Q: I regularly travel the 10 Freeway between the Coachella Valley and the Arizona border. I have noticed that on a regular basis all of the rest stop areas are closed in both directions. Why can’t the state keep these open?
– Dave Lazar, Cypress
A: In California, if you need a pit stop, you often should think truck stop.
Caltrans officials have told Honk over the years that rest stops are remote, so they can be difficult to get crews out to; the original water systems, some from the 1970s, are aging; repair budgets get out-paced by rising prices; and there have been supply-chain woes.
Michael Martinez, a Caltrans spokesman, provided Honk with updates on the ones you are interested in, Dave:
• The Whitewater Rest Areas, one in each direction of the 10 near where Highway 111 breaks south for the Coachella Valley cities, are shuttered for water-pump issues. Repairs are to take three weeks.
• The Cactus City Rest Areas, a bit more than halfway from Indio to Chiriaco Summit on the 10, are to undergo reconstruction beginning next month, an effort that includes improving the water and waste-water systems. This pair of facilities is to re-open in a year.
• The Wiley’s Well Rest Areas, on the 10 approaching Blythe, have sewer woes; the doors are to swing open in the summer — of 2026.
There are no California rest areas between those three, either, so the closures can make a long ride seem longer.
Of the 115-plus rest areas in the state, about 30 were closed as of Wednesday, April 2, according to Honk’s abacus and Caltrans’ map at quickmap.dot.ca.gov, which notes the status of each rest area.
Q: I renewed my driver’s license in 2023, which had “Federal Limits Apply” on it. Late last year, I sent in the paperwork required for a Real ID. I have forgotten the details, but I seem to remember an option for avoiding a charge of $35. Choosing this option, I received a senior citizen identification card that has the bear and the star emblem. Can I assume this is equivalent to the Real ID driver’s license for access to federal buildings and domestic airline flights?
– Dana Roth, Pasadena
A: Yes.
Licenses and state-issued IDs with the handsome golden bear and star on them are Real IDs, which, beginning May 7, become one of the acceptable IDs to enter some federal facilities and to board flights in the U.S.
“Customers 62 years old or older are eligible for a no-fee senior citizen ID card, which can be a Real ID,” Geovana Herrera, a Department of Motor Vehicles spokesperson, told Honk in an email. “The DMV allows customers to obtain a driver’s license and ID card at the same time. The only limitation is … they can only have one Real ID.”
HONKIN’ CORRECTION: In last week’s column in The Orange County Register, Honk attached the wrong reader’s name to the first question. It was Tim Hewett of Anaheim who asked why Disney employees cone off the left lane of northbound Disneyland Drive just north of Ball Road. Thanks to Tim graciously pointing out the error, Honk was able to correct the problem in the online version and for other editions.
HONKIN’ FACT: The late Irv Gordon holds the record for most miles driven in a particular vehicle — 3,039,122 miles by Guinness World Records‘ standards, and more than 3.2 million by Volvo’s before he died in 2018. The retired science teacher from New York state accomplished his feat in a 1966 Volvo 1800S, a sporty red affair.
To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. To see his columns on X: @OCRegisterHonk
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