Michael Ballard

I am the founder of the Historic Highway 99 Association of California. I am also the author and administrator of the "Southern California Regional Rocks and Roads" website at https://socalregion.com, since 1995. I have been studying the geology and highway history throughout southern California for most of my life. I am also the President of the Ridge Route Preservation Organization.

Palm and Pine Update – July 2024

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Greetings All! I wanted to give some updates on the Pine and Palm. I recently had a meeting with Caltrans District 6 to discuss the project and what our intentions are for the landmark trees. Signage We explained that, while we appreciated and liked their idea of planting more trees along the southbound side of … Read more

99 Alert – The Pine And Palm

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The historic Pine and Palm in the Heart of California is planned to be removed in the next year and we need your help to save them! Caltrans is planning to widen Highway 99 through the area to six lanes, which will necessitate the removal of the historic site. As a mitigation, they plan to … Read more

Where The Palm Meets the Pine

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Just south of Madera, 1.75 miles south of Ave 12, and 2.1 miles north of Ave 9 (or more specifically at 06-MAD-99-05.7), there lies a pine tree and a palm tree in the median of Highway 99. It has been there since the 1920’s and marks the former halfway point in California. The Palm Tree, … Read more

Board Update – Need Your Help!

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Greetings All! We are looking for a new Treasurer for our board of directors. Ideally, we would like to have someone with experience with the forms required to be submitted by non-profit organizations such as ours. At a minimum, we are seeking help with our forms to ensure this organization remains up to date with … Read more

Ridge Route Project Update

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The Ridge Route Preservation Organization officially launched their “Pothole Project” on Saturday, May 18, 2024. Check out their website for more details and how you can get involved!