Oly Trip Day Two-A real cheesy time!

OK, it seems that where we spent the night after Day Two had funky wifi, so I couldn't add any thing. Sorry, I know that you were all waiting with baited breath tohear of our exploits. Here's Day Two, and if I'm lucky, we'll havc Pix!

So, we were up at the usual O'Dark-Thirty to get out of Santa Cruz, had it all packed and out the door of the lovely Capri Motel as the sun came up. Well, that's not quite true. It was getting lighter, but there was no sun. We were fated in fact to not see the sun until we turned inland late in the day.

We used the GPS to find a gas station and lo and behold, it led us to the better part of town. If all we'd seen of Santa Cruz was the area around the boardwalk, frankly, we wouldn't ahve thought much of the place. In the cool crepuscular light of dawn, we discovered the neat part of town. GREAT Victorian houses by the block load. Santa Cruz has a great collection of these great old places, and there is no clue that they exist in the beach area. Seriously, we were a bit worried about the place based on what we'd seen the previous evening. Pretty sketchy to say the least.

We headed out Mission and well, look at that, tiny little Misson Santa Cruz. Not one of the better known of what was California's first chain operation, but a neat little place none the less. There's an interesting looking down town that also looks worth exploring on a return visit.

Because Santa Cruz in on the upper end of Monterey Bay, and becasuse a river runs though the middle of town, the layout is, well, strange. THe Garmin showed it's worth navigating us around town. Strange cities is a major reason GPS can be a useful tool. The down side is that we wanted to head to Marin up Hwy 1 and "Sean" (I got 007's vouce from pigtones.com) wanted to send us via San Jose. No, I didn't want know the way to San Jose, not with an LA Kings Stanley Cup Champion flag flapping away from the luggage rack! Maybe on the way back. I don't want them laying in wait for the return trip. heeheehee

OK, so, we did figure out how to go toward Half Moon Bay and off into the drizzle we went. It was what the Irish would call a "Soft Day." At least the TR felt at home. This part of Hwy 1 was unknown to us, and I suspect that this is true of most SoCals. It's a really neat drive! Tight twisties and long sweepers, all right on the cliff edge. When you could see through the fog and mist, the scenery was great!

After a bit of this, we rolled into Half Moon Bay and were ready for breakfast. Taking a chance, we hit a place called "Joe's". Yeah, as in "Eat at..." No, not the Crab Shack Joe's, a fairly nice place that does Italian most of the time, but regular breakfast in the AM. Turned out to be a good choice. A few Old Local Guys were already there and the waitress called us all "Hon". Always a good sign. Fresh local strawberries on the waffles made it pretty much perfect.  The waitress even commented that this was the best place around. "The other places are too greasy," she said.

From there, it was up north on 1 to Frisco, through The City in rush hour with no drama (note to LA and too many other cities in SoCal: the lights were actually synchronized!) and across the Golden Gate. Off 101, we found Lucas Valley Road. Yes, THAT Lucas. Well, actually there could be TWO "That" Lucas guys, couldn't there? This was not the Prince of Darkness, it was the Prince of Flannel Shirts. George. This is a REALLY great road. Nice twisties and near Skywalker Ranch, is the famous redwood forest. Zooming through, I kept hoping I wouldn't hit an Ewok. The TR ran like one of those jet thingies from Return of the Jedi! Pretty cool I must say.

Up from there is the Marin French Cheese Company. They make Rouge et Noir camenbert. OOOHHHH GOOD! Steve Bedillion, NoCal vet of the Iron Bottom met us there to show us other neat places. The cheese was fantastic and they have a shop in the back that is a proper garage. No fancy GarageMahal, a proper garage where work gets done. The bad part was eight wheels for $20. We were loaded up at our first stop.

Next stop was the Nicasio Valley Organic Cheese Company for a taste of a variety of great stuff. We picked the San Geronimo, probably their most aged and strongest stuff. The others were good, but for us, too mild. That's not to say they were bad, they we very, very good, creamy, and tasty. The folks there were friendly and helpful. Ya gotta stop here too, it's maybe five miles from the other one.

From there, it was Pt. Reyes for Cow Girl Cheese, but sadly, they were closed. The Other Steve told us it was one of the best in the area. Gotta try and find it. From there, after getting gouged for gas in the midst of what seemed like a Game Preserve for Prius', we headed out. For a variety of reasons, we got seperated from Other Steve. We stuck with CA 1 the rest of the way, heading towards Ft. Bragg. This area is often refered to as the Lost Coast.

Why the Lost Coast? Two ideas. One, lost ships. This is a very rocky portion and clearly dangerous. The other is that nobody seems to go there. Other than Mendocino and Ft. Bragg, there just ain't much there. It's so remote, that this is about where the Russians stopped their settlements of California. RUSSIANS you ask? Yep. Not many know that the Russians (no, not the Soviets, much earlier), established several settlements along "our" part of the Pacific ocean. The best preserved part is Ft. Ross. Actually a recreation, it has the whole story of the Russinas in California. Pretty interesting stuff.

Above Ft. Bragg CA 1 twists over the Coast Range and ends at 101 in the middle of the Redwoods. In this area are such tourist musts as the Drive Thru Tree, Confusion Hill, and the Legend of Big Foot. If you can possibly make the time, stop at these places! Sadly, it was getting pretty late. We'd hoped to make at least Eureka, but we were pretty knackered.

Thankfully, we saw signs for Garberville, and there are a selection of motels there. The first one, a fairly swanky new looking Best Western was full. Good. Good, because we found the wonderfully funky Sherwood Forest Motel.

This was a very nice little place, obviously dating from the 40s or 50s at least, back to the time when the Redwood Highway went right though town. The other good thing was a good Italian place that was still open. Good burgers, good beer.

The next day was now going to be a REALLY long drive. We had to get to Olympia that day. Some 600 miles. ugh. I'll tell you about that in the next post.

On the way to Oly!

Ok, I'm trying this for the first time. The kid at the desk of our palatial digs for the night, the Michelin Rated (three flat tires) Capri Motel in SantaCruz, naturally had to help this hopeless Luddite figure out the wifi. It seems to be working! Any who, we actually left on time, 5AM, gassed up and headed off into the pre dawn darkness of a Sunday morning. Despite all the heat we've been having, it was a bit nippy out! About half way to Vntura, we were both wishing we'packed a sweatshirt for under the jackets. Only problem with an early Sunday start is, that's when Caltrans seems to do their construction on what ever freeway you want to take! Ugh. No huge deal, just an annoyance. We hit Carpinteria for the usual waffles at the Worker Bee. It's good to have a place out on the road where they actually recognize you!

After breakfast, we added a layer and headed up the 101. Around San Luis Obispo, we stopped for gas (9.7 gallons and 209 miles!!!)Not to shabby! That meant we wouldn't need to stop until Santa Cruz. At Morrow Bay we headed to the ONE! Up the coast all the way, baby. In Cayucos, we stopped for lunch at the Sea Shanty, another favorite place. Bummer! They still were only serving breakfast, so we "had" to eat breakfast all over again!

After eating, good ol'St. Serendipity struck again. There was a parade just about to head down the main (well, practically the only) street! It's the 100th anniversary of the local Portuguese fraternal order and they had this neat small town festival. The parade was right out of the old country. Each group had a banner and three girls dressed in gowns and crowns. Pretty neat! I guess us Irish aren't the only ones who get to have ethnic parades!

Finally, things cleared out enough for us to head "downtown" to find a sweatshirt. Marianne found a dandy, tie dye with a peace sign and emblazoned "Cayucos". I found nothin'. Naturally, by this time it had begun to warm up so we shed a layer. Mistake. The coast route is a fickle beast. It's the middle of freaking July, dammit! Why did we need the heavy jacket? We did. Ugh again. Still, Hwy One is always worth it. My only problem is that on a Sunday in July, every rubbernecking moron with either a Camry or a minivan is out there. I swear,they ought to restrict access to Hwy 1 to people who can actually drive and aren't afraid of a few turns in the road. Seriously, I wasn't wanting to haul ass, I just wanted to cruise, but damn the Pokey Joe in the suv that held up a line of at least twenty cars while he gawked! Now we all know that One is easily one of the most spectacular roads in the world. But because of Pokey Joe, the road really becomes dangerous! Ah well.

 Getting through Monterey and up toSC can be a trial. It is just not a nice drive. But, we got here, walked to the Boardwalk, found some average chowder and a good crab sandwich at Woodies on the wharf, and came back to the Capri. Did I mention that I found a Santa Cruz sweatshirt? Btw, I'll have to figger out how to do the pix on this thing!

The Great Oly Trip, Prelude

Road Trippin’
with Steve McCarthy

This is going to be a short column this time. Now don’t all applaud at once! Sheesh! Two reasons. One, I gave you a bonus column last month as I ranted on about Road Trips vs. a trip to the Mouse House. Two, we’re about to set off on our usual summer Massive Road Trip, and with the aid of modern technology, we’ll be posting updates from the road via Marianne’s iPad! Oh, did I mention we’re taking the TR?
Destination will again be Olympia, WA to see my folks and sister and her husband, and this time, we’ll also take in the new LeMay Museum. I’ll give you all a full account of this exciting new place. Oly is the destination because my dad’s health isn’t so good, and we want to spend as much time up there as possible. Now you might ask why take the TR? Why not jump on the Crowd Killer (as my friend Doc Jones calls a 737) and fly? First is comfort. Have you flown lately? I’m telling ya, three days in the TR is far more comfy that 2 ½ hours riding the rack that passes for an airline seat these days. I SWEAR the last time we flew up there, the whole crew was dressed up to look like the Spanish Inquisition. I didn’t expect that!
Another is expense. Flying has really gotten to cost too damn much money. And, you get no sense of travel anymore. At one faceless generic airport, you get rammed, jammed, and crammed into a tube, like Croppies into a gun at Athlone (look up the historical allusion yourself, I’m not teaching history anymore) and then extruded like human PlayDo out the other end into another TSA dominated penal colony. Who needs it? OK, whine whine whine. Get on with it.
Sure. The first thing of course is to make sure the Blue Meanie is up to it. After the last misadventure with the wheel bearing, I need to make sure things are all good. After all, 1300+ miles one way is a lot to ask. All the usual maintenance chores need to be seen to. Radiator flushed, oil and filter changed, fresh plugs, dress the points (never EVER take a trip on brand new points. The tab that runs on the distributor will wear a bunch in the first 100 miles and you’ll have to reset them at the motel that night), and adjust the brakes. Hmmm, lookee there. Seems there’s a bolt missing from one of the rear shocks. UGH. OK,easy fix and good to do it now rather than on the road. Lube up the suspension and add air to the spare and road tires and things should be good to go.
Well, not so fast. Took a little test drive and WTF? There’s a screaming from the engine bay! OH NO! Pop the bonnet and ugh. Again. Seems the twelve year old generator has decided that it’s bearings have had enough. Still, it beats sitting in a motel waiting for Moss Motors to ship me one and seriously, TWELVE YEARS ON A LUCAS GENERATOR? That’s pretty damn good if you ask me. The secret? Star Auto Electric in Monrovia. Mike there is a friggin’ genius. A but crusty perhaps, but do what he says and electrical stuff will work right and LAST. Even Lucas!
The next bit of planning is for luggage. Normally, Marianne will put up with sharing a backpack for a three day jaunt. She’s not having it for this trip and I can’t really blame her. So, a quick rearrangement of the tools and spares into a smaller tool box and stashing the larger bits in with the spare tire and why, there’s enough room in the trunk for an actual suitcase! Then, a quick look on the internet and hey, there’s a luggage rack that will mount on the trunk, will not need hole drilled and will cost a LOT less that Moss. Got it the other day, and it works great. Holds an even bigger suitcase for Marianne! Add some leather belts from Ross and it looks pretty cool! We’ll bring some large trash bags to keep things dry as the inevitable rain comes. We ARE going the the PacNW after all.

The last bit is the route. If you think for one second that we’re taking the I-5 through the Central Valley in July you must think we’re stooopid. Crazy, sure. We ARE taking the TR. Nope, we’ll take the Coast. All of it. Hwys 101 and 1. Quite probably the most beautiful drive that there is. We’re not going to flog it, we just want to cruise and take in the beauty. First night will be in Santa Cruz, second in either Crescent City or Eureka then Olympia. Google maps says 1347 miles. We’ve already spotted a few Must Sees. The Marin French Cheese Company in Petaluma (we would have added the only place in the west that makes Fois Gras but because our lame ass legislature bowed to PETA’s idiotic onslaught this delectable bit of culinary genius is now illegal in the Golden State!) as well as the Blue Heron French Cheese Company in Tillamook, OR will be on the list. Also Fort Ross, the Samoa Cookhouse, the Drive Through Tree and a bunch of other neat stuff await us.
So, stay tuned, same time, same place and we’ll let you know From the Road!

Why Take a Road Trip?

Why Take a Road Trip?
by Steve McCarthy, author of “Road Trippin-A Guide to Absolutely the Best West Coast Road Trips-Ever!


The Mavins of Panic, aka The Media told us back about February, that gas prices would soar to five bucks a gallon plus this summer. They got it wrong. Again. And naturally, the specter of high gas prices has fed a kind of panic among the public. In reality, a misplaced panic. As usual. Seems crude oil prices are in the $80-90/barrel range right now, and that means gas prices should be in the $3.50/gallon range in California. Well within doable for almost any road trip you’d want. Let’s look at the Math:
Being conservative, to say nothing of making the number crunching easier, let’s say gas is four bucks a gallon. Let’s continue to be conservative and say 15 miles per gallon, and a tank of 15 gallons. So, 15 times fifteen, carry the 3, do some other mystical calibrations and a tank should get you 225 miles, easy. So, that’s $60 for a tank of gas, and if you do 400 miles, you’re in for something like 26 gallons, or $107. That’s being pretty conservative on the figures, In reality, you’ll probably spend under $100 for a 400 mile trip. Fifty bucks a head if you have a passenger. Throw in $20 for breakfast (if ya start real early) and $30 for lunch, $40 for dinner and $75 bucks for a motel room, and your cost for the day is, lessee here, $265. Then another $100 in gas to get home, and another $50 for food, that’s $415. Let’s round it up to $500 ‘cause you’re sure to find some neat stuff to buy along the way. For the both of you!
Ok, you say, what’s that really mean? I’ll tell ya. When I taught Economics, the very first lesson I’d hammer into their pointy little heads is a concept called “Opportunity Cost.” The idea is that the True Cost of anything is NOT the dollars you spent, it’s what you now cannot buy because you cannot spend money more than once. Let’s say you want to buy a new Widget for your Auld Crate. The Widget is $50. You also really need a pair of shoes, and the one’s that work for you are $50. The cost of the Widget is a pair of shoes. Satch Carlson, a writer in Autoweek about a bazillion years ago taught me my first lesson in this idea. He wrote about a friend who figured everything in terms of Pizza and Beer. “Hmm, he’d figure, I’d like a new stereo, but MAN, that’s a lot of Pizza and Beer...better not.” As we get older, we use a different currency. “Hmmm, should I pay the electric bill or the cable bill…”
Let’s apply this lesson to Road Trips. Dizzyland now hits you for EIGHTY SEVEN DOLLARS A DAY PER PERSON! To do the Tragic Kingdom AND the Caliphony Adventure, that’s $348 in admission alone for two people. Then, there’s the gas and parking ($15/day!) and the “food” and the obligatory mouse decorated stuff.  You’ve passed the $500 mark easy, and you haven’t even tried for a hotel room. God only knows what the cost would be for a family! At least interest rates are low for the second mortgage you’d surely need!
So for less than the price for two days of getting Moused, you can take an 800 mile two day road trip. That’s a trip that will get you from LA as far north as Frisco, or Sacramento, or as far east as Death Valley or Flagstaff. From say, Sacramento, it’ll get you to Oregon or Elko, Nevada. If you have an East Coast mentality, from Atlanta almost to St. Louis, or Newark to Pittsburgh.
OK, so why? What’s so different? Well, first, there’s scenery. Real trees, real rocks, real vistas that stretch as far as the eye can see, instead of ersatz “imagineered” hard-shell-over-foam-mountains-in-1/5th-scale. You get to meet real people, people who actually appreciate your business and have real stories to tell instead of the plasticized smiles of “cast members.” You get to see something new, instead of something you’ve done a hundred times. You also get the satisfaction that, except for the dough you spend on gas, the money you’re spending is helping some small business owner who could really use it, rather than dumping it down the Mouse’s insatiable corporate maw. You’ve done more in your hours on the road than wait in line. You’ve talked, laughed, listened to something other than “It’s a Small World.” With the windows down (or better yet, the top down) you’ve smelled the dusty sandy desert or the piney-turpintiney mountains or the potpourri of wild flowers in the foothills, instead of stale popcorn and staler diapers all drenched in the sickly sweet odor of spilled Coca Cola.
Now both of these options do indeed offer escape from the real, work-a-day world. But a Road Trip offers an escape from reality that IS reality. The other is a monument to the fraudulent. So get yourself out there and Hit the Road. If you’re not sure where to go? Well, gosh, I just happened to have written a book about it. It’s called Road Trippin-A Guide to Absolutely the Best West Coast Road Trips-Ever! and can be bought at Autobooks or even on the web at www.mccarthypix.com.

Road Trippin’ 
with Steve McCarthy


Indio Part 3

Well, that didn’t go as planned. What was it Burns said about the “best laid plans of mice and men…?”  Yeah, that was us. After a couple of great days thrashing the backroads with some twenty other lost souls in Auld Crates, the Blue Meanie was not running well. first it was the timing (an easy fix) then it was the odd braking. It would grab, then nothing, then grab. Got it back to the motel ok, using the brakes as little as possible (tough to do when descending Montezuma Pass in the Anza Borrego!)  and when we got back, there was a clanking in the hub cap. Ah, no worries, just the grease cover come adrift. Well, actually, a BIG worry. It came adrift because the outer wheel bearing had completely collapsed! UH OH! When one thinks about the road we had just driven…

Anyway, at least glad to be OK, we set about assessing the damage the next morning. Mike Andrews, in his black TR2, aka The Bucket, thought he had a spare. It didn’t matter that he didn’t, the collar had kinda welded itself to the spindle. Double UGH! It was AAA and Premier Membership (the part about the 200 mile FREE tow and being 160 miles from home that made THAT investment worth it). After a stop at Hadley’s for a Date Shake for the road, we ignominiously road in the air conditioned cab all the way home. Since it had been over 100 in Indio, that wasn’t too hard to take, but still…
So what did we miss? Plenty. Everyone else took the jaunt down to Mecca, then up Box Canyon and Cottonwood Springs Road to the 10, east a bit to the Patton Museum, then back to Joshua Tree, Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown for lunch, then The back way out of Hesperia to the 15 then home. A nice easy jaunt for the last day.
The Patton Museum is one of those places you gotta see. I put it on the Drive for a couple of reasons. first, it’s a neat museum honoring America’s greatest fighting general, San Marino kid, George S. Patton. Second, it was to honor my Dad, who fought with Patton in WWII. Growing up, we heard all the War Stories, and there was always a certain pride in his voice about having served under such a great general. I can hear him now: “If they had just let us have the gas, we’d have beat the Russians to Berlin…” A great tribute not only to the General, but to the sadly vanishing generation that fought with him.
The drive through Joshua Tree is spectacular. The pile of rocks, left behind by some Child/Giant who didn’t pickup his toys after stacking them about his sandbox are amazing formations. I can remember camping there as a Boy Scout some fifty years ago. Now, there’s a nice paved road but don’t think this is a place to drive briskly. The Rangers enforce a nice sedate 45 MPH speed limit. Since there are so many other campers and sightseers, it’s a reasonable idea. Just enjoy the scenery. As you drive along Loop Road, take the turn up Salton View Rd. At the top, it gives you a spectacular view of the whole Imperial Valley. It’s really worth the side trip.

For lunch, we’d planned a stop at a local legend, ‘Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneer Town.” This place was an old movie set that was taken over and set up a a sort of tourist ghost town. The food is good and so is the town. both a great remnant of The Olden Days, but also of Old Hollywood.
The last bit will wind you thought Hesparia, then home. All in all, this is a drive that few have taken. Unless you live in the San Diego area, the whole Imperial Valley is just not on many people’s radar. At the right time of year, the scenery is fantastic and the roads have a great mix of sweeping turns and tight twisties to make any Road Tripper drool. So, get out there and bake your brains!

DAY 3
Tropics Motor Hotel
82297 Indio Boulevard
Indio, CA 92201-3129
1. RIGHT on Indio Blvd E toward Palm St 2.9 mi
2. CONTINUE onto CA-111 S/CA-86 1.0 mi
3. LEFT onto CA-111 S 10.0 mi
4. LEFT  onto 4th St 0.1 mi
5. RIGHT onto Hammond Rd 0.2 mi
6. LEFT onto 66th Ave 3.9 mi
7. CONTINUE onto Box Canyon Rd 15.5 mi
8. CONTINUE onto Cottonwood Springs Road 0.3 mi
9. RIGHT to merge onto I-10 E toward Blythe 4.3 mi
10. TAKE EXIT 173 toward Chiriaco/Summit 0.2 mi
11. LEFT onto Summit Rd 0.1 mi
12.RIGHT onto Chiriaco Rd
Destination will be on the left 308 ft
38.7 mi – about 1 hour 1 min
General Patton Memorial Museum,62510 Chiriaco Road Chiriaco Summit, CA 92201
STOP AT THE MUSEUM! $5 ADMISSION, WELL WORTH THE PRICE!
13. WEST on Chiriaco Rd toward Summit Rd 308 ft
14. LEFT onto Summit Rd 171 ft
15. RIGHT to merge onto I-10 W 4.3 mi
16. TAKE EXIT 168 for Cottonwood Springs Rd
toward Mecca Twentynine Palms 0.2 mi
17. RIGHT onto Cottonwood Springs Road 5.1 mi
18. CONTINUE onto El Dorado Mine Rd/Pinto Basin Rd
Continue to follow El Dorado Mine Rd 31.5 mi
19. LEFT onto Loop Rd 13.7 mi
THIS IS JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK. YOU HAVE TO PAY TO GO THROUGH. STICK TO THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT AND ENJOY THE VIEW. AS OTHERS WILL TELL YOU, THE PARK RANGERS REALLY DON’T LIKE PEOPLE SPEEDING ALONG!!!!!! It will cost $15/per car to drive through the park, It’s worth it! Support the Park System. If you are too cheap, you can find your own route and probably spend more than $15 in gas to drive around the park.
20. CONTINUE onto National Park Dr 7.1 mi
21. CONTINUE onto Quail Springs Rd 4.1 mi
22. CONTINUE onto Park Blvd 1.0 mi
23. LEFT onto CA-62 W. Twentynine Palms Hwy 7.7 mi
24. RIGHT onto Pioneertown Rd 4.4 mi
79.2 mi – about 2 hours 19 mins
 LUNCH BUT PROBABLY NO PIE--SORRY!
Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace
53688 Pioneertown Road
Pioneertown, CA 92268

AFTER LUNCH
25. HEAD EAST on Pioneertown Rd toward Tom Mix Rd 4.4 mi
26. LEFT onto CA-62 E 1.9 mi
27. LEFT onto Old Woman Springs Rd 44.8 mi
28. CONTINUE onto CA-18 N 10.5 mi
29. LEFT onto Bear Valley Rd 7.9 mi
30. LEFT onto Jacaranda Ave 1.3 mi
31. CONTINUE onto E Ave 3.0 mi
32. RIGHT onto Juniper St 0.5 mi
33. LEFT onto Santa Fe Ave E 2.9 mi
34. CONTINUE onto Summit Valley Rd 7.5 mi
35. RIGHT onto CA-138 W 5.4 mi
36. MERGE ONTO I-15 S via the ramp to San Bernardino 1.3 mi
37. TAKE EXIT 129 for Cleghorn Rd 0.3 mi
38. RIGHT onto Cajon Blvd/Cleghorn Rd
Continue to follow Cajon Blvd 6.3 mi
39. LEFT onto Kenwood Ave 0.1 mi
40. RIGHT to merge onto I-15 S 0.9 mi
41. SLIGHT RIGHT to stay on I-15 S (signs for Los Angeles/San Diego) 8.0 mi
42. MERGE ONTO CA-210 W toward Pasadena

Road Trippin’
with Steve McCarthy
Indio-Part TWO! 


Ok, you’ve had a good night’s sleep and are raring to hit the road for day two. I really hope you’re doing this in early spring (although in early spring, it might still snow in the mountains you drove on day one! Timing is indeed ‘interesting’ for this trip!), if not, get an early start because we’re talkin’ HOT DESERT and I don’t mean Baked Alaska! 
We’ll be heading south along the shores of the Salton Sea, that oddity that used to be part of the Gulf of California until a turn of the last century earthquake raised the land south of there and cut off this arm, making it a land locked salt sea (hence it’s name). At one time it was touted as a Wondrous Resort, but as the salinity has increased (imagine this, an Ecological Bad Thing, NOT caused by either humans OR Republicans OR Big Oil), the fish die off more frequently and really stink up the place. Sadly, it’s pretty much closed up, taking people’s dreams of living on the New Riviera with it. There’s a kinda hard scrabble flint edged attitude amongst the inhabitants in their scruffy trailers and sometimes engine-less motor homes. It’s a bargain for Snowbirds on a Budget. 
About half way down the western edge, your gonna turn west, through the Anza Borrego Desert. This place gets REALLY hot, so if you’re a top down kinda traveller (like us), plenty of sun screen and even long sleeve shirts that have SPF protection and some kinda hats are deregiuer. Just like Death Valley, if there’s actually been some rain, the little wild flowers, eking out an existence are marvelous. Even without the flowers, there is an awesome beauty to the landscape. Lunar is the term that usually comes to mind. 

Heading south out of the Borrego, you’ll hit the town of Ocotillo. This road was part of the Great Overland Stage Route, and it’s hard to realize what that must have been like. Long, hot, dusty, and unbearably slow, it took some special people to travel this route regularly. Make sure you gas up in Ocotillo. There isn’t much opportunity along I-8. Yeah, OK, I said it. The “I” word. You know I wouldn’t send you on the Dreaded Interstate unless I had to, but, there is no other way through Carrizo Gorge. Even though it’s Interstate, it’s a pretty neat drive. Deep rocky canyons and spectacular rock formations are the order of the day. Just past the gorge, we’ll get onto the Old Road. This is the remnant of US Hwy 80. It’s less travelled, has no trucks and obviously is preferable to I-8. If you want, you can keep on I-8, they parallel each other. Old 80 is just more interesting. About where the interstate shifts a bit north, we’ll head for the hills and lunch, by taking the back way into Julian. Most people have at least heard of this old mining town that’s now famous for it’s Apple Pies. Yep, another Pie Stop! There are a couple of places in town, but to me, Mom’s is THE place. They were the first and make all their pies from scratch! If you time it right and hit Julian early, you can smell the baking pies as you hit town. MAN, there isn’t much better than that! The only equal would be hitting Gilroy at Garlic Pickin’ Time! See, THIS is why I love an open car! The ability to smell the world around you is far superior to our usual air-conditioned-bottled-air-’freshener’-scented isolation in modern cars. Now Julian is tiny. Parking is a pain. A lot of the shops have the usual happy crappy in them, but there are some neat ones. In addition to Mom’s, there are other eateries, B&B’s and places to get organic honeys and jams. Check out http://www.visitjulian.com/ for more info.
 

Now if you have a group, or don’t want to fight the parking, here’s a tip. Mom’s has a place just north of town in Wynola. It’s on the highway and is hard to miss. Wynola actually looks even neater than “downtown” Julian. There are some antique places and even a guy who makes HARD CIDER! Tough to beat that. The Mom’s in Wynola is really just for pies, but hey, pie for lunch? What’s wrong with that? 

After Julian, we’ll be heading east again, back through the heart of the Anza Borrego to a town called Borrego Springs. To do this, we descend Montezuma Pass. This is a Montezuma’s Revenge of a different sort. This is a really great road, but be careful of the Motor Home Idiots. A month or so ago, one went “sailin’ on out there”. I guess it’s not an irregular occurrence. 

Through Borrego Springs we’ll head back to the Salton Sea, then back north to Indio for night two. Although it’s been a short jaunt (under 200 miles), it’s been a challenging trip, and one where you actually have time to dawdle and still get back to the joys of a cool motel pool in time for the real heat of the day. 

Next month, in part three, we’ll hit a couple of museums, Joshua Tree, and lovely Mecca. Until then, keep the shiny side up and the greasy side down. 

Day 2

Tropics Motor Hotel

82297 Indio Boulevard

Indio, CA 92201-3129

1. RIGHT on Indio Blvd toward Palm St 2.9 mi

2. CONTINUE onto CA-111 S/CA-86

Continue to follow CA-86 18.2 mi

3. LEFT ON CA-86 N/81st Ave 0.3 mi

4. RIGHT ON CA-86 S 27.4 mi

5. RIGHT onto CA-78 38.5 mi

6. LEFT onto County Route S2/Great Southern Overland Stage Route of 1849

Continue to follow Great Southern Overland Stage Route of 1849 29.4 mi

7. CONTINUE onto County Route S2/Sweeny Pass Rd

Continue to follow County Route S2 17.8 mi

135 mi – about 3 hours 0 mins

Ocotillo, CA

GAS UP HERE! 

8. SOUTH on County Route S2 toward Opal Rd 0.3 mi

9. RIGHT to merge onto I-8 W toward San Diego 23.5 mi

10. TAKE EXIT 65 for Ribbonwood Rd/CA-94 toward Campo Blvd 0.4 mi

11. LEFT onto CA-94 W/Ribbonwood Rd 0.6 mi

12. RIGHT onto CA-94 W/Old Hwy 80

Continue to follow CA-94 W 12.6 mi

13. RIGHT onto Buckman Springs Rd/San Diego County Rd S 1 9.6 mi

14. LEFT onto Old Buckman Springs Rd 0.9 mi

15. SLIGHT LEFT onto San Diego County Rd S 1 27.1 mi

16. RIGHT onto CA-79 N 5.8 mi

17. LEFT onto Main St (signs for Julian) 0.3 mi

18. LEFT onto Washington St 0.2 mi

19. CONTINUE onto CA-78 W/CA-79 N/Julian Rd

Destination will be on the right 3.8 mi

84.9 mi – about 2 hours 12 mins

LUNCH STOP! AND YEAH, EAT THE APPLE PIE! WE’LL VOTE TONIGHT ON THE WINNER!!!

MOM’S PIE

4510 California 78

Julian, CA 92036

AFTER LUNCH:

20. RIGHT on CA-78 W/CA-79 N/Julian Rd toward Springview Rd 2.8 mi

21. RIGHT onto CA-79 N 11.4 mi

22. RIGHT onto County Route S2/San Felipe Rd 4.7 mi

23. LEFT onto Montezuma Valley Rd 17.4 mi

24. RIGHT onto Palm Canyon Dr 1.4 mi

25. At the traffic circle, continue straight to stay on Palm Canyon Dr 4.4 mi

26. CONTINUE onto Pegleg Rd 2.4 mi

27. CONTINUE onto Borrego Salton Seaway 13.1 mi

28. CONTINUE onto Borrego Salton Sea Way 7.5 mi

29. LEFT onto CA-86 N 14.9 mi

30. LEFT onto CA-86 S/81st Ave 0.3 mi

31. RIGHT onto CA-86 N/Harrison St

Continue to follow CA-86 N 19.6 mi

32. CONTINUE onto Interstate 10 Business W-INDIO BLVD 1.7 mi

33. Make a U-turn at Sun Gold St

Destination will be on the right 0.1 mi

102 mi – about 2 hours 36 mins

Tropics Motor Hotel

82297 Indio Boulevard

Indio, CA 92201-3129

The Drive to the Black Lagoon-Part One

Road Trippin’ 

with Steve McCarthy

Ya know, it’s been a long time since I’ve written up a proper trip. This one is a dandy, and any part can be done as a one, two, or three day jaunt. In some ways, it’s a variation of the Eastern San Diego County one I wrote about a few years ago, but this one has some definite twists to it, and not just twists in the road.

If you do the whole three day tour, not only will you get a good dose of California’s variety of landscape (mountains and deserts in particular, and as an added bonus, a land locked lake), but you can compare apple pies and get some really good Mexican food! What’s not to like? 

We’ll start in Montrose/La Canada at the UA Theatre where the 2 and 210 freeways meet. Many of you will know it as the place car guys meet on Saturday mornings. This is the logical place, because we’ll be going over Angeles Crest, all the way to Wrightwood. 

The beauty of this part is, of course, you have choices for breakfast. There’s of course Newcomb’s Ranch, where all the bikers stop, then several choices in Wrightwood, depending on what time you set out and how long you want to wait for food. Newcomb’s is a neat place, and now that the Crest is open again, they need the biz! The brutal Station Fire really trashed the whole area and their business is still trying to recover. If you go on a weekend, watch for the crotch rocket guys. Some of them are really boogieing! Also, always be on the alert for Mr. Chippy! They are still watching, especially on the weekends, so don’t do anything stoooopid! Also, on weekdays, remember that this is a commuter route and the oncoming traffic can be heavy. Stick to realistic speeds going up, stay the heck on your side of the road and enjoy. 

From Wrightwood, the route will take you across the I-15 (a good place to gas up) and up to Arrowhead, the back way. This is a killer road with enough switchbacks to give you achy arms! Past Arrow head is of course Big Bear. This whole section can be crowded on a weekend, so I’d do this mid week if I were you. Big Bear and Arrowhead also offer plenty of places to eat and stop, but hold on, the real food treat is up ahead. 

You’ll be taking the back way down from Big Bear, roads that I remember well from the old Bus Driving Days. Man, it seemed like every weekend, we’d be hauling Girl Scouts, Campfire Girls, YMCA kids, or even the odd (very odd) Women’s Christian Temperance Union campers up and down that hill. For the latter, I always wore my trusty Loch Ness Monster Pub T-shirt. The tales I could tell! Anyway, this route is a lot of fun, and will wind up in Oak Glen, above Yucaipa. This is where you want to stop for lunch. Oak Glen is known for it’s apple orchards, and apple orchards means Apple Pie! 

Now I gotta tell ya, I’m an Apple Pie Freak. To the point where I have Apple Pie instead of birthday cake! Oak GLen has great pie, and although you have several choices, Law’s Oak Glen Cafe is probably the best. It’s of course debatable, but believe me, it’s good! You can also stop and get fresh squeezed cider at a number of places. Add a little brewer’s yeast and…

So, after lunch, you’ll drop down for a brief jaunt on the I-10 (get gas now, NEVER in the mountains!) and quickly back up into the mountains. This time it’s the San Jacinto’s, past the little community of Idylwild then down to Palm Desert over the Pines to Palm (or is it the Palms to Pines-I guess it depends on which way you’re going) Highway. This is another really twisty bit that will guarantee the need of some kind of relaxing beverage at the end of the day. The last bit is through some city streets to Indio and our stop for the night. 

Indio is an odd place. It was at one time a major stop on the southerly route across the country, and has become a pretty large city, but it’s still mostly bypassed by travelers. Every spring there is the huge music festival at Chowchilla, just down the road, so watch your dates. Motel rooms are impossible to get at that time! 

We found a classic on Indio Boulevard called The Tropics Motor Hotel. Frank the manager is a great guy, and the place is proper old time roadside motel. There are a couple of others nearby so you do have a choice. 

The best part of stopping in Indio is the El Mexicali Cafe. 82720 Indio Boulevard, Indio, CA (760) 347-1280. This place is family owned and run, been there since ’82, and has the most wonderful appetizer! It’s a fairly mild yellow chili, stuffed with shrimp onto which you drizzle (of all things) soy sauce! Weird sounding but REALLY good!!!  When we stopped there, the waitress was so insistent that we try it, that even when we passed (stooopid us!) she brought us a couple on the house! MAN was this good! The rest of the meal was exceptional as well. This is some of the best Mexican food we’ve found. Ever. 

Next month, I’ll take you on a southern tour past the Salton Sea, through the Anza Borrego Desert, and then to Julian for Part Two of the Great Apple Pie Challenge! 

UA La Canada 8

1919 Verdugo Boulevard

La Canada, CA 91011

1. LEFT out of parking lot on Verdugo Blvd 0.6 mi

2. RIGHT on Foothill Blvd 0.3 mi

3. LEFT on Angeles Crest Hwy 64.3 mi

4. SLIGHT RIGHT toward CA-138 E 0.1 mi

Think Seriously about gas when you cross I-15! Gas gets REAL expensive as we head to the mountains! 

5. SLIGHT RIGHT on CA-138 E 27.7 mi

6. LEFT to stay on CA-138 E 1.1 mi

7. RIGHT to stay on CA-138 E 0.3 mi

8. LEFT on CA-138 0.9 mi

9. KEEP RIGHT AT THE FORK TO MERGE onto CA-18 N 14.1 mi

10. SLIGHT LEFT onto Hilltop Con 89 ft

11. Hilltop Con turns slightly right and becomes CA-18 N/Hilltop Blvd

Continue to follow CA-18 N 12.4 mi

12. RIGHT on CA-18 N/Big Bear Blvd 0.5 mi

13. LEFT to stay on CA-18 N/Big Bear Blvd 3.5 mi

14.LEFT onto Big Bear Blvd 6.6 mi

15. RIGHT on CA-38 W/Greenspot Blvd

Continue to follow CA-38 W 39.2 mi

16. LEFT on Bryant St (signs for Yucaipa/Oak Glen) 2.4 mi

17. LEFT onto Oak Glen Rd

Destination will be on the left 5.0 mi

179 mi – about 4 hours 21 mins

LUNCH STOP! You MUST have the Apple Pie! We will conduct a survey and judge whether Oak Glen or Julian has the Best Pie! A coveted The Drive Award will be given to the BEST Place! 

Law's Oak Glen Coffee Shop

38392 Oak Glen Road

Yucaipa, CA 92399-9749

AFTER LUNCH:

18. LEFT on Oak Glen Rd toward Hideaway Ln 7.6 mi

19. CONTINUE ONTO Beaumont Ave 2.0 mi

20. LEFT on Oak Valley Pkwy 0.6 mi

21. RIGHT on Pennsylvania Ave 1.4 mi

22. LEFT to merge onto I-10 E toward Indio 4.4 mi

You might want to think about some gas! 

23. TAKE EXIT 100 for 8th St/CA-243 toward Idyllwild 0.3 mi

24. RIGHT on CA-243 S/S 8th St 0.1 mi

25. TAKE FIRST LEFT onto W Lincoln St 0.5 mi

26. TAKE 2^nd RIGHT on CA-243 S/Banning-Idyllwild Panoramic Hwy

Continue to follow CA-243 S/Banning-Idyllwild Panoramic Hwy 28.8 mi

27. CONTINUE on CA-74 E/Florida Ave

Continue to follow CA-74 E 36.7 mi

28. RIGHT on CA-111 S 9.5 mi

29. LEFT on Monroe St 1.0 mi

30. RIGHT on Fred Waring Dr 449 ft

31. TAKE 1^st RIGHT on Interstate 10 Business E (Indio Blvd)

Destination will be on the right 0.2 mi

93.2 mi – about 2 hours 17 mins

Tropics Motor Hotel

82297 Indio Boulevard

Indio, CA 92201-3129