After doing a bit more research and speaking with other groups, I have decided to move forward with my plan to create a new Highway 99 group. This will be a great opportunity to be more active in helping revive US 99 as well as historic businesses along the route. Some of the goals include historic route signage, events, tours, and public outreach.
I will be submitting the paperwork for incorporating the association next week as a California Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation. Once the documents are accepted and certified, I will begin the process to obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS and California FTB. This process may take a while.
A new website has also been created for the association at Historic99.Org. The site will be updated as this progresses. If you want to get involved, please head on over! Keep in mind that, until tax-exempt status is obtained, no monetary donations will be taken. In the interim, all are welcome to subscribe to the website.
I’ve been doing a bit of thinking lately regarding a 99 association here in California. I can’t seem to find one that exists. There are ones for US 6, US 66, the Lincoln Highway, and US 80. US 99, one of the most important roads in California, doesn’t have one. So, I am looking into creating one. Things are very preliminary at this point. The group would help increase awareness of the roads history, work with tourism and business groups to promote the road, work to save historic sections / buildings / bridges. Having a statewide organization would help further these goals.
Do you think there is interest in creating one? Would you like to get involved in any part of the process? Tell us what you think!
I went for a ride on my motorcycle today. Just needed to just get out for a bit. Part of my journey took me through Idyllwild, via State 74 and 243. No photos of that section though, as I was too busy having fun on the motorcycle. The “slalom” section, as the locals seem to call it, on 74 heading up to Mountain Center is one of my favorites to ride. 243 was a lot better than on previous rides, owing to a lot less sand on the roadway and new paving from near Lake Fulmor down to Banning. Quite a bit of fun can be had up in the mountains on a motorcycle, even at 55 mph.
It had been a while since I’d gone out that way and needed to check on some things to see if they still remained. I was pleasantly surprised to find the US 60 sign still remaining on I-10 at the split in Beaumont. It is the last one as the rest have long since been replaced. When this one will is still a mystery but I doubt it will last much longer.
Signage at the 10 / 60 split with the US 60 shield partially visible behind the State 60 overlay.
Heading west on I-10, I followed a bit of old US 99 just west of Cherry Valley Blvd near Calimesa, where a section of Roberts Road (original US 99) will be realigned and eventually destroyed, lost to another residential development. Here, there is a beautiful section of 1925 concrete that is still relatively pristine. It was bypassed in 1937 by an new alignment, which is now mostly underneath I-10.
Looking easterly from the end of the paving near I-10. Future “Roberts Road” can be seen in the background on the right-hand side.
1925 date stamp. Happened to be right where I stopped the motorcycle for a photo.
My motorcycle and 99, complete with the 99 license plate.
It was a long ride but a lot of fun. A bit warm in my leathers at times, mostly when stopped at lights. I did find one thing that was a bit surprising in Menifee, after I stopped for fuel. While I commend their efforts, they have incorrectly marked a section of Antelope Road south of Newport Road as “Historic US 395”. It is even painted on the roadway like the US 66 shields in the Mojave Desert. US 395 did pass through here, but along the path of the freeway. The two-lane version of 395 followed the northbound lanes I-215 to about Garbani Rd and then the southbound lanes north of there.
It has taken a while, but I have finally extended my Virtual Tour of US 99, again. This extension adds another 40 miles to the tour, bringing the northern terminus to just south of Tulare, California. A friend of mine helped getting some of the photos as well. In time, I will extend the tour yet further to Fresno, but it will take a while as I am missing photos at this time. If anyone is willing to help, let me know and I can tell you what I will need.
So why not take a tour of one of California’s more historic roadways?
In December 2019 and January 2020, I had the chance to take a couple of trips over the Ridge Route. Once this current situation is over, I fully intend to get back up there for a multitude of reasons. As I cannot get up there at present and we’re all still on some form of “lockdown”, I thought I’d share some of the photos I took up there. The Ridge Route is a very scenic route, far more than I-5 or even the “new” alignment of US 99. They all have their merits but the Ridge Route gets the best of the views. Just an FYI, some of these pics may be from earlier trips. Maybe you be the judge? Which is your favorite?
