other dog

maybe it's just me- but i've felt from the start that they're up to SOMETHING, just don't know what yet.

I watched another video about dead man's curve in the related videos. The guy in the video walked down to what they call "the junk yard" because there's still cars down there that didn't make the curve and went over the edge.

I believe it said in the book, or maybe it was one of those videos, that it used to take 12 hours to run 64 miles. I don't remember now if that was to run the old ridge route or if it was all the way from L.A. to Bakersfield. That's an average speed of slightly more than 5mph. any way you look at it.

OK, one more-

Yes, the original ridge route, built in 1915. They opened rt. 99, the "ridge route alternate", in 1933. They thought it would be a much safer highway, but that turned out to not be the case. It had higher speeds, was 3 lanes, the center lane was for passing but it was open for both directions, and there were even more runaway trucks than on the old road. A good part of what was rt. 99 is under what is now I-5. I've been to California a few times, but never drove the grapevine. Old roads and abandoned places are fascinating to me, the book I got shows pictures of old hotels, gas stations, and garages all the way across the old road, but now all that's left of them are just the foundations for the most part.

Yep, that's what it sounds like! The speed limit on the old ridge route was only 15 mph, 12 mph for trucks. Trucks would descend the grade in 2nd. gear. Probably climbed in 2nd. too so they were probably only doing 3 or 4 mph. most of the time. This was a little bit before my time, but I learned all this from this great book I got from Amazon-

When he first gets on the old road and starts climbing I'm wondering if he's ever going to get to the top! That road was opened in 1915, I can't imagine driving down it loaded in 1915 in a truck with mechanical brakes, or whatever they had then. Or a model T either for that matter. My research told me that there were many crashes on the road, and if you went over the side it was bad news. Seems a lot were caused by either not enough brakes, or impatient motorists trying to pass a slow moving truck on a blind curve.

This is the video I was trying to to post the link to, on my phone, but I was watching the other one on TV at the time. Anyhow, I thought this was good, part 1 and part 2. https://youtu.be/hjY_XPY88Is?si=MW_EeVA-T5roBoiM

I watched a video about "Dead Man's Curve" on YouTube a while back, and in the "related videos" I saw several videos about the "old ridge route". Highly interesting! I just watched this one today, and it's just neat to watch- driving the whole route, as much of it as you can drive anyway. It's sped up so it doesn't take all day, but unlike a sped up video of rt. 33 from Harrisonburg, VA. to Elkins, WV that I once watched, it's not all blurry and grainy, it's like you're there. Very cool, hope you don't get car sick easily. I fast forwarded through the beginning, until they get out of town and start up the old road. https://youtu.be/NCLB5HkM6Xg?si=Nq0xaXbpyRzhlzAr

https://www.facebook.com/share/19atigjtY4/ Not mine, just saw it on marketplace. I also saw it at the ATHS show in Clear Brook, VA. in September, beautiful truck.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1D8PJvaA9y/ Not mine, it's a bit out of my price range, but it's a beautiful truck. I've seen it many times at truck shows.