Route 66 Through the Cajon Pass
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 เม.ย. 2020
- This virtual road trip uses old and modern pictures of various road alignments that Route 66 took through the Cajon Pass. Maps and aerial photos will show where you can visit and experience these sites on your own inside this mountain pass full of transportation history. This video tour was updated in 2020. Read more on our blog at www.backroadswest.com/blog/rou...
SAVE UP TO 50% ON Gaia GPS MAPPING SOFTWARE HERE AND FIND OUT WHERE ALL THESE PLACES ARE ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE:
www.gaiagps.com/discounts/?fp...
![Cajon Pass [BNSF's Cajon Subdivision]](/img/n.gif)
I used to travel to the desert for work, and when returning south, often took 66 instead of the parallel 15 because it's more interesting and relaxing. I was on that very stretch shown at 12:58 during the evening, when I saw someone on a bicycle far down the road. As I passed, I saw that the bike looked brand new, but was the style made in the 1950's, and the girl riding it wore a clean white blouse, long skirt, white socks, and black and white shoes - exactly like what you'd see in a 1950's neighborhood scene. It gave me freakin goosebumps. This was back around 2005, so maybe she was going to a 1950's-themed event, but as the photo shows, there's little out there, and to this day I still don't know what I saw.
Bro, you saw a ghost 👻 😂
I first went through the Pass in early 1952, when my parents moved from “back east “.
They bought a house in Monrovia, just 4 blocks from Foothill Dr., aka Route 66. Then, countless times over Cajon in the ‘50’s as we camped & explored the Mojave more times than I can remember and took the yearly drive back east, all the way on 66.
Memories of driving the desert at night (no air conditioning), across the endless plains, and across the Mississippi. It took 5 days.
Now, I live back east again. Thanks for this video, so I can rest my eyes on the mountains and chaparral.
Fantastic! Wonderful research, historic information, photos and diagrams!
When I was 15 years old, my family took a long driving and camping vacation from Miami Florida to Los Angeles. This was in 1963. On our last leg, we left Las Vegas around midnight and drove west to LA. I got to drive the last leg in and I'll always remember cresting a hill (or mountain, not sure) just as daylight was starting to fill the valley and seeing LA laid out below. It just simmered in the morning light and enthralled me. I'll always love Route 66. Thanks for taking me on a ride on my old, favorite roadway once again.
I love watching the Cajon Pass episodes. You have done an excellent job showing how the original roads were built before the Interstates.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting!
Fun and interesting video for me. In the 1970s my co-workers and I commuted through Cajon Pass from San Bernardino to the JPL test facility above Wrightwood.
I know where that place is. You might see it in our video of a road trip along Blue Ridge above Wrightwood: th-cam.com/video/FvtntCpUMvQ/w-d-xo.html
@@BackRoadsWest1 thanks. Lots of familiar landmarks there
This video is awesome. I’ve been a sub for a while. I was stationed at MCAS Miramar in the early 2000’s and never really ventured this far north, I wish I had. In the 1950’s my Dad drove his Triumph motorcycle from Chicago to L.A. on Route 66. He stayed for about a month there and returned back to Chicago. I can only imagine how his trip on the “Mother Road” was….I may recreate this trip in the future. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for commenting.
I lived in Apple 🍎 Valley for 3 years. Took the pass daily. Interesting historical facts, i love it!
Loved your video! I grew up in LA and we used to go to the desert via San Bernardino/the original McDonald's/ and the Cajon Pass. You covered a lot of things I had no idea of. You mentioned the Santa Ana winds: Wind was frequent in the Pass, and during the sixties a sandstorm in the Pass blasted off the paint on the front of our car and we had to get the windshield replaced. Glad so much of Route 66 has been restored.
Really nice update, Cliff. I love how you zoom in and out of Google Earth together with superimposing old and new photos. It really makes it interesting and gives it an iconic feeling. Great job!
Gord
Thank you!
Super cool...As a Locomotive Engineer for the old Santa Fe Railway I have been up and down the Cajon Pass thousands of times. Very good presentation.
Thank you!
I was stationed at George AFB (Adelanto/Victorville) for four years in the late 80s to 90. Still sad the Summit Inn was lost in a fire because I had stopped in there a few times on my way "down the hill" to LA on the Cajon Pass. At the time I had no idea about Route 66 running through there so this, and the previous version I saw a few years ago, is quite interesting and sad.
Heck Yeah... I Still Love Taking The Old Route 66 / Bypassing I-15 Cajon Pass
When I was a kid, getting “over the pass” to go shopping in San Bernardino (which wasn’t ghetto then), was always an adventure, you never knew if you were going to make it. In the summer, your car could overheat, and in the winter there could be snow and icy roads. I remember vineyards in Devore.
You must have been a high desert dweller as myself going "down below".....
you mean down the hill lol
In the 50's my family would also travel from Barstow to San Berdu to shop. I can still recall the fragrance of orange groves.
Arty Party, nope, when I lived there, people actually did say “down below”, and if you were a local, you knew it meant going over “the pass” to San Bernardino. Loved going to the Swing for concerts, too. Like Nestor Baca, I also remember the orange groves, they were awesome.
Live in Devore now. Love it here 😁
When I first drove the pass in 1963 on my way east to college, it represented the freedom of brand new territory on my own. The next spring, coming westbound, it represented coming home. Love this pass!
This is awesome! I've always wanted to do something like this in Colorado and New Mexico because the old I-25 road beds are still visible along with the abandoned homes and travel stops. Well done!
Thanks for the memories coming back.
Beautiful love the information and pictures videos you put together amazing stuff
Thanks great video
Loving this stuff from the east coast . I have been through the pass multiple times next I will check it out 🇺🇸
Great info. I was going to try to drive it and your vid came out how awesome.
absolutely FANTASTIC video and very informative! Thanks for posting it!
My pleasure!
Thank you for the great information! I’ll have this as reference in the future
I had no idea about the reconnection around the 15/215 interchange, and I live in Orange county! Thanks!
Very well done. Thank you!
Spent 2 days broken down in that pass in 1955 in a 1938 Ford.
Fords are just as bad nowadays.
@@392nightrunner If not WORSE!!!
You do such a great job illustrating and editing these videos! I live in Rcho Cucamonga and my son lives in Helendale. I travel this route regularly so I find the last few videos you produce especially interesting. I've been subscribed to your channel for a few years and I haven't been disappointed by any of your videos. Thank you for all your effort in producing these videos.
You're very welcome. Thank you for your kind comments!
Very thorough. Well presented. Really enjoyed. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting.
I appreciate your hard work making this.
My pleasure!
Great video work. Great historical information.
Thank you!
Brought back fond memories, I lived in Fontana one block north of Foothill Blvd. /Rt. 66 from 1975 thru 2004. More narration and less text please.
You have a gift for helping others imagine the past. I am new to the area but ride my bike in that area often. I absolutely LOVE your videos. Would be awesome if you did some of the southern roads like Reche Canyon or Barton Road, but that’s just me being selfish wanting to know the history of my area more 🤣
Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Good stuff y’all, love the old date stamps😎
Thank you!
Subscribed.
This is great stuff. Just may have to drive down there in the ol' Willys.
Great video - very informative with the maps and markers - thanks!
You're welcome and thanks for commenting!
Having lived in Redlands, CA for over 25 years, we often took the I-15 to Las Vegas. I was always interested in the history behind this route and the historic structures along the way. I wanted to document the construction of I-15 and the old routes and the buildings as a travel guide for those frequenting the road from southern California to Las Vegas. But, work and now age has prevented me from doing this. Thank you for doing the same thing...only so much better than I could have done. Thumbs up and new subscriber. Always wanted to know where the Sammy Davis accident occurred...now I know.
Thanks for your comments and glad you enjoyed it. Yes, there is lots of "folklore" about where Sammy lost his eye, but the truth was easy to find. I've lived in the Victor Valley for 35 years and spent time with several historians regarding Route 66 thru Calif.
BackRoadsWest1
Yes. Thank you for clearing up the Sammy Davis accident. I had heard it happened on 66 near Helendale.
Great video!
Well done!
Really great job on the facts and video......
Thank you!
Great job! 👍
Thank you!
great research and analysis.
Thank you
Sammy Davis..OMG! Now we know!! Never knew!
At 14:08 I didn't know that section was abandoned. So I went on Google Maps and looked and there was a mound of dirt blocking that section on 2008 and 2012 (much clearer) views. How sad to see that. Good thing they redid that interchange at 15/215 near the classic diner (Tony's) so it was able to open back up after 45 years.
:( Tony's is closed. I live in Devore about a mile northeast of Papa Tony's location. They were open all through Covid with outdoor dining and delivery. We had been a few times this year and my wife picked up takeout a few times as well. We were sad to find out they closed a few months ago. They had great food at a decent price and their menudo was awesome.
What an AWESOME tour. Never knew of the Sammy Davis Jr. accident location before
Thank you!
Very fascinating video. New subscriber today.
Nice video! I travel the Cajon Pass daily and always wondered where it’s original route went. Sadly, I watched the Summit Inn burn during the Blue Cut fire. There were several fire units on scene, but not enough to save the historic restaurant. They were protecting the gas station next door, which would probably have created a major issue if it caught fire
Yup, sad about Summit Inn. Then the owners were not able to rebuild for various stupid reasons (not of their doing). I passed thru the pass about an hour before it happened on my way to Riverside and then got stuck and had to go thru Big Bear.
Great update and I enjoy watching your videos, most especially the Route 66 segments.
In your Victorville to Helendale Route 66 segment, why wasn't the section of 66 from the 15 freeway (Palmdale/7th) to D street included in the segment?
We were planning on making the Cajon Summit to D & 7th another video. But we found there isn't too much to cover with so much disappearing on 7th St and I-15 pretty much erasing Rt 66. We may still do it some day.
I am a huge fan of the route 66 restoration at the I-15 and I-215 interchange. I wish the other gaps along the route would be connected again. I know it would take A LOT of capital and eminent domain to connect the old route 66 segments in Arizona and New Mexico. But hey, I am a fan. 😊
Between Flagstaff and NM State line, I-40 was built on top of the old 66. So unfortunately it simply won't happen. Just like I-15 being built on top of 66 and 91 in California.
These are GREAT VIDEOS! This is exactly what I'd like to do when I get my old Isuzu Trooper fixed up!
Thank you! Glad you're enjoying them and thanks for commenting.
@@BackRoadsWest1 i live in Phoenix. Have you done any videos near here? There are some great places down between Tucson and Nogales. At the right time of year it's very beautiful down there
@@markcatanzaro9699 we have not. We formally lived near Cajon Pass and the reason why we have so much imagery and information on that area in general (not just Route 66 stuff). 6 years ago we moved to Southwest Utah, so that's why you're seeing more videos on this area now. We have some friends that live Green Valley, south of Tucson along I-19, so I we are familiar with the area. If we lived down there, then yes, you'd see more videos of your area.
@@BackRoadsWest1 aha- that makes perfect sense and would also explain the Matt's off-road reference! That's probably why you popped up in my feed this morning. Well now I'm subscribed to your channel also
@@markcatanzaro9699 oh, that's funny - Matts off-road. Yea, he's kind of a legend up here, in more ways than one (not all good). Matt really lucked out. My mechanic is his former partner. You can check out his "off-road" channel too - th-cam.com/users/CaseysOffRoadRecovery. My wife and I don't put out a lot of videos, but we've been doing it for 10 years and have accumulated a lot of content if you browse thru our channel. Thanks for watching!
WELL done !
Thank you!
Welcome !
Pure TH-cam Gold.
The 66 on the hill was my friend John Hockiday (house below). He wrote a Cajon pass history book "Trails and Tales" history of Cajon pass.
Oh really? Good to know. Thanks for commenting.
10:18 ... The fault was likely responsible for the pass even existing, since it cuts through an even older mountain chain.
great video wish you spent more time on the northern end of the climb up the mountains. Why no mention of old 395?
Both US 91 and 395 deserves a separate video. Some day...
I think the old alignment on the road in Cajon was th railroad that flooded in 1938. It crossed Cajon Creek, then went back across before Swarthout Canyon Road.
You can see from aerial imagery that there were several alignments, especially where it was close to Cajon Creek.
Not only US 66 crosses through Cajon Pass, US 91 and US 395 used to be concurrent with US 66 through Cajon Pass. The routes was then replaced with I-15.
Yes, I believe that is briefly covered in the video. Realize that 395, 91 & 66 still do exist in places where I-15 wasn't built on top of their alignments. For instance, the bridge that crosses the RR tracks in Barstow that leads to the Harvey House is US 91.
6:47. Mormon Rocks. Captain Kirk fought a gorn lizard here.
11:10. "The Mormon Pioneers who founded San Bernardino in 1851..."
An excellent presentation of one of the more complicated alignments and disused sections of 66. I would however suggest more use of period USGS maps (you do that on other vids) ghosting into modern google sat images. Great work!!
Thanks for the kudos and thanks for commenting! Given that I'm a map geek, if I had such maps available, I would have used them.
@@roadgent7921 Wow, that's a nice tool! I'm sure there is something out there for US maps, I just haven't dug deep enough. I'm very familiar with Esri's offerings and they would probably be the one source I can find such a tool. However, I use a subscription mapping product here that has become very popular in the US called Gaia GPS. It has maps from 1900 and 1930 in some places, but not the Cajon Pass.
@@BackRoadsWest1 Good stuff. You may have tried this already - another good source of highway info is the highways dept themselves, in your case this would be CalTrans and put in a FOI request for "as built" construction drawings for a specific section for a specific year. There might be a fee though.
I think the Cajon-SanB and Needles crossing are the two more interesting sections of 66.
@@roadgent7921 Thanks! Bottom line, when I'm working on a tour and I run across good map data and it's not licensed/copyrighted, and I'm able to capture it and modify in Photoshop, I'll use it. I generally will not spend too much time unless a project requires it. Speaking of Rt 66 to Needles, a tour is forth-coming, I just have so many other projects needing my attention at the moment!
@@BackRoadsWest1 UPDATE: there is a USGS new thing on their site. It's not a side by side like the other site but has plenty of old USGS maps as well as the current map data - quite extensive. I was just looking at a 1956 Cajon Pass map and a 1957 San Bernadino map. Link below, happy hunting:
ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/
Let's not forget that this section of old Historic US 66 was also US 91 and US 395.
I need to ride this route on my motorcycle!
I think the waterway that runs through the pass is a major complication and deserves more attention. What is the source of the Cajon Creek? it obviously floods catastrophically. Is it run off from the surrounding peaks?
Like your shows! I am supposing this runs along a waterway prone to flood?
Thank you! Yes, as you may have saw halfway thru the video, earlier alignments of the road were frequently washed out by Cajon Creek.
@BackroadsWest1 - Was one of these places along the divided highway ever called Cajon Camp? Our scouts overnight camped there in 1972 or 1973.
Yea, check out this video that covers Camp Cajon: th-cam.com/video/gZU7Mnx-I3g/w-d-xo.html
Apparently it didn't take long for many people to figure out that Route 66 is a way out of the mess that Cajon Pass can become. Southbound is usually pretty good but I am amazed at the traffic headed north sometimes. What a bottleneck that must be at the 215 freeway entrance.
Every Friday man... every Friday.
I love driving 66. There’s some great ghost stories from semi truckers who travel it.
Spooky
I wasn't famous but I traveled that road a couple of times too when it was the only way to go through... And my mom bought a couple of acres in Santa Fe that actually ended up being part of the new interstate. On my first trip from Orange county to Santa Fe we were young kids and mom stopped every once in awhile and got us a hot chocolate at Denny's... It was a real cold winter and we got snowed in at the pass and in Flagstaff. Sometimes I really do miss the old days. Thanks for the walk down memory lane I enjoyed it
These are well done, it's so good to know the history of the area.
I might be nit picking but I don't think I think it's correct to call American's displaced by dust bowl "Refugees " considering they traveled within the borders of the United States.
LOL! Well, we are displaced Californians due to the chaos that has been occurring there for the past 15 years, so for 5 years now, we're California refugees living in Utah. I don't think borders mean a thing to a refugee, they are simply fleeing a given place for a better life.
@ 14:53 "With no brakes" LOL!
Yes, it is a portion of the road where there are no breaks and mysterious forces slow your vehicle down so you need no brakes.
That was really interesting and informative. I've been up and down that pass a million times and have always taken any chance to get off the main freeway. I wish I had known some of the interesting places to stop and see along the way. Blue Cut was especially interesting. Your video production is pretty good but as somebody else noted, please lower the volume of the music to the point where you can just barely hear it in the background. And, for the love all that editors hold holy, please drop all the 'fly-in/fly-out' transitions. They make your otherwise really good production look amateurish. All that you need is a simple smash cut and an occasional simple dissolve. As another viewer mentioned, all that flying about can actually make some people physically ill. More importantly, it distracts from all the good stuff you are saying. I look forward to seeing more of your videos! Kindest regards,
Thanks for your input Henry. Much appreciated. Realize that I use some of the transitions according to the story. For instance, when the view of the tour turns 180 degrees, I use the transition that flips the image 180. Blended fade transitions are used when zooming into a point of interest. Music is sort of a catch 22 scenario. If you leave it out or dim the volume too much, people don't like, and naturally if it's too high, some people may not understand the narration. On my equipment, it sounds fine, but I'm sure on other's, it doesn't.
Lived in vivtorville 28 years and been up and down that pass many times in the 80s
The 1950's expansion to four lanes must have been a welcomed change. Getting stuck behind slow moving vehicles would have been very frustrating.
I wonder what the motivation was for re-connecting the pre-1970 portion? Was it just for Route 66 fans?
I'm sure it did. But can you imagine just the 4 lanes (2 lanes each way) today? The 8 lanes can barely keep up. There were lot fewer vehicles back in the 1950s.
@@BackRoadsWest1 My father has told me about what the old US 91 was like over the Baker Grade. You would almost always get stuck behind a slow truck. Trying to pass was really dangerous.
I remember the original video
Yes I know I'm nitpicking but it's cast not stamped. Cast in concrete.
Am I missing something? Drive to Santa Monica on Route 66 without stopping? How?
Yea, you're missing a $29 device that turns all the traffic lights green!
But Route 66 ends at cleghorn and ends at a trail. To connect it where it ends at cleghorn to 7th street, is it connected via the 15 freeway?
The remains of Rt 66 from Cleghorn to 7th St in Victorville are undrivable except for the few portions shown on this tour: th-cam.com/video/gZU7Mnx-I3g/w-d-xo.html
@@BackRoadsWest1 So they’re basically trail roads that remain and I’d have to go on the 15 freeway and get off at 7th to re take rout 66, correct? I’ve been watching your videos and they are a nice guide to travel up here in the hd. I wanna take the road from adelanto to palm dale so I can see the airplane bone yards. Thank you for your videos.
@@carlingas666 That's correct. Some are not even trails but just traces of an old road. From Oak Hill Rd to 7th Street, I-15 was built directly on top of 66. Enjoy the other tours. Great to be out during great weather like this!
What’s the background music title ?!
Alll music is licensed at Storyblocks.com. There are several pieces in this video.
14:52 They let you drive on it all the way through LA with no brakes? That doesn't sound very safe.
Thanks for finding that. I thought about that before I hit the publish button. Breaks not brakes....thank you English language.
'if you ever plan to motor west'
Fun fact : (if someone can remedy this I would be very intrigued) it is impossible to commute to the high desert on a bicycle/or on foot via road access. (Sure you can probably hike over the hills or maybe cross the railroad tracks but) You HAVE to have vehicle that can access the 15 fwy/ or highway 138.
I met a young kid from the UK who was traveling from the very beginning of Route 66 to the end. He flagged me down at the Cleghorn fwy entrance (15 fwy).
He was dumbfounded on how he was able to continue his journey. When I realized He was right. I myself was dumbfounded. I quickly analyzed the situation and was surprised by the fact you can not commute to the high desert as a pedestrian or someone on a bicycle.
Not sure if it's still like this anymore, but back around 2015, there were signs on I-15 between SR 138 and Oak Hills Rd (where the Summit Inn used to be), basically the stretch where there is no paved road to take a bicycle, that bicycles are allowed on I-15. When I used to drive the Cajon daily around 2012, I did rarely see backpack bikers on that stretch of fwy. There are (were) also signs on northbound I-15 before Oak Hills exit that saying all bikes must exit - same for southbound at the SR 138 exit. Hope that helps. Bottom line though, I sure wouldn't want to be riding my bike on the shoulder with all those crazy motorists (which has become increasingly worse since 2020), plus all the exhaust. If it were me, I'd arrange a shuttle.
Karma and Kerosene my friend. "Civil War"
Nice video but please dump the music. It's too much and too loud and it makes it hard to concentrate on the real information.
Thanks for letting me know.
@@BackRoadsWest1 There is a volume control for the perpetually complaining viewers of your FREE videos.
Thanks Randall! Yea, some people think we do this for money!! But it's good to get the feedback. Different strokes for different folks...
@@BackRoadsWest1 Thank you for the nice reply. I start my RV life in June and my original intention was to go to Gateway NRA in Brooklyn (NYC) in July but the NPS already cancelled my reservation with refund available. I was going to put off Route 66 until next year but I am thinking more and more of going to Chicago and heading along the Mother Road from there. By the time I get to California, the worst of this Corona emergency should have passed.
xy47402
I liked it
PS I love California
There was a time when the McDonald's door would open if you pulled in to park in front of the door.
El Cajón Pass not to be confused with El Cojón Pass...😆
El Cajon is east of San Diego. Cajon Pass is the correct name as stated for over 100 years on maps.
@@BackRoadsWest1 you didn't get the joke... cojón means testicle, ball, etc. Cajón means box...I've seen people misspell it. 😁
It must be terrifying to drive through the Cajon pass epecilly for Lorry Drivers
No more than any other freeway in L.A.!
Not trying to be a not picker, but the opening sequence with rapidly scrolling images moving right to left can cause nausea or worse, try not to do that in future vids.
But then there are plenty of people that like it. In video production, you can't please everyone!
@@BackRoadsWest1 -- Making some of your viewers sick is probably not the right choice even if others are unaffected by it. I've done drone videos and found that if I fly with the camera pointing nearly straight down you get the same affect and I try to limit those clips as much as possible. It's true you can't please everyone but knowing what makes some people sick should probably result in a change to limit that.
If it is so nauseating, there is a pause button on the FREE video.
@@randallparr680 -- Very helpful!
@@Raptorman0909you’re a disgusting victim and I’m so pleased that the creator told you to get screwed hahahahahahah
Blue cut is a cruising spot for gay men no joke. There's guys just parked there waiting for a hook up .
Here's a news flash for you: those people have been meeting at Blue Cut since the 1970s - like for 50 years. I didn't think it was appropriate to cover that in our video.