Baker, California is pretty much only known for its giant thermometer. At 134 feet tall, it is actually the world’s tallest thermometer. The electric sign height commemorates the hottest day on record, 134 degrees Fahrenheit (in Death Valley in 1913). As we head to Great Basin National Park we stopped here to watch the digits …
Within Coachella Valley, public art is easy to come by. There are sculptures and murals from Palm Springs to Coachella, sponsored by public and private donors whose mission is to bring art to the people. To see a lot of art in one place, you can’t beat the Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden. Thank you to …
It wouldn’t be a trip to the desert without a trip to Palm Desert’s Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, whose mission is to preserve, protect and restore natural environments, ecosystems and wildlife. A family membership here is money well spent. The reason we appreciate this zoo so much is because the animal experiences are more …
The Murrieta Rod Run is a two day event located in Downtown Murrieta. 100% of the proceeds are donated to Oak Grove Center, a nonprofit residential, education and treatment center for about 800 at-risk and special needs youth. Although the first Murrieta Rod Run was held a decade ago, this is my first time attending. …
Los Angeles Union Station is the largest railroad passenger terminal in the western United States. It serves about 110,000 passengers daily, and today was busier than usual as it hosted the Los Angeles Union Station Train Festival. This 52-acre transportation hub opened in 1939. It was designed by a father/son architect team, who blended Spanish …
Elvis Presley loved Palm Springs. He and his wife honeymooned in Palm Springs after eloping to Las Vegas (picture one). The house that they honeymooned and lived in for a year was known as the “House of Tomorrow”, with all of its modern amenities including a floating fireplace. The round master bedroom also floated over …
The Alabama Hills are like no where on earth, not even Alabama. But this makes since the area was not named after a place but a thing… a warship, the CSS Alabama. Today we walked Mobius Arch Loop Trail (I refrain from saying ‘hike’ since it is only 0.6 miles long). This trail couldn’t be …
Not too far from our campsite we explored what is known as the South Loop of Alabama Hills (south of Movie Road and Witney Portal Road). There are definitely less people in this area but still plenty of things to see and do. We found interesting rock formations, a creek with countless dragonflies and a …
Camping in the Alabama Hills in popular. There is no worse time to look for a campsite in the Alabama Hills than a holiday weekend, which is unfortunately when I have time to camp. After a stressful hour or two of looking for a campsite in Movie Flat, racing other AWD cars from campsite to …
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 …
Tecate, Baja California is a Pueblo Magico, a designation given by the Mexico Secretary of Tourism to cities that offer visitors a special cultural experience. There are currently 132 Pueblo Magicos in Mexico, only three of which are located in Baja California. The unique thing about Tecate is that is a border town. We park …
Palomar Observatory is an astronomical research facility in the Palomar Mountain Range (located at 6,142′ elevation). Inside the observatory is a 200″ Palomar telescope, the world’s largest telescope from 1949-1975. Unfortunately, due to the snow and the proclivity for San Diegans to go absolutely crazy over snow in our local mountains, the observatory remained closed …
The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association’s mission statement is to preserve history through physical legacy, historical context, cultural landscape and experience of rail transportation. The Campo rail station dates back to 1916, a stop along the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway line. In order to connect Arizona to San Diego, the tracks had to …
Just a minute past our campsite at the end of Contact Flat is the trail marker for the Alabama Hills trailhead. This trail has several branching off points but we stuck to the right, veering around the hill we were camped on. We ended up directly on the other side of it and so instead …
The Alabama Hills are like no where else on earth. Its rounded rocks and eroded hills settled before the jagged peaks of Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, formed over 100 million years ago as earth’s plates pushed into each other with no place for the land to go but up. …