On the Road and In Your Backyard

Good Morning All,

This weekday feature is for Juicers who are are on the road, traveling, or just want to share a little bit of their world via stories and pictures. So many of us rise each morning, eager for something beautiful, inspiring, amazing, subtle, of note, and our community delivers – a view into their world, whether they’re far away or close to home – pictures with a story, with context, with meaning, sometimes just beauty. By concentrating travel updates and tips here, it’s easier for all of us to keep up or find them later.

So please, speak up and share some of your adventures and travel news here, and submit your pictures using our speedy, secure form. You can submit up to 7 pictures at a time, with an overall description and one for each picture.

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For each picture, it’s best to provide your commenter screenname, description, where it was taken, and date. It’s tough to keep everyone’s email address and screenname straight, so don’t assume that I remember it “from last time”. More and more, the first photo before the fold will be from a commenter, so making it easy to locate the screenname when I’ve found a compelling photo is crucial.

Have a wonderful day, and enjoy the pictures!

Sorry I missed Wednesday folks, I had this post prepped…and didn’t schedule it.  All is ok, mom just finished week 2 of round 2 of her chemo. I convinced her to get her doctor to hydrate her, so I took her in for an IV and it’s been transformative – she’s stronger, looks better, is sharper, and is much more “herself”. From now on, we’re going to include a post-chemo-treatment visit to get hydrated!

 

Now, onto what was supposed to be Wednesday. Lots of groovy stuff Friday, so stay tuned!

Today, pictures from valued commenter ?BillinGlendaleCA.

Mount Lowe Railway

The Mount Lowe railway was more of a railroad system consisting of three connecting parts: the Mountain division(which wasn’t in the mountains, it just got you there), the Incline division(which was on an incline) and the Alpine division(which was in the mountains). The Mountain division terminated at Rubio pavilion, aptly named since it was in Rubio canyon. There the visitor could transfer to the Incline division, a three-railed funicular(similar to Angels Flight) that went 1900 feet up the east side of Echo Mountain. At the summit of Echo Mountain, one could transfer to the Alpine division that wound it’s way though Las Flores, Millard and Grand canyons to it’s terminus at the foot of Mt. Lowe. At the terminus of each of the divisions were accommodations and entertainment for the visitor.

The Mt. Lowe Railway was a partnership of Prof. Thaddeus S. C. Lowe and David J. Macpherson which began construction on the Mountain and Incline divisions in 1892 and they were completed in 1893. The Alpine division was constructed in 1894. On Echo Mountain was 2 hotels(the Echo Mountain House and the Echo Chalet), entertainment facilities, maintenance facilities, and an Observatory. At the terminus of the Alpine division was “Ye Alpine Tavern” which included a Silver Fox farm and mule rides to Inspiration Point.

Historical marker on Echo Mountain.

Taken on 2016-03-31

Echo Mountain, Angeles National Forest, CA

It’s about a 2 and 1/2 mile hike(and about a 1200′ elevation change) up to Echo Mountain from the Cobb Estate(once owned by the Marx Brothers) and you’re greeted by this historical marker.

Gear from the Echo Mountain powerhouse.

Taken on 2016-03-31

Echo Mountain, Angeles National Forest, CA

This large gear was left over from when the Forest Service dynamited the remaining structures Mt. Lowe Railroad in 1959.

Ruins of the Echo Mountain House.

Taken on 2016-03-31

Echo Mountain, Angeles National Forest, CA

The Echo Mountain house was a large Victorian hotel at the terminus of the Incline division. It was the first of the venues on the Mt. Lowe Railroad to meet it’s demise. It was destroyed by a kitchen fire that got out of control in 1900.

Granite Gate

Taken on 2016-03-31

Granite Gate, Angeles National Forest, CA

After leaving Echo Mountain, we hiked along the route of the Alpine division. There are interpretative plaques along the route that explain the different sites along the way. This is Granite Gate, where they blasted though a granite outcropping to get enough space to get the rail cars though. This is just as the rail route heads into the Grand Canyon.

“Ye Alpine Tavern”(in infrared).

Taken on 2016-03-31

“Ye Old Tavern”, Crystal Springs, Angeles National Forest, CA

This is the site of “Ye Alpine Tavern” which burned down in an electrical fire in the mid 1930’s and pretty much signaled the end of the Mt. Lowe Railroad. These ruins were much better preserved after the fire, but were dynamited by the Forest Service in 1959 for safety reasons.

Los Angeles from Inspiration Point.

Taken on 2016-03-31

Inspiration Point, Angeles National Forest, CA

Inspiration Point is a short distance from “Ye Alpine Tavern” and is the only portion of the original facilities that has been rebuilt. I has a ramada and a lower lever with sighting tubes(you can see the one that points to Los Angeles at the right of the photo). We arrived there about 3pm so the sun’s position wasn’t the best to photograph towards the west, but you can see Catalina Island which is about 50 miles away.

 

Thank you so much ?BillinGlendaleCA, do send us more when you can.

 

Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.

 

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