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Author Topic: County Route G16, G20, Toro Creek Bridge, and other assorted Monterey area stuff  (Read 6122 times)

Max Rockatansky

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I have business out in Monterey this weekend and that along with the surprise clearing of the rain today was cause for some "scenic detours" on G16 and G20.  I also managed to snag a crap load of area shields while I was out and about today.  I figure since a lot of Pacific Southwest Board members have some connection to the area I'll just post the pictures tonight before digging into maps and research stuff on Monday when I'm home.

SO!....with that in mind I actually had to get to Monterey County first.  198 was seemed to fit the bill over 46 since it was the weekend. 

First up is the saga of the bridge construction over the California Aquaduct just east of CA 269:



Apparently the one-lane traffic light is going to be present on the aquaduct until July this year.   Just to the west there was another closure of CA 269 due to flooding...and to be perfectly honest I have no idea if it ever reopened from when it first flooded.  There was a signed detour west of CA 269 almost all the way to Harris Ranch:




Like I said in the first paragraph, the weather was supposed to be crappy today in the forecast early in the week.  Apparently there was nothing doing up in the Diablos since the clouds were apparently high from CA 198 looking south towards Coalinga.  There was a warning on the Quick Map today about a large rock fall westbound on 198, but I never encountered it. 



Near Priest Valley I did encounter a Caltrans Truck scraping mud off the westbound lane with a plow.  The weather was obviously very clear up near the high point in the Diablos which bode well for G16:



And I would say this view of the San Andreas Fault/Peach Tree Valley, the Gabilan Range, and the Santa Lucias off in the distance clinched G16 for me over CA 68:



The standard junction pics with CA 25, CA 198 "end," and of course the northbound turn on to US 101.  I missed the G14 Shield on 101 since I wasn't expecting it:




I cut up the El Camino Real/US 101 Business to G16 in Greenfield which is on Elm Avenue and turned west:





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Quillz

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Nice photos. I was just in Monterey last week. I used the Carmel Valley Road from CA-1 to US-101. I believe I mentioned in another topic that while scenic, it's not a very good quality road. Poor pavement, one-lane segments, etc. Stark contrast to both CA-25 and CA-198, which are pretty decent crossings of the mountains (well, the latter).

One thing I've noticed is most mapping services almost always recommend using either 46 or 152 to reach Monterey (assuming you're using the 5), yet I've never seen any recommend 198. Frankly, I think 198 is almost as quick. It may not be as direct, but it has much less traffic.
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Max Rockatansky

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For some reason Greenfield is obsessed with 25 MPH zones with in the city limits.  I suspect that it probably speed trap hell on a day-to-day basis:



West on Elm Avenue is the first one-lane section of G16 on the Elm Avenue Bridge over the Arroyo Seco River:




Someone jacked the G16 and G17 on the other side of the bridge:



But I managed to find a G17 shield at the end of Elm Avenue where G16 continues on Arroyo Seco Road:



There was a stray storm dying out over the Santa Lucias, looks like there was some decent snow fall:



After G16 left Arroyo Seco Road for Carmel Valley Road the first of many one-lane sections began.  There was lots of rockfall pretty much all the way to Carmel Valley, I guess that storm must have been nasty:



Seriously what is the point of even putting a center stripe back in if the one-lane sections are so close together?




And again the center stripe comes back:


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Max Rockatansky

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Nice photos. I was just in Monterey last week. I used the Carmel Valley Road from CA-1 to US-101. I believe I mentioned in another topic that while scenic, it's not a very good quality road. Poor pavement, one-lane segments, etc. Stark contrast to both CA-25 and CA-198, which are pretty decent crossings of the mountains (well, the latter).

One thing I've noticed is most mapping services almost always recommend using either 46 or 152 to reach Monterey (assuming you're using the 5), yet I've never seen any recommend 198. Frankly, I think 198 is almost as quick. It may not be as direct, but it has much less traffic.

Thanks, I agree that 198 is probably the most quiet of the crossings in the Diablos.  Really I don't get why it gets such a bad rap from so many people, the road is very good quality and it is pretty easy to maintain speed on.  I think the highest grade through the Diablos is 7% from Priest Valley to Peach Tree Valley.  25 is a solid alternate too but it definitely is probably most twisty than most folks would expect.

As for G16, really it probably pretty good by the definition of what standard you might expect from a County Route.  I certainly think out of all the signed County Routes I've driven this past year that J1 or N2 were in the worst shape and J1 was bad for a really sustained period of time.  The single lane sections of G16 are pretty wide and the asphalt is pretty solid for what it is.  Now...what G16 has that a lot of other signed County Routes don't is actual traffic on it.  I wouldn't say it is a lot of traffic...but enough that you won't probably go more than 5-10 minutes without encountering other vehicles.

With that in mind back to the photos...  Generally the one-lane sections on G16 had an advanced warning with the "road narrows" signs:




I want to say that this was the start of the big one-lane section that climbs to about 2,500-2,600 feet at an unmarked pass.  There are some decent views of the Santa Lucias but there isn't anywhere to stop.  I didn't find the grade to be all that difficult or steep:






I suspect that possibly the western half of the summit may have been center-striped for a little since there are "road narrows" signs on the immediate descent.  The grade is very gentle, there was definitely evidence of flooding and storm damage recently:





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Max Rockatansky

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After that large tree fall G16 starts to open up with the ranch lands:




And thus the sporadic on/off center-stripes begin again until the Cachagua Road turnoff:






Really past that point there is only one really brief single lane section before Carmel Valley.  Carmel Valley was full of the expected weekend tourist crowd, lots of Bay Area folks out and about today:




I didn't take G16 all the way to the coast and cut north on the Laureles Grade on G20:




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Max Rockatansky

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The Laureles Grade is absolutely a huge grade.  I'm not sure what it is southbound but the northward descent is a good 10%.  I didn't get the G20 "end" sign which was right before the second picture:




Turned east on CA 68 for Fort Ord National Monument.  I want to say that this was my 50th or 51st National Monument that I've been to:



Which contains the ruins and replacement of the original early 20th century Toro Creek Bridge.  I'm in agreement with Coatimundi that this bridge might not have made it into the original CA 68 alignment.  I think that it probably was part of what route existed before 1934, all that is left is some concrete scraps:






There was some decent panoramics to be had on Guidotti Road.  Fremont Peak can be seen on the left in the first picture and on the right in the second.  G1 south from 156 ends up with a terminus just below Fremont Peak:




Captured some decent 68s and 218s on the way back west to Monterey.  It would seem that the city of Monterey has some unique signage for CA 1 Business and just in general:







So basically knocked out a bunch of stuff I've been meaning to do in the Santa Lucia/Monterey area.  Really I intended to do this all in conjunction with the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, but that hasn't been in the cards with the weather the last couple weeks.  I'd like to make an attempt for said road possibly this week if things clear up and CA 1 reopens timely...which it likely won't.  Anyways, I'll do my standard research and speculation stuff when I get home in a couple days.
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Quillz

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When I was there last week, I was hoping to head back to LA via CA-1, Big Sur, and visit Hearst Castle along the way. I'll be up in Arcata in about two weeks, hoping by then, I'll be able to make take CA-1 all the way back home.
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Max Rockatansky

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When I was there last week, I was hoping to head back to LA via CA-1, Big Sur, and visit Hearst Castle along the way. I'll be up in Arcata in about two weeks, hoping by then, I'll be able to make take CA-1 all the way back home.

I got some mileage north of San Francisco to do and I'll have the entire route clinched.  The longest stretch of 1 I ever did in one shot was from Santa Monica all the way to Monterey in one day in May 2014.  I even back tracked to West Pinnacles and stayed the night in King City...talk about a long haul throwing CA 146 on top of that all.
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Quillz

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I've clinched all of CA-1 in two days, nothing new for me. But I haven't actually ever stopped in Big Sur before to take it all in. There was a route closure just south of it, so while I could have visited it, I would have had to turn back around... not really worth it.
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Max Rockatansky

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I've clinched all of CA-1 in two days, nothing new for me. But I haven't actually ever stopped in Big Sur before to take it all in. There was a route closure just south of it, so while I could have visited it, I would have had to turn back around... not really worth it.

Really there isn't much of anywhere to go wrong to stop and take a couple pictures.  Gradually over the years I've accumulated pretty much all the major stuff on the Big Sur sections like all the bridges.  I prefer going north through there so I don't run into Monterey tourist traffic until the very end and somewhat early in the day so they are generally going southbound instead.  It does get a little agitating how slow some people really drive on CA 1 who aren't used to mountain roads.
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Max Rockatansky

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Well yesterday took an unexpected turn and I had to overnight again in Monterey.  The rains wiped out access across the Diablos on CA 198 from CA 25 to CA 33 so my originally planned route of G17 was out.  I figured with all the rain that today was as good as time as any to really go in-depth on CA 152 and Pacheco Pass.

But first....I had a stop to make...and shields to gather for the "take-it-yourself-challenge" thread over in the Traffic Control Board.  Made my way north on CA 1 to CA 156 to get CA 183 which turned out extremely crappy with the rain:




That disappointment aside (I should have gotten off on the ramp) I made my way up to CA 129 which turned out a lot better:




Which worked out well since I wanted to check out San Juan Bautista since I've never really gotten around to it, so I took a right to head southbound on the San Juan Highway.  Kind of interesting that the Mission has been there since 1797 (current building in 1803) and the surrounding city since 1834.  Not every day I get around to seeing something that pre-dated even Mexican Control of California. 







Ran into this interesting "stop" sign in the window of an antique store while cutting back down to 3rd Street to reach the Alameda and CA 156:



Speaking of CA 156, this would be junction for G1 directly ahead on The Alameda.  I don't think Fremont Peak would have been such a good idea today nor G1:

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Max Rockatansky

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Continuing east on 156 I was able to get a decent picture of the 156/Business and the CA 25 junction:




The rains started clearing up near the end of 156 and the approach of CA 152 to the climb to Pacheco Pass.  Oddly there isn't any "156 end" signage at the ramp carrying 152:



What I always found really weird about that ramp in the picture above is that you have to keep going east to Casa de Fruita to backtrack west on the expressway to get back to US 101 and Gilroy.  I stopped in Casa de Fruita due to the guy in mini-van getting on my nerves going 5 MPH under on 156...figured that it was a good opportunity to take a picture of the old 152 alignment on Casa de Fruita Parkway and to get a Mountain Dew:



Today was a rare day that I was traveling east on 152 over Pacheco Pass.  The rain sure greened things up for the season, it was too bad I couldn't get a decent shot of Pacheco Creek since it was massively overflowing on the south side of 152:



At the top of Pacheco Pass I took this picture of a sign for Dinosaur Point since it was the previous alignment of CA 152...but I'll get to that in a bit below:



Heading eastbound and downhill it was weird to see the San Luis Reservoir with so much water, I've gotten used to seeing well below capacity:





Granted you can definitely see a bathtub ring at a higher elevation, but I believe the San Luis Reservoir is basically at "design capacity" as it currently stands with all the recent rain waters being pumped in:



As for the back story on CA 152, the San Luis Dam, and San Luis Reservoir they are an odd tale.  CA 152 was one of the original signed state routes back in 1934 which traversed Pacheco Pass.  Ground work on the San Luis Dam broke in 1962 and it was completed in 1967, 152 actually went directly through what is now the San Luis Reservoir.  Dinosaur Point Road east off of Pacheco Pass to Gonzaga Road at the foot of the San Luis Dam.

Daniel has construction of the modern Pacheco Pass expressway alignment beginning in 1963 on his page.  It would seem that the modern route wasn't complete to 1966 when it first appears on the state highway map:

Cahighways.org 152 stub:

http://www.cahighways.org/145-152.html

1964 State Highway Map

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239525~5511850:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1964?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=27&trs=86

1966 State Highway Map

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239519~5511846:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1966?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=23&trs=86

In 1967 the San Luis Reservoir shows up as complete on the state highway map:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239516~5511844:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1967?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=21&trs=86

I'm just running under the assumption that part of said expressway construction included the bypass of Casa de Fruita and the ramp 152 takes over the eastern terminus of CA 156.  Odd indeed to see one of punching bags of the Californian Drought showing green hills and lots of water.

Anyways, I did get an opportunity to cut back over 198 to 99.  That being the case I was expecting the CA 269 "detour" this time and took a picture.  Interesting that the DETOUR signed route gets a directional banner when so many other surface routes do not...what is up with that? :-D

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Max Rockatansky

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Back tracking to G16, G20, and CA 68 there is one map that I think is pretty important and one of the earliest I can find.  This would be a 1935 Map of Monterey County:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~247320~5515371:Monterey-County-?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:monterey%2Bcounty;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=8&trs=21

From what can be seen on the map shows the route of G16 along Elm Avenue/Arroyo Seco Road/Carmel Valley Road and alignment of G20 over the Laureles Grade already in place as decently traveled county highways.  Given that Elm Avenue is clearly shown crossing the Arroyo Seco River the bridge I took a picture of must have existed....I probably should have looked for a date stamp in retrospect.  I'm fully aware that both alignments of G16 and G20 have been around much longer but how long is something I don't know....it is Monterey County after all which means it likely goes pretty far back.  Daniel has G16 being added as a Signed County Route in 1965 and G20 in 1971:

http://www.cahighways.org/countyg.html#G16

As for CA 68 it would seem that my initial assumption about the Toro Creek Bridge never being part of the actual signed route rung true.  It would seem that both LRN 262 and LRN 117 didn't become part of CA 68 until the 1960s.  Daniel has LRN 117 (from CA 1 to US 101) becoming CA 68 in 1961 and LRN 262 (west of CA 1 and adopted in 1959) in 1964.  Given that the display sign at Fort Ord National Monument clearly says the Torro Creek Bridge was replaced in 1940 that would obviously mean it was only part of LRN 117:

http://www.cahighways.org/065-072.html

And what do the state maps say about CA 68?

In 1960, only LRN 117 and LRN 262:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239537~5511858:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1960?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=35&trs=86

CA 68 from CA 1 to US 101 in 1961:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239534~5511856:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1961?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=33&trs=86

In 1964 it shows LRN 68 west of CA 1:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239525~5511850:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1964?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=27&trs=86

The same thing in 1967:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239516~5511844:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1967?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=21&trs=86

And finally CA 68 west of CA 1 in 1969:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239513~5511842:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1969?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=19&trs=86

So yeah, didn't really expected "assorted Monterey stuff" to include Pacheco Pass or CA 152...but at least it is out of the way.  Personally it really isn't high on my list of state highways given how sub-standard it really gets west of meeting up with CA 156 through Gilroy but it does have a interesting backstory.  Something that I forgot to note about San Juan Bautista was that it was on the El Camino Real.  So really this just leaves the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road left and G17 before I move on to the Santa Cruz Mountains.  I might have to make a side trip up to Yosemite this week given the clearing in the weather.  If that is the case I'm planning on checking out the Burma Grade and progress on CA 140 in the Merced River Gorge.
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Max Rockatansky

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I have some updates on the signage for G16 from yesterday.  First off the G16 and G17 shields at the end of the Elm Avenue Bridge have been replaced:

16CRGb by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

It looks like someone in Monterey County really likes the darker blue County Route shield since it seems like all the newer ones are in that shade.  I also captured a G16 from CA 1 exiting Big Sur:

IMG_0110 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr
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hm insulators

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Beautiful pictures once again! :clap:
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Remember: If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

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At what age do you tell a highway that it's been adopted?

Max Rockatansky

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Beautiful pictures once again! :clap:

Much obliged, I think what I'm uploading today is going to blow almost anything I've done on this forum out of the water though. 
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Max Rockatansky

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« Last Edit: November 02, 2017, 07:24:07 PM by Max Rockatansky »
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