Los Angeles County

(see adjacent description)

A surprise finding in Hawthorne. Per various websites, this is an example of Googie architecture of the 1950's (Update September, 2010: A friend an I ate in Chips recently. The inside is a 50's diner theme, the prices were quite reasonable, the food was good, and the service friendly.) Update: On 10/20/2012 the owner and manager of Chips, Filimon Lamas, and one of his children, were killed in their home. Other members of the family, including his wife, were shot but survived. Per the LA Times, Lamas had bought the restaurant in 2010 (after this picture was taken) and he and his wife had turned it into a very welcoming and popular location.

Sign indicating the somewhat preserved and accessible portion of the old Ridge Route near Gorman, Ca. The Ridge Route was an early (1915) version of what eventually became CA-99 and then I-5. The section from here, near Gorman, is driveable (very slowly) for several miles.

Ridge Route heading south from the area of the Sandberg Inn. The concrete portion appears to be the original, 1915, route. See description of Ridge Route with nearby picture.

Ridge Route in northern LA county. The concrete portion appears to be the original, 1915, route. Though not visible from this photo, the land on the left side of the road drops off very quickly. See description of Ridge Route with nearby picture.

Ridge Route in northern LA county. As this indicates, the original route (the concrete portion) followed the edge of the mountains very closely with very tight turns. See description of Ridge Route with nearby picture. The burned area here is from the Powerhouse fire that started in May, 2013.

As this and other Ridge Route pictures will show, the original route was narrow with many tight curves. For something built in 1915, when cars moved much more slowly, this isn't surprising. In this picture, the concrete section is part of the original route. This is a portion of the Ridge Route near Castaic. The Ridge Route was the first paved highway linking the Los Angeles area to the San Joaquin valley. The first road was built in 1915 and was concrete. These seemingly boring pictures document part of what was the Ridge Route, specifically the section just north of Castaic and going to the Templin Highway. This is only a small portion of the Ridge Route, the northern sections are temporarily closed due to damage from fires and landslides.

This is from a curve that was later cut out; this section is about 3' above the current road, and is private property (thus the abandoned boat).This is a portion of the Ridge Route near Castaic. The Ridge Route was the first paved highway linking the Los Angeles area to the San Joaquin valley. The first road was built in 1915 and was concrete. These seemingly boring pictures document part of what was the Ridge Route, specifically the section just north of Castaic and going to the Templin Highway. This is only a small portion of the Ridge Route, the northern sections are temporarily closed due to damage from fires and landslides.

Continuing across the newer cut, from the adjacent picture, it looks as if the original highway followed very closely along the edge of the slope. There was a section of fenced off land that suggested the possible contour of the highway, but the only evidence of it was the concrete seen in this picture. The terrain suggested that this was an area particularly subject to landslides and the original highway may have been covered by a landslide. Even the contemporary road in this area had patches that suggested that sections had slid down the slope. The Ridge Route was the first paved highway linking the Los Angeles area to the San Joaquin valley. The first road was built in 1915 and was concrete. These seemingly boring pictures document part of what was the Ridge Route, specifically the section just north of Castaic and going to the Templin Highway. This is only a small portion of the Ridge Route, the northern sections are temporarily closed due to damage from fires and landslides.

The Ridge Route Castaic pictures were taken a few miles above this point. In this picture is I-5, the contemporary route across the mountains. This is the section of I-5 where the lanes are on the opposite sides of what is typical in the U.S What isn't visible, but is in nearby pictures, is that there is a Paintball Park between the sections -- it is obscured by the hillside here. The Ridge Route was the first paved highway linking the Los Angeles area to the San Joaquin valley. The first road was built in 1915 and was concrete. These seemingly boring pictures document part of what was the Ridge Route, specifically the section just north of Castaic and going to the Templin Highway. This is only a small portion of the Ridge Route, the northern sections are temporarily closed due to damage from fires and landslides.

Another image showing how sharp the curves were on the original road, and how closely the road followed the contour of the ridge. The Ridge Route was the first paved highway linking the Los Angeles area to the San Joaquin valley. The first road was built in 1915 and was concrete. These seemingly boring pictures document part of what was the Ridge Route, specifically the section just north of Castaic and going to the Templin Highway. This is only a small portion of the Ridge Route, the northern sections are temporarily closed due to damage from fires and landslides.

From alongside the Ridge Road, showing the point just above Castaic where the two sides of the I-5 cross over. The Ridge Route was the first paved highway linking the Los Angeles area to the San Joaquin valley. The first road was built in 1915 and was concrete. These seemingly boring pictures document part of what was the Ridge Route, specifically the section just north of Castaic and going to the Templin Highway. This is only a small portion of the Ridge Route, the northern sections are temporarily closed due to damage from fires and landslides.

Sign describing the Sandberg Inn, an early resort (built in 1915) on the original Ridge route from LA to the Central Valley. See description of Ridge Route with nearby picture.

Site of the former Sandberg Inn, an early resort (built in 1915) on the original Ridge route from LA to the Central Valley. See description of Ridge Route with nearby picture.

From the road to the old Ridge Route, looking across CA 138 and the California Aqueduct, with a cement plant in the hills.

From the road to the old Ridge Route, looking across CA 138 to Quail Lake, a reservoir/storage facility on the California Aqueduct.

From the road to the old Ridge Route. The structure in the foreground is part of a larger property that is on the south side of CA 138. Parts of the property look like an older motel, parts look like a religious institution. The area is fenced off and there are no signs that provide an explanation.

From the road to the old Ridge Route looking east across the Antelope Valley, which is in northern Los Angeles county. Re the structure in the foreground, see adjacent picture.