Redinger Lake Road (Road 235)

This past month I drove the entirety of Redinger Lake Road located in Madera County along the horseshoe bend region of the San Joaquin River.

Redinger Lake Road carries the designation of "Road 235" and is a 8.6 mile road which begins at Powerhouse Road (Road 222) at Kerckhoff Lake in Sierra National Forest and ends to the east at Italian Bar Road (Road 225) along Redinger Lake.

Redinger Lake Road was completed by 1950 and was used as a haul road during the construction of Redinger Dam. Redinger Dam was completed by 1951 and is part of the Big Creek Hydroelectric Project. Internally Redinger Dam is also known as Big Creek Dam #7. Redinger Dam is a 250 foot high concrete gravity dam which impounds the San Joaquin River. Redinger Dam has a maximum capacity of 35,000 acre feet of water.

My approach to Redinger Lake Road was from Powerhouse Road northbound on the shore of Kerckhoff Lake. From Powerhouse Road I turned east onto Redinger Lake Road.

Redinger Lake Road quickly enters the horseshoe bend of the San Joaquin River. Less than half a mile from Powerhouse Road there is a trailhead for Horseshoe Bend Trail.

Redinger Lake Road quickly ascends to the top of the Horseshoe Bend where it has a view of Kerckhoff Lake.

Redinger Lake ascends to a bluff above the Horseshoe Bend and continues eastward towards Willow Creek.

Redinger Lake Road makes a sharp descent through a series of hairpins to the 1950 Willow Creek Bridge in the Redinger Lake Recreation Area.

Redinger Lake Road makes a brief climb from Willow Creek to Redinger Dam.

Redinger Lake Road passes through the Redinger Campground and Marina before continuing several miles to an eastern terminus at Italian Bar Road.

From the eastern terminus of Redinger Lake Road the upstream waters of the San Joaquin River near the Italian Bar Bridge can be seen below.

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The original alignment of US Route 40 over the Martinez-Benicia Ferry and Carquinez Scenic Drive

This past November I took a day trip out to the Carquinez Straights to explore the original alignment of US Route 40 over the Martinez-Benicia Ferry and Carquinez Scenic Drive.

Part 1; the history of road bound travel over the Carquinez Straights

The Martinez-Benicia Ferry began operation in 1847 and is the second oldest ferry in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry shuttled traffic across the Carquinez Strait long before a bridge was present in the area. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry was founded by Dr. Robert Semple and was taken over by Oliver Coffin (interesting last name) who built the Ferry Street Wharf in 1850. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry can be observed even vintage maps such as the 1857 Britton & Rey's Road Map of California.

By 1915 a steam ferry known as the City of Seattle was the first to carry automotive traffic across the Carquinez Strait. Access to the Martinez-Benicia Ferry was by way of Legislative Route 14 and Legislative Route 7. LRN…

Box Canyon Road (former US 60, US 70 and the second California State Route 195)

This past month while visiting Riverside County I drove Box Canyon Road from Interstate 10 near Chiriaco Summit southwest to Mecca in Coachella Valley. Box Canyon Road is mostly known for being the original alignment of US 60/70 when they were expanded into California.

Box Canyon Road is an approximately 15.8 mile road between I-10/Cottonwood Springs Road near Chiriaco Summit which travels southwest through the Mecca Hills to Coachella Valley where it becomes 66th Avenue.

Box Canyon Road follows a naturally cut wash through the terrain of the Mecca Hills. The path of Box Canyon Road has been a known route of travel from Coachella Valley to the Colorado River and eastern Sonoran Desert for centuries. During the California Gold Rush a wagon route known as the Bradshaw Trail was plotted through the Sonoran Desert by William D. Bradshaw. The Bradshaw Trail was plotted in 1862 through the Sonoran Desert east over the Colorado River to a new mining strike found in La Paz, Arizona. B…

California State Route 111 in Coachella Valley

This past October I spent some time driving the remaining segments of California State Route 111 in Coachella Valley.

CA 111 is a highway completely contained within the Sonoran Desert of Southern California. CA 111 begins at Interstate 10 near Whitewater in San Gorgonio Pass of Riverside County. CA 111 traverses Coachella Valley and the eastern shore the Salton Sea where it terminates at the Mexican Border in Calexico of Imperial County. Prior to recent relinquished segments CA 111 was 129 miles in length.

Part 1; the History of California State Route 111

CA 111 was one of the original run of Sign State Routes announced in an August 1934 Department of Public Works Guide. The original route of CA 111 was aligned entirely over Legislative Route 187 between US 60/US 70/US 99 near Whitewater to US 99 in Brawley. LRN 187 had been added to the State Highway System a year prior in 1933 according to CAhighways.

CA 111 first appears in substantial detail on the 1935 Gousha Highway Map of …

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