I know that road and spring very well. Growing up in San Diego, then Chula Vista we used to travel hwy 80 to go to visit relatives in Phoenix. the last time we drove it was in 1955 when my father was transferred to Virginia. He was US Navy. Although as I write this we may have come back that way in 1962. We stopped at that spring often to freshen up and let my dad's 1952 Pontiac cool off. The road you followed to look for the Descanso well was the original road to Camp Viejas and Camp Descanso, once former Honor Camps then Probation Dept. Adult Institutions and now run by the Sheriffs Dept. The road was finally washed out by heavy rains down the Sweetwater River and wasn't rebuilt. another one was cut in from the other side. My father at one ttime worked there after retiring from the Navy and the I worked there after graduating from San Diego State in 1975. Roger Bushong
Hey, Roger! Thank you for your detailed comment and the personal history behind it. I love hearing stories like that! When you would stop at the rest area, did you drink the water or only use it for your car? I’m sure the water was safe enough to drink, but I was just wondering if people actually did. It looks like had I kept walking another few minutes down that old side road, I would’ve found the well. Looks to be right next to the road and enclosed in some kind of square building or something. Are you saying that there was some kind of adult detention camp down in that ravine near the well? I’ll have to look on Google Earth for the other road that they cut in from the other side that you mentioned. Thanks for the great comment, and thanks for supporting my channel, too!
@@AbandonedMines11 The Camps are on the other side of the freeway. The new road they cut is what is now the entrance off of Lyons valley Road?? Any way instead of heading toward Descanso from the freeway, you head west. The gate on the old road that you walked through was the original gate to the camps before the freeway cut them off. Which was also why the old road was never rebuilt. the ravine is the Sweetwater River.
Sorry, didn't your questions about the spring. I do believe we did drink the water. There also used to to be a palm tree or two there. Also the bedrolls you found were probably from migrants from south of the border. That area of the San Diego Mountains was a large route for them. Once they got to the freeway there was always the chance of a ride. There was always talk in the camps about doing a head count at the dining hall and coming up with 8 or 10 extra bodies. usually a group moving through that found the camp and filtering into the chow line. Just south of there is Horsethief Canyon which leads to Camp Barrett and Barrett Lake. A major route as it leads directly to the border just South of Barrett Junction. You may have heard about several years back when a large group came through and got caught in a sudden snow storm where 11 died in the cold.
I've been intrigued by Horsethief Canyon. When I cross over it on I-8, you can look down over the bridge and get a quick glimpse of the dirt road (track) that's there. Might be a nice hike one day. Yeah, I suspect that the sleeping bag and other items I found were probably from a migrant. I'm actually kind of glad I didn't go all the way down to the well that's on that side road. I normally have a handgun on me when exploring like that, but I didn't bring it on that trip because I knew I would only be hiking on the old highway for a mile one-way. The side road to the well was an unplanned detour. Who knows what might be going on down there at the well. Wouldn't want to inadvertently stumble onto something that might cause, you know, some issues. Thanks for the informative comments!
Excellent, you were in San Diego when it was still good for the most part. Did not need a lot of money to live there. I was living there on Mississippi st. off of El Cajon Blvd. Good luck!
My parents arrived in CA via highway 80 from New Mexico in a 1941 Ford. They moved to Santa Maria/Vandenberg where my Dad was launch site manager. I grew up in El Cajon, CA when Dad went to work at plant 19 for General Dynamics. Awesome video... That was a hell of a storm for San Diego.
Thanks for sharing, Mike! That's a great anecdote! Yes, the storm did blow in the next day as predicted. They got a lot of snow up there, and I think this part of the old Highway 80 got covered with several inches of snow. That's why I did the hike when I did. I didn't want to be hiking around in snow and ice. That pre-storm sky was pretty foreboding, though.
Dude I live right by this and run it all the time! My house used to be a burger stand back in the day. If you are ever in this area again please let me know!
Highway 80 was a fixture of my youth. Our family farm sat right on the south side of 80 in West Central Alabama. I can't count the times I traveled 80 between Selma, AL and Meridian, MS.
John, I totally agree and hear where you're coming from. All this nonstop cell phone, Facebook, RUclips, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, and other related nonsense and bullshit gets so tiring at times. I'd even be happy going back to 1980 before there even was an Internet and home computers. Definitely simpler times.
@@AbandonedMines11 this last year and a half has really pushed me to try and do what you do. To “disconnect” from the world as it is so I can explore the world that was. 🙂
@@johndeacon6011 Glad to hear that, John! I know when I start the drive home after being out on an extended camping and exploring trip, I sometimes get a little down as I get closer to civilization. As soon as I reach an area where my cell phone picks up service, I get bombarded with all the beeps and tones of missed emails, missed text messages, and missed voicemails. It sucks! But that’s the technological world we live in, unfortunately. You might want to read a book called “Desert Solitaire“ by Edward Abbey. He lived out in the desert far away from civilization back in the 1960s or thereabouts and wrote many books about it. The one I just mentioned is probably his most famous. He talks about this very subject. His books are basically an autobiographical account of his experiences living in the desert far away from other humans and things like that.
Aside from the vegetation in the expansion joints, that concrete, abandoned after all these years, appears to be in far better condition than most of the roads here in Michigan
Thanks for the visit! Not much snow here in southern California unless you head up into the mountains. Sounds like you're snowed-in with all the drifts you have. Spring is coming! Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment. Love having a fan over in Russia! Peace!
My dad drove us on the 80 in the 1960's to get to Arizona and see our grandparents. A 47' Woody with no seatbelts and that highway rarely had guardrails.
Great anecdote! Thanks for sharing your memory! That’s interesting about the guard rails. There probably weren’t regulations in place yet regarding where guard rails should be installed and with what frequency. That was back in the good old days before all the safety regulations and laws and things like that. And before Ralph Nader! LOL
Thanks for watching and commenting! And thanks for the feedback. Based on the tremendous response this video has gotten, I plan on doing similar ones in the future. Stay tuned!
Hi Frank! Well, I learned something today: I'm a native born Californian and I had no idea there was an abandoned Hwy 80! Much less an abandoned rest area! Thanks for that history lesson, can't think of a better teacher! Hope all is well, take care and I look forward to the next adventure!
Those two helicopters are CH-53 Sea Stallions or Super Stallions, these days. Rode in a couple when in the Marines. Didn't care for them much. Preferred the UH-111 Hueys. Love the videos! Keep up the great work!👍
That would be cool! And it's a great idea. Most people either know about this particular hike or they don't. I only found out about it a few weeks ago after watching another video about it. I've driven by this old highway so many times, too! Never knew it was there. Thanks for dropping in, watching, and commenting, Eric!
That is so true! I was thinking of the same thing when I watched the video. I sometimes hike with a Liberal friend of mine and she complains when military aircraft fly close by. I absolutely love it and I always tell her "shhhhh, you are covering the sound of freedom."
Frank! Thanks again for taking us with you to explore, I love hiking when there’s stormy clouds. I really appreciate it man, your videos make my day. I get to learn some history and I’ve learned so much about mines hahahaha. Keep up the amazing work!
Hey, Rick! Thanks so much! Always nice to hear when someone is getting something out of my videos and learning something, too. "A stope is the cavern or void that's left behind after the miners remove a large body of ore." LOL I don't know how many times I've said that in my videos. But not everyone has seen all my videos, so the redundancy is good. Yeah, it was kind of cool to be up there hiking with that dramatic sky! It was a nice change of pace from the sunny, blue skies we normally have. Glad to have your support here, Rick! Thank you!
Been down this hwy many times as a kid ,it was always the adventure if not a hair raising one when crossing the mountains ,very narrow and not much in the way of guard rails , what great memories
Great comment, Johnnie! Thanks for sharing your memories of this old highway. I agree - it must’ve been pretty hair-raising to travel over it back in the day.
3:19 I am surprised to find out, when I was just 7 years old, there were still people arround from the late 1880? How sad I was never able to met one. They mostprobably had lots of interesting stories to tell. But - both of my Grandfathers were born int he 1890s...
Yes, I hear you on that, Karsten. My grandmother was born in the 1890s, too, and she died when I was a teenager. That's the only grandparent I had out of four total. Two of the other three died before I was born and the other one died a year or so after I was born. They grew up during so many interesting periods in history -- the Roaring 20s, the Depression of the 30s, the World Wars of the 40s and 50s, invention of TV, beginning of the space race, etc.. Mind boggling!
Pretty interesting video I always mention how I love seeing the scenery so having an entire video showing the wilderness is really cool, my boyfriend is from San Diego so we might check that out in the future, I asked him about it and he said he never knew that abandoned highway existed despite driving down by it many times we love hiking and camping so it's nice to know, I came back to stay with my family here in Brazil for a few months and next weekend we are are gonna camp, there's some really beautiful sights here too and I'll try some of your recipes from the other video, thanks for sharing Frank stay safe, big hugs from Brazil.
Thanks so much for your great comment! Yes, this hike is definitely worth checking out with your boyfriend if you’re in the area. It’s about a mile down to the rest area, so it’s easy. Sounds like you’re having a fantastic time down there in Brazil! I’ve heard that’s a very beautiful country although I have never been there myself. Travel safely while you’re out and about! And thanks for all of your support here on my videos. I hope the recipes work out for you if you do, indeed, try them.
Thank you very much for this very interesting and informative video. It is fascinating to see these abandoned areas which at one time was so important to the traveller but now, not even a consideration would be given. It is rather sad and it is a pity that it could not be preserved. I remember your presentation about the wooden road, something else quite fascinating. Thank you for bringing this to the people.
Hey, John! Thanks for the great comment! I appreciate it and your support. Yes, this highway replaced parts of that plank road back in the 1930s! So there definitely is a tie-in between the two roads. It is a shame, as you said, that the highway in this video is not being preserved and it’s basically being lost to nature. I was glad that I was able to find some information about the man named Sander Pearson who built this highway and that I was able to include some of that info into the video.
The is so cool! I believe US-80 now ends in Dallas. I knew that Interstate 8 now bypasses this and is a very scenic route from what I’ve seen online and in American Truck Simulator! Abandoned infrastructure like this is one of my favourite things. In Scotland a lot of military roads are still present after being bypassed by modern trunk roads. Some of them are actually under water. Glasgow and Edinburgh also have a large network of unbuilt motorways and you can see evidence of where they were supposed to go today!
It is all fascinating stuff, that's for sure! Roads underwater would be interesting to see via scuba diving. Never heard of American Truck Simulator. Sounds interesting! Will have to look into that. Thanks, Josh, for watching and commenting!
What a great follow up to your plank road video. I drive by here on 8 on my way to SD many times and never knew this road was here. What an interesting story. I love these mountains by the way. Summer....winter..fall....spring....the rocks and and scenery are beautiful. Thx for posting!!!!!
Hi, Sylvia! Thanks for your comment! I, too, have driven Interstate 8 many times but never knew this old highway was nearby. It's kind of a cool little thing to discover! Yes, the mountains are nice up there. I'm sure that area got several inches of snow the day after I was there, though. Thanks for stopping by and checking out this latest video of mine! I appreciate it!
Could you imagine the first ebike Highway that this would make!?. It would be a safe passage for long distances for bikes and ebikes. Every scene I see of this makes me want to clear it and put it back to use.
Thanks 👍 Glad you enjoyed the history of the Sander Pearson. As far as I could tell, nobody else who's made a video of this road went into that kind of detail about it. His name is right there on some of the concrete slabs, so I researched it. Took a little bit of effort, but I think it was worth it. Adds a little more depth to what otherwise might've been a dry, boring video. Thanks for commenting!
Same here. Just exit the interstate at Highway 79 and turn left onto the first road you come to. It’s pretty easy to find. Check Google Earth if you aren’t totally sure.
so excited to see you covering this. whenever i head out east on the 8 i always try to keep my eye out for the remains of this highway, especially on the way down the mountain from Jacumba to Ocotillo
Yes, there are parts of old Highway 80 in that area you mentioned. Get this: I just found out recently that some of those old parts of Highway 80 between Jacumba and Ocotillo can still be accessed with a car if you know where to turn off the Interstate! I might take my old Corolla down there and run it up down some of those segments! Thanks for your comment! I appreciate your enthusiastic support, man!
I noticed that on Google Earth when I got home. Looks like there is some kind of square-shaped structure there right next to the road. That's probably the well. Lots of trees down in that valley, too. Not sure what one might encounter going all the way in there. Normally I'm armed when out hiking in the desert and at abandoned mines, but for this trip I left my gun at home because I didn't think it would be needed for such a short hike. Probably best I turned around when I did.
Excellent video! 80, 66, 78 and so many others are from simpler times, if that road could talk, the stories it would have. I have to ask, how are your brother and cistern doing? You had me laughing with that one. Definitely beautiful scenery, I knew about 80 but not the rest stop, definitely interesting. Thanks for sharing Frank, one more piece of history that documented for future generations. Stay safe.
Same thing here, Dan - I knew about Highway 80 but never knew about the rest stop. I only found out about it a month or so ago. Yes, definitely from simpler times. Seems like we all have a longing for simpler times more or less. I wonder why that is? Shouldn’t we be happy with the present with all its technology and high speed this and high speed that? I don’t know… Glad you caught the pun! I throw one of those into my videos every once in a while when the mood strikes. LOL Thanks again for watching and commenting! I appreciate it.
There's an area along Interstate 8 where it splits wide apart, called Meyers Grade, as it drops down to the Interstate at Ocotillo. That maybe where you are. In between the east and westbound lanes are the remnants of US 80. Further east of Ocotillo is a paved road that parallels I-8 on the north side of the interstate and between those roads are more remnants of US 80 that can be seen from the interstate. There are many washed out spots along this stretch but the concrete ribbon remains. Great video.
I think I’ve seen those portions of the old highway that you are referring to. I just found out recently that there is a way to access some of those old portions with one’s vehicle so you can drive on them! You just have to know where to turn off to get to them. I may go out there and check that out one of these days.
@@AbandonedMines11 "a good one" is ths term i would use. It made me chuckle. I'm "a dad joke" guy. Thanks for your reply and for the always entertaining videos. Stay safe my friend and give me a holler if you're ever in southern Michigan, as there are a plethora of historic sites in the area. Never stop exploring, for when you do, you have chosen your place to die. I wrote that. 🍻
Given the height and drop between the pipes and the basins I'm thinking those were to aerate the water as well as filter it on the journey down the hill, large cisterns like that can cause the water they hold to become stagnant if the flow isn't sufficient enough to keep it fresh.
@@AbandonedMines11 ... that's exactly what's going on with those pipes. Anything that is suspended in the water (dirt / silt) gets a chance to settle to the bottom of each pit in the cascading system, plus the bubbling action aids in purification. The real question is what was feeding that cistern? I mean, it's just a storage tank so the water needs to come from elsewhere.
Thank you very much for that! Always nice to hear when a viewer like yourself is enjoying my videos and getting something out of them. Thanks for your support!
Great video. What a beautiful, desolate place. I love places where nature reclaims from man. Love the back info on Sander. All that way in by someone to leave all that litter by the road though :-(
I think that road should be preserved for a good walking/cycling trail. I grew up in a little town east of Savannah Georgia that us 80 went through and still does. I often thought as a child it would be cool to travel the entire length east to west on US 80.
Thanks for your comment! I don’t think it would be possible to travel the entire route 80 anymore all the way through due to portions of it being replaced by interstate highways and things like that back in the 1960s. But you could still probably get a very good sense of it at least when you drive on the original route 80 in the places where you still can do that. This portion of Highway 80 that’s featured in this video is sort of an unofficial trail since they closed the road to traffic decades ago. Ironically, one of the hiking “Bibles“ here in Southern California that many people refer to does not even mention this Highway 80 as a hiking trail. I was surprised about that.
Great review. At this point the well is likely dry, or needs re-sleeved to allow the water to flow back up to the surface. The little "pools" would have had lids/caps and served a couple purposes: 1-provide water flow control to slow the water feed rate downhill to the endpoint. 2-they would have been a gravity type filter (like a septic tank design) for any dirt or sediment to settle and not end up in the pipe or basin for people
Thanks for all this great information in your comment! Topographic maps do show a spring at the location, but I’m not sure how the water would have gotten inside the cistern unless there was something in the floor that I wasn’t able to see by looking in through the small windows. There may have been some kind of inlet or something like that.
On old hwy 80 about 2000 feet west of Ellis Spring and about 1000 feet east of the vista point on 8 east was a large parking area under a cliff. My recollection is parking for at least maybe 30 cars. It also had springfed water from a pipe, oak trees, and shade in the afternoon. As near as I can tell it is now under 50 or more feet of fill. I guess the State filled it to keep others from continuing to use it as a rest area. I often get a bit nostalgic when I pass by. Much of old hwy 80 is still drivable all the way to Yuma.
Hey, Ray! Thanks for that bit of historical information! I have never heard of that parking area before. You are the first to mention it. Sounds intriguing. It’s a shame that places like that get obliterated or otherwise destroyed in the name of progress. I looked in Google Earth at the approximate area that you designated in your comment. Yes, it looks like that area got covered up by a lot of fill when they put in the modern interstate highway decades ago. That’s very near the Sweetwater River, too. I bet there are some artifacts and relics down in that ravine!
You can still drive on some of the old US-80, southbound from the desert view tower in Jacumba. But you really need to 'hoof it' if you want to see what is in this video. :)
@@AbandonedMines11 I appreciated seeing a bit of home again . At the rest area east of there there is a plack describing the history of the well you were walking to find. I hope you took time to stop by the casino while you were in the area.
I must have missed that plaque describing the well. There was a large sign at the turn-off for the well but it didn’t have any history on it. It only had the name of the well and the street address. Ah, yes - the Viejas Casino! You know, I’ve only been in there once or twice over the last 25 years or so. The casinos in Vegas are so much better, and that’s all I ever knew for a good many years before venturing into one of the San Diego casinos. The ones here just don’t compare, unfortunately.
That's awesome! I have heard that some of the abandoned parts further east in the mountains as you make your way down that winding part of Interstate 8 can actually still be driven on if you know where to turn off. I might take my old Corolla out that way and check it out. You ever been?
What an interesting video posting. I was very intrigued by this area. I had lived there when I was in the navy and went around to see what there was to find. Had I known about this place I would have surely explored it as well. I did not get a good scene of the grade of the hiway. This would be good to know because of its isolated location, as well as how many pot holes are in this road. This is what I could envision happening to that place to revitalize it. Take a small crew and a small bulldozer and lots of roundup and clean off the fallen dirt landslide, and rid it of the weeds on it. Then if it has a good slope to get to help in generating speed for longboard skateboarders to use as a place to use a recreation area. Also clean out the debris from that cistern and find out if water can still be directed there. Put in a rest area restroom for those visiting the area. Clean out that place where someone had stayed and use that as a picnic site. Also, it looks like a nice place to watch sunsets, if it’s there why not utilize it by repurposing the area, and continuing the legacy of what was built coming into a hundred years as a historical landmark location. If only. What a nice dream to have. I believe first section of paved freeway is in LA which was used in the movie Roger Rabbit. It goes from Hollywood into the SF Valley about a quarter of a mile a section of the 134. The oldest freeway is back east, then comes the 110 freeway from LA to South Pasadena. But none of this has not been verified. Oh, one last thing. I would have use an escooter instead walking this hiway, or some electronically motorized form of transportation. This way you could have set up the camera in the direction you tire traveling and capture yourself moving trough the site. Giving it that cinematography style footage to your video. Addendum. I watched another video on this site, and it would be a cool place to use a longboard skateboard site, however, it would take state funding and approval, because it would take about a year or so to do all the grading on the landslide areas and put in rail guard used on freeways to block it from more erosion episodes. Fill in the center gap to stop hi speed falls from those going down it. This area is also a rock climbers site as well. So the idea of it being repurposed as a recreational site is feasible, but which county is it located in, but perhaps state and federal funds could also be acquired since it was a govt project. This is with the idea of another animated movie related to Route 66, Cars. Yeah, I know I seem nuts, but I think this would be a great idea for this area with a it readily available and easily restored to a recreational area. Didn’t think your video could be inspirational?
The spring dried up due to water table dropping a huge amount over the years. As for those pools probably to keep the flow constant. Interesting how they changed that piping. It looks quite new compared to cistern. Spring fills cistern to the pipe and overflow goes out pipe to the pools below. Keeping the water flowing is important. If it stopped and became stagnant that would be bad and that may have happened and the cistern dried up.
Just think of all the old cars in the day, traveling this highway enjoying the wonder of this great country, what an adventure it had to be considering those cars were nothing like today's cars.
Great comment! And I totally agree. Some others have said that cars back in the 1930s and 1940s weren't as reliable or as durable as today's cars are, so this winding, steep road would've been a problem for many of them compared to modern cars. Now we have the super-efficient interstate highways which kind of take all the fun out of driving long distances somewhat.
Hey frank nice area for a cool hike an gather some cool history good stuff your about 100 miles south of me lol careful of sleeping bags out in the wilderness stumbled on one 20 years ago that had bones 😢 as always be safe 👍👍
Thanks 👍 I didn't think to check the sleeping bag for a body when I was there. I'm glad I turned around on that side road to the well when I did. I normally am armed but didn't bring my handgun that day because I wasn't expecting to go off the main highway like I did. I guess the well was just around the next bend, but there are a lot of trees down there. Who knows what might be going on in such a place. Thank you for watching and commenting, Steve!
Thanks for commenting, Bob! It's nice to hear from folks who actually went to this rest area back in the day when the highway was still open and in use.
Frank, that wasn't a good find; that was a GREAT find. Thx for sharing. I believe that road continued through Gila Bend, AZ and beyond. AZ Highway 80 (now 85) diverged from the route you described and was routed north from Gila Bend, then through Buckeye, thence Phoenix. I suspect it was so-named, account, your Hwy 80. I'll have to research a bit. You know, it is a gratifying to see things that no one else sees. The first 5 minutes of my video on the Sonoran Desert Preserve a service station & store on the continuation of this Highway 80 here in Arizona. Thx Frank, one of the most intriguing of your vids in recent months.
Thanks, Stan! Will have to check out your video of the service station and store on the part of Highway 80 out in Arizona that you hiked on. It's interesting to research these old roads and determine where they once went, why they were abandoned, and what replaced them. Looks like you missed the pun I put in this video -- you usually comment on the puns! LOL Hint: It's near the end when I'm showing the rest area.
@@AbandonedMines11 No, I noticed the pun, but I thought any comments by me might offend your bretheren, let alone your cisteren. I instead took the high road, not the 'road less traveled."
Two-lane concrete hwy 80...rest stop was more for radiator overheating problems than drinking...cars of that era had a definite overheating problem when it came to climbing grades. Try driving this two-lane road at night...taking my neighbor to Yuma to get married at 2 a.m...crazy!
Thanks, Ron, for the information! I was wondering if cars from that era were more prone to overheating than cars are today. I’ve heard many people mention that cars from that era had water bags on the side. I had never heard of that before, either. Very interesting!
Thanks for the feedback, Brandon! I don’t like my videos to be longer than 10 minutes, so I try to adhere to that as close as possible. If a video is 15 or 20 minutes or more, I’ll make a Part 1 and a Part 2 if feasible.
The Circular basins, are what you thought it was. A filtration system of sorts. they would be filled with sand maybe charcoal as well and small stones. but most likely just sand and small stones. It wouldnt have been like pure clean water. but back in the late 30s and 40s. Drinking water would have been worse then todays Drinking water. IE if this road was still active and the water source was active still. There would be signs all around saying to Boil the water before drinking. Btw - Highway 80 still gets its use once and awhile. not by cars or trucks. but by movies or tv shows who need the type of scenery it can provide.
Our home was on highway 80 in Phoenix in the 50's. There was a lot of traffic on that road. We lived on the west side of town at the edge. Westward travelers that grew tired of their pets would abandon them. The poor creatures would be on the last effort by the time they came into our yard.
It’s a great anecdote, Charles! Thanks for sharing it. How many of those animals did you guys keep as your own pets after you found them abandoned along the highway? I’m sure you kept a couple here and there over the years. If you did, that was very nice that you took in stray, abandoned animals.
@@AbandonedMines11 It is a sad tale. Most all were dehydrated, suffering from the excessive heat, their feet were burned from the hot pavement. We as children thought we had a new pet Most died from the heat, many died from wandering into the busy traffic.. The best we could do is give them comfort and call animal control. Too many pet graves in our back yard.
I really like these type of videos. I wish I had known you were out there, would have loved to join you. I wonder how far, from point a to point b you can go any more? It would be a great backpacking trek to walk it in its full
Next time! The part I was on is probably a mile and a quarter from the parking area to where the old highway ends right above the modern Interstate 8. From the parking area to the rest stop, it's exactly one mile. I didn't bother hiking down that last quarter mile or so to Interstate 8. There are other parts of the abandoned Highway 80 out in the desert as you make your way down Interstate 8. Those parts can actually be driven on if you know where to turn off to find them. I might take the ol' Corolla down there and drive on it one of these days! Glad to hear you like these kinds of videos. I do, too. It's a nice change of pace from all the underground stuff in abandoned mines.
Shame there wasn't enuff time/money/incentive to keep more of these old roads functional for those of us who, when site-seeing, don't feel like passing by all the sites at eighty mph! Camping, commuting, vacationing, meandering would be so much interesting if we had wider choice of route & means, esp state roads & hwys, old country roads, electric rail cars, trains, & ferries. I'm well aware there's more things to see & do in this world than all of us put together could ever accomplish, I'm just saying, new is cool & necessary for many things, but it needn't always make it's predecessors obsolete. Cool find! Watch out for snakes!
I’m not surprised to hear that. Some of those mountain roads cut through some pretty treacherous terrain where such things can happen. Thanks for your comments!
Thanks, man, for stopping by and commenting! I know what you mean - the modern phrase “rest area“ certainly has changed from what it meant back in 1930! Glad my explanation helped clarify things for you. Thank you very much for your support here!
That road is still in better shape than most of our roads here in Maine 😮
I believe that, Mike! Thanks so much for dropping by, watching, and commenting. I appreciate the support.
That's because it's concrete and the mix they used back then was a 1000 times better than what they use today.
@@juniorthird7952 that’s because of frost heaves the size of cars in Maine.
I know that road and spring very well. Growing up in San Diego, then Chula Vista we used to travel hwy 80 to go to visit relatives in Phoenix. the last time we drove it was in 1955 when my father was transferred to Virginia. He was US Navy. Although as I write this we may have come back that way in 1962. We stopped at that spring often to freshen up and let my dad's 1952 Pontiac cool off.
The road you followed to look for the Descanso well was the original road to Camp Viejas and Camp Descanso, once former Honor Camps then Probation Dept. Adult Institutions and now run by the Sheriffs Dept. The road was finally washed out by heavy rains down the Sweetwater River and wasn't rebuilt. another one was cut in from the other side.
My father at one ttime worked there after retiring from the Navy and the I worked there after graduating from San Diego State in 1975.
Roger Bushong
Hey, Roger! Thank you for your detailed comment and the personal history behind it. I love hearing stories like that! When you would stop at the rest area, did you drink the water or only use it for your car? I’m sure the water was safe enough to drink, but I was just wondering if people actually did. It looks like had I kept walking another few minutes down that old side road, I would’ve found the well. Looks to be right next to the road and enclosed in some kind of square building or something. Are you saying that there was some kind of adult detention camp down in that ravine near the well? I’ll have to look on Google Earth for the other road that they cut in from the other side that you mentioned. Thanks for the great comment, and thanks for supporting my channel, too!
@@AbandonedMines11 The Camps are on the other side of the freeway. The new road they cut is what is now the entrance off of Lyons valley Road?? Any way instead of heading toward Descanso from the freeway, you head west. The gate on the old road that you walked through was the original gate to the camps before the freeway cut them off. Which was also why the old road was never rebuilt.
the ravine is the Sweetwater River.
Sorry, didn't your questions about the spring. I do believe we did drink the water. There also used to to be a palm tree or two there. Also the bedrolls you found were probably from migrants from south of the border. That area of the San Diego Mountains was a large route for them. Once they got to the freeway there was always the chance of a ride. There was always talk in the camps about doing a head count at the dining hall and coming up with 8 or 10 extra bodies. usually a group moving through that found the camp and filtering into the chow line.
Just south of there is Horsethief Canyon which leads to Camp Barrett and Barrett Lake. A major route as it leads directly to the border just South of Barrett Junction. You may have heard about several years back when a large group came through and got caught in a sudden snow storm where 11 died in the cold.
I've been intrigued by Horsethief Canyon. When I cross over it on I-8, you can look down over the bridge and get a quick glimpse of the dirt road (track) that's there. Might be a nice hike one day. Yeah, I suspect that the sleeping bag and other items I found were probably from a migrant. I'm actually kind of glad I didn't go all the way down to the well that's on that side road. I normally have a handgun on me when exploring like that, but I didn't bring it on that trip because I knew I would only be hiking on the old highway for a mile one-way. The side road to the well was an unplanned detour. Who knows what might be going on down there at the well. Wouldn't want to inadvertently stumble onto something that might cause, you know, some issues. Thanks for the informative comments!
Excellent, you were in San Diego when it was still good for the most part. Did not need a lot of money to live there. I was living there on Mississippi st. off of El Cajon Blvd. Good luck!
For not being used since the 1960's you can still see some of the old lane markings. Nothing like lead based paint for longevity, lol.
I wondered about the highway paint having lead in it, too.
Lead paint protects against nuclear fallout and will shield you from infrared cameras
And taste. Nothing like sucking on a little lead and washing those brain cells away.
Climate out there helps.
@@TheDamageinc81 I heard it is also sweet to the taste, which is why children liked to nibble on it.
Thanks for taking us along Frank. Old roads fascinate me, especially the abandoned infrastructure that went along with them.
Thank you, Kevin! Glad you enjoyed it. A lot of people seem to enjoy this type of video. I'm going to make more.
My parents arrived in CA via highway 80 from New Mexico in a 1941 Ford. They moved to Santa Maria/Vandenberg where my Dad was launch site manager. I grew up in El Cajon, CA when Dad went to work at plant 19 for General Dynamics. Awesome video... That was a hell of a storm for San Diego.
Thanks for sharing, Mike! That's a great anecdote! Yes, the storm did blow in the next day as predicted. They got a lot of snow up there, and I think this part of the old Highway 80 got covered with several inches of snow. That's why I did the hike when I did. I didn't want to be hiking around in snow and ice. That pre-storm sky was pretty foreboding, though.
I remember Gina Street in El Cajon was I was a child then we moved over the hill to Lakeside a
Dude I live right by this and run it all the time! My house used to be a burger stand back in the day. If you are ever in this area again please let me know!
Cool! Sounds like your house has some history.
How old is your house (burger stand)?
Are you near Wildwood Glen Road?
@@jessiev7322 my house was built in the early 1900s.
@@mickeyphillips6603 yes! Very close to it! I grew up in Descanso and love it here.
This is such a geologically fascinating part of the world.
I tend to agree with you on that, David. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment!
Be carful out there. That area is full of illegals crossing in the country. God please help America.
Highway 80 was a fixture of my youth. Our family farm sat right on the south side of 80 in West Central Alabama. I can't count the times I traveled 80 between Selma, AL and Meridian, MS.
Oh simpler times. This video makes me wish I’d been born a hundred years earlier.
John, I totally agree and hear where you're coming from. All this nonstop cell phone, Facebook, RUclips, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, and other related nonsense and bullshit gets so tiring at times. I'd even be happy going back to 1980 before there even was an Internet and home computers. Definitely simpler times.
Yeah I would look forward to live the aftermath of WW1 and WW2, such happier times
@@AbandonedMines11 this last year and a half has really pushed me to try and do what you do. To “disconnect” from the world as it is so I can explore the world that was. 🙂
@@johndeacon6011 Glad to hear that, John! I know when I start the drive home after being out on an extended camping and exploring trip, I sometimes get a little down as I get closer to civilization. As soon as I reach an area where my cell phone picks up service, I get bombarded with all the beeps and tones of missed emails, missed text messages, and missed voicemails. It sucks! But that’s the technological world we live in, unfortunately. You might want to read a book called “Desert Solitaire“ by Edward Abbey. He lived out in the desert far away from civilization back in the 1960s or thereabouts and wrote many books about it. The one I just mentioned is probably his most famous. He talks about this very subject. His books are basically an autobiographical account of his experiences living in the desert far away from other humans and things like that.
@@AbandonedMines11 thanks! that’s going on the “to be read” list
Hiking along history trails and old areas is real interesting. Seeing more of this sort of stuff would be real cool.
Thanks for the comment and feedback! Certainly glad you found this video to be interesting and enjoyable. Thank you!
Aside from the vegetation in the expansion joints, that concrete, abandoned after all these years, appears to be in far better condition than most of the roads here in Michigan
Good observation, Jared! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment.
SUPER! Here in Russia now I have drifts of snow, and you seem to have summer =) a wonderful weckend bro !
Thanks for the visit! Not much snow here in southern California unless you head up into the mountains. Sounds like you're snowed-in with all the drifts you have. Spring is coming! Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment. Love having a fan over in Russia! Peace!
This is some Fallout level scenery. I love nature reclaimed land.
I agree! Thanks for your comment.
it is insane to me that the reclaimed areas here are less than 15 mile from where I live.
My dad drove us on the 80 in the 1960's to get to Arizona and see our grandparents. A 47' Woody with no seatbelts and that highway rarely had guardrails.
Great anecdote! Thanks for sharing your memory! That’s interesting about the guard rails. There probably weren’t regulations in place yet regarding where guard rails should be installed and with what frequency. That was back in the good old days before all the safety regulations and laws and things like that. And before Ralph Nader! LOL
Thank you for documenting this! The world needs more people like you. This is truly awesome!!!
It blows my mind how long you have been doing RUclips I respect it
Thanks, man! I appreciate your support.
I don't miss any video, I send greetings from Argentina
Thank you so much! Nice to hear from a fan down in Argentina. Thanks for your faithful and loyal support.
This video is so interesting! A long forgotten road that is left for nature to take it back.
Thanks for dropping in, William! I appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time to comment, too.
@@AbandonedMines11 No thanks needed. I'm a long time fan. I love your videos.
Thus is so neat! I love these kinds of things 👍👍
Thanks for watching and commenting! And thanks for the feedback. Based on the tremendous response this video has gotten, I plan on doing similar ones in the future. Stay tuned!
They are fascinating.
Great video, I love this kind of devotion and work to take me to historical places. Much thanks.
Sounds like you enjoyed the video. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate your support and interest.
Hi Frank! Well, I learned something today: I'm a native born Californian and I had no idea there was an abandoned Hwy 80! Much less an abandoned rest area! Thanks for that history lesson, can't think of a better teacher! Hope all is well, take care and I look forward to the next adventure!
Right on! Thanks for chiming in! Always nice to hear from you. Thanks for the support!
Well Frank, that was a pretty nifty place to see!!! Thanks for letting me tag along!!! Peace!!!
Bill
Hey, Bill! Thanks again for your support here. I appreciate it.
Those two helicopters are CH-53 Sea Stallions or Super Stallions, these days. Rode in a couple when in the Marines. Didn't care for them much. Preferred the UH-111 Hueys.
Love the videos! Keep up the great work!👍
Man... I lost track how many ship to ship transits I've made in a Sea Stallion doing un-reps.
Great video. They should make a trail out of the bits of old highway. Would be a fun trek.
That would be cool! And it's a great idea. Most people either know about this particular hike or they don't. I only found out about it a few weeks ago after watching another video about it. I've driven by this old highway so many times, too! Never knew it was there. Thanks for dropping in, watching, and commenting, Eric!
7:45 - The sound of FREEDOM !!
Most definitely!
That is so true! I was thinking of the same thing when I watched the video. I sometimes hike with a Liberal friend of mine and she complains when military aircraft fly close by. I absolutely love it and I always tell her "shhhhh, you are covering the sound of freedom."
Frank! Thanks again for taking us with you to explore, I love hiking when there’s stormy clouds. I really appreciate it man, your videos make my day. I get to learn some history and I’ve learned so much about mines hahahaha. Keep up the amazing work!
Hey, Rick! Thanks so much! Always nice to hear when someone is getting something out of my videos and learning something, too. "A stope is the cavern or void that's left behind after the miners remove a large body of ore." LOL I don't know how many times I've said that in my videos. But not everyone has seen all my videos, so the redundancy is good. Yeah, it was kind of cool to be up there hiking with that dramatic sky! It was a nice change of pace from the sunny, blue skies we normally have. Glad to have your support here, Rick! Thank you!
I’m amazed that the whole road isn’t covered up by now.
👍👍😎
Thanks!
It will be in time. Probably another 60 years or so. Thanks, George, for watching and commenting!
Been down this hwy many times as a kid ,it was always the adventure if not a hair raising one when crossing the mountains ,very narrow and not much in the way of guard rails , what great memories
Great comment, Johnnie! Thanks for sharing your memories of this old highway. I agree - it must’ve been pretty hair-raising to travel over it back in the day.
@@AbandonedMines11 Thank you so much for this video ,definitely will subscribe
3:19 I am surprised to find out, when I was just 7 years old, there were still people arround from the late 1880? How sad I was never able to met one. They mostprobably had lots of interesting stories to tell. But - both of my Grandfathers were born int he 1890s...
Yes, I hear you on that, Karsten. My grandmother was born in the 1890s, too, and she died when I was a teenager. That's the only grandparent I had out of four total. Two of the other three died before I was born and the other one died a year or so after I was born. They grew up during so many interesting periods in history -- the Roaring 20s, the Depression of the 30s, the World Wars of the 40s and 50s, invention of TV, beginning of the space race, etc.. Mind boggling!
Pretty interesting video I always mention how I love seeing the scenery so having an entire video showing the wilderness is really cool, my boyfriend is from San Diego so we might check that out in the future, I asked him about it and he said he never knew that abandoned highway existed despite driving down by it many times we love hiking and camping so it's nice to know, I came back to stay with my family here in Brazil for a few months and next weekend we are are gonna camp, there's some really beautiful sights here too and I'll try some of your recipes from the other video, thanks for sharing Frank stay safe, big hugs from Brazil.
Thanks so much for your great comment! Yes, this hike is definitely worth checking out with your boyfriend if you’re in the area. It’s about a mile down to the rest area, so it’s easy. Sounds like you’re having a fantastic time down there in Brazil! I’ve heard that’s a very beautiful country although I have never been there myself. Travel safely while you’re out and about! And thanks for all of your support here on my videos. I hope the recipes work out for you if you do, indeed, try them.
Thank you very much for this very interesting and informative video. It is fascinating to see these abandoned areas which at one time was so important to the traveller but now, not even a consideration would be given. It is rather sad and it is a pity that it could not be preserved. I remember your presentation about the wooden road, something else quite fascinating. Thank you for bringing this to the people.
Hey, John! Thanks for the great comment! I appreciate it and your support. Yes, this highway replaced parts of that plank road back in the 1930s! So there definitely is a tie-in between the two roads. It is a shame, as you said, that the highway in this video is not being preserved and it’s basically being lost to nature. I was glad that I was able to find some information about the man named Sander Pearson who built this highway and that I was able to include some of that info into the video.
The is so cool! I believe US-80 now ends in Dallas. I knew that Interstate 8 now bypasses this and is a very scenic route from what I’ve seen online and in American Truck Simulator!
Abandoned infrastructure like this is one of my favourite things. In Scotland a lot of military roads are still present after being bypassed by modern trunk roads. Some of them are actually under water. Glasgow and Edinburgh also have a large network of unbuilt motorways and you can see evidence of where they were supposed to go today!
It is all fascinating stuff, that's for sure! Roads underwater would be interesting to see via scuba diving. Never heard of American Truck Simulator. Sounds interesting! Will have to look into that. Thanks, Josh, for watching and commenting!
Great video as always!
I appreciate that, Adam! Thank you for watching and commenting.
What a great follow up to your plank road video. I drive by here on 8 on my way to SD many times and never knew this road was here. What an interesting story. I love these mountains by the way. Summer....winter..fall....spring....the rocks and and scenery are beautiful. Thx for posting!!!!!
Hi, Sylvia! Thanks for your comment! I, too, have driven Interstate 8 many times but never knew this old highway was nearby. It's kind of a cool little thing to discover! Yes, the mountains are nice up there. I'm sure that area got several inches of snow the day after I was there, though. Thanks for stopping by and checking out this latest video of mine! I appreciate it!
We should not forget our past And not let these roads be taken back by nature. I think its cool and interesting piece of americana history.
It definitely is a piece of americana, that’s for sure!
Could you imagine the first ebike Highway that this would make!?. It would be a safe passage for long distances for bikes and ebikes. Every scene I see of this makes me want to clear it and put it back to use.
Cool find Frank, thanks for sharing that with us all.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know.
thanks for taking the high road frank , my brother & cistern enjoyed it , nice history clip of road builder , keep on keepen on
Thanks 👍 Glad you enjoyed the history of the Sander Pearson. As far as I could tell, nobody else who's made a video of this road went into that kind of detail about it. His name is right there on some of the concrete slabs, so I researched it. Took a little bit of effort, but I think it was worth it. Adds a little more depth to what otherwise might've been a dry, boring video. Thanks for commenting!
Not at all what I expected, but it must have been quite nice back in the day Thanks, Frank!
Glad to hear it! Thanks for dropping in!
this is on my bucket list, im in mid central CA, need to go there, thank you !!
It’s an excellent item to have on your bucket list! I hope you get down to Southern California to check it out.
If you take this road all the way dow you get a great view of the freeway. Great video!
I almost did the whole route to where it stops at Interstate 8 but just didn't feel like it. That would be a good view, though, of the modern highway.
Cool man, Thanks
To think I've driven right past it and never knew it was there.
Same here. Just exit the interstate at Highway 79 and turn left onto the first road you come to. It’s pretty easy to find. Check Google Earth if you aren’t totally sure.
Up the Irons! 🤘🏼🤘🏼
Those roads from back in the day where amazing 😉 as was that plank road you featured a few weeks ago, nice job !
Thanks again, Jim, for commenting! Yes, portions of Highway 80 out in the desert replaced portions of that plank road!
so excited to see you covering this. whenever i head out east on the 8 i always try to keep my eye out for the remains of this highway, especially on the way down the mountain from Jacumba to Ocotillo
Yes, there are parts of old Highway 80 in that area you mentioned. Get this: I just found out recently that some of those old parts of Highway 80 between Jacumba and Ocotillo can still be accessed with a car if you know where to turn off the Interstate! I might take my old Corolla down there and run it up down some of those segments! Thanks for your comment! I appreciate your enthusiastic support, man!
I wonder if this was the highway they filmed The Long, Long Trailer (1954) ? One of the great classics!
That road is in better condition and has about 100% less garbage on it than any road in my city.
Thank you for commenting, Thom!
Your brother and cistern. Good one! 🤣🤣
😁 I'm known for sneaking in a pun every once in a while. Thanks for watching and commenting, Seth!
@@AbandonedMines11 and if yoy say it I'm going to catch it each time!!
Spider-Man’s hide-a-way ! You found it my friend ! Love your videos, keep up the great work !!
Thanks 👍 I appreciate the support, Jim!
The well was like 10 seconds further down.
I noticed that on Google Earth when I got home. Looks like there is some kind of square-shaped structure there right next to the road. That's probably the well. Lots of trees down in that valley, too. Not sure what one might encounter going all the way in there. Normally I'm armed when out hiking in the desert and at abandoned mines, but for this trip I left my gun at home because I didn't think it would be needed for such a short hike. Probably best I turned around when I did.
@@AbandonedMines11 Always better to be safe then sorry. Smart choice!
Excellent video! 80, 66, 78 and so many others are from simpler times, if that road could talk, the stories it would have. I have to ask, how are your brother and cistern doing? You had me laughing with that one. Definitely beautiful scenery, I knew about 80 but not the rest stop, definitely interesting. Thanks for sharing Frank, one more piece of history that documented for future generations. Stay safe.
Same thing here, Dan - I knew about Highway 80 but never knew about the rest stop. I only found out about it a month or so ago. Yes, definitely from simpler times. Seems like we all have a longing for simpler times more or less. I wonder why that is? Shouldn’t we be happy with the present with all its technology and high speed this and high speed that? I don’t know… Glad you caught the pun! I throw one of those into my videos every once in a while when the mood strikes. LOL Thanks again for watching and commenting! I appreciate it.
The multiple pools is an old way of filtering. 2 or 3 pools and they drain off the middle. Great vid. Cool stuff
Thanks for that information, Aaron. That's what I had suspected. Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment.
Thanks for this road Trip
Looking forward what to see next from your journey
Take care
Frank Galetzka
Thank you, Frank! I appreciate you taking the time to write a comment.
There's an area along Interstate 8 where it splits wide apart, called Meyers Grade, as it drops down to the Interstate at Ocotillo. That maybe where you are. In between the east and westbound lanes are the remnants of US 80. Further east of Ocotillo is a paved road that parallels I-8 on the north side of the interstate and between those roads are more remnants of US 80 that can be seen from the interstate. There are many washed out spots along this stretch but the concrete ribbon remains. Great video.
I think I’ve seen those portions of the old highway that you are referring to. I just found out recently that there is a way to access some of those old portions with one’s vehicle so you can drive on them! You just have to know where to turn off to get to them. I may go out there and check that out one of these days.
Lettuce know how your brother and cistern liked this video. Water you doin for your next video? Lol
I was wondering if anybody would notice that! LOL I sneak a good one into my videos every so often. I guess “a good one“ is all relative… LOL
@@AbandonedMines11 "a good one" is ths term i would use. It made me chuckle. I'm "a dad joke" guy. Thanks for your reply and for the always entertaining videos. Stay safe my friend and give me a holler if you're ever in southern Michigan, as there are a plethora of historic sites in the area. Never stop exploring, for when you do, you have chosen your place to die. I wrote that. 🍻
Thanks, Steve! Will do!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Dad jokes..
Given the height and drop between the pipes and the basins I'm thinking those were to aerate the water as well as filter it on the journey down the hill, large cisterns like that can cause the water they hold to become stagnant if the flow isn't sufficient enough to keep it fresh.
Thanks, Robert, for the insight! Someone else suggested something similar. Sounds right to me!
@@AbandonedMines11 ... that's exactly what's going on with those pipes. Anything that is suspended in the water (dirt / silt) gets a chance to settle to the bottom of each pit in the cascading system, plus the bubbling action aids in purification. The real question is what was feeding that cistern? I mean, it's just a storage tank so the water needs to come from elsewhere.
this is a good video cause it shows some of the other abandoned highways.
Hey, Jason! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Thank you! Many a miles on that road on our way up to Cuyamaca mt and beyond as a kid.
Great to hear that, Matthew! Thanks for watching and commenting.
MrBallen brought me over, enjoying the content. Keep it up!
Thank you very much for that! Always nice to hear when a viewer like yourself is enjoying my videos and getting something out of them. Thanks for your support!
Great video. What a beautiful, desolate place. I love places where nature reclaims from man. Love the back info on Sander. All that way in by someone to leave all that litter by the road though :-(
Glad you enjoyed it, Mat! Thanks for the feedback on the information about Sander. I hope someone would notice that and appreciate it.
I think that road should be preserved for a good walking/cycling trail. I grew up in a little town east of Savannah Georgia that us 80 went through and still does. I often thought as a child it would be cool to travel the entire length east to west on US 80.
Thanks for your comment! I don’t think it would be possible to travel the entire route 80 anymore all the way through due to portions of it being replaced by interstate highways and things like that back in the 1960s. But you could still probably get a very good sense of it at least when you drive on the original route 80 in the places where you still can do that. This portion of Highway 80 that’s featured in this video is sort of an unofficial trail since they closed the road to traffic decades ago. Ironically, one of the hiking “Bibles“ here in Southern California that many people refer to does not even mention this Highway 80 as a hiking trail. I was surprised about that.
Great review. At this point the well is likely dry, or needs re-sleeved to allow the water to flow back up to the surface. The little "pools" would have had lids/caps and served a couple purposes: 1-provide water flow control to slow the water feed rate downhill to the endpoint. 2-they would have been a gravity type filter (like a septic tank design) for any dirt or sediment to settle and not end up in the pipe or basin for people
Thanks for all this great information in your comment! Topographic maps do show a spring at the location, but I’m not sure how the water would have gotten inside the cistern unless there was something in the floor that I wasn’t able to see by looking in through the small windows. There may have been some kind of inlet or something like that.
On old hwy 80 about 2000 feet west of Ellis Spring and about 1000 feet east of the vista point on 8 east was a large parking area under a cliff. My recollection is parking for at least maybe 30 cars. It also had springfed water from a pipe, oak trees, and shade in the afternoon. As near as I can tell it is now under 50 or more feet of fill. I guess the State filled it to keep others from continuing to use it as a rest area. I often get a bit nostalgic when I pass by. Much of old hwy 80 is still drivable all the way to Yuma.
Hey, Ray! Thanks for that bit of historical information! I have never heard of that parking area before. You are the first to mention it. Sounds intriguing. It’s a shame that places like that get obliterated or otherwise destroyed in the name of progress. I looked in Google Earth at the approximate area that you designated in your comment. Yes, it looks like that area got covered up by a lot of fill when they put in the modern interstate highway decades ago. That’s very near the Sweetwater River, too. I bet there are some artifacts and relics down in that ravine!
Wow. What an amazing place. Will add to bucket list.😀
You can still drive on some of the old US-80, southbound from the desert view tower in Jacumba. But you really need to 'hoof it' if you want to see what is in this video. :)
I heard about that not too long ago. Might take my Corolla down there and check it out. Thanks for the comment, Greg!
Thanks for the show, really cool place.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment!
As an expat san diagoan . I know where this and appreciate seeing a bit of home. Thank you 👍
Thanks, Grant! Glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to watch and comment. I appreciate it.
@@AbandonedMines11 I appreciated seeing a bit of home again . At the rest area east of there there is a plack describing the history of the well you were walking to find. I hope you took time to stop by the casino while you were in the area.
I must have missed that plaque describing the well. There was a large sign at the turn-off for the well but it didn’t have any history on it. It only had the name of the well and the street address. Ah, yes - the Viejas Casino! You know, I’ve only been in there once or twice over the last 25 years or so. The casinos in Vegas are so much better, and that’s all I ever knew for a good many years before venturing into one of the San Diego casinos. The ones here just don’t compare, unfortunately.
Awesome video Frank ,
I've hiked and explored alot that old hwy 80
That's awesome! I have heard that some of the abandoned parts further east in the mountains as you make your way down that winding part of Interstate 8 can actually still be driven on if you know where to turn off. I might take my old Corolla out that way and check it out. You ever been?
What an interesting video posting. I was very intrigued by this area. I had lived there when I was in the navy and went around to see what there was to find. Had I known about this place I would have surely explored it as well. I did not get a good scene of the grade of the hiway. This would be good to know because of its isolated location, as well as how many pot holes are in this road. This is what I could envision happening to that place to revitalize it. Take a small crew and a small bulldozer and lots of roundup and clean off the fallen dirt landslide, and rid it of the weeds on it. Then if it has a good slope to get to help in generating speed for longboard skateboarders to use as a place to use a recreation area. Also clean out the debris from that cistern and find out if water can still be directed there. Put in a rest area restroom for those visiting the area. Clean out that place where someone had stayed and use that as a picnic site. Also, it looks like a nice place to watch sunsets, if it’s there why not utilize it by repurposing the area, and continuing the legacy of what was built coming into a hundred years as a historical landmark location. If only. What a nice dream to have.
I believe first section of paved freeway is in LA which was used in the movie Roger Rabbit. It goes from Hollywood into the SF Valley about a quarter of a mile a section of the 134. The oldest freeway is back east, then comes the 110 freeway from LA to South Pasadena. But none of this has not been verified. Oh, one last thing. I would have use an escooter instead walking this hiway, or some electronically motorized form of transportation. This way you could have set up the camera in the direction you tire traveling and capture yourself moving trough the site. Giving it that cinematography style footage to your video.
Addendum. I watched another video on this site, and it would be a cool place to use a longboard skateboard site, however, it would take state funding and approval, because it would take about a year or so to do all the grading on the landslide areas and put in rail guard used on freeways to block it from more erosion episodes. Fill in the center gap to stop hi speed falls from those going down it. This area is also a rock climbers site as well. So the idea of it being repurposed as a recreational site is feasible, but which county is it located in, but perhaps state and federal funds could also be acquired since it was a govt project. This is with the idea of another animated movie related to Route 66, Cars. Yeah, I know I seem nuts, but I think this would be a great idea for this area with a it readily available and easily restored to a recreational area. Didn’t think your video could be inspirational?
Great comment with a LOT of information! Thanks for sharing all of that. Nice to hear from a former USN. I'm a USN veteran myself.
CH-53 series heavy helicopters. I lived on a helicopter base for quite a few months. Cool old stretch of highway!
Thanks for the ID on the helicopters! I appreciate it.
The spring dried up due to water table dropping a huge amount over the years. As for those pools probably to keep the flow constant. Interesting how they changed that piping. It looks quite new compared to cistern. Spring fills cistern to the pipe and overflow goes out pipe to the pools below. Keeping the water flowing is important. If it stopped and became stagnant that would be bad and that may have happened and the cistern dried up.
Yes, I agree that the water table must have dropped in the intervening years. That’s a shame. Thanks for your great comment! I appreciate it.
i grew up off of us 80 in GA
have never even thought about how far it went out west
amazing
thanks for the video
be safe, be happy, work hard \m/
Thanks for your comment! And thank you very much for taking the time to watch the video.
Just think of all the old cars in the day, traveling this highway enjoying the wonder of this great country, what an adventure it had to be considering those cars were nothing like today's cars.
Great comment! And I totally agree. Some others have said that cars back in the 1930s and 1940s weren't as reliable or as durable as today's cars are, so this winding, steep road would've been a problem for many of them compared to modern cars. Now we have the super-efficient interstate highways which kind of take all the fun out of driving long distances somewhat.
Hey frank nice area for a cool hike an gather some cool history good stuff your about 100 miles south of me lol careful of sleeping bags out in the wilderness stumbled on one 20 years ago that had bones 😢 as always be safe 👍👍
Thanks 👍 I didn't think to check the sleeping bag for a body when I was there. I'm glad I turned around on that side road to the well when I did. I normally am armed but didn't bring my handgun that day because I wasn't expecting to go off the main highway like I did. I guess the well was just around the next bend, but there are a lot of trees down there. Who knows what might be going on in such a place. Thank you for watching and commenting, Steve!
Hell yeah I want to check this place out looks awesome 👌!
You should! Definitely an easy hike. Thanks for your comment!
Thanks for bringing us along on your journey. Excellent video.
Thanks so much, Gary!
The little cisterns outside the big one is to catch the heavier sand in the water by the time it got to the basin on the road the water was sand free.
Thanks for the info, Sammy! I appreciate it.
I remember stopping at that rest stop many times coming home from camping trips in Mt. Laguna in the late 50's with my dad.
Thanks for commenting, Bob! It's nice to hear from folks who actually went to this rest area back in the day when the highway was still open and in use.
Frank, that wasn't a good find; that was a GREAT find. Thx for sharing. I believe that road continued through Gila Bend, AZ and beyond. AZ Highway 80 (now 85) diverged from the route you described and was routed north from Gila Bend, then through Buckeye, thence Phoenix. I suspect it was so-named, account, your Hwy 80. I'll have to research a bit. You know, it is a gratifying to see things that no one else sees. The first 5 minutes of my video on the Sonoran Desert Preserve a service station & store on the continuation of this Highway 80 here in Arizona. Thx Frank, one of the most intriguing of your vids in recent months.
Thanks, Stan! Will have to check out your video of the service station and store on the part of Highway 80 out in Arizona that you hiked on. It's interesting to research these old roads and determine where they once went, why they were abandoned, and what replaced them. Looks like you missed the pun I put in this video -- you usually comment on the puns! LOL Hint: It's near the end when I'm showing the rest area.
@@AbandonedMines11 No, I noticed the pun, but I thought any comments by me might offend your bretheren, let alone your cisteren. I instead took the high road, not the 'road less traveled."
Music to my ears!
Kewl video. TY for posting. I would have been tempted to hike uphill on the trail and walk my mountain bike with me and ride down.
Two-lane concrete hwy 80...rest stop was more for radiator overheating problems than drinking...cars of that era had a definite overheating problem when it came to climbing grades. Try driving this two-lane road at night...taking my neighbor to Yuma to get married at 2 a.m...crazy!
Thanks, Ron, for the information! I was wondering if cars from that era were more prone to overheating than cars are today. I’ve heard many people mention that cars from that era had water bags on the side. I had never heard of that before, either. Very interesting!
Congrats on the cistern joke at the end. I don’t get to hear a good cistern joke very often at all.
Seems like it would've been a fun road to drive
I agree! A winding, two-lane road through the mountains is always going to be a good time. Thanks for your comment!
My momma says Highway rest areas are dangerous places ! 😂👍
She's correct, even the one's with security guards and cameras.
Which is sad. When I was a kid in the 70's, rest areas were a pleasant oasis for travelers on long stretches of highway.
Momma knows best.
Cool history, thank you!
Old highways certainly are interesting to a certain degree. They are part of our country’s historic infrastructure. Glad you enjoyed the video, Tina.
Thanks for keeping this so concise, most people would milk this out much longer.
Thanks for the feedback, Brandon! I don’t like my videos to be longer than 10 minutes, so I try to adhere to that as close as possible. If a video is 15 or 20 minutes or more, I’ll make a Part 1 and a Part 2 if feasible.
Nice upload! New here from Barcelona. Happy Easter and Hope to see you around.
Happy Easter this weekend to you, too! Thanks for your comment from all the way over there in Barcelona.
The Circular basins, are what you thought it was. A filtration system of sorts. they would be filled with sand maybe charcoal as well and small stones. but most likely just sand and small stones. It wouldnt have been like pure clean water. but back in the late 30s and 40s. Drinking water would have been worse then todays Drinking water. IE if this road was still active and the water source was active still. There would be signs all around saying to Boil the water before drinking.
Btw - Highway 80 still gets its use once and awhile. not by cars or trucks. but by movies or tv shows who need the type of scenery it can provide.
Up towards julian you can see parts of the old 78 highway too! East of San Diego past some of the Indian reservations
Thanks for the info! Might have to check that out some day!
Our home was on highway 80 in Phoenix in the 50's. There was a lot of traffic on that road. We lived on the west side of town at the edge. Westward travelers that grew tired of their pets would abandon them. The poor creatures would be on the last effort by the time they came into our yard.
It’s a great anecdote, Charles! Thanks for sharing it. How many of those animals did you guys keep as your own pets after you found them abandoned along the highway? I’m sure you kept a couple here and there over the years. If you did, that was very nice that you took in stray, abandoned animals.
@@AbandonedMines11 It is a sad tale. Most all were dehydrated, suffering from the excessive heat, their feet were burned from the hot pavement. We as children thought we had a new pet Most died from the heat, many died from wandering into the busy traffic.. The best we could do is give them comfort and call animal control. Too many pet graves in our back yard.
That was an awesome explore, interesting find. Thanks for the adventure 😃👍
Thank you, Jim, for stopping by and commenting! Glad to hear you enjoyed the video. Thank you very much for your support!
I really like these type of videos. I wish I had known you were out there, would have loved to join you. I wonder how far, from point a to point b you can go any more? It would be a great backpacking trek to walk it in its full
Next time! The part I was on is probably a mile and a quarter from the parking area to where the old highway ends right above the modern Interstate 8. From the parking area to the rest stop, it's exactly one mile. I didn't bother hiking down that last quarter mile or so to Interstate 8. There are other parts of the abandoned Highway 80 out in the desert as you make your way down Interstate 8. Those parts can actually be driven on if you know where to turn off to find them. I might take the ol' Corolla down there and drive on it one of these days! Glad to hear you like these kinds of videos. I do, too. It's a nice change of pace from all the underground stuff in abandoned mines.
Don't think of it as losing your peace and quiet. Think of it as your own personal military fly over
Excellent idea! That's one way to look at it!
Fun part about these old abandoned roads I'd run across out there. That "road" is mostly bikeable it seems. Better have thick tires.
Hey, Drew! Thanks for watching and commenting! It would be fun to ride a bike on these old roads.
Shame there wasn't enuff time/money/incentive to keep more of these old roads functional for those of us who, when site-seeing, don't feel like passing by all the sites at eighty mph! Camping, commuting, vacationing, meandering would be so much interesting if we had wider choice of route & means, esp state roads & hwys, old country roads, electric rail cars, trains, & ferries. I'm well aware there's more things to see & do in this world than all of us put together could ever accomplish, I'm just saying, new is cool & necessary for many things, but it needn't always make it's predecessors obsolete. Cool find! Watch out for snakes!
Highway 42 that goes through a mountain range after Myrtle Point Oregon constantly has rockslides.
I’m not surprised to hear that. Some of those mountain roads cut through some pretty treacherous terrain where such things can happen. Thanks for your comments!
Great video. I had no idea of this area.
Thanks for stopping by and taking a look, Bryan!
Rollerscates would be handy, nice hike.
Thanks for stopping by and checking out the latest video, Rolf
Now that road all by itself is very unusual I just love it 😀
I know, right? It was a nice hike. Thanks, Ronnie!
The rest area was not what I though it would be 😂. But after your explanation, I get it. 👍🏼
Thanks, man, for stopping by and commenting! I know what you mean - the modern phrase “rest area“ certainly has changed from what it meant back in 1930! Glad my explanation helped clarify things for you. Thank you very much for your support here!
The reason for the circular basins below the cistern is probably to step down the water pressure at the bottom. (:>)
That makes sense! Thanks for taking the time to explain it.