San Bernardino County, California

We exited Joshua Tree National park into the ninth of the 58 counties of my home state of California, San Bernardino County. San Bernardino County is enormous! It is larger than any other county in the continental U.S. and larger than the nine smallest states. The area of 20,052 square miles makes it roughly equal in size to Israel. The county was established in 1853, from part of Los Angeles County and was named for Saint Bernardino of Siena. Estimated population in 2008 is 2,015,353 with the bulk residing in a western sliver.

We drove through the Mojave Desert to Victorville to spend the night. Victorville was a somewhat random selection: it was within our range for the day and had a Hilton property. Not one of my favorite destinations, Victorville has some of the qualities of a American suburban sprawl that makes me cringe. Mile after mile of malls and chain restaurants line the highway. It wasn’t all bad, we had a great meal at El Tio Pepe Mexican Restaurant, a property that they assure me was not a part of a chain. When I inquired I received an adamant “We are the ONLY one!” Victorville has other claims to fame: Sammy Davis Jr. was in a car accident there in 1954 and lost his left eye as a result. Route 66 goes directly through Victorville. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans are still honored here with street names but their museum relocated in 2003 to Branson, MO.

The next morning we got on I 15 bound for Death Valley. Interstate 15 is the direct route from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Wikipedia states that San Bernardino is well known for is Chicano gangs. I wasn’t aware of this and saw no evidence but the number of CHP and county sheriff vehicles we saw on I 15 seemed to indicate that the law is most concerned with writing speeding tickets. Thank goodness for cruise control!

We passed the exit for the Calico Ghost Town. Lambert Florin, author of Ghosts Towns of The West writes “The town began to die in 1892 and became more feeble until 1929, when it lay down and quit breathing entirely”. Walter Knott, of Knots Berry Farm fame, resuscitated the silver mining town. He reportedly worked there in 1910 at the age of 13 and his nostalgia was just the CPR the town needed. Now attractions include a mine tour, mystery shack and train ride.

Nearby is the Calico Early Man Archeological Site, an excavation begun by Dr. Louis Leakey in 1964. More intriguing to me than a ghost town, I would love to take the guided tour someday.

Also intriguing was the town of Zzyzx. The exit sign generated all sorts of silly commentary in our car. Just say it out loud… Fun isn’t it? We know how to have a good time!

Riverside County, California

Eighth in my quest to visit all of the 58 counties of my home state of California is Riverside County. The county seat is the city of Riverside. Riverside County was established in 1893 from parts of San Bernardino and San Diego Counties. The population is estimated at 2,073,531 in an area of 7,208 square miles.







Riverside is mostly desert, stretching across the state from Orange County to the Colorado River. We entered the county from Arizona and spent the night in the border town Blythe, at the junction of I 10 and US 95. Amazingly this was my second overnight, having stayed a few years ago on a road trip. I swore never to return, not finding any aspect of the outpost appealing. Never say never. Blythe was named after Thomas Blythe, a gold prospector who established primary water rights to the Colorado River in the region in 1877. Water being as valuable as gold in these parts.

Most of Joshua Tree National Park is within Riverside County, as are the famous resorts of the Coachella Valley such Palm Springs. Indio is known for dates and home of the Coachella Music & Arts Festival every April.

After a less than noteworthy Mexican dinner and night in Blythe we departed early in the morning to position ourselves at the Joshua Tree’s Cottonwood Visitor Center at opening. Deeming a fuel stop wise before entering the park we swung of I 10 at Chiriaco Summit and were amazed to find a field of tanks surrounding the General Patton Memorial Museum. The doors were not yet open for the day so we snapped a few photos (can one still say “snapped photos” in the digital age” and continued on our way. The museum appears to be a worthwhile stop for those interested in military history and also features a relief map of the development of Southern California’s water system.

Beloved by rock climbers and birdwatchers, Joshua Tree National Park straddles two ecosystems: the Colorado Desert and Mojave Desert. I was amazing at the distinct differences as we changed elevation. Armed with a map and a list of destinations prioritized by the ranger at the visitor center we ventured forth to explore. At our first stop I discovered that my soothing honey body wash wasn’t quite so soothing for the local bee population. My soft, silky skin was of great interest much to my dismay. I wonder what they thought I was: A gigantic alien from planet Bumblebee? Lunch? A long lost cousin? Multiple layers of sunscreen diminished my attraction throughout the day.

Despite the amorous insect population, I loved Joshua Tree! We took numerous short hikes and were enchanted by the diversity of flora and rocks. I would definitely be interesting in a longer backpacking trek through the region. Most of the park is wilderness. The “attack” Cholla Cactus’s thorns can be extremely painful if you brush up against them but we heeded warnings and stood clear and that was as wild as we got. Lingering spring wildflowers peppered the trails but we saw no scorpions or bighorn sheep. Aside from bees, we did encounter one snake, one coyote and a passel of various lizards.

Alpacas on Show & Holy Matrimony

You may have noticed that my posting has been rather sparse in the past month. I've been exploring opportunities and submitting material to other venues in a quest for remuneration. So far so good. This means I've got a back load of content that I need to retool slightly for here so brace yourself for an onslaught!



Last weekend I traveled to Portland to help my parents show their alpacas at the Columbia Alpaca Breeders Association Alpaca Halter & Fleece Show aka the CABA Classic. This is a big show in the Pacific Northwest alpaca world with over 800 animals in attendance. I am not an alpaca person, just a helper, but I enjoyed the event and am proud of Winterbrook Alpaca's showing.

John would have been there also but he traveled to Tucson for the nuptials of our friends Bob & Mercy. I was sorry to have missed the festivities but received a full report on the glowing bride and groom.

We rendezvoused in Phoenix late Sunday. In a rented Pontiac Vibe (our last chance to drive a Pontiac!) headed west and spent the next four days exploring eastern California. Logging seven counties and 1239 miles I've accumulated several posts now queued up to share with you with nary an alpaca or wedding reference among them.

Monterey County, California

My seventh visited of the 58 counties of my home state of California is Monterey County. Established as one of the original 27 counties in 1850, Monterey now has a population of 401,762 and an area od 3,322 square miles. The county seat is the inland city of Salinas.

This area has so much to offer: I could easily visit and revisit exhausting my funds, but not the opportunities. I traveled here with friends to participate in the Big Sur Marathon the last Sunday in April. I don’t know why I enjoy these ridiculously long races so much. I’m slow… Very slow. No records are in danger of being shattered by my participation.

Big Sur sits on Highway One south of Monterey on some of the states most impressive coastline. We were shuttled at 4 AM in a convoy of buses to starting points south Highway One was closed for the race morning and I relished the long stretches of seemingly endless point after point while heading north along a traffic free road. Unfortunately it wasn’t the favorite of all of my friends. Understandably “never-ending” is not a good adjective to apply to a race route. The event was well organized and I hope to do a repeat next year.

Monterey’s Cannery Row, known to many from John Steinbeck’s novels Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday, is a hot bed of tourist activity. It’s been so long since I’ve been that there I can’t comment on the hodgepodge of honky-tonk restaurants and shops. Back in the 1930’s, when the canneries handled over 250,000 tons of sardines a season, it was a different world. My husband’s father’s first job was at Booth’s Canning Company when he was 13 or 14. Mostly abandoned by the 1950’s, Cannery Row is now rebuilt and developed. I would have like to duck into the Monterey Bay Aquarium which juts out into the bay at the north end of the sea of t-shirts shops and ice cream parlors.

Just northwest, the town of Pacific Grove hugs the coast. We had a terrific meal at Fishwife Restaurant across from Asilomar State Beach and Conference Center in PG. The teetotaling Methodist Church founded the town as a retreat. This outlook was eased in 1969. I toast a thank you to them with my glass of wine. 17-Mile Drive loops you into the Monterey pine and cypress of the Del Monte Forest and offers panoramic vistas of Monterey Bay along with glimpses of pricey private real estate. The now $9.25 toll dates back to a 25-cent livery fee initiated in 1901 by the Pacific Improvement Company. Today it’s California’s only private toll road but the toll is refundable if you spend more than $25 in one of the restaurants at the Lodge at Pebble Beach or the Inn at Spanish Bay.

Our hotel was adjacent to the convention center in Old Monterey. The restaurant & shops cater to residents and tourists alike. You can visit oldmonterey.org and click on Path of History for directions for a self-guided walking tour. Please forgive me for passing on this but my feet were weary enough from the marathon. A week earlier a friend was in the area and recommended Rosine’s Restaurant. He marveled at the humungous desserts. Breakfast portions were equally mammoth.

On the way home open roadside stands stacked with artichokes and strawberries tempted us. Thankfully a stop ensured that my Monterey County experience continued into dinner as home that night.