Wildfires along the Cajon Pass north of the Los Angeles metro area are an unfortunate but fairly regular occurrence during summer, and the fires often close the Interstate 15 / Route 66 corridor for a few hours. Friday's fire was different. The 3,200-acre blaze jumped the freeway and ignited about 20 vehicles, causing motorists to … Continue reading Incredible scenes from the Cajon Pass fires
Category: Weather
Part of Route 66 in Mojave Desert may remain closed until 2016
A portion of the National Trails Highway (aka Route 66) from Essex, California, to just east of Amboy, California, may remain closed until 2016 because flash flooding in September 2014 damaged the roadway and bridges there, according to a San Bernardino County official. The flooding washed away about 50 bridges from Essex to Ludlow, California. … Continue reading Part of Route 66 in Mojave Desert may remain closed until 2016
The big threat facing Williams — and the Southwest
The Route 66 town of Williams, Arizona, has faced plenty of adversity in its history -- not the least the coming of Interstate 40 that re-routed east-west traffic and decimated its downtown, at least for a while. But a new report by Cronkite News Service, based at Arizona State University, delves into an issue that … Continue reading The big threat facing Williams — and the Southwest
Fog fills the Grand Canyon
A few weeks ago, an unusual phenomenon occurred in the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Temperature inversion caused the canyon to fill with fog -- no small feat, given the canyon's massive size and depth. The folks at Vox created an informative video explaining the phenomenon and compiled a few images from that day, … Continue reading Fog fills the Grand Canyon
Major section of Route 66 in Mojave Desert may reopen by January
A significant part of Route 66 in Southern Calfornia's Mojave Desert may reopen by January after flood damage forced its closing in early September. ZachNews, based in Needles, California, reported a 28-mile section of Route 66 from Ludlow to Amboy may reopen as soon as next month. Unprecedented flash flooding closed almost all the roadway … Continue reading Major section of Route 66 in Mojave Desert may reopen by January
Route 66 in Mojave Desert may reopen by late January
We're now starting to realize the extent of flooding damage to Route 66 in Southern California in September. Not only do 80 miles through the Mojave Desert remain closed, but it likely will remain closed until late January -- two months later than originally anticipated. According to a story in Inland News Today, Roni Edis … Continue reading Route 66 in Mojave Desert may reopen by late January
Route 66 in Mojave may reopen by late November
Long sections of historic Route 66 that were closed in mid-September because of extensive flood damage may reopen by late November, reported The Press-Enterprise. The newspaper had more details about the damage: In some spots there are holes large enough to swallow one of the motorcycles belonging to tourist groups that regularly retrace the Western … Continue reading Route 66 in Mojave may reopen by late November
Route 66 in Mojave may be closed for months
Severe seasonal flooding closed a section of old Route 66 between Essex and Ludlow in Southern California's Mojave Desert, and it may be weeks or even months before it reopens, according to one news source in the area. Zachnews, based in Needles, California, reports more than 40 bridges and some of the Route 66 roadbed … Continue reading Route 66 in Mojave may be closed for months
Baxter Springs restaurant recovers impressively after tornado
I missed this when it initially happened, but Weston's Route 66 Cafe in Baxter Springs, Kansas, reopened just six weeks after it was destroyed by a tornado in April. KODE-TV filed a recent story about how Weston's, at 1727 Military Ave., and other businesses have recovered after the tornado: An excerpt from the report: For … Continue reading Baxter Springs restaurant recovers impressively after tornado
Many brick buildings in California vulnerable to quakes
After a multitude of earthquakes in California during the 1970s and '80s, we've long assumed the state's old buildings are much less susceptible to damage because of new codes. That's not the case. The Los Angeles Times reported this week that thousands of brick buildings in the region remain unstrengthened against earthquakes, especially in poor municipalities such … Continue reading Many brick buildings in California vulnerable to quakes