With utter frustration...

My mother used to go back to Colorado every year for the month of July to see her brother and his family. Since she has passed, I have been trying to keep up the tradition and go for a week.

I was pretty excited because although I have made the 14+ hour drive on several occasions, this will be the first time I am taking the T@B. I have planned a two week trip so that I can do a little sightseeing with my son.

We plan on stopping at Mesa Verde to see the cliff dwellings. I saw them when I was 10ish, and remember it fondly. Now, my son, being 2, will probably NOT remember it, but I think he will have fun none-the-less. And for the occasions that he gets tired, I am bringing the toddler carrier (thank goodness for those lost 60 lbs!). We are also going to ride the Durango/Silverton railroad, which I know he will love. Off to Ouray for a week. Then my last leg of the trip we were/are going to stop in Moab, Utah.

First of all, there is hardly ANYTHING I cam do with my son. Can't take him on a balloon ride, even in the carrier. Can't take him on a plane ride because the man who owns the plane doesn't want my child disturbing others (what an asshole, pardon my language). Most of the boat won't let me take my son because of one stupid reason or another. My son has been on a plane, and fell asleep the entire time. He has been on a boat and didn't mind the life vest being put on, nor did he try to jump over. It is just so damn frustrating.

Until I called a place called Tag-a-Long Expeditions. Bless them. Not only did the lady I spoke with offer to dog sit for me (I will pay her nicely), They also have planned a nice day for my son and I- We are going to go through the river in the Canyonland Nation Park for half the day, and then take a 4x4 adventure through Arches national park for the rest of the day. I am pretty excited about it. I think my son will have a great time, and I hope to get some outstanding pictures.

Now, I can't wait till the end of the month!

Scavenger Hunt #1

I am fortunate that about 41 of the CA historic sites are very close to where I live. In a way I get to cheat, and take a 20 minutes drive, snap a few pictures, and there you go, a few sites checked off my list.


#42. San Bernardino Asistencia

It is a branch of the San Gabriel Mission that was built in 1830. It was attacked and looted several times after being built, and sold to Jose del Carmen Lugo as part of a ranch grant. A plaque in the museum explains that he and his family were in constant fear of hostile Indian attacks. The ranch was sole to the Mormons in 1840. The plaque reads:

This branch of San Gabriel Mission was constructed about 1830 on the San Bernardino Rancho. During the 1840s, its buildings were used by José del Carmen Lugo as part of his rancho grant. Later, after its sale to the Mormons, it was occupied by Bishop Tenney in the 1850s, and by Dr. Benjamin Barton in the 1860s. Its restoration was completed in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration, assisted by the San Bernardino County Historical Society.

California Registered Landmark No. 42

Plaque placed by the California State Park Commission in cooperation with the San Bernardino County Museum Association, April 24, 1960.

It was absoultely beautiful. When I dream of the perfect place to live, my "La Fortuna" this is what I picture. It is off a major road, yet when you walk into the actual grounds of the Asistencia, it is peaceful and calm. The plaster on the walls has been time yellowed. The adobe bricks in the old barn have multiple hues of oranges, browns, and reds that are rarely seen in newer, machine manufactured bricks of today. There are furnishings in the main building that originally belonged to the del Carmen Lugo family. (Can you say back a truck up and swipe them- they are BEAUTIFUL!).

There is a care-taker that lives on the grounds full time. I also believe that they still hold services in the chapel. One can also rent the grounds for weddings and special occasions.

My peanut also enjoyed running around the grounds.

I have lived near this site for 10+ years now, and had never taken the time to stop. If you love architecture or history, this is a definite quick stop!

#44. The Mormon Stockade.

The sad thing about my historical scavenger hunt is that sometimes the only thing I get to see is a sign or a plaque letting me know that this is a place that history was stood. The downtown area of San Bernardino is a prime example of this. According to the CA Historical Website "On this site in 1839 was built the first house in San Bernardino, the home of José del Carmen Lugo, one of the grantees of the San Bernardino Rancho. In 1851 a stockade of logs was built here as a protection against the Indians, in it more than a hundred families lived for over a year." There are no logs. It is now the site of the San Bernardino County Courthouse. However, there are some plaques! This one reads:

Daughters of Utah Pioneers

No. 302 Erected 1964

SETTLEMENT OF SAN BERNARDINO

In March 1851 Charles C. Rich and Amasa M. Lyman, apostles of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, left Utah with 437 people "To establish a stronghold for the gathering saints in California." Jefferson Hunt, David Seeley and Andrew Lytle were captains of organized companies. They purchased the Rancho 'De San Bernardino,' selected a site for settlement, built a fort enclosing 100 homes and erected an adobe building for church and school. 1300 acres of grain were planted, crist and saw mills erected and roads were made into nearby canyons. Local government was established, city incorporated and the population doubled before the call back to Utah by president Brigham Young in 1857. Pioneers from Yerba Buena, England, and the Pacific had joined the settlement.

San Bernardino County, Calif.

In terms of beautiful buildings, the San Bernardino County Court House is one a prime example of the Romanesque/Art Deco architecture of the 1920s. This building was built in 1926. When you enter it (yes, I have had the "privilege" on more than one occasion- speeding ticket, jury duty), the floors, the wood paneling, and many other features of the original building still exist. You are not, however allowed to take photos.

# 528 and 620 The Yucaipa Adobe and the Yucaipa Ranchera

Unfortunately, I don't have much to report about this site. It is about 1/2 an acre in the middle of, well, not the best neighborhood, that has been fenced off. I was not able to tour the grounds because it closes at 3pm, and I got there at 3:10. If you enlarge the picture, to the left of the Adobe you can see the historic plaque.

It was one more piece of the large puzzle of land that belonged to the Lugo's land grant. It is also supposed to be the oldest house in San Bernardino County. It was acquired by SBCo. in 1955. You can tell around the back that some additions were made to the original adobe, I would guess in the 30s or 40s judging by how the structure looks.

The land surrounding the adobe, the Ranchera was were large populations of Serrano Indians lived. It was a valley that was supported by springs and creeks. The indians called this valley "Yucaipat" which means "wet-lands". Native American's lived here year round.

San Bernardino is a great place for a history scavenger hunt. As I said, though, sadly, much of the history has been replaced by new construction, and a little sign sticking out of the ground.
I used to work at a local newspaper across from the courthouse. In the building I worked in was the first hotel in San Bernardino, the Bella Union built in 1857. It also was the site of two of the first adobe schools built by the Mormons in 1854. It also was the site of the Opera House, which operated until 1927. Then it became a Fox Theater. I don't know at what point the newspaper took over the building, but the theater was reduced to a storage building. I do have photos somewhere of all of this that I need to dig out. Now, the building belongs to a sports medicine university. Around the area is also the Mormon Flour Mill and the Allen Iron Works.

The Peanut and the Shell...

Posting number 1.
I recently decided to purchase a T@B trailer. It was a little bit of an impulse purchase. I wanted something that I could go to Oklahoma in. I looked into renting an RV, and that was WAYYYY expensive for a two week trip. I thought about just driving and stopping to rent hotel rooms every now and then, but then I would be limited in terms of where I could stop and what I could do, not to mention the cost of gas and hotel rooms could easily be the same as renting and RV. So as I was looking, I came across the T@B trailer. I researched and decided this was the direction I needed to go.

A few weeks later a lovely little T@B was parked in my driveway. I also have a son (my peanut) and I know that camping is an experience that very few actually get, but I think is valuable in growth and development. Hence I came up with the name for my T@B- the peanut shell, and the name for this blog- the peanut is my son, and the shell is my T@B.


We went on our first excursion Mother's Day weekend- May 7-9th. We journeyed to Santa Margarita. We also went and explored Morrow Bay. I took my son out for his first boat ride (with out dog). We both enjoyed ourselves. We stayed at a KOA that was a little off the beaten path, but peaceful and beautiful. For my first experience in the T@B, it was lovely. Although the T@B is small, with the add-a-room, it perfectly suited our needs. A small kitchen and a large bed. We had room for a few chairs, a dog bed, and a few toys. I even have a portable cooler/fridge that kept all our food nice and cool.








I have already modified a few things in the T@B- I changed out the upholstery and added a spare tire mount. I am also adding a few storage solutions. I am also debating on buying a camping oven/stove. I like camping, but I also like comfort. The T@B is perfect for us!

I have now decided that I want to visit all the historic places in CA. There are over 1100. I am going to try to do it in a year!