All posts by Michael F Ballard

Michael F Ballard is the author and administrator of the Southern California Regional Rocks and Roads website, https://socalregion.com, since 1995. I have been studying the geology and highway history throughout southern California for most of my life. I am also the President of the Ridge Route Preservation Organization. Founder of the Historic Highway 99 Association of California, https://historic99.org .

New Coaster Video

I’ve been working on another video series, CoasterTalk, which will discuss all aspects of amusement parks throughout Southern California. The first episode covers a recent discovery at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Other videos will showcase some of the other rollercoasters in the park as well as various bits of history that you can find, if you know where to look.

New Highway Chat

Hello Highway Enthusiasts!

The Historic Highway 99 Association of California has created a Telegram chat group for Highway Enthusiasts. Talk about all sorts of road related things with other enthusiasts and share your knowledge. Come check it out!

https://t.me/+rQtc6YI_1LZjNTVh

New Amusement Park Pages

I’ve recently posted some new pages on amusement parks in Southern California. Each talk about the rides, focusing on the rollercoasters, as well as have some tips and tricks for making the most out of your visit. Currently, the following are now posted:

A page on Sea World San Diego is in the works. Feel free to send your park tips! We’ll add them, with appropriate credit of course.

New Videos!

Two new videos have come out recently. The Historic Highway 99 Association of California has produced a video on the North Burbank Underpass, a structure removed in 2014 along old US 99 in Burbank, California. The second video is on the Cronese Cat near Baker, California along the 15.

New Video – Old US 91 near Field Road

We’re starting a new series called “RoadTalk with Michael Ballard” where we’ll talk about the highways and byways of Southern California. Other topics include the railroads, geology, and history. The first video in the series is on old US 91 where it merges with I-15 near Field Road.

If you have a topic you’d like us to cover, let us know!