Old Ridge Route

That was a fascinating bit of nostalgia on the “Old Ridge Route” (Times, Feb. 1), especially to those of us who recall it from the horse and wagon, Model T and later transitional periods into the marvelous Interstate 5 we skim over today. But please, please for the record--a petty quibble on the photo caption.

That wasn’t a “sedan” perched precariously over the edge in the 1920s, but the standard automobile of the day, a “touring car,” open to the wind, rain, dust, flies and scorching desert air. With the top folded back the passengers also were exposed to searing sun, but with it “up” the wind drag was so great that it often stalled the car. Maybe this driver didn’t know about that.

I suspect this wasn’t an accident victim, as implied, but simply a defeated, broken and expired vehicle that the owner merely had pushed off the road and abandoned for any of several reasons, as the story points out.

A “sedan,” of course, had a rigid top and glass windows. Nobody in his right mind would try to drive the Ridge Route in it. There weren’t very many of them in those days, anyhow.

IRVIN BORDERS

Laguna Hills