As mentioned in our last newsletter, we have been working on adding discussion forums to our website. Doing so required changing servers and adding SSL to our site. Our site URL now begins with https, so if you have a link to the site, please make a note of it.
We invite all to join our discussion forums, which are now available using the link below. The appearance and registration are still being adjusted, so bear with us. Check it out and let us know what you think! Share your Ridge Route stories and chat with other Ridge Route enthusiasts!
Our Zoom meeting series continues! On Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 6 pm, we are holding our second meeting for 2022. This meeting will focus on our plan to reopen the roadway with the USFS. We will discuss the plan, as it is currently written, and work to expand parts of the plan with your ideas. We want to hear from you! Join us and help reopen the Ridge Route!
We are trying out something new this year. As stated in our last newsletter, we are starting to hold more regular meetings, albeit online via Zoom, to help keep everyone updated on the roadway, give presentations on various aspects of the history of the road or special features, and give time to share stories about the roadway.
For our January meeting, Michael Ballard will be sharing photos from the last two trips over the roadway showing the current state of the Ridge Route and giving an update on the status of upcoming events. Come join us on Thursday, January 20 at 6 pm!
On December 18, 2021, we went on an inspection trip over the Ridge Route to assess what the latest storms have done to the roadway. What was saw was very mixed but encouraging overall. Small rockslides were common from Serpentine Drive all the way to Sandberg. Some were a bit larger and will require tools to remove. We did remove many smaller rocks along the way and cleared the roadway to the best of our ability. Our next CUTRR event is still in the works but will involve clearing a few drains between Kelly’s and Reservoir Summit and rock removal at Serpentine Drive.
As we are in a somewhat rainy season, use extra caution when traveling the roadway. Whether the gates are open or not, do not travel the road just after or during a storm. Rockslides could trap you, the gates could be closed behind you, and you will likely damage the roadway in the process. We appreciate your support and understanding.
Rocks covering the roadway, again, at the August worksite on Serpentine Drive. Courtesy – Michael F Ballard
Eventually, we’d like to move this boulder even further. The fact it remains the largest on the road is somewhat encouraging at least. Courtesy – Michael F Ballard
Largest rockfall on Serpentine Drive, just north of the August worksite. A few hits with a hammer should break these down for removal. Courtesy – Michael F Ballard
Swede’s Cut was passable but needed a lot of work. Courtesy – Michael F Ballard
Blocked culvert near Reservoir Summit, causing material to accumulate on the roadway. Courtesy – Michael F Ballard
Between Kelly’s and the Tumble Inn. This puddle is the result of poor drainage and must be fixed. The original pavement can’t even be seen here. Courtesy – Michael F Ballard
Monthly Meetings via Zoom
We are working on putting together monthly meetings, open to the public, to talk about the Ridge Route, what is happening, future CUTRR events, and its history. There is a lot going on and things are looking positive for the Ridge Route, more than they have in the past. These meetings will be online via Zoom. We want to get more people engaged in our continuing efforts to reopen the roadway and help keep it preserved. The schedule is still being worked out, so make sure you’re subscribed to our website to stay informed. Our first meeting is likely to be held in late January.
Public Forums
In the next few months, we are planning to start an online forum on our website for the Ridge Route where you can swap stories, learn about the roadway, and share your knowledge of the roadway. These will be open to all, with some sections being for RRPO members only. Stay tuned for more details!
Website Subscription
Make sure to subscribe to our site to get updates on upcoming CUTRR events and Ridge Route news.
Reporting Problems on the Ridge Route
With all the recent fire activity as well as other events such as January 26 when big rigs tried to travel the Ridge Route, we thought it was a good idea to have a place to report things. If you see something wrong on the Ridge Route, be it a developing washout, large vehicles traversing the roadway, or things out-of-the-ordinary, we have have set up a web page to help you report things on the road. We will pass the information along to the appropriate agencies as needed.
To Report Problems or other issues on the Ridge Route, please use the website below. The web page is also located under our “Current Roadway Conditions” page in the menu.
North of Reservoir Summit. Courtesy – Michael F Ballard
One of the many interesting features along the Ridge Route is the superelevated roadway. Between Reservoir Summit and Kelly’s Halfway Inn, this reaches a “fever pitch”, with the pavement acting like a warped ribbon across the mountain. It is one of my favorite sections of roadway. What is your favorite part of the road?
2021 has been a good year for the Ridge Route and the RRPO. We have accomplished a fair amount this year starting with two CUTRR events resulting in a clearer roadway and a better appreciation for the work we have before us. We intend to have more events in 2022 and, using the knowledge gained from the last two events, we will accomplish even more using better tools. We have also worked to survey the roadway about once a month since we gained access to the closed section. These trips not only offer the opportunity to experience the roadway and take photos, but to review what we need to do to help preserve it. Each time we go up there, we seem to find something new. Sections of original striping, wooden railing, and even some concrete curbing have been found that was thought to have been lost. Each trip is an adventure. It is something we look forward to many more being able to enjoy in the future.
The RRPO continues to have a good working relationship with the USFS, something I intend to use to help the roadway as much as possible. I know things have seemed slow and unchanging, but that isn’t the case. We are currently working with the USFS to develop a plan to reopen the roadway, keep it maintained, and restore the monuments along the roadway. It is frustrating at times but we are persistent and we will prevail. It will be reopened, it will just take time.
Reopening the roadway isn’t as easy as just leaving the gates open. The road surfacing is now over 100 years old and we want to do what we can to ensure it lasts for a long time to come. Reopening the roadway now would not be beneficial to that goal. There are steps that must be taken prior to that point. The concrete has sections where the reinforcing bar is exposed. Asphalt sections are failing. Portions of the roadway are in danger of being washed out. We need to stabilize these sections first before we would feel comfortable in having the roadway open. We are the Ridge Route Preservation Organization and without the Preservation, we’d have no Ridge Route left to protect. Our intention is still to get the roadway reopened as soon as possible, but with some restrictions to help keep the roadway safe. The main restrictions would include having the roadway open only during the dry season to reduce damage to the pavement during the winter months and ensuring overweight vehicles are not allowed on the roadway through the use of additional signage as well as working with mapping companies to reduce the problem. A study is already underway by the County of Los Angeles to potentially restrict trucks along their section of the roadway, initiated by us. Once the roadway is scheduled to reopen, we intend to work on the monuments that have long since faded away along the roadway.
All these things take time, money, and effort. We wish to thank all those that have donated their time, their money, and effort to the Ridge Route and the Ridge Route Preservation Organization. We couldn’t have accomplished what we have so far without your support. We will continue to need that support even after the roadway is open again. Special thanks goes out to Harrison Scott without whom we wouldn’t even be this far. We would also like to thank Ray Kidd with the Angeles National Forest for helping us and guiding us as USFS volunteers.
If you’d like to help with the reopening plan or any other part of the Ridge Route efforts, let us know!
