Test Bus Conquers Bush Country

There were some incredulous faces this week when the White House announced plans to stage an event at the remote canyon headquarters of a former drug smuggler--to be attended by 1,500 people.

After all, the smugglers wanted it to be difficult to get to their hide-out. So how was the county going to get 1,500 people to the site over a rough, unpaved road?

Well, the smugglers would be amazed. On Friday, Orange County Transit District bus No. 4147--carrying about half a load of passengers to make the test more realistic--pulled up to the front door, almost as if the treacherous mountain road were part of a normal route.

“It was far easier than I expected,” said Vicki Harris, an OCTD analyst. “Of course, we’re not used to having our buses drive through grass.”

It was all part of the county’s mammoth effort to bring this idyllic country ranch--with no telephones, electricity or running water--into national focus for about 60 minutes Tuesday when President Bush will make an anti-drug address there.

For 2 days, the county’s road equipment and gravel trucks worked on the road to the ranch, smoothing out the roughest spots. And when the 50-passenger coach successfully negotiated the road, it resolved one of the most difficult logistical problems facing the event’s organizers.

They had worried that the bus might get stuck on a hill or slip on the loose dirt and gravel road. There are also some sharp hillside turns that looked difficult for a 90-foot-long bus.

And nobody had any idea how to get the crowd of 1,500 into the backcountry if the bus didn’t work.

But after the 13-minute ride, about 4 miles from Ortega Highway to the front door of the ranch, the dry run was called a complete success.

“It wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be,” said Woody Franklin, manager of the OCTD Irvine division, which will supply the buses to be used for the President’s visit. “Actually, I thought it was pretty comfortable.”

In all, OCTD will provide 20 of its 50-passenger buses Tuesday and another 10 buses will be supplied by the nearby El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. The event is by invitation only and the guest list includes county dignitaries as well as elected officials--city, county, state and federal.

During the event at about noon, Bush is scheduled to present Sheriff Brad Gates with a $4.39-million check, the county’s share of a drug bust it made last year. Rancho del Rio, the site of the event, was also deeded to the county last year after it was seized in a separate drug investigation.

The orange and white Gillig Phantom buses are the newest in the OCTD fleet, all less than a year old and costing about $163,000 each. They have chocolate brown fabric upholstery, a wood-paneled interior, large tinted windows and air conditioning.

“They’re our newest and we wanted to show off our best stuff,” Harris said.

Appropriately, a medical center’s advertisement on the side of the bus Friday said, “We’ll treat you right.”

From Ortega Highway, the road to the ranch is unmarked except for some temporary warning signs for motorists about construction activity. Bus No. 4147 turned off the highway about 10:40 a.m. Friday, followed by a maintenance truck that was equipped to handle possible breakdowns.

For the first mile, the road is a steady climb up a winding, narrow path through trees and thick brush. The bus crawled at barely 5 m.p.h., swinging as wide as possible on the turns, with those seated on the left side looking out over a steep cliff.

At the top of the hill, the view expands over a series of gentle rolling hills covered with deep, green grass. The rest of the road is smooth though winding, dipping once through a dry creek bed.

Scott Keeler, the bus driver and a 5-year OCTD veteran, said after the experimental ride: “It was great. It’s even easier than driving in traffic.”

But Harris said it was a new challenge for OCTD drivers and those who navigate the course should be decorated with a special badge.

“We’ll call it the Trailblazer Award,” she said.