'Surf City' singer Dean Torrence, minus Jan, still rides the wave in his adopted hometown

Orange County Register ^ | June 20, 2015 | David Ferrell

[EveningStar]

Surf City was a mythical place, a paradise for the era’s restless teens in the summer of 1963, when the song became the first surfing tune to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

Fame came quickly for the Los Angeles-born duo of Jan Berry and Dean Torrence, who became stars in their early 20s. They would build on their success with hits such as “Dead Man’s Curve,” “Ride the Wild Surf” and “The Little Old Lady From Pasadena,” joining with their younger friends, the Beach Boys, in writing the anthems of the California coastal lifestyle.

Skip forward more than half a century and, predictably, much has changed.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

“Of the past, Torrence says simply: “It’s in the past. I guess I’m blessed enough to have thousands of things I’m as interested in – stuff I haven’t done yet. I feel sorry for those people who only have the past as the only good time they’ve ever had.”

What a great comment.

[Mjaye]

I remember the ‘old road’. You can still drive on it in certain places.<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Since we drove it, the old (earliest was 1915?) version of the Ridge Route from Castaic to Gorman had many parts of it shut down due to rocks and road damage. Because of its historical designation, all maintenance had to be based on the original specs, as I reremember Scott Harrison saying. He and other volunteers used to go up and clear the road after heavy rains, but eventually I think parts of it washed out and the Forest Service, as I recall, was no longer fixing it due to costs. I have lost track of what has happened since, but am curious now and will check it out. Many parts of old 99 are still visible, I remember one part near Pyramid Lake that was now a dead end.

[sheana]

Yeah. You can still see parts of it from I-5.
I was young but remember driving it and all the old service stations, etc.