Bitterwater Road

Back in February after some significant rains had fallen I decided a rural drive was in order and took Bitterwater Road from California State Route 46 south to California State Route 58.

Bitterwater Road is a rural road 32 miles in length in the Temblor Ranges near the San Andreas Fault. Most of Bitterwater Road is within San Luis Obispo County with a small portion in Kern County. From CA 46 south the first segment of Bitterwater Road is in San Luis Obispo County.

Most of Bitterwater Road is extremely poorly maintained; especially the northern segment in San Luis Obispo County which is largely open range. The roadway is wide enough for two vehicles and isn't a difficult drive aside from the local animal population.

Bitterwater Road takes a sudden easterly shift approaching Annette Road where it briefly enters Kern County. Annette Road more or less takes traffic northward towards Keck's Corner on CA 46.

This photo looking south along the Kern County portion of Bitterwater is one of my personal favorite monochrome road photos. I really love the conveyance of desolate isolation the fog and narrow roadway adds.

It isn't too long southbound before Bitterwater Road reenters San Luis Obispo County and obtains a center stripe. This segment is much more well maintained and remains a mostly normal roadway south to CA 58.

Water drainage along Bitterwater Road is virtually non-existent along the entire 32 miles.

There is a brief climb up to a summit which is approximately 2,300 feet above sea level. The road is bad enough to slow down to about 40 MPH climbing uphill southbound.

The cow population proved an issue for me on the February trip down Bitterwater Road, especially at summit. After waiting for about five minutes I got a lucky break and trucker scared the bovine obstruction back to their farm.

After passing the cattle ranches the La Panza Range to the southwest came into view covered in clouds. Bitterwater Road straightens out significantly approaching it's southern terminus at CA 58.

For some reason Bitterwater Road never was part of the Signed County Route program despite being really an ideal for it. I've generally used Bitterwater Road to get from the Fresno area south to Soda Lake in the Carrizo Plain National Monument in the past. I don't have any clear maps showing when Bitterwater Road was built but it appears to have been completed some time after the 1930s.

Comments

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California. Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada. The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926. Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938. A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947. Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association. Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe. Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works during its Centennial Edition. The or...

Former US Route 50 and the South Lincoln Highway from Folsom east to Placerville

The corridor of Folsom of Sacramento County east to Placerville of El Dorado County has been a long established corridor of overland travel dating back to the California Gold Rush. The Folsom-Placerville corridor was once part of the path of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road which became the first California State Highway and later the South Lincoln Highway. In time the South Lincoln Highway's surface alignment was inherited by US Route 50. The Folsom-Placerville corridor also includes the communities of; Clarksville, Shingle Springs and El Dorado. Part 1; the history of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, South Lincoln Highway and US Route 50 through Folsom-Placerville Folsom is located on the American River/Lake Natoma of eastern Sacramento County. That lands now occupied by the City of Folsom were part of Rancho Rio de los Americanos prior to the finding of gold at Sutter's Mill during 1848. During the California Gold Rush the lands of Rancho Rio de los Americanos were p...

Angus L. Macdonald Bridge

At 1.3 kilometers (or about 0.84 miles) in length, the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge is one of two bridges crossing over the Halifax Harbour between Halifax, Nova Scotia and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with the other bridge being the A. Murray Mackay Bridge . Opened in 1955 and named after former Nova Scotia Premier and Canadian Minister of Defense for Naval Services Angus L. Macdonald, the Macdonald Bridge was the first bridge that crossed Halifax Harbour that was opened to traffic. The Macdonald Bridge was also the subject of the Big Lift, which was only the second time in history that the span of a suspension bridge were replaced while the bridge was open to traffic. Planning began in 2010 for the Big Lift, while construction took place between 2015 and 2017. Similar work occurred on the Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia before the project took place on the Macdonald Bridge. At this time, much of the bridge infrastructure is new, leaving only the towers, main cables and...