Keep the Show on the Road!

Curt, Thanks for the comment! Sheila and I were just talking and wondering how things are going with you folks....your ears must have been burning! When you get settled, maybe we can make a trip over and climb up to the tunnels. It looks like an easy walk, even for an old guy, but I think I would watch for rattlesnakes. Maybe Ray would like to join us. Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

Great suggestion! I tried making a map, and it is very simple to do. It appears to be a very handy tool for showing the location, and perhaps a photo, of a place you are describing. I don't immediately see it as being easily used to show a route, but I have just used it once. I plan to experiment more. Thanks! Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

Mike, Amen! Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

I hope the gang here is following Denny's Lincoln Highway adventures! Denny, I liked the sign painter's attitude! http://www.dennygibson.com/lhcc2013/day18/ Dave Keep the Show on the Road

USRoadman, My pleasure! Without replies like yours I would never know if it is worth the trouble to research, compile, and prepare a post. Of course I learned a lot I didn't know in the process and enjoyed communication with several great folks. Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

Mike, Thanks for the reply!! Obviously I have “pitched” the tunnels with just a bit of hype, but in truth they are worth some attention. My only contribution is to assert the link between them and the Yellowstone Trail. The rerouting to the Canyon alignment which occurred in September 1924, never got published recognition because when the 1925 publications and announcements were made, the Trail had shifted to the distant Waterville/Blewett route. The fact that they were certainly the “Yellowstone Trail Twin Tunnels” for at least several months in 1924 and 1925 seemed significant to me, and because they were the only tunnels on the Yellowstone, they took on greater significance. As a small aside, I found it sad that in the same biennium (October 1, 1922 – September 30, 1924), the State apparently shifted their naming protocol, and stripped the state established Inland Empire Highway of its title, renaming it State Road #3. The other named highways in Washington suffered the same fate. Then to add insult to injury, after communities recognized the value of named highways and reinstated the use of Inland Empire Highway, sign makers have abbreviated the name on street signs to IEH! Sounds like what I'd say if I stepped in something in a barnyard! Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

Far above the modern road in the deep canyon of the Yakima River on volcanic cliffs that form the canyon walls, are two hard rock highway tunnels on an unknown alignment of the Yellowstone Trail. Built in 1924 at enormous cost and human effort, they served for only a few months before they were abandoned by the Trail! Unbelievable but True. And now you know! (sound of gasps and applause). So what is the rest of the story? When the Yellowstone Trail was forged westward to the Puget Sound in 1915, it followed the familiar “southern route” from Spokane, via Colfax, Walla Walla, North Yakima, and Ellensburg before going over Snoqualmie Pass westward to Seattle. In Washington this road was called the Inland Empire Highway (IEH). In 1925 the Yellowstone Trail route along the IEH was abruptly and without fanfare or explanation rerouted by the Association to a northern and more direct route via Waterville and Blewett Pass, then via Cle Elum over Snoqualmie Pass, abandoning the southern loop along the IEH. This new route followed what was called the Sunset Highway by the State of Washington. The early IEH along with the Yellowstone Trail followed Wenas Road for most of the way between Yakima and Ellensburg. The Wenas as it came to be called, was a part of the 19th century Walla Walla Wagon Road, sometimes called the Snoqualmie or Walla Walla - Seattle Wagon Road. It was steep in places, rising 1500 feet, and had the shape of your left arm and elbow with your finger in your ear, adding several miles to the trip between Yakima (North Yakima in those days) and Ellensburg. The Yakima River over millions of years had graciously cut a deep canyon through the massive ridge that The Wenas so arduously climbed and crossed. But the railroad had claimed the canyon, and volcanic cliffs blocked the way for a highway, so The Wenas prevailed for over 50 years, first as a wagon road and later as a highway. But in the early 1920's the people of Washington dug deep into their pockets and funded the construction of a nearly water level road through the canyon, between Yakima and Ellensburg. At the south end of the canyon, twin tunnels (46.716425, -120.459280) were driven through solid basalt. The Ellensburg Daily Record of Friday, September 12th 1924 reported that the new road had opened that week and hundreds of cars followed it to visit the Ellensburg Rodeo. Oh the Joy!! But two roads had died. The Wenas no longer carried the Yellowstone Trail, and the Inland Empire Highway had been renamed by the state Road # 3...Oh the ignominy! But the twin tunnels, standing high above the rushing Yakima, welcomed the 1924 late summer traffic along the Yellowstone Trail, and basked in their new glory as the only tunnels on that great transcontinental route! But the fame was short lived. Within a few months, and without warning or counsel, the famous Trail left for the Sunset Highway and the twin tunnels were no longer on that storied transcontinental route. I know roads and tunnels don't have feelings or pride, but if they did, I know they would be saddened. So now you know the rest of the story...or most of it. Before I leave the topic, a few words about the modern Canyon Road are in order because it is a beautiful drive, even though it was abandoned so rudely by the Trail those many years ago! Last Sunday Sheila and I took a day trip that included the Canyon Road and we “discovered” the only tunnels on the Trail! I think I may well be the first to associate them, at least in print, with the Yellowstone Trail, but definitely not the first to observe or photograph them. Frankly, I didn't know their significance until I got home and did some research in 1924 original materials and consulted with Yellowstone Trail expert, John Ridge, who provided maps and counsel that helped confirm my suspicions. The route today is identified as the Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway, and it provides terrific access to the river, some first class scenery, and some great rafting on inflated tubes, and even an old service station, which from the color of the green window frames, makes me think it may have been an Associated Flying A site, long after the Yellowstone Trail days. Keep the Show on the Road! Dave

That is definitely a fine collection of covered bridges! I wonder why a specific county had so many? I suppose given a normal bell curve distribution of covered bridges, some county would have 18, but are there other reasons that make Ashtabula County, Ohio a prime place for covered bridges? Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

Along old US99 (the Pacific Highway of the teens and twenty's of the last century) sits a gigantic bird, a Yard Bird by name. The term yardbird apparently came from the description of a low status soldier during WWII, but it has also been applied to chickens of the feathered variety in more recent times. The cartoon strip Barney Google featuring Snuffy Smith used the term in 1940. How many here can claim they remember Snuffy? This yardbird graces the entrance to the Yard Bird Shopping Center in Chehalis, Washington, and faces the old highway, tall and proud. It and predecessor birds have been roosting on this site for over 40 years. I'm not aware that the bird has a name. Being of wood it was the victim rot and was in serious need of repair. Local enthusiasts gathered community support to rebuild Mr Yardbird, and Dave, in the photo, is doing the work. It is great in a time of boring plastic signs to see that a community will take the considerably time and effort to maintain a valued roadside attraction made of wood. Kudos to the people of Chehalis! Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

I suspect that many of us who enjoy the two lane roads, and especially their history also enjoy old post card images. I do, and I have hundred, perhaps a thousand. The best ones are usually the real photos referred to as real photo post cards, or just RPPC. The RPPC below is of the National Parks Highway, Yellowstone Trail, Sunset Highway route east of Snoqualmie Pass, along the shores of Lake Keechelus, a location I now well today. The modern interstate takes the same route, so this roadbed is long gone, but a few of the details are fun to note, in large part because they highlight automobile travel in the “good ole days.” The photo was taken about 1920, based on the automobiles. Lets say 1922, but perhaps earlier. The road is dirt, maybe gravel, put clearly not paved. It appears well maintained, as should be the case on a major transcontinental route. Note the dust. Most or many of the cars at this time were still open...soft tops, or rag tops if you wish. They didn't protect their occupants from dust at all. In fact, when I read why drivers chose one route over another in the teens and early twenty’s, it was as often for the dust conditions as it was for other road conditions. As an aside, one reason the Yellowstone Trail, which took a long southern detour in Washington, was often preferred over the National Parks Highway, which was almost a straight shot between the east and west, is because the NPH route was dustier. Next, look at where the car in the distance is positioned on the roadbed around the curve! You would not wish to meet him coming the other way, and for that matter he would not be in a good position if he had to swerve to the right. Note that the log that supposedly provides some sort of safety barrier has already been displaced. It is a straight, easy, and fast trip right into the lake, which is very deep. One of the common admonitions that appears in auto club magazines of this period is “Drive to the Right.” I get the impression from reading a lot of them that folks took their half of the road out of the middle. And there were few “white lines.” I would have to look a bit to find out when they came into use, but dirt or gravel roads certainly didn't have them! Finally, there must have been some “exciting” times on the Yellowstone Trail. Look closely at the several logs on the slope to the lake. Perhaps they were dislodged from the barrier along the roadbed. I count three, and one more that is missing on the curve! Even if the logs down slope were not from the roadbed, look at how the logs are braced.....a couple of stones secure each. No wonder a driver stayed away from that side or the road! All things considered I prefer to be a student of the old roads than a driver on them! Keep the Show on the Road! Dave

I haven't died, so it is nice to have such a kind statement of appreciation! It is always fun to encourage someone with the talent to pursue it, and Curt is a natural. To be truthful, I am the student. It is a bit humbling to have been doing this stuff for 40 years and then have a new kid on the block run circles around me! But it is fun, none the less. John and Alice Ridge will be out this way this weekend, and Curt has led the way in setting up a gathering of the road faithful. Now he and the rest of us have something special to share with the Ridges, who know the Yellowstone Trail better than anyone in the country. And I can't believe that the automobile water trough was where it is!! I'd swear in court I looked over every inch of that section of the road when we were up there with Curt and Leona. I must have walked right past it at least five times. Or maybe at my tender age, I did find it first, but forgot before I had time to tell the rest of the group.....Yah, I like that version. Dave keep the Show on the Road!

Denny, You should have told us!! I have movies somewhere of my 1962 or 63 Valiant in Lone Pine. You are recreating history!! And I think we may have driven through Death Valley. In fact I think I have that in a movie showing the Valiant as well. But until I look at the movie I can't say if it was air conditioned or the exact time of year....although it probably was summer of 63. You might keep your eye out for “Keep was here!” signs. Dave PS OK, I have checked the movie. Correct the date to 1965...only 48 years ago, and the season to probably late Spring, possibly early Summer. If I get around to editin a half hour down to a couple of minutes, I'll "honor" you with the video!

Curt, Thanks for the comeback. OK, I'll comment on the ranger. A beautiful female park ranger mistook me for George Clooney......opps that is another story..... I didn't tell the ranger story because he was rude, but I have a suggestion that some park ranger might take to the boss and get credit for. I buy a park pass each year but haven't bought one this year yet. It is standard practice to allow people without a pass to visit a state park for 15 minutes without requiring a pass.....I think based on the assumption they might want to just use restrooms and be on their way. Our stay at the park was under 7 minutes. But we got rudely hassled by a ranger....end of condensed version of story. So.....I suggest that rangers be equipped with credit card scanners connected to their cell phones ( a small, common, and simple device readily available) and rather than threaten passers through, they offer a pass as a courtesy, right on the spot. Welcoming instead of angering guests, and a needed income generator. That way I get what I want, the ranger is helpful rather than threatening, and everyone leaves with a smile. I like win wins. Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

Denny, Yah, I especially liked that bit about shipping your car ahead and taking a plane to Barstow. I got a million of 'em! To be fair (could it be I wasn't!?), I can envision some routes you might take going your way, but they won't top the east side of the Sierra. You could go down to Watsonville, via Santa Cruz and its old style boardwalk, visit the mission at San Juan Batista, then take old California route 25 past the Pinnacles. It used to be a very old Spanish / California, countryside drive, but it has been 15 years since I have taken it. It has no big reason to have changed much. You can make it all the way to Bakersfield without smelling a single onion, on some pretty, if not spectacular roads that remind me a lot of the California of 1930. Then you can go over the Tehachapi, take a peak at the Loop, and bee line for Barstow. If I was forced to go that way, I might save at least one eye, and go before nightfall! Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

I'd poke my eyes out and wish for an early death before I would deliberately travel the route you suggest through endless farm fields in 100 degree weather with the humidity at 90%. Maybe you can do it at night, so it is cool, and what you miss in the dark doesn't matter anyway. I'd see what it would cost to ship the car ahead by rail, and book a flight for yourself. Not to discourage you! Roadhound nailed it before I had a chance to reply. Tioga is a must do if you haven't taken it. Tuolumne Meadows is beautiful and Tenaya Lake will awe you. Then turn north at 395 for a detour to Mono Lake. Southbound again, turn into June Lake for a spectacular view of the lake and mountains from Oh! Ridge, then into the village for a burger. Back on 395, watch for Convict Lake south of the Mammoth Lakes turn off a few miles. It is worth a stop. There is still a little of the feeling of the old days when the Sierra was still relatively undiscovered. North of independence, drive into Manzanar, where we disgraced ourselves at home during WWII and kept American citizens and their families in one of several concentration camps. A good friend in high school had been imprisoned at Manzanar as a child. I like Lone Pine as a place to spend the night, and you can drive out to the Alabama Hills to see where some of your favorite westerns were filmed in the old days. If you want a side trip go to Keeler....where they truly housed people in structures built of silver bars. (The story of the Cerro Gordo Mine and its famed tramway has been posted elsewhere here.( (http://americanroadmagazine.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=593&hl=keeler&do=findComment&comment=8326) Or take the route you mentioned and savor the smell the turnips and onions. Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

USRoadman, It is always great to get a comment from a pro. Thanks! I agree with your view, and the good news is that Curt has spotted a more specific description of where the trough may be. Darn, I'll have to take another road trip! Drats! Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

Sheila and I had a great day Sunday exploring the Yellowstone Trail with fellow road pros, Curt and Leonna. The weather wasn't great, and as I will explain later, we didn't discover three of my four artifacts, but it was fun none the less. Curt is new to the Forum as Curt C, but is a veteran two lane road pro. Leonna joins right in. I wanted to check out four locations: two bridges on the original dirt section of the Sunset Highway which was the route of the National Parks Highway and Yellowstone Trail beginning when the road was opened in 1915 over Snoqualmie Pass, a roadside radiator water trough reputed to be on the old alignment just below the Pass on the west side, the site of the Cedar Falls railroad siding where automobiles carried over the pass by rail were unloaded, and the site of the Mt Granite Lodge, on the side of the old road as it climbed to the Pass. Alas, only the last was achieved, but not for a lack of trying. The bridges turned out to be modern structures, the radiator water trough was so well hidden a half hour of four searchers' efforts produced no results, and the site of the old railroad siding and station was a part of the Seattle Watershed, and was closed with threats of arrest and imprisonment. But the adventure was fun, the company great, and along the way we found a few other treasures. We met Curt and Leonna at a restaurant in North Bend, where Leonna surprised us with a terrific memento of the day ahead. She had produced a small pillow embroidered with the Yellowstone Trail symbol. We were delighted, and it set the stage for the day's plans. Leonna and Curt with her embroidery work are pictured below. Leonna and Curt and the Yellowstone Trail Emblem She Created King County, which includes Seattle, has done a nice job of documenting what they call their Harritage Corridors, including the old Sunset Highway. The whole report, which includes a map near the end of the Sunset Highway section, link is below. http://your.kingcounty.gov/kcdot/roads/wcms/planning/historic/corridors/KCHistoricScenicCorridors_FinalReport.pdf I have pulled their map out so you can follow our trip sites (in violet font). The gray road is I90 and the red is segments of the Sunset Highway / Yellowstone Trail / National Parks Highway. We headed off in two cars connected with walkie talkies, a traveling style I enjoy because it allows each party to explore at will but still remain connected and share discoveries. Curt has a keen eye, assisted by Leonna and they spotted several things I would have missed. Tinkham Road is part of the original Sunset Highway. We drove it to the site of two bridges I had spotted and hoped might be from the era of the road. They were not, but Curt spotted what appear to be origin ford sites. The Original 1915 Yellowstone Trail and National Parks Highway Route along Tinkham Road...Old Sunset Highway We doubled back and picked up the 1915 and 1927 alignments on the north side of I90, and Curt showed me a really nice 1927 bridge (South Fork Snoqualmie River Bridge,l 47.394245°, -121.473518°) that was on the YT and NPH near the end of the auto trails era. Curt had scouted it on a prior trip, and showed me some of his discoveries. The bridge railing was obviously modern, which made the bridge a rather uninteresting prospect from the road. But in the river bed below, a segment of the old railing and abutment told a different story. And the steep walk down to the water was worth the effort as it revealed the graceful arch of the vintage structure. 1927 Yellowstone Trail Bridge...Note Original Railing in Water Curt and the 1927 Bridge at Water Level We returned to the 1915 alignment and of course stopped at the venerable Yellowstone Trail marker painted on the rock at 47.406036°, -121.443640°. Curt took a snap shot of an old vagrant pointing at the logo. A Wandering Vagrant Pointing at Original Yellowstone Trail Emblem South of the Snoqualmie Pass on the Original Road I had recently learned of another site beside the highway, the Granite Mountain Lodge. Exploring the reported site (just across the modern bridge from the YT marker, on the west side of the road, down by the river) we found some old foundations, but little else. The Site of the Granite Mtn Lodge....Just the Foundation Remains (see movie for original buildings) Several web searches turned up nothing, but Curt subsequently found a vintage movie (probably about 1940) that actually shows the 1927 concrete bridge, the original 1920 bridge (since replaced), and the “Granite Mountain Camp.” For the section of road we were following, start watching at 4 minuties into the movie, but the earlier parts are well worth watching as well! We then drove up the old alignment to where the water trough was supposed to be and spent a fruitless hour searching. Fortunately after we returned, Curt again found an online reference to the trough with more specificity as to location, so another trip is needed. We turned around and proceeded down the road a bit to a segment of the old alignment that had been isolated by later road adjustments. Along the side of the old segment stood an old cedar stump. Vintage photos of Washington State often show lumber jacks falling giant old growth cedars with ax and two-man crosscut saw. Some of the trees are as big around as the giant redwoods in Northern California, and sometimes their massive stumps housed homes and even small businesses. The old stump I photographed below was small by comparison, but it retained the holes where the loggers of the last century placed their springboards while they sawed the tree down. Curt Showing Old Cedar Stump with Slots for Springboards for Loggers to Stand on When Using Crosscut Saw. Our last stop of the day was technically not part of the Yellowstone Trail or the National Parks Highway, but it was closely linked. The Cascade Mountains were a formidable barrier to wagon and auto travel into Seattle and the Puget Sound from the east, and the old wagon road over Snoqualmie Pass was unfit for automobile travel, though a few adventurers used it. Before 1915, most put their automobiles on the train at Easton and their machines were unloaded at Cedar Falls ( 47.422392°, 47.422392°), where the motorist then drove via North Band and Snoqualmie Falls into Seattle on the Sunset Highway (YT / NPH). After the Sunset Highway was opened in 1915, most automobilists used the new road, which we had been exploring, but many still preferred the railroad. A side note may be in order. It wasn't unusual to ship your vehicle by rail, even across country, in the teens. It was a fairly common practice, and transcontientalists often made the trip by road one way, and by rail the other. I wanted to see what there was to see of the old transfer site where automobiles were loaded and unloaded. It was not to be. The City of Seattle watershed incorporates the old Cedar Falls town and railroad site, and they are serious about keeping the public out, with threats, fences and locked gates. They provide a couple of “tours” a year into the watershed, which when I checked, were already fully booked. The watershed operates a very nice visitors center and even a research library east of the old town site, outside the watershed, which is well worth a visit. The staff was kind, and very helpful, but was unfamiliar with the history of the automobile transfer operation. That last observation prompts a final comment. Most “normal” human beings travel the roads to visit places of interest. Very few have a clue about the history of our roads. It is almost as though, at least in the Northwest, we jumped from the Oregon Trail to the Interstate System in one leap. I'm not complaining because that makes it easier to be an “expert,” on what happened between 1850 and 1950! And I have noted over the past twenty years a gradual recognition, and even a growing interest in our road heritage. I believe that American Road Magazine has been a big help, and I want to thank the Repps for what they have added to my life, and to the enjoyment of two lane travel for many of us. We would not have done it without you! Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

Denny, Wow, the prospect of three road luminaries dropping by!! John and Alice Ridge will be visiting in July. You don't mention when you might make a Northwest expedition....but three road pro visits in a year would be riches beyond belief!! The Western Division of the Yellowstone Trail Association will roll out the Yellow Carpet! BTW, Curt C, I, and our better halves did a YT trip on Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend and scouted out a few discoveries, which I will describe in a future post. Your guides await. Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

Now that sounds good! The opportunity to see a Bigboy would be a sure highlight for me. That was real “heavy metal!” Do they get her under steam, or it a static exhibit? I had an uncle who was a blacksmith in the Spokane Hillyard facility of the Great Northern. Too bad I didn't consider him the great resource he would have been, but I was too young to appreciate his experience. You sound like a steam fan....hard not to be once you have been up close to one of those magnificent machines! I go back far enough to remember Dad boarding the Daylight for a trip between Glendale and San Francisco, but alas, I wasn't going along!! I understand your growing affection for the Lincoln. My favorites are the National Parks Highway and the Yellowstone Trail, probably because they crossed my state of Washington and I have studied each “on the ground.” But I have enjoyed following the Lincoln in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Nevada. Thanks for the details! Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

That's a fair amount of driving. It looks like a lot of it was on the interstates. 4000 + miles in 11 days is a pretty good clip, given that you did some sight seeing along the way. What were the highlights? Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

Cort, Look in your e-mail for my note. And maybe other members will want to contact you via e-mail for a personal exchange. Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

Brian, Regarding Question 1. If one uses the 1915 USGS Lathrop topo, then you will conclude that the 1915 intersection Y (point is now under the freeway, as shown on this animation, using the USGS map. The 1952 USGS shows the same Y, without any Y at point A. Therefore the Y at point A was built after 1952. So you were right, the original Y is now under the freeway. Your theory is confirmed by “independent” “authority” Now I'll look at the second question. Dave Keep the Show on the Road!

Rick, I love it!! You are quite the sleuth! If those of us in Washington can claim that the "northern branch" of the Oregon Trail ended in Puyallup, 150 miles from where everyone thought it ended, I guess Santa Monica can claim US66 ends on the pier. I am not going to tell the folks who sponsor "Oregon Trail Days" or who put up monuments proclaiming the Cowlitz Trail to be the Oregon Trail, that they are wrong. If they believe it is the Oregon Trail, then it must be, evidence and reason aside. I think it would be more fun if they sank a post out about 100 yards from the end of the pier and put up a big sign that declared Route 66 to end there! I can see all sorts of promotional opportunities. Maybe just the rear end of an old Corvette sticking out of the water! Right or wrong......Can you imagine all the kiddies who would be disappointed if we said Santa Claus doesn't exist...and we all know he does, I bet he visits the pier every year. I would go just to see him at the end of Route 66! Dave Keep the Show on the Road! PS....Great photos, as usual.....now I want a Ferris wheel ride!

Brian, I have to hit the sack, but re question 1; can't you just measure the distance from the river, or the turn back to the Y using the USGS 1915 map and modern Google Earth? Dave k Keep the Show on the Road

Hi Brian, I didn't want you to conclude that no one is trying to answer your questions. I have only looked at the the first one, and it is definitely interesting. I am however squinting at the photo overlay, so I am going to see if the USGS has some pre freeway aerial photos for that area. And I find that changing the color of an aerial image before doing a Google Earth overlay (and perhaps increasing the photo contrast or applying some HDR tonemapping) makes it easier to interpret. None the less, it is impressive to even see a 1925 aerial! It sure looks like you are on to something! Great stuff! Dave Keep the Show on the Road!