into all this site has to offer. It can be found here and in the menu on the left side of the page.
As this site has expanded in its scope, I’ve slowly expanded each page. Now, it is the Images of San Diego‘s turn to expand. I will be adding a lot more photos, covering all of Southern California. I know it is an area that is covered plenty on the Internet, and this site will be among those. I have many thousands of photos that I would like to post and am expanding the page to allow for that.
This weekend, I had the opportunity to survey the damage from the recent storms in the Tejon Pass / Grapevine area. I took my motorcycle, as I expected to need extra clearance on some of the roadways I was going to take. The results of the survey were better than expected, mostly.
Ridge Route:
While I was only able to inspect the Ridge Route from State 138 south to the Tumble Inn, I was pleased to see how little damage was done to the roadway. As it has also been a while since I have been able to travel this section, I had to go by what I had heard and knew of the pre-existing damage. The bulk of the roadway was seemingly untouched by the recent storms. Only two sections, one with an existing problem, were a problem. One of those sections in particular, just south of Liebre Summit, is nearly impassable by a standard clearance automobile.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7QKjDsllus&t=191s
Grapevine Canyon:
Mudslides, due to a locally heavy rainfall, closed Interstate 5 through this canyon for some time. Mudslide damage is still very apparent from near Ft Tejon north to near the lower escape ramp. Most of the slides affected the northbound lanes. These slides buried a significant section of former US 99 paving, especially between PM 5.5 and 6.0. While a more detailed inspection will be done later, it appeared that most of the exposed Ridge Route concrete along the northbound side was intact, with the later US 99 concrete being buried. The southbound lanes were also hit, though most of the old highway sections were still intact and relatively untouched.
Overall, the damage from these storms was very localized. As we approach a possibly strong El Nino winter, it is my hope that this storm was not a preview of things to come. As this winter progresses, this site will try to document the changes to our historic roadways throughout Southern California.
