New Mexico State Route 2001 and the New Mexico Museum of Space History

Back in 2012 I was working out Central New Mexico with great frequency. That being the case I had a chance to drive the oddly numbered New Mexico State Route 2001 to the New Mexico Museum of Space History.

NM 2001 is an extremely short State Route entirely located within the City of Alamogordo in Otero County. NM 2001 starts at Scenic Drive and ascends eastward into the foothills of the Sacramento Mountains. 0.3 miles to the New Mexico Museum of Space History. NM 2001 appeared at some point in the 1990s according to Steve Riner's New Mexico Highway Map and exists an orphan route not connecting to any other state highways. The number of "2001" is an obvious reference to the movie and novel of the same name.

Steve Riner on NM 2001

One thing I can confirm is that at least one NM 2001 shield was present in 2012 but I didn't take a picture of it. Presently it is unclear if NM 2001 still exists as a highway, it is not referenced on the New Mexico Museum of Space History website tab for directions. NM 2001 does appear on topographical maps of Alamogordo as of 2013 which can be found on historicaerials.com

New Mexico Museum of Space History directions tab

The New Mexico Museum of Space History opened in 1976 and overlooks the Tulorosa Basin. The museum facilities are dedicated towards the role the state of New Mexico played in the development of U.S. based space flights. Despite being located in what is largely considered a somewhat back water city like Alamogordo the displays are quite elaborate and fully detailed. There is indoor and outdoor exhibits, many which display actual machinery and vehicle.

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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.

Closing the Gap - How Interstate 77 in North Carolina and Virginia Came To Be

Interstate 77 through the Virginias and Carolinas was not an original Interstate Highway proposal. In 1957, Interstate 77 was born as an over 400-mile southwards extension of a previously approved Cleveland to Canton, Ohio Interstate. The new road would extend through four states before terminating at Interstate 85 near Charlotte, North Carolina. This extension would bring an additional north-south highway connecting the industrial Midwest to the South. During the early planning stages of Interstate 77 from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, North Carolina and Virginia had different plans routing the Interstate that took over five years to settle. While the new Ohio to Charlotte Interstate would follow the WV Turnpike to its terminus at US 460 near Princeton, its route through the remainder of West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina was uncertain. The route south from Princeton into Virginia and to Interstate 81 near Wytheville consisted of two options. An eastern option

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