Social Distance Road Trip: Oak Glen and Apple Country

 

On Thanksgiving weekend we decided to take a day trip, and my first thought was to see some fall leaves. Oak Glen came on my radar, and it turns out that's where Riley's Farm — which Evan visited for a field trip in elementary school — is located. (It also turns out that Riley's Farm is owned by awful people, and I'd advise to steer clear.) We had just missed apple picking season, but that was fine, I was just looking for an adventure.

What was open, however, was the Southern California Montane Botanic Garden. It was free, and a chance to walk around nature and see some fall colors. Located at The Wildlands Conservancy's Oak Glen Preserve, it's right off of the road at 39611 Oak Glen Road, and there's plenty of parking.

Opened in 2014, it's quite a nice oasis showcasing the ecology of the San Bernardino mountains. Per the Conservancy, the Oak Glen Preserve "encompasses 220 acres of wild lands that include oak woodland, conifer forest, chaparral, grasslands, wetlands, springs, ponds and two year-round streams with riparian habitat corridors. Divided into venues, the plant species in these diverse habitats are identified with unique, descriptive botanical markers. Since the Garden opened, twelve new venues have been installed—the newest of which are Hummingbird Hill, Falling Waters, and The Artist’s Palette—and more than 100 native plant species have been marked." More pics below:

Before making it to the garden, we grabbed food at the nearby Angus McGurdy's for tri-tip sandwiches and tri-tip french fries. Then we found some picnic tables near the garden to enjoy.

The restaurant was at Parrish Ranch, which also featured antique stores, a gallery (witness the masked David Bowie above) and... llamas.

Driving back, we came across Wilshire's store and restaurant. And although we missed apple picking season, we did pick up a nice apple pizza for dessert.

Oak Glen is about a 90 minute drive, and a fun way to see a very different part of Southern California.

San Bernardino Aftermath: Thursday's Newspaper Front Pages

Per the Los Angeles Times' Henry Fuhrmann, who posted this on his Twitter feed: "Here's today's almost-final front page. (The edition just now sent to press has a few changes.)"

Below, the San Bernardino Sun's Thursday front. (The Sun's sister paper, the L.A. Daily News, sports an identical cover.)

An Evening at the Wigwam Motel on Route 66

Chris Nichols did it again. The Los Angeles magazine staffer (and man behind its popular column "Ask Chris") throws an elaborate event each year for his birthday, usually incorporating L.A. history, landmarks and a dose of kitsch. And this year he outdid himself by throwing "TV Jamboree," a 1950s-style TV revue (think Spade Cooley, Bandstand Revue or Dixie Showboat) at the famed Wigwam Motel in San Bernardino.

Among the performers: Charles Phoenix (singing "You're Just Too Good To Be True" in an Indian head dress, in honor of the Wig Wam), a Hurdy Gurdy duo, a Stan Chambers impersonator, and -- in the flesh -- Tom Hatten, the host of The Popeye Show on KTLA for three decades.

As for the Wigwam, even histo-entertainer Phoenix admitted that despite his many trips down Route 66, he hadn't stopped to check out the Wigwam until Saturday night. The legendary motel consists of rooms designed to look like teepees. Some history from the Wigwam's site:

The California Wigwam Motel was built within the city limits of San Bernardino in 1949, a period when citrus groves flourished. The motel would later acquire a Rialto postal address, creating confusions as the property actually sits in San Bernardino. The motel's village-style arrangement of nineteen 30-foot-tall tepees made from wood framing, concrete and stuco draws much admiration from all generations. Each individual wigwam is carefully equipped with all the traveler's essentials with grounds that includes of grass area, an outdoor barbecue grill and kidney-shaped swimming pool.

The mastermind behind this retro motel was a clever man by the name of Frank Redford, who was heavily influenced by the native Indian culture. He would bring his imagination to a reality in the early 1930s explained in the following section.

A total of only seven Wigwam Motels were built throughout the nation, of which three managed to remain preserved. Two of the last three remaining rest along historic Route 66 in the states of Arizona and California, while the other rests in Redford's home state of Kentucky.

Photos from the Wigwam:


Wood carving invites motorists in.


old tractor.


The sun sets.


More sunset over the Wigwams and Route 66.


Friend of Franklin Avenue, Ellen Bloom.


Charles Phoenix croons.


Tom Hatten draws Popeye for the grown-up boys and girls.


The entire cast of "TV Jamboree."

Southern California's Ghost Airport Terminals

San Bernardino's terminal sits empty.

They sit there, ready for commercial airline service -- and the passengers that come with it. They're Southern California's Ghost Airport Terminals.

The two biggest are probably the San Bernardino International Airport and the Palmdale Regional Airport.



San Bernardino exists on land that formerly was a part of the now-closed Norton Air Force Base. The airport has been looking for an airline tenant, but has so far come up short. It nonetheless has built a new (and as of now, empty) passenger terminal (pics above and below) and is regularly used for film shoots ("X-Files," "The Fast and the Furious," "Terminator 3," "The Aviator").





From the airport's website:

The San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) allows for Stage 2 aircraft and has over 60,000 annual flight operations comprised mainly of charter, corporate and general aviation users. The Airport has recently completed a redesigned Passenger Terminal Facility in anticipation of future passenger airlines services. For scheduled and charter aircraft, or for more information regarding new charter or passenger flights, please contact the Airport at (909) 382-4100.

(Flickr pic by MECU.)

And then there's the sad case of the Palmdale airport. Los Angeles World Airports once upon a time harbored big plans to build a new international airport on this land, but nothing ever came of it beyond the small terminal (above) that is on leased Air Force land ("Plant 42").

The airport agency offered subsidies for United to fly a few planes from Palmdale to San Francisco. But once that money ran out last year, United bolted -- and Palmdale Airport, which has seen its passenger service ebb and flow, was once again without a tenant.

LAWA has even gone one step further and surrendered its federal certification to operate Palmdale Regional Airport as a commercial facility.

From the L.A. Times:

Mike Molina, an L.A. World Airports spokesman, said that maintaining the certificate no longer makes sense given the economic recession and the difficulty developing air service in the high-desert city, where eight airlines have come and gone since 1971. United departed Dec. 7 after operating at Palmdale for 18 months.

Should the opportunity arise to provide air service in the future, Molina said, Los Angeles World Airports can easily reapply to the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to operate at Palmdale. The FAA requires that certain conditions be met before a certificate is granted, such as runway inspections, adequate staffing and emergency preparedness plans.


Because a substantial effort has been made to develop Palmdale airport, L.A. World Airports officials contend that pulling out of the airport for now will not violate a 2005 court settlement that requires the agency to pursue a policy of regionalism -- spreading the growth in air travel to airports across Southern California to relieve congestion at LAX.

Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said the loss of certification should not interfere with the city's plans to take over the agency's leases with the U.S. Air Force and assume responsibility for attracting carriers to the airport. The terminal, the parking lot and aprons sit on 60 acres of Air Force property.