California State Route 84 over the Santa Cruz Mountains from I-280 west to CA 1

On a recent trip in the Bay Area I drove California State Route 84 over the Santa Cruz Mountains from Interstate 280 west to CA 1.

CA 84 between I-280 west to CA 1 lies entirely within San Mateo County. The route of CA 84 over the Santa Cruz Mountains was originally defined as part of Legislative Route Number 107 in 1933 which only west to LRN 55 (modern CA 35) at Skyline Boulevard.

CAhighways.org on LRN 107

Interestingly the original alignment of LRN 107 west of Woodside doesn't appear to be State Maintained as of 1935. The California Division of Highways Map from San Mateo County in 1935 shows La Honda Road west of Woodside to LRN 55 as a County Maintained.

1935 San Mateo County Map

LRN 107 first appears west of Woodside on La Honda Road to LRN 55 on the 1936-37 State Highway Map.

1936-1937 State Highway Map

In 1959 the definition of LRN 107 was extended west from CA 5/LRN 55 to CA 1/LRN 56 near San Gregorio. This new extension of LRN 107 first appears appears on the 1960 State Highway Map.

1960 State Highway Map

According to CAhighways.org the route of CA 84 was applied over LRN 107 in 1961.

CAhighways.org on CA 84

CA 84 first appears on the 1962 State Highway Map signed over the entirety of LRN 107 and LRN 108.

1962 State Highway Map

My approach to CA 84 west over the Santa Cruz Mountains was from I-280 south. From Exit 25 on I-280 south on pulled onto CA 84 west on Woodside Road.

CA 84 west follows Woodside Road through Woodside. Woodside dates back to 1849 and is mostly known for it's lumber days when Redwood Sequoias were milled in the area.

Traffic on CA 84 west in Woodside that trucks over 30 feet in length are not recommended.

One of the few reassurance shields on CA 84 west in the Santa Cruz Mountains appears in Woodside past Canada Road.

West of Woodside CA 84 follows Woodside Road through the heavily wooden Bear Gulch.

CA 84 west makes a turn onto La Honda Road.

CA 84 west makes an ascent to the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains on La Honda Road. La Honda Road is very curvy and was being overwhelmed by water flowing down out of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

CA 84 west meets CA 35 on Skyline Boulevard at the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Unfortunately someone had stolen all the CA 35 shields at pretty much every junction on Skyline Boulevard.

CA 84 west of CA 35 on La Honda Road follows La Honda Creek and begins to descend from the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

CA 84 west meets Old La Honda Road on it's descent through the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Old La Honda Road is a single-lane old logging road that features steep grades and sharp drop-offs.

Old La Honda Road

CA 84 west on La Honda Road continues to follow La Honda Creek to community of the same name. La Honda dates back to the 1860s and much like Woodside was center around lumber mills.

West of La Honda CA 84 picks up San Gregorio Creek.

CA 84 west follows San Gregorio Creek into an ever widening expanse of lush canyons approaching San Gregorio.

At the intersection of Stage Road CA 84 west enters San Gregorio.

San Gregorio dates back to the 1850s and still has an appearance of an early Gold Rush Era community. The San Gregorio General Store has been in operation since been operation since 1889.

Stage Road is a very early alignment of CA 1 and appears on the 1935 San Mateo County Division of Highways Map above.

CA 84 west terminates at CA 1 at San Gregorio State Beach. While the end of CA 84 doesn't have much fanfare the view from the cliffs above San Gregorio State Beach are worth making the trip across the Santa Cruz Mountains to see.

Interstate 210 and California State Route 210 on the Foothill Freeway

This past December I was passing through the Los Angeles Area on a weekend I took a detour onto Interstate 210 eastbound on the Foothill Freeway to California State Route 2. I-210 and CA 210 on the Foothill Freeway essentially serve as the closest thing to a Los Angeles bypass that the L.A. Metro Area has.

I-210/CA 210 on the Foothill Freeway is an approximately 85.31 mile highway which begins at I-5 in the northern outskirts of Los Angeles and travels east to I-10 in Redlands of San Bernardino County. I-210 exists as the 44.9 mile segment of the Foothill Freeway between I-5 and CA 57 whereas CA 210 makes up the remaining 40.41 miles east to I-10. I-210 originally utilized CA 57 from Glendora south on the Orange Freeway to I-10. CA 57 south to I-10 is still FHWA recognized as part of I-210 which likely won't change until California seeks approval to add CA 210 to the Interstate System.

Part 1; the history of I-210 and CA 210

I-210 was approved as a chargeable Interstate during …

California State Route 1; the Cabrillo Highway through Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula

This past January the winter weather was mild and conditions out in the Big Sur region were especially nice. That being the case I decided on a weekend cruise northbound on California State Route 1 via the Cabrillo Highway from CA 46 near Harmony northward through Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula to CA 156 in Castroville.

CA 1 through the Big Sur region isn't uncharted territory for Gribblenation. Back in 2017 when the Mud Creek Slide, Paul's Slide and the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge collapse occurred the topic of CA 1 in Big Sur was common on this blog site. That being the case even though the topic of CA 1 through Big Sur has been covered extensively I never really examined much of the history of the highway in the Monterey Peninsula. Aside from the fact that I wanted to feature CA 1 through the Monterey Peninusla I'm always game for a top level scenic highway. To that end the photos that I took on this most recent trip to CA 1 far exceed what I was taking in 2017 and …

Locans, California ghost town site

This February I stopped at the site of the abandoned railroad siding known as Locans in eastern Fresno County.

Locans was a railroad sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad spur line known as the Stockton & Tulare Railroad. Locans was located on what is now Temperance Avenue just south of Bulter Avenue. The Stockton & Tulare Railroad was completed in 1887 but it doesn't appear that Locans was one of the original sidings. Locans doesn't appear on the 1889 George F. Cram Railroad map of California but nearby Butler does.

The first reference to Locans I can find is on the 1891 Thompson Atlas of Fresno County. A large parcel of land next to the Stockton & Tulare Railroad can be seen east of of Butler owned by F. Locan. Locan's land holdings surround a small siding known as Minneola which was about a half mile east of where the site of Locans would eventually be plotted.

Locan's property appears again on the Stockton & Tulare Railroad between Butler an…

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