Great Lake Road Trip Day 8 Part 3; MN 61 back to Duluth along Lake Superior

After finishing MN 1 I turned south on MN 61 towards Duluth. Given that MN 61 is along the shore of Lake Superior I made several stops, the first being the Split Rock Lighthouse. The Split Rock Lighthouse was completed in 1910 on top of a 130 feet sheer cliff above Lake Superior. The Split Rock Lighthouse is 54 feet tall and was in operation until 1969. The lighthouse is now part of a State Park of the same name which includes a rocky beach below the cliffs and the ruins of a tramway.

Next on southbound MN 61 was Gooseberry Falls State Park. Gooseberry Falls refers to series three falls; the upper, middle, and lower falls which run under MN 61 along the Gooseberry River before it empties into Lake Superior.

I did manage to get the MN 61 "END" sign as I-35 was beginning in Duluth. Odd to think that US 61 was really truncated with the huge coastal highway heading north to Thunder Bay in Ontario.

Before heading to the hotel I went to Park Point to get a better view the Blatnik Bridge over Superior Bay. I crossed the Aerial Lift Bridge which was completed back in 1905. Apparently Park Point didn't used to be an island until the early 1870s when a canal was built which now crossed by the Aerial Lift Bridge.

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The Vague Original Southern Terminus of US Route 91 in the Californian Mojave Desert

One of the more intriguing mysteries of the early US Route System in California is where the original south terminus of US Route 91 was intended to be located in the Mojave Desert. This blog is a little different than my usual behind the wheel fare and explores why US Route 91 ultimately ended at US Route 66 in Daggett instead of Bannock. What ultimately became the US Route System was first discussed during the American Association of State Highway Officials ("AASHO") during their annual 1924 meeting. Ultimately the AASHO recommended to the Department of Agriculture to work with the States to develop a system of Interstate Highways to replace the many Auto Trails in use. The Joint Board on Interstate Highways was ultimately commissioned by the Department of Agriculture and it's branch agency the Bureau of Public Roads in March of 1925. The Joint Board on Interstate Highways first met in April of 1925 and decided on the new interstate road network would be known a

Where the hell is Hill Valley? (US Route 8 south/US Route 395 east)

Recently I made a visit to Universal Studios near Los Angeles. While on the back lot tour I came across a piece of infamous movie-borne fictional highway infamy; the location of town square of Hill Valley, California on US Route 8/US Route 395. The above photo is part of the intro scene to the first Back-to-the-Future movie which was set in 1985. To anyone who follows roadways the signage error of US 8 meeting US 395 in California is an immediately notable error. For one; US 8 doesn't even exist anywhere near California with present alignment being signed as an east/west highway between Norway, Michigan and Forest Lake, Minnesota. To make matters worse US 8 is signed as a southbound route and US 395 (a north/south highway) is signed as an eastbound route. At minimum the cut-out US 8 and US 395 shields somewhat resemble what Caltrans used in the 1980s. Assuming Hill Valley is located on what would have been US 395 by 1985 what locales would be a viable real world analog?

Legend of the Ridge Route; a history of crossing the mountains between the Los Angeles Basin and San Joaquin Valley from wagon trails to Interstates

Over the past two decades I've crossed the Interstate 5 corridor from Los Angeles north over the Sierra Pelona Mountains and Tehachapi Range to San Joaquin Valley what seems to be an immeasurable number of times. While Interstate 5 from Castaic Junction to Grapevine via Tejon Pass today is known to most as "The Grapevine" it occupies a corridor which has been traversed by numerous historic highways. The most notable of these highways is known as the "Ridge Route." This article is dedicated to the Ridge Route and the various highways that preceded it. The Ridge Route is a 44 mile section of highway which was completed in 1915. The Ridge Route originally stretched from Castaic Junction north over Liebre Summit and Tejon Pass to the tiny community of Grapevine. In spite of a roadway that once utilized nearly 700 curves the Ridge Route is generally considered far ahead of it's time and one of the first modern highways constructed for automotive use.

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