Rancho Guajome is a super well preserved 19th century hacienda. It is a California Historical Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, yet it is almost always completely empty. I don’t think there is a better location nearby for a quiet picnic.
In 1845, Jose Maria Orozco, a customs agent, boarded a horse-drawn wagon and headed north from Old Town to what is now Valley Center. There he took claim to 13,298 acres of land, a gift from the Mexican Governor of California, Pio Pico, who had handed out 800 similar land grants to other friends and …
A grunion run is a grunion spawning event, when a thin silver fish species swims as far up onto shore as possible in order to reproduce. The females are the first to arrive on the sand, using their tail to dig a nest a few inches deep then depositing her eggs. There can be up …
There are lots of whale watching opportunities close to Oceanside, there is even a whale watching company we can walk to from our house. But since we were headed to Extraordinary Desserts after whale watching, we decided to go with San Diego Whale Watching, based out of Mission Bay. This was an excellent choice because, …
A trip to Lake Havasu wouldn’t be complete without getting on a boat so we booked the Copper Canyon tour through Sunset Charter and Tour Co. Copper Canyon is an abandoned mine, the largest copper producing mine along the Colorado River. Now it is a spring break hotspot, where boaters go to jump into the …
In 1915 a large claim of gold was found in Oatman, and so begun a quest to find more. Within fifteen years it was estimated that 36 million dollars worth of gold had been mined in the area. It became a ghost town, however, when the interstate was built, and Route 66 that runs through …
For over a century, before the London Bridge was purchased and relocated to Lake Havasu City, the London Bridge spanned the River Thames in England. When the 130,000 ton bridge was purchased in 1968 (including its vintage lamps made from the melted down cannons of Napoleon Bonaparte’s army) it became the world’s largest antique. Robert …
The Rim Trail is a 13 mile super accessible, absolutely breathtaking trail along the rim of the Grand Canyon. The two and a half mile portion of the trail that we walked, from the Village to Yavapai Geology Museum, is known as the Trail of Time, and a walk through the rocks of the grand …
The Grand Canyon has been admired for thousands of years, but it wasn’t until the railroad arrived in 1901 that more people were able to access one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Photography studios, hotels, souvenir shops, concessioners, cabins and restaurants popped up in no time, creating the Grand Canyon Village. These …
According to Theodore Roosevelt, the Grand Canyon is “the one great sight which every American should see”. Mather Point is one of the most popular views of the Grand Canyon, and seemed to be the best place to stop as our daughter stamps her 16th National Park in her National Park passport book. From Mather …
Jerome is an old copper mining town, perched on the edge of the Black Hills of Arizona, one hour from Prescott. Jerome was founded in 1876, and was once known as the wickedest town in the west. I guess that’s what three million pounds of copper per month does to a town. There were 15,000 …
Watson Lake was created in the early 1900s, one or two man made reservoirs at the Granite Dells (about four miles from Prescott). The Granite Dells is a 1.4 billion year old geologic feature of intriguing rounded boulders, rock layers shedding off over time like the layers of an onion. There is a 4.8 mile …
In the late 1800s, Prescott epitomized the Wild West. Doc Holiday and Virgil Earp were regulars at the Palace, the oldest bar in Arizona, drinking in front of the hand carved bar (which is still a centerpiece at the saloon today). After a day of searching for gold, miners flocked to downtown Prescott to gamble, …
California Citrus State Historic Park is a 247 acre open air museum in Riverside whose mission is to preserve citrus history. The history begins well before 1873, when the first two naval orange trees were sent by the US Department of Agriculture to a Riverside resident, but instead with the origin of the citrus plant …
It is that time of year, the World of Orchids annual showcase is currently on display in the San Diego Botanic Gardens 8,000 square foot greenhouse. This year the exhibition will last from March 11- April 9. Throughout the showcase, upon multiple visits, visitors can expect to see different orchids as all the plants are …
Four Points Bulletin 