Gribblenation

The day after driving the paved portion of Arizona State Route 88/the Apache Trail it was time to start heading back home towards California.  Driving Interstate 10 west of Phoenix seemed cliche and boring so I opted to drive to the western terminus of US Route 60 instead. This article serves as the 28th entry and Finale of the 2016 Fall Mountain Trip Series.  Part 27 covers the history of AZ 88 and the Apache Trail. 2016 Fall Mountain Trip Part 27; Arizona State Route 88 the Apache Trail The Sonoran Desert west of Phoenix is a largely open and hostile landscape filled with few traces of civilization.  This corner of the Sonoran Desert is so desolate that it wasn't a favored route of transportation between Central Arizona, the Colorado River, and the Coastal Areas of California until fairly modern times.  Most paths of travel were either routed to the south along the general corridor of what would become US Route 80 or to the north along what would become US R...

This past October I drove a segment of Interstate 10 west from CA 86 in Coachella Valley over San Gorgonio Pass to CA 60 on the outskirts of the Moreno Valley Badlands. The route of I-10 between CA 86 west to CA 60 is approximately 52 miles in length and is located entirely within Riverside County.  I-10 between CA 86 and CA 60 traverses the notable terrain of the Coachella Vallewy in addition to San Gorgonio Pass before reaching the outskirts of the Moreno Valley Badlands near Beaumont. Part 1; the history of highways between Coachella Valley and the Moreno Valley Badlands Modernized transportation around Coachella Valley and San Gorgonio Pass dates back to the days of the Bradshaw Trail.  The Bradshaw Trail was a wagon road through the Sonoran Desert east to the Colorado River.  During the California Gold Rush the Bradshaw Trail was plotted through the Sonoran Desert by William D. Bradshaw.  The Bradshaw Trail was plotted in 1862 through the Sonor...