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American Road Magazine
Celebrating our two-lane highways of yesteryear…And the joys of driving them today!

Boy Named Sioux

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About Boy Named Sioux

  • Birthday 11/09/1965

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    Male
  • Location
    Tracy, Ca.

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  1. The reason I love the bridges is that they are obvious relics of the history of the road. We have many interesting draw bridges in the delta region of California where I live, and I find the history of them as well as the mechanics of them interesting since I was a history major and am now a crane inspector and mechanic. The steel bridge with the concrete (guardrails on the approach)could be one of many in my area and the consistency of style throughout the country is interesting. I'm getting itchy to get out of the house and take some photos now! Those concrete approaches are typical of the 20's and 30's. As we bomb along I quiz my girlfriend on the bridges and she's starting to learn the styles and eras, although she's not sure why she cares except to make me happy. She's a keeper!
  2. I love Bridges! I have been paying close attention to the styles of the railings and trying to guess the era by the architecture. I have seen some excellent examples around my area and will take pictures. The first five photos of this thread are great examples of the 'mission' style of railing that went from the 20's to 50's but the most I've seen are 30's and 40's. It will be fun to resurrect this thread. ~ Suey.
  3. Many turns in the road have kept me away from here but I plan on being around more as my interests turn from inward to outward, on the road. Hope all is well, Suey.

  4. I love to pull up old threads! I read in another old thread where KTSOTR said, "I don’t recall ever having been on that road! That is saying something for a transplanted Californian who drove every road he could find for 25+ years." Well Dave, I recently drove on a road simply known as "The Old Hwy" that went from Cathey's Valley to Mariposa Ca. While the first few miles are picturesque and smooth, the last ten were so rough I wasn't sure if it was full of holes or covered with mole hills. Needless to say by the time I got to Mariposa every bolt on the truck had rattled loose, including all of my dental fillings!
  5. I did spot the solution so thanks to both of you for your help. I suspected it had something to do with the Angeles Tunnel but it seemed to be a ways south from where the AT runs from the maps I've seen. I even went to Vista Del Lago Visitor Center to try to gleam some insight. The Visitor Center was interesting on its own anyway and worth the stop. Another 'State Secret' exposed! Suey
  6. Dave, The Cut has taken a beating in the last 15 years or so. Landslides on the north side have really filled it in. I have read that it was 90 ft. deep back in the day but now 25 ft. is the max. The cool part was when I was leaving a man was taking his two young girls up to see it and I was amazed that in the tiny slice of time that I was there others were coming to see this old passage. Now it is hard to tell that a road even went through there except for some smaller cuts leading up to it on the west side. While I was there a thunderstorm was rolling in so I beat feet out there. Looking west from the top of the cut. Looking up the grade into the cut from the west to the east.
  7. Roadhound, My friend and I had a good laugh when we read this post because that very afternoon we were talking about taking the train to work just to ride over the pass to see what we couldn't see from the roads. When I look out the back of our shop I'm looking at the Vasco station! The trains run west in the morning and east in the afternoon. Google Altamont Commuter Express and its easy enough to see the schedule. I just have to get up early enough to be dropped off at the station in Tracy and I think it would be a kick. - Suey
  8. Dave, Do not take my silence for apathy, I have had trouble posting on a friend's laptop with IE. I had to stealthily download Firefox just to post! Yes, the street view has given us tremendous power to explore, but I fear it may pacify some of the curiosity to explore. Or not. I took some photos of the tunnel on US 99 and got home and there was a better view on Google! Such is life. Google couldn't get the shots of Beale's Cut that I have so I will put them on the proper thread. Glad to be back! ~ Suey
  9. I'm glad I have something to share. A couple other things I've noticed that a semi local might be interested in. If you look at the 1907 Tesla? map of Livermore at Chico you will see a few things in that area that have changed, and that are the same. ~ Greenville road south of 580 used to go in a straight line from what is now Southfront to Altamont Pass road. Now it veers to the west quite a bit. You can see on google earth the road running through the pasture there but I can't see it from the ground. ~ Also, Greenville used to make an eastern turn at Las Positas where the S.P. used to cross the road. It went around that hill and then returned to the present route. ~ The lake on the old map on Laughlin Rd is still there! I just went by there this week and the lake (some would call it a pond) was as least as big as in the old map. Whoda thunk it? ~ Suey
  10. First of all, your interrogation methods are diabolical! I believe the grassy roadbed IS the old Lincoln Highway. The paved two lane road is Altamont Pass Road, also US 50 until 1938. The other right of way you ask about is the abandoned Western Pacific (Transcontinental 1869 I believe) that is now called the Southern Pacific. The rails and ties have been removed in this section so it looks like a gravel road now. The railroad that is behind me, to the NW, is the new Western Pacific, (no relation to the old Western Pacific) that is now owned by the Union Pacific. I hope I cleared that up. P.S. If you follow the S.P. east from there you will see where it goes under I-580 in a tunnel. On the tunnel between the east and westbound lanes it says S.P. CO. 1909 although I know the railway to be much older. If you follow it farther, you will come to where it crosses Patterson Pass Road, which is known as Midway. Which just came up on another thread. Diabolical! ~ Suey
  11. Thanks for the kind words Dave. This location I've drove past many times and never noticed it. The other night I was comparing Google Earth and a 1907 Chico topo and saw the curve of the road was not the same anymore. Going out on foot I saw the old roadbed, the power poles and ditches on either side of it. More interesting was the footprints in the grass of some other person checking it out. It was all great fun! The coordinates of the location are: 37.72485833 -121.69513888 Standing on the old roadbed, Altamont Pass Road to the left (U.S. 50 til 1938), Western Pacific trestle with Southern Pacific underpass on the left side of the trestle. This is looking ESE from the Lincoln roadbed, just above Altamont Pass Road you see the old S.P. which was abandoned in 1984, to the left in the distance is the Western Pacific, and on the hill in the distance are the westbound lanes of I-580 (circa 1969). The eastbound lanes of 580 at that location are the 1938 alignment of U.S. 50. I love all the old telegraph/telephone poles along Altamont Pass road. They have like 20 old glass insulators on them and all the wire is broken and hanging down.
  12. From all my research I find that this is Mike Ballard country. Mike, Whadayathink?
  13. You are traveling through the canvas of the gods. Helping you along the way is a Spirit with a nose for adventure. Nothing has ever inspired me like a sunrise in the desert. Keep the information funnel going, we need your courage. God Bless You Beemerchef.
  14. Through my poking around I found a really cool spot that has the Lincoln Hwy, U.S. 50, S.P. and W.P railroads, and I 580 , in the Altamont Pass all in one shot. Probably been done on this forum but was way cool to me when I found it. On 3-19 I will post a pic.
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