Back in the spring of 2021, Caltrans, in the interest of public safety, decided to close forever the dirt segment of Highway 173 between Lake Arrowhead and Hesperia. Having driven this winding, one-lane, washboard route with no guardrails on several occasions prior to its official closing, it’s easy to see why they would want to close this hellish highway, once and for all.
No stop signs, speed limit, nobody’s gonna slow me down. Like a wheel, gonna spin it. Nobody’s gonna mess me ‘round. Paid my dues playin’ in a rockin’ band. Hey, momma, look at me, I’m on my way to the Promised Land. I’m on the Highway to Hell, Highway to Hell. (“Highway To Hell” – AC/DC – 1979)
One of the original proponents of renovating and reopening this hellish highway is former Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station Commander Jerome (“Punch”) Ringhofer. Many others have followed in Punch’s footsteps with the same idea. In fact, it’s a concept that pops up during nearly every monthly meeting of the Lake Arrowhead MAC (Municipal Advisory Council).
I, too, believe that this last remaining unpaved highway in the State of California should be widened, paved and maintained as a last-ditch emergency evacuation route off the mountain in the event of a wildfire or other life-threatening disaster. In the past, Caltrans has nixed this proposal, saying it would be too costly. Really, what is the cost of human lives?
A few years ago, one Caltrans representative suggested that we’d all have flying cars before this sad excuse for a road is fixed. I think what he really meant to say is that it would happen when monkeys learn to fly. In the meantime, my advice to commuters is to use Highway 138, like everybody else, or you could save a lot of time and money by moving to the High Desert.
Another potential route off the mountain would be the road down the backside of the mountain to Squint’s Ranch, which has, or used to have, a landing strip. At one time, it was going to be Lake Arrowhead Airport. Again, we’ll probably all have flying cars – or else monkeys will learn to fly before this happens. But at least we’d have a landing strip for our flying cars – or monkeys.
Hey, momma, look at me, I’m on my way to the Promised Land. I’m on the Highway to Hell.
Keep it flyin,’
Uncle Mott
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