On May 4th 2025, the rain broke just in time for a magical journey back in time along the Old Ridge Route. Eight Model A Fords traveled to Gorman to take a tour of the road, coming from San Diego and Orange County.
Photo by Zachary Svelling
The group of over 20 met in Gorman, starting off with a talk about road and it’s construction. RRPO President, Michael Ballard and Public Relations Director, Sydney Croasmun spoke and answered questions from the group, before lining up and heading down Gorman Post Road towards the Old Ridge Route.
Photo by: Scott Leland
Model A’s lined the road as we pulled into the first stop – the legendary Sandberg’s Summit Hotel. The tour talked about the 3 story log cabin, the people that lived there and the conspiracy theories that haunted it.
Photo: Austin Gebhardt
Next up is Liebre Summit – the highest point on the road. Visitors took in the stunning view and learned about the weather in the region and the importance of the Sandberg Weather Station. Even to this day, it’s a vital weather station for both land and air travel.
Want to support the Ridge Route Preservation Organization? Become a member!
Photo: Austin Gebhardt
At the Liebre Maintenance Camp, we discussed the people who built the road and the road building methods. Learning about the shift from railroad contractors to road building contractors and how this space is utilized in the modern day.
Photo by: Sydney Croasmun
Always a tradition – lining up all the cars up at the Tumble Inn for a photo! Visitors got to explore the ruins and listen to Michael Ballard speak about the road.
Photo by: Ryan Babroff
Now this is where things get fun – as our first tour to go past the gates, we continued down the road when we usually would end at the Tumble Inn
Photo by: Scott Leland
For the first time in 20 years, the tour made it’s way to Reservoir Summit! Here they are checking out the now empty reservoir, learning about the old restaurant, garage and fire lookout tower.
Photo by: Scott Leland
The tour concluded with a picnic at Swede’s Cut, overlooking Serpentine Drive. This was the largest cut on the road at 110ft deep!
We are so thankful to the San Diego Model A Club for setting this all up! It was great to meet so many wonderful people and see some beautiful cars
Photo by: Ryan Babroff
Want to support the Ridge Route Preservation Organization? Become a member!
This is the first of its kind… we will be thanking our Gold Members for their support by opening up one of our regular road surveys! This is usually a board members only experience.
We will drive from Castaic to Gorman through the Old Ridge Route, looking a different impacted areas, planning out future work days and talking about the history of the road – Like a Ridge Route Open House! We want our supporters to have a say in the road and experience it firsthand. If you are not currently a Gold Member but would like to become one, you can join here! Gold Membership is $70/person and dues go towards road repairs.
Meeting at the site of Sandberg’s Summit Hotel at 8AM. This is the last Pothole Project date of the season before we switch gears to winter prep.
We will be filling potholes in the Horseshoe Bend area. Expect to work for about 2 hours. Sweeping, use of a leaf blower, shoveling, raking and moving bags of cold patch. Then we will take an optional drive down the Old Ridge Route to Castaic and looking at the various historic locations and clearing any obstacles along the way.
We welcome anyone who would like to learn about the road, even if you might be unable to do physical labor. Photographers (even on an iPhone) are always helpful as well as spotters to keep watch for cars coming.
On December 16th, 5 volunteers gathered near the Old Ridge Route with the goal of protecting an at-risk section of the 100+ year old road.
LA County Fire Station 77 was the first stop to fill up sandbags – as many that could fit in the bed of the pick-up truck. Volunteers came equipped with shovels and bags, ready to go! Introductions were shared and stories of how they discovered the road exchanged as they shoveled sand. The group consisted of two RRPO board members, a history major, a special effects artist and a fire photographer. All different walks of life gathered to help save this old road.
Volunteers fill sandbags. Photo by Hugh “Jamie” Crawford
The caravan left the station headed towards the Old Ridge Route, passing little hints of the road’s history – a lost stretch of the road, the Kinsey Mansion, a sign erected by the Santa Clarita Antique Car Club in 1976, eventually coming up to the main attractions, Sandberg’s Summit Hotel and then The Tumble Inn.
Volunteers at the Tumble Inn. 360 degree photo by Ian Pauly. From left to right, Hugh “Jamie” Crawford, Sydney Croasmun, Austin Gebhardt, Brad Jorgensen, Ian Pauly.
There was a pause at the Tumble Inn for the honorary photo – The arch is has become an iconic photo spot for visitors of the road. Hugh “Jamie” Crawford, RRPO board member and retired teacher, talked about the history of the Inn and it’s own restoration. It really is a symbol of the road, both past and present. With the original retaining walls and foundations, the arch once fell but was rebuilt by the organization in the early 2000s. The name “Tumble Inn” etched into the top step, a silent reminder of the past.
Through the gates they traveled, to the illusive Old Ridge Route. A stretch hidden above the I-5, unbeknown to most travelers below. Driving through twists and turns with spanning views of the Angeles National Forest. The section in question was just south of Kelly’s, a long lost inn, repair station and lunch counter. A standard set up for the road. Coming around the bend, you can see the same incredible view travelers once saw from the window of a Ford Model T.
Volunteer, Brad Jorgensen, inspecting the large rut. Photo by Hugh “Jamie” Crawford
The last few years of rain have eaten away at the hillside where an old water runoff chute barely hangs on. Volunteer, Brad Jorgensen climbed down to look for artifacts and inspect the damage. In the large rut lay a chunk of curbing, original to the road. A rare find!
Work began shortly. One person in the truck handing bags down, the rest laying the bags out forming a barrier for water. Volunteer, Austin Gebhardt, advised on placement and filling methods. About halfway through a shift was made to use sand cleared off the road to fill additional bags. Managing to kill two birds with one stone.
Volunteer, Austin Gebhardt, carries sandbags. Hugh “Jamie” Crawford (upper center) and volunteer, Ian Pauly (upper right) place sandbags. Photo by Sydney Croasmun
By the day’s end, the volunteer group had filled and placed around 60 sandbags, creating a diversion from the damaged runoff chute. Volunteer, Ian Pauly, brought up a drone and documented the current condition of the rut. The photos taken by Pauly will be created into a 3D model to reference and track the erosion of the hillside. This information is invaluable to the organization.
Volunteer, Ian Pauly, uses his drone to document the current condition of the rut. Photo by Sydney Croasmun
With their efforts, the at risk section now has protection against the upcoming four day rainstorm. What started as an idea during a board meeting quickly became reality when volunteers jumped in with just a few days notice.
Planned by board members Sydney Croasmun and Hugh “Jamie” Crawford, locked in just two days before the work date. Croasmun put out a call for volunteers while Crawford coordinated with the fire station to organize the sand pick up. From San Diego, Ridge Route Preservation Organization president, Michael Ballard, rushed to grant access to the road in time. Within just a few short days, this project went from idea to reality thanks to a great team and wonderful volunteers!
The final product – Sandbags lining the 1915 Old Ridge Route. Photo by Sydney Croasmun
The Ridge Route Preservation Organization is very thankful and grateful for our volunteers! If you’re interested in volunteering, please jump on our email list below. If you would like to help but are unable to volunteer, please consider donating. Thank you so much!
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