2016 Fall Mountain Trip Part 1; Garlock, CA ghost town

In the fall of 2016 I had a bunch of unused vacation time and decided to head out revisit eight National Parks in California, Utah and Arizona.

The first day of the trip started out early climbing over the Sierras to the Mojave Desert via California State Route 58 across Tehachapi Pass. I made my way to CA 14 north as I was heading towards Death Valley National Park.

After following CA 14 northward to northeast Kern County I took Redrock-Randsburg Road east. After reaching Garlock Road I took it east to US 395 passing by the Garlock ghost town site.

Garlock was the site of a gold stamp mill which was constructed in 1896. Gold in Garlock was mined out the nearby El Paso Mountains and community appears to have been enough of a success to warrant on/off Postal Service until 1926. Garlock appears to have seen secondary use as a rail siding on the nearby Southern Pacific Railroad line which still crosses near the community site. There is actually a substantial number of buildings remaining in Garlock but most are fenced off.

From the eastern end of Garlock Road I took US 395 north to Searles Cut-Off which I used to enter rural San Bernardino County. I next took Trona Road northward towards CA 178 but I'll leave that for Part 2 of this series.

Part 2 can be found here:

2016 Fall Mountain Trip Part 1; the Panamint Gap in California State Route 178

Comments

Bridgeport Covered Bridge

The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is a historic crossing of the South Fork Yuba River located in Nevada County, California near Nevada City. The Bridgeport Covered Bridge opened as a tolled crossing during 1862 as part of the larger Henness Pass Road. The Bridgeport Covered Bridge closed to vehicle traffic during 1972 and was recently restored during 2021. The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is historically California's longest covered span is thought to likely be the longest such structure surviving in the world. Featured as the blog cover is the Bridgeport Covered Bridge during 1950 when it was an active part of Pleasant Valley Road. The history of the Bridgeport Covered Bridge The history of Bridgeport Covered Bridge was featured in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works . Bridgeport Covered Bridge was constructed during 1862 over the South Fork Yuba River. The Bridgeport Covered Bridge served as part of the Virginia Turnpike Company maintained Henness Pass Roa

Former California State Route 215

California State Route 215 was a short-lived state highway which existed in the Los Angeles Metropolitain area after the 1964 State Highway Renumbering. California State Route 215 was aligned from US Route 60 at 5th Street in Pomona north to US Route 66 near Claremont via Garey Avenue. California State Route 215 came to be after California State Route 71 was bisected in Pomona due to relinquishment of a portion of Garey Avenue due to the opening of a portion of the Corona Freeway (now Chino Valley Freeway) during 1958. California State Route 215 was deleted by the Legislature during 1965. The history of California State Route 215 The initial segment of what was to become California State Route 215 was added to the State Highway System as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act. The First State Highway Bond Act defined what would become Legislative Route Number 19 (LRN 19) as running from Claremont to Riverside. The segment of LRN 19 between Claremont and Pomona would in

US Route 70 over San Augustin Pass

San Augustin Pass is a gap in the Organ Mountains, San Augustin Mountains and San Andres in Dona Ana County east of Las Cruces. San Augustin Pass lies an elevation of approximately 5,600 feet above sea level and was originally traversed by New Mexico State Route 3. US Route 70 would be realigned over San Augustin Pass during 1934 when it was extended to Los Angeles, California. During 1963 US Route 82 would be extended through San Augustin Pass to Las Cruces. Since the early the early 1990s signage of US Route 82 has been withdrawn to Alamogordo. San Augustin Pass and US Route 70 are largely known for the numerous closures due to test firings originating from the White Sands Missile Range. Part 1; the history of highway designations over San Augustin Pass San Augustin Pass traditionally has been the easiest from the Rio Grande in Las Cruces east to the Tularosa Basin. The terrain conditions at San Augustin Pass allowed for an easy crossing in the gap between the Organ Mountains