The Mojave Desert - Where the Pearblossom Highway and the Palmdale Road are One & The Same
In mid April 2012, I began a trip from Simi Valley, California to Moab, Utah, which is a distance of 745 miles. My plan was to stay overnight at the halfway point, in Mesquite, Nevada. The following day, I would drive the remainder, arriving in Moab before dark. I planned to take the Pearblossom Highway
(CA-138E/CA18E) as a shortcut north of the Los Angeles basin. By doing
so, I would save a few miles and avoid an ascent of treacherous Cajon Pass on Interstate I-15.
For
the uninitiated, the Pearblossom Highway can be an enigma. Whether you
start your drive near Palmdale, heading east or from Victorville
heading west, there are anomalies. The unincorporated town of Pearblossom
is less than half way from Palmdale to Victorville. Even so,
“Pearblossom Highway” long ago became its accepted name. At its I-15
off-ramp in Victorville, road signs identify the same highway as the
“Palmdale Road”.
Why have different names for the same highway, depending on your
direction of travel? The simple answer is that the highway changes
numbers mid desert. To make things more confusing, the western end of
CA-18 is at that same “Y” intersection in the Mojave Desert. From that
obscure and desolate intersection, CA-138E becomes the Antelope Highway, bearing southeast, while CA-18E continues in an eastbound beeline to Victorville.
Ironically, the two highways meet again at the eastward terminus of CA-138 near Crestline.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that CA-18 shares pavement with
I-15 through the City of Victorville. With so many names and numbers to
deal with, I can understand why CALTRANS opted for the name “Palmdale Road”. Palmdale is a far-flung destination to which westbound travelers might relate.
Calling the westbound road the Pearblossom Highway implies that the road
might end in that high desert town. In an effort to bypass much of the
Los Angeles metropolitan area, would you take a misnamed two-lane road
into the Mojave Desert?
If identified as the “Victorville Highway”, the route might attract
more motorists and more confidence in its eastern terminus.
Despite my fifty-five mile per hour Pearblossom Highway route being shorter and faster than other alternatives, both Google Maps
and my Magellan GPS failed to utilize it. Most map databases assume
that motorists would rather take a freeway than to save time and
distance. I wonder how much time and fuel we might all save if routing
software recognized the Pearblossom Highway/Palmdale Road as a
legitimate shortcut. Perhaps it is the local moniker, "Deathtrap Highway" that keeps Google and Magellan from recommending it.
For
years, the Pearblossom Highway name, with its nostalgia and small town
feel, had baffled me. Having made repeated trips through over I-15 and
the Cajon Pass, I finally decided to try “the old road” on during a
recent transit. At that time, I was not familiar with the road signs
along I-15. Nor did I understand the on-again, off-again nature of
CA-18 and CA-138. Consequently, my first attempt resulted in a great
circle route back to Barstow on Old-66. A week later, I viewed a GM
OnStar TV commercial in which a young couple’s unseen advisor safely
directs them back to the elusive Pearblossom Highway.
By James McGillis at 06:59 PM | Travel | Comments (0) | Link
