Southern California Regional Rocks and Roads - I-15

From the Archives – 1964

Michael F Ballard — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 23:53:18 +0000

Barstow has grown quite a bit since this photo was taken. Shown here, the original Main Street exit, which was originally built as a freeway-freeway interchange meant for US 466 / State 58 and connected Main Street (Former US 66 and US 91) to the then-new freeway. The Main Street interchange was redone in 1998 ...

Featured Image – 12/21/2025

Michael F Ballard — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 19:08:40 +0000

Heavy rain storms in late 2025 produced some interesting views along the 15 in the Mojave Desert. Normally dry, Ivanpah Lake and Roach Lake were filled, along with even Jean Lake further on. It was quite surreal seeing the 15 in this way.

New Videos!

Michael F Ballard — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 01:14:19 +0000

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.

Meet the Cronese Cat

Michael F Ballard — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 03:09:33 +0000

Driving across the Mojave Desert between Barstow and Las Vegas along the 15 can be a “boring” drive at times for many. The desert is filled with all sorts of unique features to see if you know where to look. In Cronese Valley between Basin Road (Exit 230) and Rasor Road (Exit 233), lies one ...

Featured Image – 6/24/2021

Michael F Ballard — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 17:19:59 +0000

San Diego has a somewhat unique distinction compared to other California cities. You cannot travel north from San Diego, by freeway, without going underneath an arch bridge. I-5 has one at Gilman Dr, I-805 at Eastgate Mall. I-15 has the one pictured near Pala with West Lilac Road crossing over. Now I-8 needs one, somewhere ...

Cajon Pass Tour – August 12, 2017 – Review

Michael F Ballard — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 05:38:14 +0000

The tour began at Devore, CA at about 8:30 am after meeting a friend, who ended up being the only person to show. After a quick briefing on what we were to see, we headed south to Verdemont, where we inspected a freeway overpass that had remained mostly intact from its original 1950’s construction. The ...

August 12, 2017 Cajon Pass Highway Tour – Updated

Michael F Ballard — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 22:39:08 +0000

On August 12, 2017, I will be hosting this websites first highway tour in the Cajon Pass area. This tour will cover the roadway from Verdemont to Cajon Summit. Some portions will have to be skipped, unfortunately, due to fire-related closures. The start of the tour has changed from the initial announcement. It will now ...

Poll results and the first tour

Michael F Ballard — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 20:02:21 +0000

After taking a small poll on this site regarding possible highway tours, the results are in. It would seem that the Cajon Pass area was the most popular. As such, it will be the first tour given. Unless conditions warrant otherwise, the first tour will be on August 12, 2017. It will begin at the ...

Bicycle Path along I-15

Michael F Ballard — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 21:24:17 +0000

In the course of doing research on old US 395 and I-15 in the Miramar area, I came upon a very interesting set of plans. In 1979, a bicycle path was constructed along what is now Kearny Villa Road from Harris Plant Road to Carroll Canyon Road. While there are some details about this path ...

Blue Cut Fire Damage – Highways

Michael F Ballard — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 20:00:18 +0000

On September 6, 2016, I finally got a chance to survey the damage to the roadways in Cajon Pass that were involved in the Blue Cut Fire. Portions of the area are still closed, specifically the area north of Cajon Junction, so I was unable to access the Alray UP or the abandoned expressway sections ...