other dog Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 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 2 Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 Hell, I spent a lot of time on 99 probably a lot of us could say the same thing Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561721 Share on other sites More sharing options...
other dog Posted November 11 Author Share Posted November 11 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 2 Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561740 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted November 11 Share Posted November 11 today,,,there is still not a whole lot in gorman,,,,pretty cold area top of the grapevine,,,interesting how it got its name,,,,thanks tom Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561754 Share on other sites More sharing options...
other dog Posted November 12 Author Share Posted November 12 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. 1 Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561762 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mark T Posted November 12 Popular Post Share Posted November 12 🤔 so you're saying the impatient driver has been around over a hundred years. 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561766 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 I am thinking that was the original Grapevine and I’m sure it wasn’t pretty back in the day. I understand interstate 80 was pretty much the same way two lane Road hard to pass. It was then hwy 40 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561778 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 1 hour ago, Mark T said: 🤔 so you're saying the impatient driver has been around over a hundred years. Yeah, what do they say? Everybody’s in a big old hurry. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561779 Share on other sites More sharing options...
other dog Posted November 12 Author Share Posted November 12 12 hours ago, Mark T said: 🤔 so you're saying the impatient driver has been around over a hundred years. 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- 2 Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561786 Share on other sites More sharing options...
other dog Posted November 12 Author Share Posted November 12 11 hours ago, mowerman said: I am thinking that was the original Grapevine and I’m sure it wasn’t pretty back in the day. I understand interstate 80 was pretty much the same way two lane Road hard to pass. It was then hwy 40 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. 2 Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561787 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 Yes, it’s quite a ride from the San Fernando Valley to the top of that thing. It must’ve took a long long time to get up there. I think it’s around 30 miles to the top also dead man’s curve. If you’re talking about the song it’s Mulholland Drive just outside of Burbank And yes, I have ran over the grapevine thousands of times I could remember pulling that at 12 miles an hour with a 237 with 80,000 that’s why every time I hear somebody raving about those engines. I have to get a big chuckle Only thing I could say about them was I could out pull a buddy of mine that had a 318 Detroit everybody else would just blow my doors off Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561810 Share on other sites More sharing options...
other dog Posted November 12 Author Share Posted November 12 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. 1 Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561821 Share on other sites More sharing options...
other dog Posted November 12 Author Share Posted November 12 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. 2 Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561822 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brocky Posted November 13 Share Posted November 13 Tom, Thanks for starting this topic... I too have run Calif a few times, but 52 west of Barstow to Bakersfield and 395 down from Reno to LA are about the only "back" roads. I heard the song about the Feather River Canyon on the radio the other day and told the wife that was one I never ran. 1 Quote Brocky Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561828 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Weeks Posted November 13 Share Posted November 13 I have a passion for old maps, and running old routes. Sometimes that is not an option in a modern 18 wheel truck, but I have been on some. I have run the old US 10 from Miles City along the north side of the Yellowstone in a truck. Mostly gravel but some pavement. ( had a delivery off of it, and just kept going when my drop was made). Been on most all of US 20 from Boston to Oregon, with the exception of the section around the "sisters" that is restricted. I delivered cell towers, so got off the beaten path fairly often. 2 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561830 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted November 13 Share Posted November 13 1 hour ago, Brocky said: Tom, Thanks for starting this topic... I too have run Calif a few times, but 52 west of Barstow to Bakersfield and 395 down from Reno to LA are about the only "back" roads. I heard the song about the Feather River Canyon on the radio the other day and told the wife that was one I never ran. ive been on it several times,,,your not missing anything,,,,bob 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561836 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted November 13 Share Posted November 13 alotta times you can run that when donner pass is closed,,,but also chains required,,,on it,,but atleast you can get thru,,,bob Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/74741-the-old-ridge-route/#findComment-561838 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.