I'm an AAA member and I get the regional mag each month. IIRC, they used to maintain certain roads and hi-ways. I think the AAA had some doing is establishing the first real road from our northern SoCal vally to Bakersfield. Now called the Ridge Route.
"The road got its name because it followed the ridge line of the mountains, a crossing so difficult that one time there was serious talk of splitting the state in two. Southern California interests, including the Auto Club, worked to make the road a reality and preserve the state as one. The road was finished in 1915. Today, you can still drive a portion of the original Ridge Route - more than 30 miles of bad road, spectacular views , and history."
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Ridge Route Scholar