California Highway Headlines for June 2017

[cahwyguy]

Here is my post with the collected headlines about California Highways during the month of June. Ready, set. discuss.

http://cahighways.org/wordpress/?p=13118

[Max Rockatansky]

Some of my thoughts:

-  Tahoe even now is way over saturated by people and tourists.  I find it kind of amazing that somehow not even a small part of the lake was gobbled up by the Antiquities Act given all the state parks that are on it, Emerald Bay would be a prime choice IMO for something like that.  I don't know if a highway bridge would have "totally ruined" the scenery over Emerald Bay, but the design would have had to be pretty damn pleasing to the eye.  Regardless, I don't think many really takes 89 around Tahoe to go see anything other than Emerald Bay so in that sense it would have been a waste.  South Lake Tahoe already presents so much strain on the infrastructure on US 50 at 21k in population, a San Francisco sized city would have totally overwhelmed it....and is kind of laughable.

-  Funny to think that back CA 1 in Big Sur that it really has had a huge volume of road closing mudslides.  There is much money wrapped up in that coast nowadays that I can't ever foresee something like the Mud Creek Slide ever closing the highway for good.  Despite of how remote Lucia and Gorda are with the Mud Creek Slide in addition to Pfeiffer Canyon bridge failure a lot of people still took the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road to get there when I was out that way a couple months back.  I can foresee the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road becoming quite the popular attraction once Pfeiffer Canyon reopens in fall this year given it is the only way out of the region besides back tracking to Monterey.

-  25 is one of my favorite state highways given the remoteness of the road and ease of which you can have a really good driving experience on it.  Couple that up with 198 east to Coalinga and you got a 97 mile journey through some of the most remote and oldest remaining part of the state....not a single gas to be had either!  Not to mention essentially you are driving on top of the San Andreas Fault on 25, really it is kind of amazing a place like that really exists that close to the Bay area between US 101 and I-5.

-  Good thing I'm going over Tioga Pass next Thursday, I had originally planned a clinch of N2 and N3 which would have been mostly a waste if Islip Saddle couldn't be reached on Angeles Crest.  At least that is a relatively short closure most likely.

-  Funny to think that CA 140 was completely open but the El Portal Road with the Yosemite National Boundary was the source of the closure.  I want to say the slide is already cleared, but that would have sucked to go all that way on the Merced River and having to turn around unless you had a high clearance vehicle.

[sparker]

Good thing I'm going over Tioga Pass next Thursday, I had originally planned a clinch of N2 and N3 which would have been mostly a waste if Islip Saddle couldn't be reached on Angeles Crest.  At least that is a relatively short closure most likely.

One thing about being born & raised in Glendale -- you quickly learn that Angeles Forest Highway (N3) is a really nice alternative to get to the Palmdale/Lancaster area when traffic on the "normal" arteries (5,14) is prohibitive -- and it's not that bad as a through route as it stands.  Of course, the presence of the CA 249 corridor more or less along that highway has always provided fodder for speculation about a higher-capacity through road through the San Gabriels -- but that corridor has been in the planning folders since 1959; if nothing has been done to date, it's not likely that any activity in this regard will occur in the foreseeable future (the recurring "big tunnel" proposals notwithstanding!). 

N2's interesting in a historical sense, but the last time I was in the area (ca. 2012) it looked a bit shopworn and in need of repaving (could use some realignment as well, but that's probably not going to show up in either the state STIP nor L.A. County budgetary outlays either!).  Lots of sporadic housing tracts seem to be popping up between Palmdale and Bouquet Canyon; these are probably "remainders" from projects interrupted by the '07-'10 housing downturn.

[Max Rockatansky]

Good thing I'm going over Tioga Pass next Thursday, I had originally planned a clinch of N2 and N3 which would have been mostly a waste if Islip Saddle couldn't be reached on Angeles Crest.  At least that is a relatively short closure most likely.

One thing about being born & raised in Glendale -- you quickly learn that Angeles Forest Highway (N3) is a really nice alternative to get to the Palmdale/Lancaster area when traffic on the "normal" arteries (5,14) is prohibitive -- and it's not that bad as a through route as it stands.  Of course, the presence of the CA 249 corridor more or less along that highway has always provided fodder for speculation about a higher-capacity through road through the San Gabriels -- but that corridor has been in the planning folders since 1959; if nothing has been done to date, it's not likely that any activity in this regard will occur in the foreseeable future (the recurring "big tunnel" proposals notwithstanding!). 

N2's interesting in a historical sense, but the last time I was in the area (ca. 2012) it looked a bit shopworn and in need of repaving (could use some realignment as well, but that's probably not going to show up in either the state STIP nor L.A. County budgetary outlays either!).  Lots of sporadic housing tracts seem to be popping up between Palmdale and Bouquet Canyon; these are probably "remainders" from projects interrupted by the '07-'10 housing downturn.

Really the far flung extension of that trip would be to explore 138, 173, 18, 38, 330, 243, 254, and Muholland Highway.  N2 was in really bad shape up to the cut-off for the Old Ridge Route last year, I can't imagine what the winter did to it.  N3 and traversing CA 2 will be just a little extra bonus.  I'd like to finish up San Diego and the surrounding area this year as well but I'm not sure its in the cards.

[sparker]

Good thing I'm going over Tioga Pass next Thursday, I had originally planned a clinch of N2 and N3 which would have been mostly a waste if Islip Saddle couldn't be reached on Angeles Crest.  At least that is a relatively short closure most likely.

One thing about being born & raised in Glendale -- you quickly learn that Angeles Forest Highway (N3) is a really nice alternative to get to the Palmdale/Lancaster area when traffic on the "normal" arteries (5,14) is prohibitive -- and it's not that bad as a through route as it stands.  Of course, the presence of the CA 249 corridor more or less along that highway has always provided fodder for speculation about a higher-capacity through road through the San Gabriels -- but that corridor has been in the planning folders since 1959; if nothing has been done to date, it's not likely that any activity in this regard will occur in the foreseeable future (the recurring "big tunnel" proposals notwithstanding!). 

N2's interesting in a historical sense, but the last time I was in the area (ca. 2012) it looked a bit shopworn and in need of repaving (could use some realignment as well, but that's probably not going to show up in either the state STIP nor L.A. County budgetary outlays either!).  Lots of sporadic housing tracts seem to be popping up between Palmdale and Bouquet Canyon; these are probably "remainders" from projects interrupted by the '07-'10 housing downturn.

Really the far flung extension of that trip would be to explore 138, 173, 18, 38, 330, 243, 254, and Muholland Highway.  N2 was in really bad shape up to the cut-off for the Old Ridge Route last year, I can't imagine what the winter did to it.  N3 and traversing CA 2 will be just a little extra bonus.  I'd like to finish up San Diego and the surrounding area this year as well but I'm not sure its in the cards.

One road in the mountains north of L.A. that has always been on my bucket list -- but never seemed to be on my way to anywhere -- is Lockwood Valley Road, from Frazier Park to CA 33; always wondered why it was never considered as an extension of CA 138.  Just found out an old buddy from college moved up to Pine Mountain Club west of Frazier after he retired (he was a high school math teacher in L.A's "Chinatown" district for 35 years!), so I may pay him a visit the next time I'm down in SoCal -- and finally do Lockwood at the same time, along with CA 166 from CA 33 west to US 101, which I haven't been on since the early '80's.  That's about the only paved mountain road from CA 33 east to Yucca Valley I haven't been on, so even though I no longer live in the area, it'll be a milestone!   

[Max Rockatansky]

Good thing I'm going over Tioga Pass next Thursday, I had originally planned a clinch of N2 and N3 which would have been mostly a waste if Islip Saddle couldn't be reached on Angeles Crest.  At least that is a relatively short closure most likely.

One thing about being born & raised in Glendale -- you quickly learn that Angeles Forest Highway (N3) is a really nice alternative to get to the Palmdale/Lancaster area when traffic on the "normal" arteries (5,14) is prohibitive -- and it's not that bad as a through route as it stands.  Of course, the presence of the CA 249 corridor more or less along that highway has always provided fodder for speculation about a higher-capacity through road through the San Gabriels -- but that corridor has been in the planning folders since 1959; if nothing has been done to date, it's not likely that any activity in this regard will occur in the foreseeable future (the recurring "big tunnel" proposals notwithstanding!). 

N2's interesting in a historical sense, but the last time I was in the area (ca. 2012) it looked a bit shopworn and in need of repaving (could use some realignment as well, but that's probably not going to show up in either the state STIP nor L.A. County budgetary outlays either!).  Lots of sporadic housing tracts seem to be popping up between Palmdale and Bouquet Canyon; these are probably "remainders" from projects interrupted by the '07-'10 housing downturn.

Really the far flung extension of that trip would be to explore 138, 173, 18, 38, 330, 243, 254, and Muholland Highway.  N2 was in really bad shape up to the cut-off for the Old Ridge Route last year, I can't imagine what the winter did to it.  N3 and traversing CA 2 will be just a little extra bonus.  I'd like to finish up San Diego and the surrounding area this year as well but I'm not sure its in the cards.

One road in the mountains north of L.A. that has always been on my bucket list -- but never seemed to be on my way to anywhere -- is Lockwood Valley Road, from Frazier Park to CA 33; always wondered why it was never considered as an extension of CA 138.  Just found out an old buddy from college moved up to Pine Mountain Club west of Frazier after he retired (he was a high school math teacher in L.A's "Chinatown" district for 35 years!), so I may pay him a visit the next time I'm down in SoCal -- and finally do Lockwood at the same time, along with CA 166 from CA 33 west to US 101, which I haven't been on since the early '80's.  That's about the only paved mountain road from CA 33 east to Yucca Valley I haven't been on, so even though I no longer live in the area, it'll be a milestone!

Funny, I think that I even listed that as a N138 County Route when I did the whole Fictional Signed County Route thread a couple months back.  It always seemed like a great extension point for an implied continuation of 138 from Grapevine Canyon and the Ridge Route.  Adopting said alignment probably isn't necessary given that the road is actually fairly well put together from what my understanding is.  I might try to knock that one out during said trip later this year or maybe whenever I head out on a Channel Islands boat.

[Quillz]

I've been on Lockwood Valley Road a few times. It's actually in good shape, although it's never really a road that's never worked as a shortcut for me. I took it deliberately because it was scenic. Granted, CA-33 can get a bit twisty and the occasional snowfall, so Lockwood Valley might be a nice way to hit I-5 if you're coming from the Central Coast.