CARxR 2.02: Route 1 – Los Angeles County

In Episode 2.02 of California Highways: Route by Route, we continue our exploration of Route 1 by exploring everything about the segment in Los Angeles County, from Long Beach to the northern edge of Malibu at the Ventura County line. We’ll go over the history of this segment of the route, the history of the route through various communies including Long Beach, the Beach Cities, the LAX and Marina areas, Santa Monica, and of course the Battle of Malibu. We’ll go over the incredible freeway plans, discuss relinquishments, names, and some current plans. Looking forward, episode 2.03 will continue our exploration of Route 1 with the portion in Ventura and Santa Barbara County.

Here’s the link to the show:

 

And here’s the link on Spotify for Podcasters:

Here are some relevant links (I may edit this to add more links in later):

We encourage you to explore our back catalog through this site or our Spotify for Podcasters home.

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CA RxR 4.14: Bonus: New Idria Road and Hites Cove RoadCA RxR 4.14: Bonus: New Idria Road and Hites Cove Road

Episode 4.14 is the first of two bonus episodes. It tells the story of the corridors of New Idria Road and Hites Cove Road. Both of these historic highway corridors lead to mining in Central California. This episode is based off blogs released on Gribblenation during October 2025 and May 2026. New Idria Road is an approximately 21.5-mile rural highway located in the Diablo Range of San Benito County. It branches off of Panoche Road, and winds its way south-ish through the Diablo range to the ghost mining town of Idria, continuing as Clear Creek Road. Hites Cove Road is an approximately seven-mile rural highway corridor located in the Sierra Nevada range of Mariposa County, south of Route 140, and west of El Portal. Hites Cove, and its successor forest and OHV trail roads, leads to the ghost town of Hites Cove on the south fork of the Merced River. Two interesting stories about two interesting ghost towns. Next up: Our second bonus episode to close out Season 4: A roundtable discussion with Adam Prince and Doug Kerr as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the start of Gribblenation.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

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Episode 1.01 – Before 1920 – Building a State Highway SystemEpisode 1.01 – Before 1920 – Building a State Highway System

Welcome to the first season of California Highways: Route by Route. This first season will be establishing the background listeners will need for our subsequent route by route podcasts. We’ll start with a history of the state highway system. We’ll then explore how highways are numbered in the state. Lastly, we’ll look at how highways are named, and some of the organizations involved with state highways.

This first episode explores the start of the state highway system. We’ll start with the humble beginnings with the first routes defined by the legislature, and then go into the routes defined by the first three bond acts. We’ll also explore the Good Roads movement, and we’ll have a special interview with Adam Prince of Gribblenation.

Here’s the link to the show:

Here’s a link to the show on anchor.fm:

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Episode 1.02: Building a State Highway System: The 1920sEpisode 1.02: Building a State Highway System: The 1920s

This first season of California Highways: Route by Route establishes the background listeners will need for our subsequent route by route podcasts. We’re starting with a history of the state highway system. In Episode 1.01, we discussed how the highway system started and got through the first three bond acts that created a large number of today’s routes. This second episode explores the 1920s: the start of the gas tax, the Melville Act that allowed the state to take over traversable highways through small cities that cannot afford them, as opposed to just rural highways between cities, the impact of the Breed Bill, and the establishment of the Division of Highways (today’s Caltrans). We’ll go over some of the major highways added during this time period, and most importantly, we’ll discuss the start of the Federal Highway system, better known today as the US Highways. We’ve got a special interview related to that subject: Joel Windmiller, President of the California Chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association.

Here’s the link to the show:

Here’s a link to the show on anchor.fm:

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